Did you know there is milk that you can buy at the grocery store and safely keep in your pantry for six – nine months before drinking it? It is called shelf-stable milk, and if you haven’t yet discovered all of the uses for this handy milk, I am about to blow your mind.
Why use shelf stable milk?
There are many uses for shelf-stable milk, but the number one reason I keep it on hand at all times is for when we run out of milk. My girls have to have their milk, and running out of milk is unacceptable. By keeping shelf-stable milk on hand, I always have milk on hand. (Tip even though it can be stored in the pantry, I keep some in my fridge so it is always cold.)
Another way we use shelf-stable milk is for travel. Since there is no worry about it spoiling, we bring it with us on road trips and chill it in a bucket of ice. Another suggestion I learned recently is to freeze it the night before, by the time you are ready it will thaw to a ice-cold glass of milk. Perfect for travel, theme parks and even lunch boxes.
One more important use – in case of a true emergency. Shelf-stable milk is an important addition to emergency supplies. in the case of a power outage, you can still serve milk.
6 Things You Should Know About Shelf-Stable Milk
It tastes good – My family has been drinking shelf-stable milk for years. In fact, my mom used to keep it on hand when I was a kid. But back in the ’80s and ’90s shelf-stable milk had a very distinctive flavor (one I didn’t care for). These days the process for creating shelf-stable milk has greatly improved and it tastes just like the “real” stuff. (My girls never know when I serve shelf-stable milk.)
How it’s possible – Shelf safe milk has been pasteurized at an Ultra High Temperature (275-284°) for three seconds and is then cooled to preserve taste and nutrition. Next it is packaged in a special sterile, multi-layer, opaque Tetra Pak shelf-safe carton that keeps out light, air and harmful contaminants.
No preservatives – There are no preservatives in shelf safe milk! The UHT heat process kills all bacteria. Nothing else is added to shelf-safe milk.
Organic – Just like traditional milk, shelf-stable milk can be purchased as organic or non organic and even chocolate. Almond and soy shelf-stable milk are also available. (FYI – our favorite shelf-stable milk is Organic Valley.)
Recyclable packaging – The special Tera PAC containers are 70% paper and are recyclable through many curbside recycling programs. To find out if cartons are recycled in your community, visit www.recyclecartons.com. (Yeay, my area recently started accepting cartons in our recycling!)
Chill it, warm it, chill it again – I’ve often wondered if shelf-stable milk was safe to put back in the fridge if I took it out of the fridge, it warmed to room temperature and we didn’t drink it. (I used to throw it out if that happened.) I was excited to learn recently that as long as it is not exposed to extreme temperatures (i.e. left in a hot car) or opened, it is safe to re-chill and drink later. Which makes it even better for travel!
Where can you get it? Now that you know all about shelf-stable milk, I bet you want to try some for your family, right? You will find it in most grocery stores – usually sold on the shelf not in the refrigerator case. Some restaurants are now serving it with kids meals too. Chipotle for example serves Organic Valley with its kids meals. (Because my girls like water with dinner, I always take the milk home to keep on hand for later.)
There are many benefits to shelf-stable milk. It is a bit more pricy than regular milk, so it doesn’t replace traditional milk in my house, but it is handy to have around so there is always some in my house.
For more ideas about how to incorporated shelf-stable milk into your life (and more information about the process) visit MilkUnleashed.com. You can also find MilkUnleashed on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. (Psst look for upcoming contests from MilkUnleased on Facebook.)
Interesting. Thank you for sharing this new product.
Does it affect the taste?
It does not. Surprisingly, I think it tastes just like milk. Apparently so do my kids because they never notice when I swap. Interestingly, the process has been around for 30 years. (My mom used to keep it in the house when I was a kid.) But earlier generations of the process did effect taste — a lot. But it is so much better now!
These will be great snacks for my two sisters. And, it’s always handy to have on-hand items in your pantry. Plus-milk for when you have a power outage!
This is so good to know! I had always wondered about the cool then warm then cool again thing. Good to know I can just pop it back in the fridge!
I find it hard using regular milk before expiration dates. This sounds perfect!
This would be a great idea since regular milk doesn’t last that long
I like this type of milk. It is really convenient for when traveling or when you are on the road.
I will definitely have to try this. I usually prefer cold milk but sometimes while traveling it spoils quickly.
My son loves milk, and I like to bring this type of milk on the road trips
I’ve never heard of this, but it would be nice to have with emergency supplies.
I grew up depending on shelf stable milk & milk powder as a child, especially in hard times. I’m glad to see that Organic Valley, my favorite milk brand has introduced these new products. I will look for these in the grocery store. It is handy to have milk that can travel well and is tasty and healthy for you.
I think it sounds great for the times you just run out of milk and not sure what to do except get out and run to the store. This would be great to have for those times when we need it.
Soy milk also works well.
I think shelf stable milk is awesome. I buy it all the time and I can’t imagine why anybody wouldn’t use it.
I like those Tetra containers. Yes, you can store anything in them for months.
This is great milk to have and drink. It tastes good and is as healthy as regular milk. I take this to the beach with me and do not have to worry if it does not stay cold enough in the cooler because it does not spoil. A great product to have in stock in case of an emergency.
We always stock up on this for trips, especially for Disneyland. Saves lots of cash! 🙂
I love this. I need to get some. This is great for traveling – just throw it in diaper bag.
i tend to forget to use milk that i have in the fridge and it goes bad. this would help with that, i just wonder how it tastes
After the last hurricane we lost electricity for days, so this would be something we need to put on our stock up list
helpful info about milk
This would be really good to have on hand when we run out of milk and I need some asap. It seems like we’re always running out, I’m not sure who’s the milk thief in the house, lol.
We have used this several time’s, my daughter is the only picky, suspicious child who questions everything. This milk is great for cereal, coffee, oatmeal, so many thing’s!
I buy almond milk this way!
This is amazing! I don’t keep milk in the refrigerator unless the grands visit, because Hubz and I just don’t use enough to buy it. For cooking, I keep canned milk on hand. I have been looking for an alternative because I am tryingt o eliminate cans altogether. This may be exactly the solution!
Thanks for all the info – I had no idea! I have a bad habit of running out of milk, this could be my solution!
I love shelf-stable milk! I feel like I’m constantly on the go, and my kids are getting a bit too big for sippy cups in the car all the time. Milk like this is such a great alternative to drink boxes!
I love that they make milk in small containers now. I send them in my kids lunch. Love having the option of it not having to be cold.
Running out of milk is unacceptable in my house. I’ve been keeping these in the cupboard ever since I found out about them.
I was the county dairy princess…we LOVE milk at my house. ALL kinds and flavors
xo
I love shelf milk – great to have around when you run out of the other.
I was a little leery of this when I first heard it, but I’m interested. It would be really helpful to have milk that lasts. I hate it when milk starts to smell bad quickly. The smell, even if just the container, ruins the milk.
This is a staple we keep on hand during hurricane season, you never know when you may need emergency milk!
The strawberry milk sounds really good. These are great in emergencies.
Shelf stable milk sounds like a great idea
I’ve never heard of this before! We are always dumping milk we dont use down the drown after it goes bad.
that’s probably something we should look into the way my son drinks milk. he drinks it like it’s going out of style.
Wow that is pretty cool that you can store it! Milk always seems to go bad real fast in our house!
I really want to try this. Thank s for the review
this is a great thing, would be nice to put in lunch boxes
This is great! I will definitely have to get some for our house. I just hope they taste good. Thanks for suggesting the many reasons for having this milk on hand!!
This milk sounds very tasty. Thanks for sharing!
My kids have tried the milk but they don’t like it. I even get the chocolate one and don’t know why?
We have never tried these before, will have to buy one the next time I go to the grocery store.