Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

1

My brother just asked me an interesting question to which I did not know the answer. A perfect PaleoHacks opp!

He is in Seattle and doesn't really have access to raw milk. So he got the next best thing... Non homogenized VAT pasteurized organic whole milk with a cream top from a local dairy farm.

Here's what he said to me:

Hey that milk comes in a glass bottle with a snap cap and the cream top is pretty thick. Some of the cream top sorta 'sticks' to the cap. When I shake it up it doesn't mix in that well and there's some little 'fat pieces' in the milk. Plus I don't want my kids to have to shake a slippery glass container like that. If I put it in a blender and mix it up and then pour it out, will that make it smooth and creamy or is that just like homogenization and therefore just as bad?

I'm really proud of my brother caring enough to make changes like this (he was buying 2% UltraPast Homogenized for his whole family) and I thought that was pretty cool of him to call and ask me that question. But I honestly didn't know what to tell him.

Anybody ever drink cream top VAT pasteurized whole milk? Does the cream top mix into the milk well? Should he open and immediately pour into his own milk container with a better lid? Should he blend it up?

Thanks in advance!

flag	asked Apr 12 2011 at 15:54 Jack Kronk 19.9k●4●33●102

Jack Kronk · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-12 18:47:01Z UTC

How does he not have access to raw milk in Seattle? It's everywhere around here. (ETA: Does he need suggestions on where to find some? Is he in the city? Surrounding area? Eastside?)

In my experience, if you mix up the milk, it just separates again. We just shake it before we pour, but I could see why he doesn't want small kids to do it.

Adding valuable comment:

If he works in Seattle, have him stop by Central Co-Op (aka Madison Market). The last time I was there they had 2 or 3 types of raw cows milk, at least one type of raw goats milk, and a bunch of different raw cheeses - cow, goat and sheep. The milk I bought from them was organic, raw, grass fed cows milk from Pride & Joy dairy. It's cream on top, but after shaking it this morning for BF's coffee, its still mixed and its been at least an hour. It'll separate again, but it should work for what he's looking for. http://madisonmarket.com

Resurgent · Answer 2 · 2011-04-12 17:05:55Z UTC

1

As kids we had the same situation often - So the whole bottle went through a sieve, we drank the filtered milk and as a subsequent treat got a spoonful of cream mixed with a little honey.

answered Apr 12 2011 at 17:05

Resurgent
3,892●1●4●22

	cool answer Resurgent. would this be equivalent to buying skim milk and then eating whole fat cream on the side? – Jack Kronk Apr 12 2011 at 17:09
	Interesting question/response. I actually make my own yogurt with non-homogenized milk. I've been removing the cream prior to incubation with the starter but the yogurt comes out pretty runny (not sure if those are connected). Should I just try to mix it? Even if it doesn't stay separated? – Grocket Apr 12 2011 at 17:31
	My wife likes to add extra cream when she makes yogurt. It still tends to rise to the top, but she just stirs it together with a spoon when she eats it, and she says it makes it really creamy. – Aaron B. Apr 12 2011 at 17:43

Aaron B. · Answer 3 · 2011-04-12 16:10:00Z UTC

0

It'll separate again, but it might stay mixed up for several hours, so maybe he could do that in the morning and it'd get the kids through the day. Another option, if the opening of the jar is wide enough, would be to let the kids stir it with a wooden spoon instead of shaking it. That may leave some "fat pieces" in it, but you get used to those. The main thing is to stir it enough that you're not drinking cream today and skim milk tomorrow.

Homogenization is done by forcing the milk/cream through a tiny hole with high pressure, which forces the fat globules to break into smaller pieces to get through. I don't think a blender will do that (and you wouldn't want to if it could).

answered Apr 12 2011 at 16:10

Aaron B.
3,957●2●6●21

yah i told him that it wouldn't be bad, but for that same reason, it wouldn't work since I don't think the blender could possibly 'homogenize' the milk. as for the fat pieces, i think he should be able to get good wholesome milk that is rich and creamy, not riddled with chunks of cream fat. for example, although i never eat peanuts anymore, i always liked peanuts, and i always liked peanut butter, but i never liked chunky peanut butter. – Jack Kronk Apr 12 2011 at 16:17

1

Cow milk separates; that's just what it does. So no, it's not just going to stay "rich and creamy" unless you homogenize it. However, it usually takes a couple days for the cream to separate enough to get really "chunky." If he's buying it fresh, shaking it once a day ought to prevent that. – Aaron B. Apr 12 2011 at 17:42

Jack, cream fat will always rise to the top with raw milk but if it's pasterized it will form some sort of crust on the top. – Ikco Apr 12 2011 at 17:46

Simibee · Answer 4 · 2011-04-12 22:10:41Z UTC

Maybe your brother could try decanting the milk into a more kid-friendly container?

Even if they do end up eating the cream separately from the milk, the milk itself still has plenty of good fat and is nowhere near equivalent to skimmed "milk" (try a taste test). Just think of the cream as an extra treat to enjoy - to my tastebuds it's not like regular cream, as it tastes sweeter, more milky.

Whole Milk Cream Top - Mix it in?

4 Answers