posted
On another forum, the subject of bagged milk came up. Most of us had never heard of buying milk in bags, but I think we determined that it was probably a Canadian thing.
But, then again, that forum's not as culturally diverse as Hatrack. So, I'm curious: has anybody here seen or used bagged milk? And, if so, how did it compare jugs and cartons?
Posts: 2292 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
I usually use bagged milk... I'm Canadian. (only time I don't is if I'm buying milk for my lunch in the little 250mL containers)
I find it doesn't tastes plastic-y like milk that comes in jugs. I prefer bags by far.
*But then again, if you've only had milk in jugs your life, you probably don't know what I mean by "plastic" tasting...
Posts: 944 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
I assume when you guys say bags, you mean something more like sturdy, stiff pouches rather than the kind of bags that when you set the bag with the milk down on a flat surface, it balloons out flat?
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
Well, Food Services at Brown uses bagged milk. Really large bulk milk.
But in the grocery stores, you can buy milk in plastic cartons, glass jugs (like at WholeFoods), and paper-based cartons. Haven't seen bags, though. I'm in New England (RI), if that helps.
And in VA where I grew up, I remember seeing milk in plastic cartons for at least the vast majority.
Posts: 1261 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I've never heard of such a thing. Can anyone show us an image of one of these bags? The very concept of selling liquid in bags made my eyebrow rise.
Edit: Never mind, someone did while I was typing that.
posted
In this area, you can buy milk and orange juice in half-gallon plastic bags; the store gives away small pitchers into which the bags can be set and from which the liquid can be dispensed. The bag itself is not sturdy, and needs to be emptied into something else or set upright in a pitcher to be stored after opening.
In general, we've found that milk in a bag is cheaper (and considerably more environmental) -- and, inexplicably, tastes better than milk from a plastic jug.
posted
Here's a step by step of how to use milk in a bag with some other links at the bottom. The Canadian Milk BagPosts: 349 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Our local grocery store doesn't sell it, but I have seen bagged milk in other areas around southern Wisconsin.
In grade school our hot lunches came with little bags of milk. This resulted in many squirting-milk fights...
Posts: 4292 | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
Hm. It seems impractical. I can't imagine what advantage there could be of buying milk this way instead of from a plastic jug or cardboard carton. Those stand up on their own and don't require additional implements to keep the milk from getting everywhere.
Posts: 1814 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Is it reasonable to suggest that the milk tastes better from the plastic bags because it's local/fresher?
Posts: 1261 | Registered: Apr 2004
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"Hm. It seems impractical. I can't imagine what advantage there could be of buying milk this way instead of from a plastic jug or cardboard carton."
Disposal is much easier; there's considerably less waste. They're easier to transport and store, as well, from a business perspective, and cost less per gallon than milk in jugs or cartons. Provided you have a free pitcher, too, they're not any less convenient -- unless, of course, you have a complete idiot pouring your milk.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
does anyone know if there is a movement to only drink milk from "Good" dairy farms? Treats their cows all nice, and that jazz?
Posts: 1261 | Registered: Apr 2004
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I've seen it. It looks far too weird to me.
Then again, I am the person who was upset when the university switched from cartons to plastic containers for milk, causing a near double in price. Jerks!
Milk in general is expensive for me. When I'm not home with my immediate family (mom, dad, sister), they'll go through maybe two gallons of milk a week. When I'm home, we go through two gallons of milk every three days.
Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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quote:Disposal is much easier; there's considerably less waste. They're easier to transport and store, as well, from a business perspective, and cost less per gallon than milk in jugs or cartons. Provided you have a free pitcher, too, they're not any less convenient -- unless, of course, you have a complete idiot pouring your milk.
What if I want to use my pitcher for Kool-Aid? So that's less convenient right there. With plastic jugs, I can have milk and Kool-Aid in my fridge at the same time. Posts: 1814 | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:Verily, you don't need to pour the milk into the pitcher... you stick the whole bag in.
You can always take the bag out if you want to make KoolAid!
And do what with it? Hold it until I run out of Kool-Aid? Hang it from a hook? Pour it into a mixing bowl and put little toy boats in it? Posts: 1814 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
I can only assume that Verily has no more than three forks at his disposal, and tells his friends they can only come over for dinner in groups of two. Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Hey, if I'm taking the trouble to make dinner for my friends, the least they can do is bring their own darn forks!
Posts: 1814 | Registered: Jul 2004
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the only milk in bags I have seen was the school lunch line milk (and juice) in the little pouches that you stick the straw into. They switched to that because it caused less waste. We had lots of fun playing with the bags, straws, and reading the quotes on the bag (that were the same from first grade till senior year, but still funny.) Oh the creative things kids and teenagers come up with
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
The only time milk in bags is a pain is when you don't drink very much milk and by the time you got to the bottom the milk is bad.
This can be solved by buying milk in cartons.
Milk in bags is not nearly as complicated or as strange as you would think. I grew up with milk in glass bottles, delivered each day by the milkman, so you can imagine how different bags were when I first encountered them.
They're just as good.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
The milk in the kids' school cafeteria comes in bags. The environmental aspect of it sounds great. I wonder why this hasn't caught on outside of Wisconsin for regular use in the home.
posted
Milk bags are awesome. I freely admit that I hate cartons and jugs. They're cumbersome and inconvenient. And the bags are also re-useable, perfect for freezing meat in smaller portions than they're sold. (Canadian, by the way. )
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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My mom use to buy milk in a bag when we were younger, in MI. It does taste a lot better, and with a family of 4 milk drinkers it never went bad...
It is a lot cheaper, and waste disposal is a lot easier. Also, the price is considerably less, which matters when raising a family on one salary.
The pitcher was free, so you could keep your pitcher for kool aid and still have one for milk!
posted
when I was in middle school and high school the juice in the lunch rooms came in bags, they thought about putting milk in bags, but they never did
Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
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Wow I wish they would get that here. Of course once my friend's cow has her calf and is ready to give milk away I'll get fresh milk and keep in in my glass pitcher. Yum....
Posts: 1132 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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I loved those little milk bags from the cafeteria! So much fun to play with! You can finish off the milk, then blow it up and try to stick the straw through both sides, so it would stay full, or make volcanos when its full...cartons are just boring.
Posts: 3493 | Registered: Jul 2001
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I remember thinking how weird they were the first time -- after I was old enough to notice -- that we visited Israel. At this point, I just associate them with Israel -- I didn't know you could get them anywhere else.
The milk in the bags in unquestionably fresher, and tastes great. (No plasticizer (from plastic jugs) or wax (from cartons!) residue.) And storing a bunch of malleable bags is WAY easier than trying to cram a couple gallons of milk into the fridge.
posted
They might...my mom got them at a local grocery store, but she had to really look for them. Try asking around, there might be a local store that offers them....
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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You'd think there'd be more plasticizer in bags. A plasticizer makes plastic squooshier. Unless you have sqooshie jugs, rivka.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
I have *never* heard of bagged milk. Am I the only one who thought of the origins of milk upon reading the thread title? (Mammary glands)
Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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'Pardon me, can I see your milk jugs? I mean, bags. I mean...oh, never mind. I'll find it myself.'
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
Actually, necause of the savings, it might be worth it....the milk I remember was better tasting, and cost about 25-30% LESS than milk jugs....the plastic ones, I mean...
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