Interesting article on different types (whole, reduced-fat/2%, low-fat/1%, non-fat/skim) of milk, what the science currently says (and guesses at), and what you should consider drinking.
I grew up for much of my life with skim milk, but we've settled on 2% for many years. Might consider jumping to whole milk …
(h/t +Doyce Testerman)
Don’t Have a Cow! Here’s How to Pick the Best Milk for You
Finding the dairy aisle might not be a problem, but choosing the right kind of milk can be much tougher. Check out the differences and benefits of each kind of cow’s milk to pick the best one for you.
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I buy fat-free because it takes me weeks to go through a half-gallon.
Yeah… with three young kids (and me), I think we go through… 4 gallons a week? Something like that.
+Scott Randel Actually, I believe (quick confirmation online) skim milk will turn faster than whole milk, because the lack of milkfat (3.25% of the volume in whole milk) means marginally more lactose by volume, and it's the conversion of that into lactic acid that causes milk to go bad.
Other explanations I've seen for this are that free fatty acids act as a preservative, and milkfat masks off flavors,
I also found several sites that claimed the opposite, so apparently it's no an established science.
Evidently organic milk lasts even longer because it has to be pasteurized at a higher temp, which kills off more bacteria (because more are present in it because the cows don't receive antibiotics). (Alternately, the may use ultra-high-temp pasteurization because it has to travel further as there are fewer producers of it.) There isn't (or perhaps is) a flavor difference from UHT pasteurization, and it (apparently) costs more which (may) determine why it's not used routinely. But note this only (maybe) influences how long it will last unopened.
There's a lot of politics around organic milk.
And non-lactose milk last a remarkably long time, because there's no lactose to convert to lactic acid.
Feeling better (and less confused) about getting milk from a local farm.
In my experience whole milk keeps noticeably longer than skim or even 2%. Ultra-pasteurized seems to keep even longer, even after opening and any flavor difference is less than that among ordinary 3%, 2% and skim. It isn’t necessarily more expensive than ordinary milk, but I never see cheaper or store brands that are ultra-pasteurized.