What sort of container does your milk come in?

[Ess]

Random question, I know, but it's late, I'm bored and have an urge to know what sort of container people get their milk in.

My family gets milk in jugs, but we used to get it in bags when we shopped at a different store.

[Bakemaster]

Depends where I shop and what brand. Until now I generally got it in plastic jugs at Shaw's. Since moving to where there's no nearby Shaw's I buy it in cartons from Stop & Shop. I voted plastic jugs because to me the cartons are an exception.

[hyperion]

Plastic jug normally. If we're running low then someone will go down to the deli and get a 1L carton.

My grandmother got some of that bagged milk once. It was horrible.

[Mystify]

Milk in a bag? Seems... awkward.

Incidently, whatever happened to 4L jugs? Seems someone decided that three was more than enough. Not that I want a 4L jug of milk in my fridge, I just remember that I was watching the Transformers Movie (2007), and there was this jug of milk and I thought to myself... it's been a long time since I've seen one of those.

M

[Mathmagic]

Milk in a bag? Seems... awkward.

Not if you're getting powdered skim milk.

[Izawwlgood]

My grade school tried an experiment to cut down on waste where we had milk in a small, breast implant like pouch for a few years. You had to stab it with a straw, very much like a capri sun.

Needless to say, it was messy. But fun!

If you were 10 and your cafeteria posted a sign that said "50cents:WATER BALLOONS!" what do you think YOU'D do?

[stockpot]

I missed the word "implant" when I first read your post, Izawwl.
The image of children stabbing milk straws into realistic fake breasts was slightly terrifying.

[Mr. Mack]

My milk comes in a box. I only buy the powdered stuff since I don't use it very much.

[Thousand]

Plastic jugs for me. Can't say I've ever seen milk in a bag. Also, the only cartons I've seen in the supermarkets are generally ones for flavoured milk (and a one pint carton of milk in a house of six is not likely to last long).

[IronyandParadox]

THE GOD FORSAKEN ACCURSED GENTLEMAN'S FROCK COAT LKJFDSLKJF COSTCO MILK JUGS. *fumes.*

*ahem* Sorry 'bout that. So, if you live in the US you've probably heard of a store called Costco. It's where nothing comes in a package of less than 5 pounds. The fruit is on steroids, I swear. The oranges are the size of grapefruits and the grapefruits are the size of...I'm not sure. But I love Costco. Off-topic. Anyway. A while back, Costco switched from nice, normal milk jugs to...things. They're brick-like jugs with a hole somewhere on top. There is no spout. There is no way you can pour the milk out of the jug. There's just a hole. To add insult to injury, the jugs come with caps that screw on. Under the cap ("preserving it for freshness!") there is a seal. The seal has positively minuscule tabs, so there's nothing for you to grab on to so you can detach the seal. And the seal is superglued on.

So you're standing there with your newly bought milk jug and a mammoth knife, poised to attack, and the milk jug fights back. You finally succeed in stabbing it, and are about to celebrate your joyous victory with a glass of milk, when it says, "die, you stupid human." And then it spews out its lifeblood all over the kitchen counter, depriving you of your milk and leaving you a sobbing, disheveled mess.

Right.
Erm...my school cafeteria used to have milk in little pouches. They had cows printed on them. They were fun.

[angel_jean]

Milk cartons are the default around here. So much so that I don't know what you mean by 'jug'. When I think of a jug ... Is it plastic with a handle and a spout? And round? I really can't imagine something like that being easy to carry or transport. Unless you're talking about a live-in situation where the milk is provided every morning to a bunch of people, and at that point it's poured into jugs for easy serving.

You can get milk in two types of carton. The first is a tall thin cardboard box, kept in the fridged section of the supermarket. The top is specially folded so that if you press it in the right way (backwards then forwards) one half of the top opens out to form a spout. And closes in the same way, but doesn't seal. So it keeps for a few days in the fridge. Flavoured milk also comes in these.

The second type of carton is an ultra-heat-treated (UHT) brick pack. It keeps for a couple of months in the cupboard. The cardboard is lined with foil. Yes, the top has a straw hole in it. I don't know if you have 'Poppers' (a type of juice packaging) there? Like that.

There have been various ways devised to get into/get milk out of these packs. The first involved unfolding one of the top corners and pressing it inwards to make a flat seam, which could then be cut with scissors to form a spout. Usually a little bit spilled during this process. If you ask, I might post a picture later if this is really unclear.

There have been various in-between mechanisms, including one like IronyandParadox describes (but with a rectangular flap rather than a screw cap). But the latest is what I have. It involves, yes, a screw cap. And underneath there is a seal, and there is a set of tiny plastic things under the cap that are designed to break the seal. Here's the innovation: the process of turning the screw cap, it interacts with the plastic things and breaks the seal. Voila, open container. No longer sealed for freshness, so you have to keep it in the fridge now and drink it within a couple of days.

Both of these cartons are recyclable.

[PatrickRsGhost]

Milk in a bag? Seems... awkward.

Not if you're getting powdered skim milk.

It's not found here in the US, but up in some parts of Canada they sell milk in the bag. You just place the bag in an empty carton, snip off a corner, and you're set.

[scowdich]

I go to a cafeteria, where the milk comes in bags with tubes attached. Put the bag inside a cabinet with the tube sticking out; a handle-thingy with a weight on the end pinches the tube shut. Lift it to get delicious, delicious milk.

[Jorpho]

I was astonished by the staggering wastefulness of milk-in-plastic-jugs while I was living in the US. I now have a much greater appreciation of the efficiency of the Canadian milk-in-a-bag. (I recoil at the thought that there may be some places where milk is only available in non-reusable glass bottles.)

Cartons seem to have an unfortunate tendency to leak, or at least to end up not being entirely sealed such that the milk inside tastes off. This does happen with bags, but it's been very, very infrequent in my experience.

[The LuigiManiac]

So, if you live in the US you've probably heard of a store called Costco. snip Anyway. A while back, Costco switched from nice, normal milk jugs to...things. They're brick-like jugs with a hole somewhere on top. There is no spout. There is no way you can pour the milk out of the jug. There's just a hole. To add insult to injury, the jugs come with caps that screw on. Under the cap ("preserving it for freshness!") there is a seal. The seal has positively minuscule tabs, so there's nothing for you to grab on to so you can detach the seal. And the seal is superglued on.

So you're standing there with your newly bought milk jug and a mammoth knife, poised to attack, and the milk jug fights back. You finally succeed in stabbing it, and are about to celebrate your joyous victory with a glass of milk, when it says, "die, you stupid human." And then it spews out its lifeblood all over the kitchen counter, depriving you of your milk and leaving you a sobbing, disheveled mess.

I've never seen these monstrosities, not even in Canadian Costcos. The one near us, like pretty much every store I've seen in Eastern Canada, carries milk in bags. I wonder though, because I know the ones out west used to sell them in nice, normal milk jugs...

Also, bags are a real pain when your family tends to go through an inner bag every day or so.

[Mathmagic]

Milk in a bag? Seems... awkward.

Not if you're getting powdered skim milk.

It's not found here in the US, but up in some parts of Canada they sell milk in the bag. You just place the bag in an empty carton, snip off a corner, and you're set.

Yeah, I live in Canada. I've seen and used "bags of milk" before. You just have to buy one of those plastic jug thingies and you're set. I don't usually like the milk that comes in those bags though.

[Kithplana]

We get milk in plastic jugs. Milk in cartons tastes more of carton than of milk. Milk in bags is just silly.

[angel_jean]

I still wanna know what the plastic jugs look like. Are they your conventional round household jug?

As for the taste, no opinion here, I drink soy more than milk these days.

[Angelene]

I still wanna know what the plastic jugs look like. Are they your conventional round household jug?

As for the taste, no opinion here, I drink soy more than milk these days.

I imagine it's more along the lines of...

[Ended]

(I recoil at the thought that there may be some places where milk is only available in non-reusable glass bottles.)

Milk in the UK used to be hand-delivered in glass bottles, which you would then leave out on the doorstep for the milkman to collect and re-use. Zero percent waste.

[Rodan]

Here it comes in plastic jugs, but back at the Commissary in Germany it was in cartons.

[Wolf]

Here we buy it in jugs, although there are cartons available. My family drinks so much milk that cartons would be impractical, though.

[Jorpho]

Milk in the UK used to be hand-delivered in glass bottles, which you would then leave out on the doorstep for the milkman to collect and re-use. Zero percent waste.

A very sensible way of doing things that was fairly widespread once, I understand. But back then Coca-Cola was reusing glass bottles too.

[IronyandParadox]

A typical 1 gallon jug of milk.
Costco milk jug. It doesn't look that much different, but trust me, it is.

Correct me if I'm mistaken...but you buy a full gallon (Liter? 2 Liters? Whatever size vessel your milk comes in?) of milk in a bag in some places? How does that work? How do you pour?

[Angelene]

Correct me if I'm mistaken...but you buy a full gallon (Liter? 2 Liters? Whatever size vessel your milk comes in?) of milk in a bag in some places? How does that work? How do you pour?

I never understand why people don't read a thread before asking questions...

It's not found here in the US, but up in some parts of Canada they sell milk in the bag. You just place the bag in an empty carton, snip off a corner, and you're set.

[IronyandParadox]

Cara: I'm sorry, really. I had missed that little gem, but my question was more rhetorical than anything else. I mean...it just sounds awkward. Like a refill jug of soap for a soap dispenser or something.

Also, just to prove my point against Costco milk jugs, I'm going to reference the mother of all sources: http://hs.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2470331063

[lamarguerite]

Milk in the UK used to be hand-delivered in glass bottles, which you would then leave out on the doorstep for the milkman to collect and re-use. Zero percent waste.

A very sensible way of doing things that was fairly widespread once, I understand. But back then Coca-Cola was reusing glass bottles too.

We buy jugs, return them to the store to be reused. That's how it works.

And I don't think I've ever had cola!

[Endless Mike]

I was astonished by the staggering wastefulness of milk-in-plastic-jugs while I was living in the US.

Conveniently, recycling programs exist nearly everywhere, so that milk jug can be placed in a bin and recycled to make new jugs!

We actually had the single serving milk and juice bags in...errr...I think it was high school, actually. They were not really enjoyable.

[Mathmagic]

Cara: I'm sorry, really. I had missed that little gem, but my question was more rhetorical than anything else. I mean...it just sounds awkward. Like a refill jug of soap for a soap dispenser or something.

It's really not awkward at all.

[Jorpho]

I was astonished by the staggering wastefulness of milk-in-plastic-jugs while I was living in the US.

Conveniently, recycling programs exist nearly everywhere, so that milk jug can be placed in a bin and recycled to make new jugs!

Are they really so widespread? Okay then. Still, the hauling around large volumes of empty space in the form of empty jugs has led some people to question the efficacy of recycling programs in general, I'm told.

We buy jugs, return them to the store to be reused. That's how it works.

Now, that's something I can get behind.

By the way, the bags in question hold 1.33 L of milk. One thus purchases 4 L of milk contained in three smaller bags.

[PatrickRsGhost]

Milk in the UK used to be hand-delivered in glass bottles, which you would then leave out on the doorstep for the milkman to collect and re-use. Zero percent waste.

In some parts of the US they did the same thing. People would leave their empty milk bottles out for the milkman to collect, and the best part was that he delivered only as much milk as you thought you'd need. If I'm not mistaken, it came only in pint and quart-sized bottles, so if you needed 8 pints (2 quarts) he would leave 8 pint-sized bottles. You often left a note in the used bottles to indicate how many you needed this trip, depending on what you planned to do with it.

What I've wondered is if they came daily or weekly.

[Endless Mike]

I was astonished by the staggering wastefulness of milk-in-plastic-jugs while I was living in the US.

Conveniently, recycling programs exist nearly everywhere, so that milk jug can be placed in a bin and recycled to make new jugs!

Are they really so widespread? Okay then. Still, the hauling around large volumes of empty space in the form of empty jugs has led some people to question the efficacy of recycling programs in general, I'm told.

I haven't lived or visited anywhere in the US that doesn't have recycling in some form, and that's everywhere from South Florida to northeast PA to the midwest. The recyclers get paid for all the plastic and metal and such, so it's both good for the environment and lucrative to set up. How convenient it is generally depends largely on how big the place you live in is, but in more rural areas, the bins are set up outside supermarkets where you'll be shopping anyway. Where I live now, we have curbside pickup which includes basically everything plastic, metal, glass, paper, and cardboard, which is great.

[Aleril]

I usually get them in cartons, but jugs are also an option.


Also, I have tried powdered milk, and it was some of the nastiest stuff I ever drank.

[SecondTalon]

I was astonished by the staggering wastefulness of milk-in-plastic-jugs while I was living in the US.

Conveniently, recycling programs exist nearly everywhere, so that milk jug can be placed in a bin and recycled to make new jugs!

Are they really so widespread? Okay then. Still, the hauling around large volumes of empty space in the form of empty jugs has led some people to question the efficacy of recycling programs in general, I'm told.

Which is why most centers have various compression devices to make plastic bricks before shipping them out, I believe. I know they do that with aluminum cans in my hometown, so I assume it's widespread for that, and they'd be idiots to not use it on plastic as well...

Maybe I'm giving them too much credit.

[PatrickRsGhost]

Also, I have tried powdered milk, and it was some of the nastiest stuff I ever drank.

QFT. When I was a lot younger (between 5 and , I dreaded eating cereal in the morning because all my parents could afford for the most part was powdered milk. They claimed it tasted just as good as milk from the carton or jug.

Like the cake, it was a lie.

Powdered milk, like the processed cheese-flavored squares some people have the audacity of putting on things, tastes nothing like the food they are supposed to represent.

I've tried evaporated milk in the can as regular milk. They say add water. Tasted like shit. I only use evaporated milk in recipes if it calls for it.

[Mathmagic]

Powdered milk is a bit of tricky situation. You have to make it right, and let it sit for a good day before it tastes "normal". It obviously isn't going to taste like 1% or 2%, because it is skim milk. As far as I can tell, it tastes just fine... but that may be because it's what I've grown up on.

[Aleril]

Also, I have tried powdered milk, and it was some of the nastiest stuff I ever drank.

QFT. When I was a lot younger (between 5 and , I dreaded eating cereal in the morning because all my parents could afford for the most part was powdered milk. They claimed it tasted just as good as milk from the carton or jug.

Like the cake, it was a lie.

Powdered milk, like the processed cheese-flavored squares some people have the audacity of putting on things, tastes nothing like the food they are supposed to represent.

I've tried evaporated milk in the can as regular milk. They say add water. Tasted like shit. I only use evaporated milk in recipes if it calls for it.

Oh god.... in cereal!?!

That's like capital punishment for Capt'n Crunch.

[Ruins]

Mine comes in a closed container.

[Girl™]

Cara: I'm sorry, really. I had missed that little gem, but my question was more rhetorical than anything else. I mean...it just sounds awkward. Like a refill jug of soap for a soap dispenser or something.

It's really not awkward at all.

This is so weird. o_o Does the milk absorb nasty fridge flavors, since it's open? I wish we had that in the States. It seems much less wasteful.

[Jorpho]

The hole in the bag is generally so small that I don't think absorption of questionable flavors is a problem. But generally in my case it never lasts long enough to allow for adequate exploration of such a phenomenon.