Can you make low-fat milk by adding water to whole milk?

Question

With prices rising for food, recently I wondered if it would taste pretty similar if I added water to whole milk to get something that tasted similar to low-fat or skim milk. My experience is that these low-fat or skim milks just taste like water-down whole milk.

Aside from the vitamins that are in the milk, would it be okay to make low-fat or skim milk by adding water? Does anyone have any knowledge of how these types of milk are made? I figure they don't simply at water, that they probably remove the fat somehow. But, still, it tastes just like watered down milk!

Anyone wanting to do a taste test can post the results. Just mix equal (or more water) parts of water and milk and tell me what it tastes like to you. I will do the same, but I'm curious to what you think.

10 points to the best answer!

Answer 1

no. it will make if gross and it doesn't take anything out of the milk to not make it low fat or skim milk.

Answer 2

If your only goal is to save money then, yes, you can dilute whole milk.  But if you think you are making skim milk or desire to reduce fat calorie consumption you will be fooling yourself since you are not actually removing the fat content over the course of drinking the whole carton.

Answer 3

i suppose your right in a way it will probablys taste similar they obviously add something other than water to semi skimmed milk but go for it if it saves money. if you put it in something eg tea/coffee just put less in x  

Answer 4

No.  It's not the same thing.

Traditionally, lower fat milk was made by just letting the raw milk sit and skimming the fat/cream off the top.

But now I think they use high pressure or centrifuges to physically separate the fat molecules out of the milk.  They can't get all of it out, but low fat milk gets the vast majority of the fat out and skim gets almost all of it out.

The liquid that's left over still has many milk proteins and other compounds (milk has more nutrients than any other food we consume!)  and will still taste like milk.  

If you add water, you'll be diluting the fat along with the taste and the other nutrients.