Milk in a bag?

Question

How do you pour it? How do you keep it fresh after you've opened it? How do you store it in the fridge? I just don't get how it’s better than cartons.

I'm putting this in the Canada category for a better response. Don't hate me :)

Answer 1

You can buy specially shaped pitchers for milk bags.  (oval shaped)  Put the bag in the pitcher, cut one corner off and you're good to go.

It's better than cartons because it uses way less packaging.  And really, closing a carton isn't really going to keep it any more fresh - it doesn't create a vacuum seal.

Funny though - I haven't seen milk in a bag in years..

Answer 2

It lasts the same amount of time as the milk in a jug.  Once you cut the bag, or uncap the bottle you're letting the bacteria in that will make it go bad.  No matter if you reseal it or not its there.  Some jugs have air-tight lids though, not that it makes any difference at all.  So long as you've got a little Arm&Hammer Baking Soda and your fridge isn't gross the other flavours/smells shouldn't seep into the liquid.

It saves a LOT of packaging.

Once we were the only country with milk in a bag.  Now India and Britain are catching on too.  It's only a short time before world domination by milk bag takes hold.

Answer 3

You put the bag in a milk container (designed for bags of milk)  It stays fresh just the same as a carton, remember once you've opened a carton it's opened it's no longer sealed either so a bag stays just a fresh as a carton.

You don't pour the milk into a pitcher, it stays in the bag and the bag goes into the pitch.  You're only cutting a small hole at the end of the bag quite a bit smaller than the opening of  a carton.  It stays fresh the same a carton milk if not longer.

Answer 4

I always buy our milk in a bag.  It comes 3 pouches to a bag.  You take out a pouch, drop it into an appropriately sized container or plastic pitcher made expressly for the milk pouches, cut off the tip of the corner of the pouch and pour.  I store the bags of milk in a drawer of the fridge and the pitcher containing the pouch I am using on the shelf.  Simple.  Uses FAR less packaging than cartons and is much cheaper.

Answer 5

I have used milk in a bag for more than 25 yrs.  I've never had the milk go bad just because it's in a bag.  Remember you are only opening a litre at at time, so it gets used up rather quickly (especially with my three growing girls).  If you feel better you can use one of those small chip clips that close the chip bags and it will keep your bag closed to the air.

Answer 6

Before you decided to parrot the promotional claims that you saw in the advertisements, and considered mostly the novelty-interest value and ergonomical limitations of plastic pouches, did any of you consider that plastic would worsen the landfill problem, not solve it?!

The claim was that plastic pouches would save on landfill space, as compared to cardboard cartons or rigid plastic containers.  The pouches are made of plastic similar to that of grocery bags, but thicker.

But although a pouch has less material than a cardboard carton, the polyethylene plastic would take hundreds of years to decompose, whereas a carton is merely wax-coated cardboard.

See what happens when you trust the industry to make decisions that are in your best interest?! When it comes to consumer convenience, we don't care to learn very quickly.

Manufacturers claim that they are making the plastic pouches increasingly thinner as they find new ways to make it stronger. But won't this stronger plastic take longer to break apart and decompose?! We could assume that biodegradable plastic would be a satisfactory material for plastic pouches, but falling apart doesn't necessarily mean that the components of the plastic become any less harmful! Particles of plastic might be even more harmful than the original container, as they're free to spread around.

I always made the point that cardboard is better for the environment than plastic. Refillable glass bottles would be far better than both, because glass is made from melted silica (rock.) There's a lot more silica in the world than there is the petroleum used to make plastic.

But people won't make the effort to return glass bottles sensibly. They'll leave some milk in the bottom of them to sour, or some other disgusting neglect.  There's a lack of collection-return infrastructure, but that could be solved.

Do your own critical thinking!

- Jonathan N.

Answer 7

Milk in a bag is cool. I dont get milk in a bag. But its wayy cool

Answer 8

Cut the corner of the bag and place the bag in a small pitcher (they sell pitchers specifically designed for this). Just tilt the pitcher when pouring with one hand and use your other hand to keep the bag in. The milk should stay fresh in the fridge even if it's open. Cartons are better and are only available in 1/2 gallons in Canada.

Answer 9

I agree with the previous responders.  However, skim milk doesn't keep as long as 2 or 3% milk.  I say this because I live alone.  I think the difference for me is that I use one bag of milk (just the same as the others) but I freeze the other two.  Freezing works extremely well and I have never had a problem.  I put the frozen bag from the freezer to the refrigerator about 2 or 3 days before I need it and let it defrost there.

(Why would anyone hate you for posting your question in the Canada category - I think the guidelines will be just fine Internationally because my friend in England does the same thing even though some people have told her you can't freeze milk.....and that is simply silly, of course you can).

A bag of 3% milk keeps for at least a week because that is how long it takes me to use it for my morning cereal and sometimes my tea or Ovaltine.  It might last longer but for sure skim milk doesn't last so long...no fat in it to preserve it.