We recently renewed the Costco membership so I'm kinda out of the loop
with them. I'll get used the flat top jugs and I can see by the shape
it can't be filled completely but this was at least an inch below
where it could have been. Is this normal or did I just get an
oddball? I thought the reason for the flat tops was compact shipping
and an inch of empty space in a truck doesn't make much sense to me.

I was also surprised they now only have half and half and cream in 64
oz. containers. The price is dirt cheap compared to a grocery store
but that's a LOT of cream. How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?

TIA,

Lou

On 3/31/2011 12:46 PM, Lou Decruss wrote:
>
> We recently renewed the Costco membership so I'm kinda out of the loop
> with them. I'll get used the flat top jugs and I can see by the shape
> it can't be filled completely but this was at least an inch below
> where it could have been. Is this normal or did I just get an
> oddball? I thought the reason for the flat tops was compact shipping
> and an inch of empty space in a truck doesn't make much sense to me.
>
> I was also surprised they now only have half and half and cream in 64
> oz. containers. The price is dirt cheap compared to a grocery store
> but that's a LOT of cream. How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?

My experience with the (ultra pasteurized) heavy cream is it'll last
much longer than the expiration date on the carton. Say, at least a
month past the date ;>

Sky

--

Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!

"Sky" > wrote in message
...
> On 3/31/2011 12:46 PM, Lou Decruss wrote:
>>
>> We recently renewed the Costco membership so I'm kinda out of the loop
>> with them. I'll get used the flat top jugs and I can see by the shape
>> it can't be filled completely but this was at least an inch below
>> where it could have been. Is this normal or did I just get an
>> oddball? I thought the reason for the flat tops was compact shipping
>> and an inch of empty space in a truck doesn't make much sense to me.
>>
>> I was also surprised they now only have half and half and cream in 64
>> oz. containers. The price is dirt cheap compared to a grocery store
>> but that's a LOT of cream. How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>
> My experience with the (ultra pasteurized) heavy cream is it'll last much
> longer than the expiration date on the carton. Say, at least a month past
> the date ;>
>

Not to mention where in your fridge you keep it. I keep it in the coldest
area and it lasts weeks. In the door, not nearly so long.

Paul

On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:46:46 -0500, Lou Decruss
> wrote:

>
>We recently renewed the Costco membership so I'm kinda out of the loop
>with them. I'll get used the flat top jugs and I can see by the shape
>it can't be filled completely but this was at least an inch below
>where it could have been. Is this normal or did I just get an
>oddball? I thought the reason for the flat tops was compact shipping
>and an inch of empty space in a truck doesn't make much sense to me.
>
>I was also surprised they now only have half and half and cream in 64
>oz. containers. The price is dirt cheap compared to a grocery store
>but that's a LOT of cream. How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>
>TIA,
>
>Lou


The best answer for you would be to go to the Costco web site and
contact them regarding the milk jugs. I always get a response within
a couple of days.
Janet

On Mar 31, 2:15*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:46:46 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:
> > How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>
> The unopened ultrapasteurized creams at the grocery store are dated
> 2.5 months out. *But I suspect you want the "after opening" life span
> - which is about 2 weeks IME.

I've found that they last longer than that, but a half gallon of cream
is more than even I'd be likely to use in a month. We've almost never
had quarts of it go bad.
>
> -sw

--Bryan

Lou Decruss wrote:

> I was also surprised they now only have half and half and cream in 64
> oz. containers. The price is dirt cheap compared to a grocery store
> but that's a LOT of cream. How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?

FWIW, I keep light cream for coffee and it lasts a long time
compared to half and half which tends to separate into clumps.
I guess that's why the expiration date for the cream is always
pretty far in the future, compared to the half and half.

nancy

On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:50:57 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Lou Decruss > wrote:
>
>> I was also surprised they now only have half and half and cream in 64
>> oz. containers. The price is dirt cheap compared to a grocery store
>> but that's a LOT of cream. How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>
> A long time, IME. A few weeks to a month.
>

That should work. Thanks.

Lou

On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:55:55 -0500, Sky >
wrote:

>On 3/31/2011 12:46 PM, Lou Decruss wrote:
>>
>> We recently renewed the Costco membership so I'm kinda out of the loop
>> with them. I'll get used the flat top jugs and I can see by the shape
>> it can't be filled completely but this was at least an inch below
>> where it could have been. Is this normal or did I just get an
>> oddball? I thought the reason for the flat tops was compact shipping
>> and an inch of empty space in a truck doesn't make much sense to me.
>>
>> I was also surprised they now only have half and half and cream in 64
>> oz. containers. The price is dirt cheap compared to a grocery store
>> but that's a LOT of cream. How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>
>My experience with the (ultra pasteurized) heavy cream is it'll last
>much longer than the expiration date on the carton. Say, at least a
>month past the date ;>

The dates are 6 1/2 weeks away so I should be fine.

Lou

On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:01:19 -0700, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:

>
>"Sky" > wrote in message
...
>> On 3/31/2011 12:46 PM, Lou Decruss wrote:
>>>
>>> We recently renewed the Costco membership so I'm kinda out of the loop
>>> with them. I'll get used the flat top jugs and I can see by the shape
>>> it can't be filled completely but this was at least an inch below
>>> where it could have been. Is this normal or did I just get an
>>> oddball? I thought the reason for the flat tops was compact shipping
>>> and an inch of empty space in a truck doesn't make much sense to me.
>>>
>>> I was also surprised they now only have half and half and cream in 64
>>> oz. containers. The price is dirt cheap compared to a grocery store
>>> but that's a LOT of cream. How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>>
>> My experience with the (ultra pasteurized) heavy cream is it'll last much
>> longer than the expiration date on the carton. Say, at least a month past
>> the date ;>
>>
>
>Not to mention where in your fridge you keep it. I keep it in the coldest
>area and it lasts weeks. In the door, not nearly so long.

I keep my fridge very cold and never put dairy in the door. I guess
I'm ok.

Lou

On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:15:57 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:46:46 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:
>
>> How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>
>The unopened ultrapasteurized creams at the grocery store are dated
>2.5 months out. But I suspect you want the "after opening" life span
>- which is about 2 weeks IME.

That's a good point. I think I'm going to put some in a smaller
container for daily coffee use. I can't see how opening up a half
gallon carton every time I have coffee would be a good thing. It's
about half the price of what it is in a grocery store but I still
don't want it to go bad. Gotta take advantage of the savings ya know.

Lou

On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:50:13 -0600, Janet Bostwick
> wrote:

>On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:46:46 -0500, Lou Decruss
> wrote:
>
>>
>>We recently renewed the Costco membership so I'm kinda out of the loop
>>with them. I'll get used the flat top jugs and I can see by the shape
>>it can't be filled completely but this was at least an inch below
>>where it could have been. Is this normal or did I just get an
>>oddball? I thought the reason for the flat tops was compact shipping
>>and an inch of empty space in a truck doesn't make much sense to me.
>>
>>I was also surprised they now only have half and half and cream in 64
>>oz. containers. The price is dirt cheap compared to a grocery store
>>but that's a LOT of cream. How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>>
>>TIA,
>>
>>Lou
>
>
>The best answer for you would be to go to the Costco web site and
>contact them regarding the milk jugs. I always get a response within
>a couple of days.
>Janet

That's an idea but I'll just check them out next time I'm there. I've
got a project that puts me in the area often so I'll be back soon. I
don't drink much milk but Louise loves the stuff.

Lou

On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:29:21 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> wrote:

>Lou Decruss wrote:
>
>> I was also surprised they now only have half and half and cream in 64
>> oz. containers. The price is dirt cheap compared to a grocery store
>> but that's a LOT of cream. How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>
>FWIW, I keep light cream for coffee and it lasts a long time
>compared to half and half which tends to separate into clumps.
>I guess that's why the expiration date for the cream is always
>pretty far in the future, compared to the half and half.

I didn't know that but the dates are the same on the cream and half
and half. They come from the same dairy too.

I got this link from another group I think and it's pretty cool. My
stuff comes from a plant in Wisconsin and the milk from Ohio. There's
an alert on the site about the plant in Washington that has radiation.
It may be handy in the future. Hopefully not.

http://whereismymilkfrom.com/

Lou

On Mar 31, 10:03*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:35:09 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:
> > On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:15:57 -0500, Sqwertz >
> > wrote:
>
> >>On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:46:46 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:
>
> >>> How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>
> >>The unopened ultrapasteurized creams at the grocery store are dated
> >>2.5 months out. *But I suspect you want the "after opening" life span
> >>- which is about 2 weeks IME.
>
> > That's a good point. I think I'm going to put some in a smaller
> > container for daily coffee use. *I can't see how opening up a half
> > gallon carton every time I have coffee would be a good thing. *It's
> > about half the price of what it is in a grocery store but I still
> > don't want it to go bad. *Gotta take advantage of the savings ya know..
>
> They say every time you open up a milk jug/container it takes 1 day
> off it's shelf life. *You let in airborne critters which add to the
> mix. *And with milk there;'s lot of good stuff to feed off of.

Gallons of milk never last more than 3 or 4 days in this house, but we
open each gallon 10-20 times because cafe au lait happens several
times a day. The milk never tastes 10-20 days old.
>
> -sw

--Bryan

On Mar 31, 10:35*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:14:11 -0700 (PDT), Bryan wrote:
> > On Mar 31, 10:03*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
>
> >> They say every time you open up a milk jug/container it takes 1 day
> >> off it's shelf life. *You let in airborne critters which add to the
> >> mix. *And with milk there;'s lot of good stuff to feed off of.
>
> > Gallons of milk never last more than 3 or 4 days in this house, but we
> > open each gallon 10-20 times because cafe au lait happens several
> > times a day. *The milk never tastes 10-20 days old.
>
> Use common sense, Byron. *If you stand there and open milk 30 times in
> a row, do you really think it'll be bad the 31st time you open it?

The times are staggered by 15 minutes here, 10 hours there, another
two hours, and so on.
>
> -sw

--Bryan

On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:03:57 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:35:09 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:15:57 -0500, Sqwertz >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:46:46 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:
>>>
>>>> How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>>>
>>>The unopened ultrapasteurized creams at the grocery store are dated
>>>2.5 months out. But I suspect you want the "after opening" life span
>>>- which is about 2 weeks IME.
>>
>> That's a good point. I think I'm going to put some in a smaller
>> container for daily coffee use. I can't see how opening up a half
>> gallon carton every time I have coffee would be a good thing. It's
>> about half the price of what it is in a grocery store but I still
>> don't want it to go bad. Gotta take advantage of the savings ya know.
>
>They say every time you open up a milk jug/container it takes 1 day
>off it's shelf life. You let in airborne critters which add to the
>mix. And with milk there;'s lot of good stuff to feed off of.

Now I'm for sure going to dig through the moving boxes for a jar.

Thanks!

Lou

On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:35:22 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:14:11 -0700 (PDT), Bryan wrote:
>
>> On Mar 31, 10:03*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
>>
>>> They say every time you open up a milk jug/container it takes 1 day
>>> off it's shelf life. *You let in airborne critters which add to the
>>> mix. *And with milk there;'s lot of good stuff to feed off of.
>>
>> Gallons of milk never last more than 3 or 4 days in this house, but we
>> open each gallon 10-20 times because cafe au lait happens several
>> times a day. The milk never tastes 10-20 days old.
>
>Use common sense, Byron. If you stand there and open milk 30 times in
>a row, do you really think it'll be bad the 31st time you open it?

LOL. I think he just qualified for the most ridiculous comment of the
day.

Lou

On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:03:57 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:35:09 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:15:57 -0500, Sqwertz >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:46:46 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:
>>>
>>>> How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>>>
>>>The unopened ultrapasteurized creams at the grocery store are dated
>>>2.5 months out. But I suspect you want the "after opening" life span
>>>- which is about 2 weeks IME.
>>
>> That's a good point. I think I'm going to put some in a smaller
>> container for daily coffee use. I can't see how opening up a half
>> gallon carton every time I have coffee would be a good thing. It's
>> about half the price of what it is in a grocery store but I still
>> don't want it to go bad. Gotta take advantage of the savings ya know.
>
>They say every time you open up a milk jug/container it takes 1 day
>off it's shelf life. You let in airborne critters which add to the
>mix. And with milk there;'s lot of good stuff to feed off of.
>
>-sw

Total nonsense... it's the initial opening but mostly time and
temperature that contribute to spoilage... you can leave that
container open in your fridge and it wan't spoil one minute sooner...
the only reason to close the container is to minimize odor absorbtion
and evaporation.

Lou Decruss wrote:
> On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:29:21 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> > wrote:

> I got this link from another group I think and it's pretty cool. My
> stuff comes from a plant in Wisconsin and the milk from Ohio. There's
> an alert on the site about the plant in Washington that has radiation.
> It may be handy in the future. Hopefully not.
>
> http://whereismymilkfrom.com/

Hey, that was fun, thanks!

nancy

On Apr 1, 9:29*am, Lou Decruss > wrote:
> On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:35:22 -0500, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
> >On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:14:11 -0700 (PDT), Bryan wrote:
>
> >> On Mar 31, 10:03*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
>
> >>> They say every time you open up a milk jug/container it takes 1 day
> >>> off it's shelf life. *You let in airborne critters which add to the
> >>> mix. *And with milk there;'s lot of good stuff to feed off of.
>
> >> Gallons of milk never last more than 3 or 4 days in this house, but we
> >> open each gallon 10-20 times because cafe au lait happens several
> >> times a day. *The milk never tastes 10-20 days old.
>
> >Use common sense, Byron. *If you stand there and open milk 30 times in
> >a row, do you really think it'll be bad the 31st time you open it?
>
> LOL. *I think he just qualified for the most ridiculous comment of the
> day.

This was a stupid comment: "They say every time you open up a milk jug/
container it takes 1 day
off it's shelf life." How often would the interval have to be between
openings to make that statement true?
>
> Lou

--Bryan

On Fri, 1 Apr 2011 12:52:57 -0700, "Paul M. Cook" >
wrote:

> Sour cream is already spoiled. That's why it is sour.

I take it you've never been near sour cream that has really spoiled.
You wouldn't like it.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Fri, 1 Apr 2011 13:23:25 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> wrote:

>Lou Decruss wrote:
>> On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:29:21 -0400, "Nancy Young"
>> > wrote:
>
>> I got this link from another group I think and it's pretty cool. My
>> stuff comes from a plant in Wisconsin and the milk from Ohio. There's
>> an alert on the site about the plant in Washington that has radiation.
>> It may be handy in the future. Hopefully not.
>>
>> http://whereismymilkfrom.com/
>
>Hey, that was fun, thanks!

It is interesting to see how close or far it comes from. I'm glad
someone looked at the site. The carton of cream I just finished came
from Kentucky which seems goofy since there's dairy farms all over
here.

Lou

On Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:49:15 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Lou Decruss > wrote:
>
>> I got this link from another group I think and it's pretty cool. My
>> stuff comes from a plant in Wisconsin and the milk from Ohio. There's
>> an alert on the site about the plant in Washington that has radiation.
>> It may be handy in the future. Hopefully not.
>>
>> http://whereismymilkfrom.com/
>
> Cool link, but I already know where my milk originates. Jersey cows
>fed on pasture about two hours from my home. :-)
>
> We skim the cream or mix it in with the milk to drink.

You're lucky. One set of grandparents had cows and I was helping make
butter as soon as I was old enough to hold the tools.

Lou

On Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:55:33 -0700, Ranee at Arabian Knits
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Lou Decruss > wrote:
>
>> There's
>> an alert on the site about the plant in Washington that has radiation.
>> It may be handy in the future. Hopefully not.
>
> I don't buy that it's radiation from Japan or that the cows got it
>from grass. Most commercial dairies don't have them on pasture.
>They're in "open air" feed barns standing in their own feces. The get
>fed grain. Not grass.

It's hard to know what to believe on the news. What scares me more is
what we don't hear.

Lou

On 4/5/2011 12:55 AM, Ranee at Arabian Knits wrote:
> In >,
> Lou > wrote:
>
>> There's
>> an alert on the site about the plant in Washington that has radiation.
>> It may be handy in the future. Hopefully not.
>
> I don't buy that it's radiation from Japan or that the cows got it
> from grass. Most commercial dairies don't have them on pasture.
> They're in "open air" feed barns standing in their own feces. The get
> fed grain. Not grass.

I dunno where you're from, but that's not what we see here in the
Midwest. Pasture cows are part of the landscape.

Hell Toupee wrote:
> Ranee at Arabian Knits wrote:
>
>> I don't buy that it's radiation from Japan or that the cows got it
>> from grass.

Even grain fed cows had to get their grain from somewhere, and much of
it is often locally grown. I have no idea how much grain is grown in
Japan near the broken reactors.

>> Most commercial dairies don't have them on pasture.
>> They're in "open air" feed barns standing in their own feces. The get
>> fed grain. Not grass.
>
> I dunno where you're from, but that's not what we see here in the
> Midwest. Pasture cows are part of the landscape.

But there's also the occasional huge finishing lot with a grillion cows
in pens being fed grain to bulk them up before the slaughter.

And beef cattle see more outdoors than dairy cattle.

On 4/5/2011 3:57 PM, Doug Freyburger wrote:
> Hell Toupee wrote:
>> Ranee at Arabian Knits wrote:
>>
>>> I don't buy that it's radiation from Japan or that the cows got it
>>> from grass.
>
> Even grain fed cows had to get their grain from somewhere, and much of
> it is often locally grown. I have no idea how much grain is grown in
> Japan near the broken reactors.
>
>>> Most commercial dairies don't have them on pasture.
>>> They're in "open air" feed barns standing in their own feces. The get
>>> fed grain. Not grass.
>>
>> I dunno where you're from, but that's not what we see here in the
>> Midwest. Pasture cows are part of the landscape.
>
> But there's also the occasional huge finishing lot with a grillion cows
> in pens being fed grain to bulk them up before the slaughter.
>
> And beef cattle see more outdoors than dairy cattle.

Yeah, but I'm talking about the dairy cattle, not feedlot operations
for beef. Lots of dairy cows in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. I've
often thought they and the beef cattle have the life here in the
summertime, when they're lazing in the sunny pastures. Of course, the
winters are something else.

There's a couple big poultry operations I occasionally drive by that
let their turkeys out, too. It's pretty cute seeing them under the
trees or near the creek. My brother used to have a small
turkey-farming operation, and he said the two major problems with
letting the birds out were dogs on the loose and ultralight aircraft.
Ultralights fly low enough to scare turkeys to death. Dogs in packs
are every farmer's nightmare.

In article
>,
Ranée at Arabian Knits > wrote:

> I live where the cows are. We live near three commercial dairies.
> They are in open air barns, they get feed, rather than grass, and the
> land they are on is used for growing grain like feed corn rather than
> grass.

We have a lot of dairy ranches where we live. The cows are out in the
fields during the day. I doubt they get a significant portion of their
food from pasture, though. Hay is grown where it is flat enough, but I
suspect most of their food is trucked in. There are a lot of feed
trucks out on the road.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

In article >, says...
>
> Hell Toupee wrote:
> > Ranee at Arabian Knits wrote:
> >
> >> I don't buy that it's radiation from Japan or that the cows got it
> >> from grass.
>
> Even grain fed cows had to get their grain from somewhere, and much of
> it is often locally grown. I have no idea how much grain is grown in
> Japan near the broken reactors.

It would have to be some kind of magic grain to have grown from a
seedling to a cash crop in the less than a month that has elapsed since
any grain standing anywhere near those reactors was knocked flat and
washed away by a tsunami, not that there would be much standing
considering that it was winter when the accident happened.

And Japan is not an exporter of grain in any case--they have 120 million
people to feed with the land area of Montana and only 15 percent of that
farmable--they eat just about everything that they produce and import
quite a lot to make up the shortfall.

> >> Most commercial dairies don't have them on pasture.
> >> They're in "open air" feed barns standing in their own feces. The get
> >> fed grain. Not grass.
> >
> > I dunno where you're from, but that's not what we see here in the
> > Midwest. Pasture cows are part of the landscape.
>
> But there's also the occasional huge finishing lot with a grillion cows
> in pens being fed grain to bulk them up before the slaughter.
>
> And beef cattle see more outdoors than dairy cattle.

On Fri, 8 Apr 2011 15:49:05 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:46:46 -0500, Lou Decruss wrote:
>
>> I was also surprised they now only have half and half and cream in 64
>> oz. containers. The price is dirt cheap compared to a grocery store
>> but that's a LOT of cream. How long will cream and 1/2&1/2 last?
>
>I picked one up (heavy cream) yesterday. It comes from a local dairy.
>1 quart (32oz) was 3.23, IIRC.
>
>I was surprised it was only dated 5 weeks out. Ultra pasteurized.

I wish they were just a quart here. I used a bunch to make soup so
I'm fine with the expiration date. I'll just plan on making soup when
I get cream from now on.

Lou

I thought the reason for the flat tops was compact shipping
and an inch of empty space in a truck doesn't make much sense to meI'll get used the flat top jugs and I can see by the shape
it can't be filled completely but this was at least an inch below
where it could have been. Is this normal or did I just get an
oddball?