# Can people tell the difference between skim and whole milk? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 1, 2011, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-tell-the-difference-between-skim-and-whole-milk/594829 "2011-09-01T10:57:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-tell-the-difference-between-skim-and-whole-milk/594829/81 "2011-09-04T14:43:17Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > If you shook them in an identical carton, the skimmed milk would slosh more readily than whole, same as plain water would slosh more readily than a thin smoothie. However, it wouldn’t be as noticeable as the smell, taste, and mouth-feel that I’m glad someone finally mentioned. 😃 > > IOW, you think she is wrong, but for understandable reasons, not deliberate. That’s what ‘people have misapprehensions’ mean. Yes, exactly. > [@](#): > > One of the reasons people have responded quickly without a cite is that, to them, the difference is so very obvious - it’s not something you’d expect a huge number of surveys on, same as (like someone else said) you wouldn’t expect people to be able to tell the difference between lamb and beef. I haven’t had a chance to compare them side by side, but I did buy whole milk last time I got milk at the store. (For those that like background: This is the event which began the discussion which issued forth in my original post in this thread.) But I’m paying more careful attention to the factors you guys have mentioned in this thread. I think I do see the milk is a little thicker than I would expect having drunk skim all my life–I’d have to see them side by side to be sure but right now it’s very believable to me that whole has a creamier appearance and texture. Does it taste richer? I’m really not sure. But maybe. I just had a bowl of chili yesterday and the milk I was drinking with it maybe did seem to do an even better job of doing whatever that wonderful thing is that milk does when paired with chili. I can’t detect a difference in smell, but tbh that is a statement I have made about many things, if you catch my meaning. The difference appears to me to be by no means blatant or obvious. But I think I can detect it. Still want to try the “taste test” approach later on… ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-tell-the-difference-between-skim-and-whole-milk/594829/82 "2011-09-04T17:10:36Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > The difference appears to me to be by no means blatant or obvious. But I think I can detect it. Still want to try the “taste test” approach later on… That blows me away my friend. At least where I live, in Colorado US, the skim milk that my wife prefers to the 1 or 2% that I will use on cereal is like comparing a horse to a rabbit. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-tell-the-difference-between-skim-and-whole-milk/594829/83 "2011-09-04T18:09:30Z")
Personally, I can distinguish between whole and reduced-fat, and between reduced-fat and skim, effortlessly. 1% vs. 2%, I can tell if I try them both side-by-side, but not from memory. And it would never even occur to me that it would need a cite: What proportion of people can distinguish the color of the sky from the color of the grass? Has anyone ever done blinded studies of showing people pictures of the sky and of grass, and seeing if they could tell the difference? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-tell-the-difference-between-skim-and-whole-milk/594829/84 "2011-09-04T19:13:35Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Yes, exactly. > > I haven’t had a chance to compare them side by side, but I did buy whole milk last time I got milk at the store. (For those that like background: This is the event which began the discussion which issued forth in my original post in this thread.) > > But I’m paying more careful attention to the factors you guys have mentioned in this thread. I think I do see the milk is a little thicker than I would expect having drunk skim all my life–I’d have to see them side by side to be sure but right now it’s very believable to me that whole has a creamier appearance and texture. > > Does it taste richer? I’m really not sure. But maybe. I just had a bowl of chili yesterday and the milk I was drinking with it maybe did seem to do an even better job of doing whatever that wonderful thing is that milk does when paired with chili. > > I can’t detect a difference in smell, but tbh that is a statement I have made about many things, if you catch my meaning. > > The difference appears to me to be by no means blatant or obvious. But I think I can detect it. Still want to try the “taste test” approach later on… If you don’t have a very strong sense of smell, then items won’t taste as strongly to you either. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-tell-the-difference-between-skim-and-whole-milk/594829/85 "2011-09-06T17:23:06Z")
Anybody else ever try Golden Guernsey milk? In the 70s my roommate used to indulge in this brand. Don’t know if they still make it. It had a slight golden tint to it and was over 5% milkfat. That stuff had some mouth feel. The extra 1% fat (over normal whole milk) made a very noticable difference. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-tell-the-difference-between-skim-and-whole-milk/594829/86 "2011-09-06T17:29:06Z")
That would be [goat’s milk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Guernsey), wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-tell-the-difference-between-skim-and-whole-milk/594829/87 "2011-09-06T18:56:34Z")
Milk from the Guernsey breed of cow has a high level of beta carotene and therefore a bit of a yellowish hue. Which I assume is what was being referenced. But I’ll stake a spot and say I can definitely tell whole goat milk from skim cow milk. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-tell-the-difference-between-skim-and-whole-milk/594829/88 "2011-09-06T19:41:49Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > Anybody else ever try Golden Guernsey milk? In the 70s my roommate used to indulge in this brand. Don’t know if they still make it. It had a slight golden tint to it and was over 5% milkfat. That stuff had some mouth feel. The extra 1% fat (over normal whole milk) made a very noticable difference. I very occasionally treat myself to a bottle of gold top - it’s sometimes marketed as 'breakfast milks here in the uk. You can clearly see the thick layer of cream occupying the top quarter of the bottle. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-tell-the-difference-between-skim-and-whole-milk/594829/89 "2011-09-06T19:50:32Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > Anybody else ever try Golden Guernsey milk? In the 70s my roommate used to indulge in this brand. Don’t know if they still make it. It had a slight golden tint to it and was over 5% milkfat. That stuff had some mouth feel. The extra 1% fat (over normal whole milk) made a very noticable difference. I used to when I still lived in Tidewater [as I recall, it is a Tidewater Virginia brand] I used to get it at the farmers market. A bit of a drive but well worth it. I think it also used to sell at that little gourmet store near Lynnhaven Inlet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-people-tell-the-difference-between-skim-and-whole-milk/594829.md?page=4)