# logic or pasteurization? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507 "2009-10-20T18:11:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![toastin131](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19b73/32.png) [@toastin131](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toastin131)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/1 "2009-10-20T18:11:15Z")
Can you make 2% milk by combining 1% and skim (0%) milk? ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/2 "2009-10-20T18:16:46Z")
Not in any straightforward way. The % refers to the amount of milk fat. Straight mixtures of1% and 0% will always end up with some milk fat percentage in between those two. If you really wanted, I guess, you could extract milk fat from 1% milk, and then add milk fat to whatever else you wanted. Probably no straightforward way to do that in the average kitchen, and you’d probably have to re-homogenize the 2% milk you produce. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/3 "2009-10-20T18:18:41Z")
I don’t know why you think you could. 2% has more fat than 1%. Skim, as you note, has none. So adding skim to 1% milk will result in a fat content between 0 and 1%, depending on the ratio of the two. It’s like asking if you can add water to a thin broth to make it thicker. Also, pasteurization has nothing whatever to do with this. That’s simply heating milk to kill pathogenic bacteria. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/4 "2009-10-20T19:39:42Z")
Though it would be possible to make 1% from 2% and skim Brian ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/5 "2009-10-20T19:47:54Z")
According to Tom and Ray on _Car Talk_, creating 90 octane fuel from 87 octane and 93 octane is as simple as mixing them at a 1-to-1 ratio. Would creating 1% milk from skim and 2% be the same? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/6 "2009-10-20T19:50:31Z")
Back in the day when we had three thirsty young’uns I used to mix (cheap) nonfat dry milk 50/50 with whole milk. I don’t know what the butterfat content was but it tasted more rich than skim milk and less rich than whole milk. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/7 "2009-10-20T19:51:55Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > According to Tom and Ray on _Car Talk_, creating 90 octane fuel from 87 octane and 93 octane is as simple as mixing them at a 1-to-1 ratio. > > Would creating 1% milk from skim and 2% be the same? Yes, but YMMV 😉 You can make your own half-and-half, etc. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/8 "2009-10-20T19:53:45Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Yes, but YMMV 😉 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/9 "2009-10-20T19:59:11Z")
You could make any milk higher fat content if it wasn’t homogenized. The cream floats and there is the bulk of the fat content. Drain off some of the milk and remix in the cream. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/10 "2009-10-20T21:12:33Z")
Mixing equal parts of 2% milk and skim milk will give you a milk that has 1% fat, but it won’t be the same stuff as the 1% milk you buy from the store. When you make skim milk, you end up losing some of the non-fat milk solids in addition to the fat, so your re-mixed 1% will have less flavor than the non-skim stuff. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/11 "2009-10-20T22:24:17Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Though it would be possible to make 1% from 2% and skim > > Brian I have a feeling that’s what the OP meant to ask. ---
**Author:** ![toastin131](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19b73/32.png) [@toastin131](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toastin131)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/12 "2009-10-20T22:44:49Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I have a feeling that’s what the OP meant to ask. yes panache45 you are correct. this is embarrassing hahaha ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/13 "2009-10-21T00:03:54Z")
Related to this, am I correct that most “whole milk” sold at supermarkets, groceries, convnience stores, etc., is about 3.5% milkfat, the milk (mostly Jersey) that is richer in fat content being generally saved for products such as sour cream and butter where a high fat content is valuable? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/14 "2009-10-21T00:23:37Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Related to this, am I correct that most “whole milk” sold at supermarkets, groceries, convnience stores, etc., is about 3.5% milkfat, the milk (mostly Jersey) that is richer in fat content being generally saved for products such as sour cream and butter where a high fat content is valuable? The the cream comes from the milk used for the less fat milks and milk products like powdered milk. Straight milk is not used. Higher fat milk is always desirable, but the separation of the cream for these products means it’s not too important. A higher fat milk is more important for cheese as the whole milk is used for that, without any separation being done. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/15 "2009-10-21T00:37:46Z")
To be more clear. The milk plants will mix all the milk together. The farmer is paid by weight times the rate for the fat content of the sample taken from the tank before they take it. A smaller operation cheese producer is more likely to buy high fat content milk from a farmer and use it with only other high fat content milk. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/16 "2009-10-21T02:25:47Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Related to this, am I correct that most “whole milk” sold at supermarkets, groceries, convnience stores, etc., is about 3.5% milkfat, the milk (mostly Jersey) that is richer in fat content being generally saved for products such as sour cream and butter where a high fat content is valuable? “whole milk” sold in most stores has some of the cream removed. There is an extream differance between store “whole milk” and a dairy farm’s whole milk. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/17 "2009-10-21T02:50:57Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Back in the day when we had three thirsty young’uns I used to mix (cheap) nonfat dry milk 50/50 with whole milk. I don’t know what the butterfat content was… I would imagine that the butterfat content of nonfat dry milk would be zero. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/18 "2009-10-21T03:03:19Z")
I buy 3.5% milk, and then add water (or ice) to lower the % to whatever I want it to be. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/19 "2009-10-21T03:28:38Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > “whole milk” sold in most stores has some of the cream removed. There is an extream differance between store “whole milk” and a dairy farm’s whole milk. Different breeds of cows will produce different levels of cream. Jerseys will produce higher fat milk, while Holsteins will produce lower fat milk that’s in the 3.5% range. Of course, commercial dairies will blend milk to produce standarized amounts of milk fat, so “whole” milk will either have cream added or removed until it’s at 3.5%. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507/20 "2009-10-21T05:21:25Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Different breeds of cows will produce different levels of cream. Jerseys will produce higher fat milk, while Holsteins will produce lower fat milk that’s in the 3.5% range. > > Of course, commercial dairies will blend milk to produce standarized amounts of milk fat, so “whole” milk will either have cream added or removed until it’s at 3.5%. The milk that we had when I was a kid was richer than than that that came from the store. Be it from the Holstein, or the Jerseys. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-or-pasteurization/514507.md?page=2)