# Milk **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 25, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk/713563 "2015-02-25T01:30:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk/713563/21 "2015-02-25T19:53:42Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > This is probably obvious to most but it wasn’t to me way back when. That is, ‘Lowfat Milk’ that is described as 1% or 2% does NOT mean that it is regular whole milk with 99 or 98% of its fat removed. It means that it is 1 or 2% fat as opposed to whole milk’s being 3.25% fat. Not nearly as ‘low fat’ sounding when you think of it this way… Well, it _is_ 25-50% of the nominally 4% fat found in whole milk, and I’m pretty sure I’ve read that “whole milk has twice as much or 100% more fat” or some such. (I think the normal percentage has dropped a bit in recent decades, to the 3-3.5% you cite.) But yes, the idea that 2% or even whole milk has some whopping additional amount of fat and calories is a common misbelief. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk/713563/22 "2015-02-25T20:17:48Z")
When I worked for a place that bought cream, we had one person that had cream so thick that you could hardly get the stir rod into it. It tested close at some ungodly high number but, unfortunately, we could only pay up to 10% butterfat. Then we had the ones whose cream was nothing but water and didn’t even register on the testing scale. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk/713563/23 "2015-02-26T04:05:56Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I used to be able to buy 5% pasteurized milk in the stores, but I can’t find it any more. So buy half-and-half and dilute it (1 to 1 or 2 to 1) with skim milk. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk/713563/24 "2015-02-26T14:57:49Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > Yes, from scratch. Apartment living at its best. “I have nipples, Greg. Can you milk _me_?” ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk/713563/25 "2015-02-26T23:53:26Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > The amount of fat. Whole milk is basically milk in its natural state (Other than pasteurization). 1% and 2% are the amount of fat in the milk. Fat free should be obvious, although I’m not sure there is a difference between fat free and skim. I’t not quite the case that “Whole milk is basically milk in its natural state”, for most large-scale dairy operations, at least. From [http://www.milkfacts.info/Milk%20Processing/Fluid%20Milk%20Production.htm](http://www.milkfacts.info/Milk%20Processing/Fluid%20Milk%20Production.htm) > [@](#): > > To achieve standardization, milk is processed through centrifugal separators to create a skim portion and a cream portion of the milk. Separation produces a skim portion that is less than 0.01% fat and a cream portion that is usually 40% fat, although the desired fat content of the cream portion can be controlled by changing settings on the separator. The cream portion is then added back to the skim portion to yield the desired fat content for the product. Common products are whole milk (3.25% fat), 2% and 1% fat milk, and skim milk (\< 0.1% fat). Basically, all the milk is transformed via centrifuge into skim milk, and then the fat is added back in to create 1%, 2% and whole milk. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk/713563/26 "2015-02-27T02:09:05Z")
In his yogurt episode, Alton Brown stated that 2% milk has had 98% of its fat removed. So, **Hail Ants** , you are not alone. ---
**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:** [February 28, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk/713563/27 "2015-02-28T03:30:16Z")
How does the fat content of buttermilk compare? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/milk/713563.md?page=1)