Pasteurization

[RobsanX]

Not sure how to approach this subject because it is very extensive. Basically what got me thinking about this subject is the cream available at my grocery. There are two kinds of "whipping" cream made by Dean's:

For the longest time I didn't have a good idea what the difference between the two. The fat content in the two were comparable, so what's up? That's when I started learning about the differences between types of Pasteurization. The cream on the left is Pasteurized, and the cream on the right is Ultra-Pasteurized. I've learned that this many effects on shelf life, taste and texture, how it reacts during cooking, etc.

I've found that as a rule, if you want nice fluffy whipped cream, get the Pasteurized and use it up quickly, and if you want to have something to keep in the fridge for a while and use when necessary get the Ultra-Pasteurized, because it has a much longer shelf life.

Like i said, I'm not sure where I want to take this thread, but I just find things like this interesting.

 

[ChowderMan]

there's a whole raft of stuff that is "ultra-pasteurized" - btw, it's a legit thing - definitions, specs and approvals and all that.

personally I have no real 'need' for ultra, I do not "stock" heavy cream so to speak - when I plan a dish, I buy it, use it, all gone, all done, 'shelf life' is not an issue [g]

 

[Kimchee]

Totally unrelated... Louis Pasteur, while at Sandoz Labs, tuned in and turned on with LSD as part of his experiments. His notes on the experience are quite fascinating!

 

[AllenOK]

personally I have no real 'need' for ultra, I do not "stock" heavy cream so to speak - when I plan a dish, I buy it, use it, all gone, all done, 'shelf life' is not an issue [g]

Same here. I don't use much heavy cream at home. When I do use it, it gets used up immediately.

Heck, even at work, we go through cream so fast that it doesn't get a chance to spoil.

 

[RobsanX]

there's a whole raft of stuff that is "ultra-pasteurized" - btw, it's a legit thing - definitions, specs and approvals and all that.

personally I have no real 'need' for ultra, I do not "stock" heavy cream so to speak - when I plan a dish, I buy it, use it, all gone, all done, 'shelf life' is not an issue [g]

I understand where you're coming from, but I almost never plan meals farther ahead than it takes meat to thaw. I keep staples on hand, and buy meats and veg that are on sale. Many times I'll whip up a pasta Alfredo if nothing else appeals to me. It's one of my favorites!

Plus, the Ultra-Pasteurized cream lasts a really long time. I ran out of half-and-half for my coffee, and there was the cream in the fridge. It was a month out of date, but it was perfectly good.

In France, over 95% of milk sold is Ultra-Pasteurized, and is stocked unrefrigerated!

 

[ChowderMan]

I'm sure you realize, but for the sake of clarification . . .

the keeping qualities of "pasteurized" and "ultra-pasteurized" apply only to the sealed, unopened container.

for example, one cannot buy a liter of ultra-pasteurized milk, open it, put it back in a non-refrigerated pantry, and expect it to keep 'indefinitely' simply because it was originally "ultra-pasteurized"

once the [p-/ultra-p]container is "open" it is subject to identical environmental contamination(s) which can cause it to "go bad"

I'm not far off your 'plan as the meat thaws' mark - except for weekends - and, a technicality, that I dislike freezing meats.... I shop pretty much every day M-F, but Fridays I explicitly plan out the weekend major meals because shopping on a Sat/Sun in our market is a zoo.

good time for homemade bread and donuts . . . but that's another story.

on the point of heavy cream, about the only time I buy anything bigger than a cup container is when strawberries are freshly in season. then I might buy a pint. did I mention we tend to gorge on fresh local strawberries...?

obviously, a lot of the question revolves around personal habits and cooking menus/dishes/preferences. setting aside my weakness for whipped cream on fresh strawberries.... [sigh] I probably buy 4 or 5 eight ounce containers of light/heavy cream per year - and then only for specific dishes (which, true, may have only hit the 'plan' that morning...) some of those 'dishes' may not the first to come to mind for 'cream' - mac&cheese, fish chowder, cheese souffle, shrimp&clam sauce over linguine . . .

but for us, having 'X' quarts of heavy cream on hand at all times as a staple is not a real factor. otoh, if one always wished to have a pint on hand, but it could sit in the fridge unopened for 2-3 weeks, the ultra-pasteurized has advantages.

 

[Cooksie]

Not sure how to approach this subject because it is very extensive. Basically what got me thinking about this subject is the cream available at my grocery. There are two kinds of "whipping" cream made by Dean's:

For the longest time I didn't have a good idea what the difference between the two. The fat content in the two were comparable, so what's up? That's when I started learning about the differences between types of Pasteurization. The cream on the left is Pasteurized, and the cream on the right is Ultra-Pasteurized. I've learned that this many effects on shelf life, taste and texture, how it reacts during cooking, etc.

I've found that as a rule, if you want nice fluffy whipped cream, get the Pasteurized and use it up quickly, and if you want to have something to keep in the fridge for a while and use when necessary get the Ultra-Pasteurized, because it has a much longer shelf life.

Like i said, I'm not sure where I want to take this thread, but I just find things like this interesting.

I didn't know that there were two kinds. Good to know though. I tend to keep it for a while. You made me go check mine, and it's the ultra-pasteurized version.

 

[FryBoy]

Totally unrelated... Louis Pasteur, while at Sandoz Labs, tuned in and turned on with LSD as part of his experiments. His notes on the experience are quite fascinating!

Are you sure about this? I understand that LSD was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann in 1938. Sandoz Labs introduced it in 1947 under the trade-name Delysid for various psychiatric uses. Louis Pasteur, OTOH, died in 1895.