If your boat doesn’t have refrigeration, milk for cereal gets “interesting.” But cruisers have several options. And they’re worth considering if you have no fridge onboard. Or if you just want to free up more room in your boat refrigeration.
Here are a few for you to consider.
Boxed Milk
If you’re going to be away from grocery stores for more than a few days, boxed milk can be a lifesaver! It’s widely available in developing countries where there’s less refrigeration. But you can get it in many stores in the US — if you know what to look for!
I have found boxed milk at my local Publix. And I’ve bought boxed milk at many Walmarts across the country when we’ve taken some extended camping trips. It’s typically in the baking aisle, of all places, although Publix usually stocks it in the coffee aisle. I’ve also seen boxed milk in various other chain groceries and even once in a convenience store along the ICW.
Benefits of Boxed Milk for Cruisers
So what’s so great about boxed milk? Well, you’ll notice that it’s on regular shelves. It doesn’t have to be refrigerated until you open it. Unopened, it’s good at least three months — and I’ve used some that was over 6 months old with no problems.
Use it just as you would regular milk — which is what it is, except that it’s been ultrapasteurized and packaged in a TetraPak, which totally prevents air getting to it.
Back in the days before Dave developed his milk allergy, I used boxed milk 100% of the time on the boat. We used it on our morning cereal and in cooking. Dave occasionally drank a glass with a sandwich. Some people say they notice a slight difference in the taste when just drinking it; Dave didn’t. And I never noticed any difference in cooking or on my cereal. (We now used boxed almond milk.)
Using Boxed Milk Onboard
You can store the boxes just about anywhere — we had some very shallow lockers behind the settees that were just perfect for stacking these in. They fit into lots of other small spaces — just make sure to remember where you’ve stashed them all.
Here in the US, almost all the boxed milk I’ve found has been the Parmalat brand, available in 2% and whole milk. In Mexico and Central America, there were numerous brands available and Nestle made a skim milk called Svelty.
The tops shown in the photo are the most common although screw tops are getting easier to find and are better on a boat although they can be harder to store since the screw top protrudes.
If you can only find flip-tops, know that on a boat, that little plastic flip-top can easily jostle open in the refrigerator or cooler. If you’re going to be in fairly protected conditions, you can just put a piece of duct tape over the top; I usually transferred the milk to an old clean juice bottle with a screw top.
In Mexico, we sometimes ran into boxes that were just “cut to open” and these had to be put into another bottle to store.
Before opening a new box, be sure to shake it up well in case any of the milk solids have settled. And then just use as you would any other milk!
Single Serving Boxes
Stores market both the milk boxes and soy milk for kids to take in school lunches . They often come in strawberry and chocolate as well as plain or vanilla. I can live with vanilla on my cornflakes but chocolate just doesn’t interest me one bit.
Since they’re intended for kids, they come with a straw and a little foil place to stick the straw in. Rather than piercing the foil and trying to pour the milk out of the raggedy hole, I’ve learned to find an edge of the foil and just peel the whole thing off. Much, much easier to pour without it going everywhere (generally including my shorts or t-shirt).
At the store nearest us, they come in 4-packs. And while not cheap, it’s less expensive than throwing away three-quarters of the one-liter boxes. Each box contains one cup — a generous amount for one bowl of cereal or two kind-of skimpy bowls. We generally allow one per person and just drink any that we don’t use on our cereal (if you take milk in your coffee, that’d be another good use for the extra).
Powdered Milk
No, I’m not suggesting drinking powdered milk on a regular basis. I much prefer boxed milk for drinking, cereal and things like that.
But powdered milk — that is, good powdered milk — works wonderfully in making your own yogurt, in baking, mashed potatoes and things like that. The plus on a boat is that it takes up a LOT less space and weighs far less than boxed milk, and also lasts almost forever. It doesn’t have to be refrigerated, either!
Finding Powdered Milk in the Grocery Store
The thing is, you can’t find good powdered milk in the “regular” section of the grocery store. All they have there (in my Walmart, in the baking aisle) is that awful nonfat stuff that has to sit overnight before it will even fully dissolve. Don’t waste your money on it!
Instead, go over to the “Latin” or “Mexican” foods aisle, shown in the photo at the top of this article. That’s where you’ll find the good stuff. Everywhere I’ve ever traveled outside the US, I’ve found great powdered milk. I have no idea why it’s considered a foreign food here!
Nido (Amazon) brand milk is made by Nestle and actually tastes good. It’s whole milk, though, so is higher in calories. Depending on your store, there may be more than one variety — in mine, there are two: Nido Kinder and regular Nido (shown at right although the can design does vary some).
Unless you know you have a reason for buying one of the other types, the regular Nido (sometimes called Classico or Fortificado) is the one you want — it is just plain powdered whole milk. The other varieties sometimes have added fat, prebiotics and/or flavorings. I know from experience that Nido Kinder will not make good yogurt — it won’t culture properly.
Finding Powdered Milk While Cruising
Nido is available everywhere in Mexico and Central America (at least, every little tienda that I ever went in had it). In some towns, we’d find other brands of good powdered milk as well — as with canned meats, it seems that if you’re in an area where there is limited electricity, you’ll have great access to GOOD non-refrigerated foods.
If you ever run into the New Zealand powdered milk, it is absolutely fantastic . . . but more like cream in the number of calories!
A big clue for a powdered milk that’s likely to be good is whether it’s “instant” — the ones that “suggest” they sit overnight before serving are the ones to stay away from.
Even if you don’t make your own yogurt, think about using powdered milk in
- cakes (try my Chocolate Upside Down Cake),
- cookies such as the Chocolate-Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies
- mashed potatoes,
- other baking,
- biscuits,
and anything else you use milk in. You can save a lot of space and weight.
Friends who take cream in their coffee have told me that a spoonful of Nido is much better than Coffee-Mate, too. And if you’re ever out of other milk, it’s not bad to drink!
Choosing No-Fridge Milk Options
You’ll benefit from using all these options on your boat. If you drink a lot of milk or have a family or guests onboard, the larger boxed milks are perfect. A few single-size boxes are a good bet with a small crew. And powdered milk, the good stuff, is great for cooking and baking.
Hopefully these suggestions will help you enjoy milk when you want it. And free up space in your boat fridge (if you have one).
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