502214 Mon Mar 24 09:46:02 -0700 2008 11 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 3522084 I cringe when forced to use non-dairy or one of those flavored creamers. The ingredient list is scary. All I want is to mello the harshness and sweeten the brew a tad. Why not powdered milk? Yes, it's fatty, but at least it's not a brew of chemicals. The ingredients are pure. I bought some imported dry milk and it works fine. So why not? Why is there not a pure product? Why is that non-dairy stuff everywhere? Rob robblo@earthlink.net Mon Mar 24 09:46:02 -0700 2008 177454 Robert Neustadt 1 3522109 I don't know if this is the reason that non dairy exists, but a lot of people are allergic to dairy. And if you observe Kosher, you are able to eat meat if you use a non dairy creamer. However, I'm thinking that the real reason there's a proliferation of non dairy creamers is economics -- that it's probably cheaper. Mon Mar 24 09:52:12 -0700 2008 3522084 10763 Miss Needle 2 3522439 don't keep kosher....and I am somewhat lactose intolerant, but still wondering why that stuff is so prevalent. Mon Mar 24 11:07:44 -0700 2008 3522109 177454 Robert Neustadt 3 3525343 It's prevalent because a: it's cheap and b: it lasts forever. I used to work at a banquet hall (shudder) and we could put out a bowl of those individual creamers when the coffee was served and then put the leftover ones back in the fridge or freezer afterward. You could freeze them and thaw them over and over again (or at least, that's what we thought) and they would stay "good" eternally. Well, no one reported being poisoned anyway. I wouldn't touch one of those things in a restaurant with a ten foot pole now. Milk or cream is more perishable so must be handled more carefully. ALso you can tell if milk has gone bad. Creamers? What's to go bad? It's non-food. Tue Mar 25 08:01:50 -0700 2008 3522439 12383 Nyleve 1 3522838 Robert, Lots of folks do not do dairy. Reasons: More lactose intolerant than you, religion, vegan, longer expiration date... Some people do not have the same fear or loathing of all things artificial. Look at the items in the grocery. Most are comprised something outside of nature or have the stain of a chemical on them. Why do those things exist? They exist because people want them, prefer them, can afford them... Do you only buy foodstuffs that are completely pure and unadulterated? I would venture the answer is "No". Mon Mar 24 12:40:40 -0700 2008 3522084 137755 Sal Vanilla 1 3523172 I think that they are popular because of all the flavors they come in. You can have hazelnut flavored coffee without buying hazelnut coffee grounds. Ah, but that goes right back to the economics of it. Mon Mar 24 14:02:54 -0700 2008 3522084 80937 danhole 1 3523233 I love Mocha Mix. I buy it buy the quart. It has a long shelf life and seems closest to the real thing. I would walk to my fridge now and look at the ingredients, but I am at work and they only have the bad stuff here. Anyone know if Mocha Mix is as artificial as the others? Mon Mar 24 14:14:30 -0700 2008 3522084 106040 JLF 1 3524495 The first time I had the best coffee that I can manage at home (stone ground beans, aeropress with some practice) the black coffee had with it the aroma of sweet cream! It wasn't bitter, either, even though it was very strong. Maybe the non-dairy creamer is engineered with added elements to give the cover-up, the mellow-ing effect and approximate the taste of the richness that the perfect blend would have had, because more often than not the average cup of coffee itself tend to be lacking. Non-dairy creamer can salvage a sub-par cup of coffee, where real milk powder will only make the same cup of coffe taste worse, because the non-dairy creamer has built in flavor/mouth feel factors. On the other hand, I wonder if the non-dairy creamer is added to a perfect cup of coffee (purely for testing purpose!) if perhaps the unnatural elements that make up the non-dairy creamer will suddenly have no where to hide? Mon Mar 24 21:07:35 -0700 2008 3522084 10422 HLing 1 3525608 I'm with you Rob.. I'd rather use powdered milk or canned milk than that stuff. Besides the ingredient list that looks like a chemistry class experiment gone mad, the stuff has an after-taste that I find unpleasant. I can even taste it through French roast coffee. I'm not lactose intolerant but I am non-dairy creamer intolerant.. it causes me humiliating gasteric distress! We take powdered milk on camping trips for coffee. My grandparents used Carnation canned milk in their coffee and that was my Gold Standard until I discovered Half & Half. Tue Mar 25 09:03:57 -0700 2008 3522084 172760 fromagina 2 3526333 I use SILK creamer for my coffee and it taste great!!! Try it. Tue Mar 25 11:57:48 -0700 2008 3525608 134710 taboo 1 3528606 You've tried coffee creamers, powdered things, etc as substitutes for the real thing, and now you're seeking a substitute for the substitute. May I suggest you bring it full-circle and try half-and-half as a substitute for the substitute you seek? Is delicious in coffee. Wed Mar 26 05:07:33 -0700 2008 3522084 139725 janniecooks 1 3528611 Having the only option being creamer years ago I opted to start drinking coffee black. It took a little while but I decided that I liked it better once I was used to it. It takes a bit but IMHO it's the way to go. Also, no curdling cream in my tummy making it upset........... DT Wed Mar 26 05:10:36 -0700 2008 3522084 11291 Davwud