Got Milk: The Best Milk Powder

Got Milk: The Best Milk Powder

Got Milk: The Best Milk Powder: A face-off has never been this thrilling! This is the World Cup of dairy, the Indianapolis 500 of moo juice, the Super Bowl of cream; one brand will emerge victorious as the undisputed champion of powdered milk! Alright, so it’s not exactly thrilling, but it should answer the persistent query, “What’s the best powder milk?”

We contrasted Carnation, Peak, and DIY (do-it-yourself) powdered milk options in a prior piece. Peak won both categories based on practical considerations and taste. If you’ve never heard of Peak, it’s probably because FrieslandCampina, a Dutch dairy cooperative that exports goods to numerous European nations as well as Asia and Africa, produces it there. To be honest, there doesn’t seem to be much of a need for powdered milk in the states, so it doesn’t exactly have a firm hold on the American market.

Another competitor with a far higher level of brand recognition and widespread consumption is Nido. Perhaps Nido’s widespread appeal stems from the fact that it is made by Nestle, a company whose brand is so well-known that people automatically link it with chocolate, taste, and affordability. Their motto is “Good Food, Good Life,” and since they manufacture everything from dog food to infant food, they should be able to produce at least a passable powdered milk.

You’re most likely not alone if you’ve never heard of Nido. Its appeal in mainstream markets in the United States is almost nonexistent, as is the case with powdered milk in general. Nido may occasionally be found in your neighborhood grocery store’s Hispanic food section, but I haven’t seen it in any large grocery chains. But if you visit a bodega in your community, you’ll probably find that it’s stocked in a variety of sizes; you might even come across one that’s meant for kids one and up.

How then does the Dutch Peak stack up against the formidable Nido from Nestle?

They appear extremely similar at first glance, so much so that I began to wonder which was which and whether I had switched them by accident. The Nido is to the left, while Peak is to the right. They both smell the same, have the same off-white hue, and extremely comparable granule sizes. After more examination, I was able to distinguish between the two thanks to one visual signal.

Considering that the Nido was only open for five minutes before the picture, I found it strange that it was so much clumsier. Since it was so fresh and the Peak had only opened a few months before, it was impossible for it to have taken in moisture from the air. Nido and Peak both rehydrated to precisely the same hue and consistency. However, Peak dissolved almost entirely with a simple stir, whereas Nido clumped significantly and required strong stirring. This appears to be in keeping with many of the online reviews I’ve seen, which lament that Peak dissolves easily in hot water while Nido does not. It seems that this also holds true for water at ambient temperature.

Further proof of Nido’s resistance to dissolution can be seen at the bottom of the glass—the left one—which is yellow-tint while the peak is still a milky white color. I actually had to prepare a second batch to make sure my mouth wasn’t playing tricks on me because the taste test was so challenging.

And who comes out on top? NIDO!

Actually, based on all the evaluations I’ve read, I entered this with a bias and expected Peak to win, but Nido surprised me a lot. I chose the winner mainly based on taste, but I understand that various individuals have varied tastes, and milk might taste different in different places and nations.

Nido tastes to me very much like the whole milk I’ve consumed my entire life. Although I’ve never been, I imagine that because Dutch people believe that milk should taste sweeter than American milk, Dutch milk is probably sweeter than American milk. Taste is crucial, but nutritional value should also be take into account. Ultimately, we eat food because it contains calories and nutrients. If not, you may simply gulp down some water and oatmeal and call it a day. I swear, having only read the Dutch and Spanish texts, I have broke down the following dietary facts.