Tell me about Soy Milk

I want to know more about soy milk...not from a health perspective but as an ingredient or staple. Does it spoil more rapidly than dairy milk? I am talking about the kind commercially available in stores. Can you leave it out longer, and does it keep longer in the frig? Can you cook with it as a substitute for milk or dairy products? Pls advise.

I haven't cooked with it, but I suspect that you may get different results if you simply substitute soy for regular milk.

According to Cook's Thesaurus, you can substitute soy or rice milk for regular milk more easily in sweet dishes:

soy milk (This is more expensive and (unless fortified) less nutritious than ordinary milk. It has a nutty flavor and turns beige when cooked. It works well in most baked goods, but it's a risky substitute in savory dishes.) OR rice milk (This is more expensive and, unless fortified, less nutritious. It's great for making desserts, but it's too sweet for savory dishes)

I mainly use soymilk (or rice milk) on cereal. Most brands do not need to be refrigerated until they are opened. This is a feature that I really like since I can keep a few packages in the pantry as back-up for when I run out of milk (or just want a change of pace).

Once opened, the packages generally advise you refrigerate and consume within 7-10 days. (I've let them go for 2 weeks without noticing any problems). I've tried two bands and I like both, Silk and the Whole Foods brand. I started with Vanilla flavored Silk, but now buy the unsweetened/unflavored versions.

I agree with Darren 72, I too keep it on the shelf. It must be refrigerated after that. I buy soy creamer for coffee, which I really like, as it is nutty and sweet with out sugar. I use Trader Joe's (green box) unsweetened, unflavored soy for all recipes that use milk and don't notice a difference.

Just like dairy milk, the aseptically-packaged varieties (shelf-stable) can be kept (unopened) safely in your pantry until the date on the package. Once opened, it needs to be refrigerated (as do the varieties sold in teh refrigerated section of your market).

Personally don't care for it. We used it for several years for our youngest son who had a mild dairy allergy (since resolved). He has also lost his taste for it.

I use the Silk Soy Creamer for my coffee. It usually keeps about two weeks once opened. I'm pretty good about checking the opened container before using it again because I have had it go bad on me in the past (we're talking nasty mold stuff). Sometimes I use the soy creamer when cooking soup or making a sauce for flavor or consistency, but I always add it at the very end and am careful not to heat it too much. I've never tried substituting soy milk in baking, although I did have success using soy milk for ice cream.

The Silk people have a website with recipe ideas if you're interested: http://www.soynutrition.com/AppetiteAppeal/Recipes.aspx

I use West Soy unsweetened soy milk in my cereal, tea and very occasionally in cooking. I would guess it keeps for about 2 weeks, though the longest it's taken me to get through a carton is just over a week. I haven't used soy milk in sweets, but I have used it with success for recipes that call for small amounts of milk (say 1/4 c or less)--taste difference is negligible.

Soy milk comes in refrigerated and unrefrigerated varieties. I find the unrefrigerated versions to be thin and chalky. For flavor and consistency, I think the refrigerated type of Silk is the best. The refrigerated versions keep for a couple of months unopened, then about 2 weeks, once they are opened. Soy milk doesn't really go sour. It ferments, so it becomes carbonated when it goes off. A couple of years ago, the Silk company (White Wave) was bought by Dean's foods along with several other manufacturers. Dean's pretty much has a monopoly on the soy milk market now (at least the brands available in supermarkets). The result was an increase in availability, but also a boost in price. Last week, Stack & Van Til had twin-packs of Silk (2 x 1/2 gal) on sale for 5.99, which was a really good deal.

I find that soy milk is much more prone to separating and curdling than regular milk is (when heating it). Even to the point of when you are putting it in hot coffee.

Thanks everyone.

Toria, I cook and bake with alternative milks some. I can't add much about how it keeps, but maybe can help a bit with the other part.

Soy milk comes in varying levels of sweetness and with or without vanilla. The vanilla is almost always sweeter than the non-flavored and cannot be used in much, if any, cooking. A bechamel with vanilla soy milk? Yuk. As noted, it does well in baking - cakes, cookies, etc. I just made a delicious pineapple upside down cake that was gluten and dairy free. The vanilla soy milk isn't even detectable.

Puddings are a bit harder. Not sure if it's a missing chemical (like the casein), but soy puddings do not set as firm; I usually use a bit more thickener. For candies, you need milk. For adding milk to melted chocolate to make ganache or something, you need milk. There is too much water in the soy milk and it will seize the chocolate. I've seen vegan sites say it works, but the one time I tried it, I had a solid seized mess. I am sure there is a trick, but I don't know it.

For cooking, I found using a different non-dairy milk was better. I also don't use milk in cooking all that much, so it was only a problem when doing things like mac and cheese or pastitsio. At the time, I found the best sub was a powdered rice milk that had no sweeteners or flavors in it. I could reconstitute the small bit I needed and not worry about keeping two types of milk in my refrigerator.

That was a few years ago. I now find more places that make completely unsweetened and unflavored soy milk. These work OK; you still can use the oat or hemp milk, too.

If you are seriously considering it, the vegan cooking forums are great to get tips on how to make things work without dairy.

thanks. I am trying to cut down on dairy products. Its good to know you can use the soy milk in making cake.

Cake, cookies, pudding, pancakes, waffles, etc. all work fine. If cutting down on dairy, you can choose any alternate milk. I prefer rice in my cereal, for example, as the stronger soy taste is more than I like. But soy works well for many other things. The more the item itself has a strong taste and the more sweet it is, the better soy works.

I have tried soy, oat, hemp, rice. You may have to try a few and see what you prefer - in terms of taste and texture and what you tend to make. If in any doubt on a particular recipe, seriously look at a vegan cooking website. Vegweb is a great source. Flip through a couple of their recipes and you'll get an idea of how they make it work without dairy.