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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on October 10, 2008 at 6:16pm

I get my steroid free organic etc. milk in opaque plastic jugs though the 1/2&1/2 is quart waxed cardboard cartons. I don't find unscrewing the top that big of deal. What I did find a time waste was baristas putting the top down then having to pick it back up (and too often worse they knocked it on the floor then had to wash it before putting it back on.) What I do and teach and keep hammering on my staff is to palm the lid in the left hand while pouring then immediately putting it back on the jug. (or palm in right hand if left handed of course) Same goes for Soy etc, don't set lids down period!

I'm not convinced an in-fridge-door or counter top dispenser would really save any time and in some cases would in fact likely take longer. When building multiple beverages usually pour multiple pitchers at once: line 'em up and pour the milk in 'em. Would have to take each pitcher individually to dispenser(s). This is of course steaming for each individual drink and never re-steaming.

Then there's the aspect of just one more piece of equipment that will (not might) eventually break and have to be repaired or replaced.

I don't understand how a glass pitcher of milk will be colder than a plastic jug of milk sitting next to it in the fridge. If sitting out sure glass would hold the temp longer.

But I haven't used those milk dispensers so who knows how well they'd work out. How fast do they dispense? Can they dispense as fast as an experienced barista can pour from a gallon jug? How long does it take to put another (wee) half gallon in them when they run out? (Only enough for a dozen or so 12oz lattes!) You're in the middle of a rush and the sucker goes dry...again...I'd ignore it and revert to pouring from a jug!

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Permalink Reply by Amy Capehart Trahey on November 20, 2008 at 8:46pm

we use a countertop milk dispenser in our shop and there are pros and cons to using it. our dispenser is provided to us (free of cost) by Sysco. we use oak farms milk that comes in 5 gallon bags that have a spout attached. the dispenser holds two 5 gallon bags. we keep 2 bags of whole milk in the dispenser and keep our non-fat milk, soy, tea, etc in an under the counter fridge.

the good: it has drastically reduced the amount of waste we generate daily. it keeps the milk at 38 degrees. when baristas are at the espresso machine it is right behind them at a perfect working height...no bending. no losing lids. usually it dispenses pretty quickly. i can store 10 gallons of bagged milk in the same area i would use for 8 jugs of milk.

the bad: the bags are a b*tch to lift up into the machine. but once it's in there it is a convenient set up and my baristas don't seem to mind this trade-off. also if someone does something stupid, it's possible to tear the bag...meaning you have to find pitchers or other containers to store 5 gallons of milk...otherwise you dump 20 bucks down the drain. finally, once the bag is almost empty it drains more slowly.

overall we like our milk dispenser, though it's possible i might switch back to jugs if i find a distributor i like better than sysco. i don't think i'd use a dispenser that held less than 5-10 gallons though. seems like a waste of time and space if you are using only 2 gallons or less.

goodcow.com also has an interesting system where the milk is actually concentrated. i've never tried it though, so i can't vouch for it personally.

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Permalink Reply by Shelley Weihs on June 25, 2009 at 5:54am

One Year Later....What did you end up using for your cream Denise? Please visit our website www.frieling.com and watch the MILKchiller video. You can also inout your costs into our amazing savings calculator and see how much money you will save by using the MILKchiller.

Denise Smith said:

Sounds like a neat devise do you have more info, a picture, a web site...? I'd love to learn more. We want to be 'green enough to only need 4 rollout trash cans not a giant metal dumpster. I know it's very ambitious but it could save us a lot of money on the concrete dumpster pad and a number of other related costs plus really help the environment. We will only use single serve products for 'On the go" orders. All "in house orders" will be served on real dishes. I'd like to reduce our BoH trash as well. Any suggestions there?

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Permalink Reply by chuck celentano on June 25, 2009 at 12:52pm

Our under counter refer is right below our Espresso machine, so it is not a big problem to gram a gallon of Skim or Whole milk. However we are using a Coldstar dispenser for the Half and half that our customers use. The poly bags hold about 3 ltrs.of Ultra pasteurized Half and Half. They tend to be rather pricey, but we have come up with a way to refill the bag in a sanitary method that saves us lots of cash.

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