Q: My mom accidentally brought home Lactaid whole milk instead of Lactaid 2% and so now I'm trying to find a way to use it up. Can I use Lactaid whole milk in any baking recipe that calls for whole milk or does the fact that it's Lactaid change its composition enough that it can't be used the same way? More

You may choose to drink tea with a little bit of milk to make it taste better, but are you diminishing tea's health benefits in the process? It turns out that, yes, that may be the case. More

Q: I saw a new item at my Trader Joe's: whipping cream that doesn't need to be refrigerated until opened. The ingredients are cream and carrageenan. The expiration date is February 2013. Is this safe? Does anyone have any experience using this particular (or a similar) item?

Sent by Jessica More

I traveled to Quito, Ecuador a few years ago as a stopover on my way to the Galapagos islands. I knew nothing about Quito, and while many things were new and unfamiliar, I had a good feeling after my very first afternoon there. I'd strolled into a cafe for a cup of coffee and noticed a towering display of cake slices. The woman at the register confirmed what I thought: tres leches cake, my very favorite. Things were looking up. More

Q: I boil milk on my stove but then it overflows! Could you suggest some type of equipment?

Sent by Faeza More

Just mentioning buttermilk makes me start craving things like warm biscuits and jam, quick bread studded with blueberries, and big piles of fluffy pancakes. Yum. Buttermilk is definitely a kitchen super star, gracing many of our favorite recipes with its creamy, tangy presence. What are your best recipes with buttermilk? More

Getting to know your farmer is always a good thing, and never more so than in the case of raw milk. It's not enough to say the cows are grass-fed, organic, or raised humanely on a small, local farm. Unpasteurized milk can be risky, with bacterial contamination occurring in/on the animal or during processing, storage, and transport. We asked Amanda Rose, author of the Raw Milk Consumer Guide, to describe some of the most important safety concerns, along with questions to ask your dairy farmer. More

When was the last time you picked up a carton of camel milk at the grocery store? Yak milk? I'm going to guess never—which leads me (and Slate) to wonder: why is it, with over 6,000 milk-producing mammal species in the world, Americans get 97% of all our dairy from cows? Is it taste? Historical habits? Industrial convenience? Well, a little of each. More

Despite being named after a world-class ballerina, I can't help but think of the pavlova as a rather humble and homely thing. I love the way the billowy whipped cream slumps into the cracked surface of the meringue, making a cozy nest for the fruit to rest. But perhaps the pavlova was named for the way it tastes: an arabesque of sweetness, a leap of airy confection, the beloved pas de deux of fresh fruit and cream. Like Anna Pavlova herself, it's perfect. More

Q: My baby was recently diagnosed with a sensitivity to the protein in cow's milk. Since I breastfeed, I have to eliminate all cow's milk from my diet, though sheep and goat milk are ok. I would love some recipe ideas that include meat, eggs, and/or goat and sheep milk products.

Sent by Melissa More