I bought it this weekend, I didn't know what to expect. In the end the taste was the same, it took the same amount of time to whip, I guess the only appeal is it is a smaller amount than you typically buy at the market and it has a longer shelf life so it's ready when you need it.

Why wouldn't it be safe? It's 2012 I don't think Trader Joes would be selling it if it wasn't safe. Properly treated, milk can remain shelf stable for a long time as long as it is not opened. The only reason we chill it is to prevent germs and bacteria from growing, and if it's treated properly there won't be any germs or bacteria.

It's probably UHT. This type of cream is popular in parts of Europe.

As for the carageenan, ordinary ultra-pasteurized cream (the majority of supermarket heavy cream) sold in the refrigerator case has it, too. High heat treated cream will not whip without an added stabilizer. If your supermarket carries both ultrapasteurized and regular cream (it will simply say "pasteurized" and is typically a local brand) compare the cartons.

I dislike ultrapasteurized cream, so wouldn't buy this, but it's perfectly safe and will work. Do chill it before you whip it, though.

It's just dairy in a hermetically sealed carton as opposed to an aluminum can, where the dairy is heat to sterilized and extend the life of the dairy. Shelf stable milk in a carton has been around for decades. While the taste is probably not going to ever match that of unheated cream, I don't see the danger in this product. It's a boon for the times and places where you don't have access to adequate refrigeration.

Ever been to Europe or outside the US? Many things there are shelf stable, unlike here.

It's fine. Refrigerate after opening.

Oh, I snagged one of these at Trader Joe's this week too! I got it for our weekend house, where it's a bit of a shlepp to the nearest grocery store. TJ also has shelf-stable milk (regular and chocolate) in small 4-packs, which I also find handy to keep around (esp. for our morning lattes, vs. just drinking straight, where I agree it doesn't taste quite as good as "real" milk).

I don't use cream that often so I don't really think to buy it, but every once in awhile I make a dessert and then think about how good it would be with whipped cream...or occasionally want to thicken a sauce with some cream. And per Tcbpdx's comment above, I assume once opened this stuff would still keep a couple weeks in the fridge like regular cream.

Yes, it's safe. It isn't exactly the best quality, but if you use it as directed (in most cases, you need to refrigerate any leftover portion and sometimes in a separate container, but that will be on the directions if indicated) it should be just fine.

My issue with TJ's is that they often have quite a few recalls, so check their site often to make sure that the products you're getting (this one and every other one they sell) isn't on the latest rotation of warnings and recalls.

South America pretty much only has UHT/shelf-stable milk. We're pretty lucky in the U.S. we get the fresher stuff. I actually couldn't stand the taste of it alone (or even in cereal) when I studied abroad there. Switched to soy milk. But if you're whipping it with sugar, or into a mascarpone or something else, this product probably tastes just fine.

Man, what do people think the FDA does? Of course it is safe, short of the same kind of accidental contamination that can happen to just about all storebought food. Trader Joe's would not be allowed to sell it for human consumption if the product wasn't proven safe for that purpose.

That said, it probably won't be as tasty as fresh cream, but it will be safe and convenient.

Hello ~ has anybody been paying attention to all of the negative information about carrageenan??? It is now proven to be a carcinogen and should be avoided in all foods. I have stopped using all Silk products and most anything that is thickened. Just because Trader Joe's - or anyone else - carries it, it does not make it safe! You must be dilligent in researching ALL ingredients in any product that you spend your hard earned money on! If you want a healthy "whipped cream", whip the solid of coconut milk for a wonderful topping.

Holla to that, Holler.

My kids were born in Asia and don't like fresh milk, only the UHT stuff... When we visit the US, they mostly drink OJ instead and have plenty of cheese for calcium

Undegraded carrageenan is safe and has been shown by over 150 studies to be safe. It is the degraded carrageenan which can cause intestinal inflammation and sometimes cancer, and is never used in food products. The study that raised the alarm found traces of degraded carrageen in samples of undegraded carrageenan, but the amounts that they found were very small, too small to cause any illness or injury. The EU has reviewed the study and finding no reason to ban the use of carrageenan in food, though they have limited its use in infant formula given the vulnerabiliity of such tiny bodies and systems.

my only question: what's the package size on that shelf-stable cream at TJ's?

Falnfenix, it's 8 fl oz.

Thoughts on just using this as a baking ingredient? That is, not whipping it at all, not using it as a topping. Should it work just as well as the regular kind? Anyone with experience?

I bought a couple right away to keep handy for when I realize I need it on the fly. Not just to whip, but just whenever I have a "d'oh!" moment and realize I forgot to buy an ingredient, since cream is an 'only sometimes' here. I assumed it was more akin to a European product. I'd love to have more shelf stable dairy choices to stock my emergency preparedness kit or bring camping, really.

Via http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_25591.cfm :

The Cornucopia Institute submitted the following to the National Organic Standards Board on this issue:

Studies (including industry­-funded studies) show that food-grade carrageenan is also linked to colon inflammation and colon cancer in animals.

1975: A study with rhesus monkeys finds adverse effects in the intestinal tract when the animals were given low levels (1% solution) of undegraded carrageenan in their drinking water.

1978: A study published in Cancer Research finds that rats fed a diet containing undegraded carrageenan had higher rates of cancer than rats fed a control diet without carrageenan. The authors conclude: "The undegraded carrageenan in the diet had an enhancing effect in colorectal carcinogenesis in rats."

1980-1981: Leading carrageenan researchers R. Marcus and James Watt publish two letters in the Lancet, titled "Danger of Carrageenan in Foods" and "Potential Hazards of Carrageenan," pointing out health concerns with the consumption of carrageenan, including undegraded carrageenan.

1986: A study finds that exposure of rats to 6% undegraded carrageenan in the diet for 24 weeks, with weekly injections of the carcinogenic substance 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (1,2-DMH), was associated with an increase in tumors from 40% to 75% and with the more frequent occurrence of larger and proximal tumors.

1992: A study by Wilcox et al, with Proctor and Gamble, finds an association between epithelial cell loss and the consumption of both undegraded and degraded carrageenan.

2001: A study finds higher levels of tumors in rats given food-grade carrageenan, yet reports that the difference is not statistically significant. This study, partially funded by the food industry, publishes its findings with the conclusive and misleading title and conclusion that food-grade, "undegraded" carrageenan is safe (despite its findings of higher cancer rates). Marinalg, the industry trade group for carrageenan processors, uses the study to reassure its customers that carrageenan is safe.

September 2001: Joanne Tobacman, MD, then Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Iowa (now Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago), publishes an article in the academic, peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Dr. Tobacman conducted an independent review of the scientific literature on carrageenan, and concluded: "Because of the acknowledged carcinogenic properties of degraded carrageenan in animal models and the cancer-promoting effects of undegraded carrageenan in experimental models, the widespread use of carrageenan in the Western diet should be reconsidered."

2002-2012: Industry-sponsored scientists question whether the inflammatory nature of carrageenan is rodent-specific, and whether the results of animal studies can be extrapolated to humans. Scientists conduct experiments using human colonic epithelial cells and find that carrageenan, even low levels of food-grade carrageenan, induce inflammation in human colon cells as well.

Source with citations: www.beyondpesticides.org/organicfood/action/spring2012/Ca...

Also from that article:

Studies have reported that high molecular weight carrageenan can degrade in the gastrointestinal tract to low molecular weight carrageenan.

Source with citations: www.beyondpesticides.org/organicfood/action/spring2012/Ca...