MyTastr

Best milk, according to chefs

Three picks, each tied to a named taster and a public source — from J. Kenji López-Alt, Joey Skladany, Fatima Khawaja, Melissa Cabey and 6 more. Recommendations come from seriouseats.com, today.com, tastingtable.com and businessinsider.com and 3 other sources.

Dairy & Cold · The ranking

  1. 1
    Top pick

    Organic Valley Whole Milk

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    It beat every local New York dairy in Kenji’s blind tasting, with near-perfect scores: “Coats your mouth,” “sweet, creamy,” “so rich it’s almost pudding-y.” TODAY called it “silky-smooth and even a bit thick on the tongue, almost like melted ice cream.”
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: seriouseats.com ↗
  2. 2

    Maple Hill Creamery Organic Whole Milk

    Chosen by
    Also chosen by
    100% grass-fed, and its only ingredient is whole milk. Skladany: “Maple Hill dominated the taste test with an ultra-creamy yet flavorful, almost buttery milk that tasted as if it was delivered that morning.” Serious Eats’ Laila: it “reminded me of melted milk-flavored ice cream.”
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: today.com ↗
  3. 3

    Alexandre Family Farm Organic A2/A2 Milk

    Chosen by
    Bay Area chefs’ pick, sold nationally at Whole Foods. Schmidt, whose restaurant uses it exclusively: “We love the foam it makes. It’s got a gorgeous mouthfeel and flavor to it.” Chen tested other dairy for his cheesecakes and found nothing that compared.
    Where to buy · Amazon ↗Instacart ↗Source: sfchronicle.com ↗

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Questions, answered

What is the best milk, according to chefs?
MyTastr’s top pick is Organic Valley Whole Milk, chosen by J. Kenji López-Alt (Serious Eats blind test winner, 8.3/10). It beat every local New York dairy in Kenji’s blind tasting, with near-perfect scores: “Coats your mouth,” “sweet, creamy,” “so rich it’s almost pudding-y.” TODAY called it “silky-smooth and even a bit thick on the tongue, almost like melted ice cream.” Source: seriouseats.com ↗
What are the other top picks for milk?
No. 2 is Maple Hill Creamery Organic Whole Milk, chosen by Joey Skladany (TODAY “Best Overall”). No. 3 is Alexandre Family Farm Organic A2/A2 Milk, chosen by Gavin Schmidt (The Morris, San Francisco); Charles Chen (Basuku Cheesecake); Elizabeth Khuu (Milk Cloud Bakery). Each card above links to the original source.
How does MyTastr choose these picks?
Every pick is tied to a named chef, cookbook author or food expert and links to the public interview, panel or article it came from. We survey dozens, often hundreds, of top chefs, food writers and critics, and order reflects how often and how strongly a brand is recommended. Only organic recommendations count — paid endorsements don’t — and brands can’t buy a spot. Read how we pick.

The tasters behind this ranking

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