Hey! feeling tired? Undergoing stressful tasks to cut out? Need to boost your mind and energy? OK, no problem, it’s time to have a cup of hot coffee. It is perhaps the only thing that can refresh you to reboot your energy so that you can gear up once again. There are several ways to have coffee- black coffee, Coffee with milk, and coffee with cream.
Usually, apart from black coffee people prefer to add milk to coffee ahead of cream. Because a common conception is cream seems too heavy for coffee and it would overpower the coffee in both flavor and texture. Still, you have something like that, a lighter cream that provides an extra flavor and a unique texture to your coffee. It is called Coffee Creamer or coffee cream.
Out of your desire, you have bought fresh creamer for your coffee back home. But after enjoying your cup, you find a good amount of leftover cream remains. Now you have to look for a way to store it for further use. Does Coffee Creamer Need To Be Refrigerated? Or do you have some other option? But before you go to find this answer, I think you should go through the whole affair to get the best idea all about it.
Table of Contents
What Is Coffee Creamer?
Coffee creamer is a perfect alternative to a milk product that’s commonly added to coffee to get some extra taste and flavor. Generally, it’s bought from stores and found in both forms powder and liquid. Most coffee creamer is a non-dairy product, made from soy-based ingredients or corn syrup, or vegetable oil, and comes with varieties of flavors. Even good news for diabetics, it is also available as sugar-free and fat-free so that they could taste the best.
What Are The Types Of Coffee-Mate Creamer Available?
Following the flavor and preparation, there are three main types of coffee-mate creamer is available on the marketplace. They are-
Dairy coffee-mate creamer
These are made from dairy-based ingredients such as milk, sugar, and some natural flavorings. Daily creamer also comes as half and half which is a combination of milk and light cream including some regular or fruit flavors. Even heavy whipping cream or extra rich cream are also used to prepare this kind of creamer.
Non-Dairy Coffee-Mate Creamer
This type of coffee-mate creamer contains sodium water, sugar, soybean oil[ partially hydrogenated ] or cottonseed oil, and some other chemicals, with some natural and artificial flavors. Non-dairy coffee-mate creamer contains only one milk product, it is casein a kind of milk protein. This type of creamer is found in powder form apart from regular liquid form.
Fruit-Flavored Coffee-Mate Creamer
This is available in vanilla, strawberry, and mocha flavor that is extracted from natural fruit flavorings. The texture of it is quite similar to regular creamers.
Does Coffee Creamer Need To Be Refrigerated?
Coffee creamer generally doesn’t need to be refrigerated if it is unopened. Only you have to store it in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight and any other sources of heat. But if you have opened the pack and left some residues for further use, then you have no way left but to keep it in a refrigerator. It would help you to maintain the freshness and flavor of your creamer. The dairy coffee creamer usually doesn’t require to be refrigerated even after being opened. But still,- you should follow instructions printed on the pack regarding storage or refrigeration.
Does Non-Dairy Coffee Creamer Need To Be Refrigerated?
Most non-dairy creamers are shelf-stable for a longer time and they could stay good outside of the refrigerator for almost a month. But once you open the pack and keep it in the refrigerator, it may last for not more than 10 days.
How Long Can Coffee Creamer Stay Unrefrigerated?
It is commonly believed that coffee creamer doesn’t need to be refrigerated. This is partially true. If the pack is opened then you must have to keep it in the refrigerator unless it cannot last long till its “best before” date. Unrefrigerated dairy creamer can last for 2 weeks. Only if you have the powder creamer, then it will last long even outside the refrigerator.
Alo read: Does Stok Coffee Need to Be Refrigerated? Does It Go Bad?
How Long Coffee Creamer Can Stay In The Fridge?
Usually, coffee creamers come with a shelf life of 6 months and you may get a month extra if you keep it in a fridge. But if the pack is opened and you put it in the fridge, then you can get 3-4 days of time to use the leftovers.
How To Tell If Coffee Creamer Has Gone Bad?
Yes, like regular milk or any milk product coffee creamers also go bad with time. Especially if you keep it on the countertop at kitchen temperature, it can go bad in a short time. But the time factor varies with the brand, the ingredients, and if it is liquid or powder. Usually, coffee creamer stays well between 1-2 weeks to a maximum of 3-6 months. Now you need to know some of the most common signs that can tell you if the creamer has gone bad. Here they are-
Liquid Creamer
- If you find the creamer obtains a curdled, lumpy texture, you can easily assume that it is no longer good to add in coffee.
- If your coffee creamer smells sour or moldy like any other spoiled milk product, this tells you that it has gone bad.
- Again if you find it turns sour or foul taste then it means you have to discard it right now.
Powder Creamer
- If the powder creamers look discolored or seem to have some molds, you cannot use them further.
- Once again, just similar to the liquids, if the powders also lose their taste and smell and become foul and moldy, then the only best thing you can do, throws them out!
What Happens If You Drink Bad Creamer?
There is always a risk of drinking bad creamer, no matter if it is a dairy or non-dairy product, if you drink a spoiled creamer you may suffer from different indigestion issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.
How To Store Coffee Creamer For A Long Time?
After being aware of creamer’s not too long shelf life, it’s time to get some ideas so that you can keep it better for a longer time. Here you go-
- Suppose you’ve bought an unrefrigerated liquid coffee creamer from the store then you can place it in a cool, dark, and dry spot in your pantry. But once you open it, you have to keep it inside a refrigerator tightly capped.
- If your coffee creamer is a non-dairy product that you have picked off a shelf then you can keep it at room temperature, just you need to keep it away from any source of heat. But again you have to keep the pack in a fridge if the cap is opened and this will help the creamer last longer.
- In the case of powder creamer, it should be kept anywhere in a clean dry place at room temperature. But you must close the pack unless moisture can work to clump up the powder, even if it helps bacteria to grow into the powder.
Finishing Point
Finally, we have come to an end to this long discussion regarding coffee creamer. I have tried to provide you with all the necessary things related to coffee creamer to the best of my knowledge. All I can hope is that this article will help you to use this creamer better than before. See you soon!!