Lactose

[Steve21]

Okay so ive never used lactose or dme before, I'm also only 3 batches into all grain brewing so just getting my feet wet in many respects.
I went to my brew shop and picked up a bunch of stuff for a wheat beer and a sweet stout which included lactose. I had some dme that I bought before that wasnt used and it wasn't marked. The lactose was marked from the brew store so I figured I was good. But here's the issue, they both look and taste the same. I havent started my stout yet and now wonder if it is lactose or not. What difference in look and flavor should they have from each other?
It's going to cheese me off something bad if I add dme in place of the lactose. I took a bit of both and put them in water and darn it if they don't look and taste the same.
They both have a orange/Brown color and in the bag they both look cream colored.

 

[oliver]

DME is really sticky fine powder and turns into rocks when you leave it out of its bag for too long. lactose is more coarse powder and not nearly as sugary sticky.

also you should be able to take a taste of both of them (without water) and be able to tell. DME is really sweet malty powder.

 

[Steve21]

I'm going to assume then that they are both dme. They both are sweet and have a maltness to them.

 

[Yooper]

Lactose is sugar- pure white sugar. DME is not white.

 

[Steve21]

That's what I thought,but being as I've never used either I figured I should ask people who would know, and both are creamy colored so I guess it's back to the brew shop this week.

Well I appreciate both you for answering, saved me some annoyance next weekend when I went to make the stout.

 

[Nosybear]

DME will be slightly yellow. Lactose is white.