This invention relates to making and using a stabilizer that is effective in small amounts and, particularly useful for stabilizing low solids liquids, e.g., dispersions, emulsions, and suspensions, used in foods, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and similar industrial applications, which comprises, microcrystalline cellulose, (preferably, colloidal hydrolyzed MCC); a first carboxymethyl cellulose having a viscosity of 30-85 cP at 2% in deionized water; and, a degree of carboxymethyl substitutions of 0.60 to 0.85, and a second carboxymethyl cellulose having a viscosity of 400-800 cP at 2% in deionized water, and a degree of carboxymethyl substitutions of 0.80 to 0.95; and, the stabilizer may be made by preparing a moist MCC “wetcake”; thoroughly mixing the wetcake with a dry blended mixture of low DS and medium DS, CMCs; preferably, in a MCC/low DS CMC/medium DS CMC ratio range of about 88/6/6 to about 92/4/4, adding that mixture to an extruder; preparing a slurry of the extrudate in deionized water; and, optionally, pumping the slurry to a spray dryer to produce a powder.