Growing up, pulling a jug of frozen milk out of the deep freeze was a fairly regular occurrence. My grandparents lived on a farm and only went grocery shopping once a month or so. When the hit the grocery store, they stocked up! My grandmother always stored her milk in the deep freeze.
Imagine my great surprise when I mentioned this on my mommy board and very few people had any idea what I was talking about! Freeze milk? And cheese? Shocking!! Shocking, I say!
It seems that every time freezing milk is mentioned, someone asks about it — how do you do it, what happens, does the milk go bad faster, etc.
So here’s the skinny!
- Always open your milk and pour out 1/4c – 1/2c.
- Close the milk.
- Put it in your freezer.
- Walk away.
That’s it! It’s that simple!
You alway want to pour off some of the milk because it will expand as it freezes and you need that extra room in the milk jug.
To defrost, set it on a plate in your fridge (if you’re willing to wait a few days for it to thaw out) or set it in your sink. Once it’s mostly thawed, give it a good shake — this will help break up the remaining ice and help the water and cream go back together — and stick it in the fridge.
I’m often asked if freezing milk changes the taste. My husband swears that it makes his whole milk taste watery, but I but 1% or skim for me and the kids and I haven’t noticed a difference. This is probably because of the lower fat content.
Does it make the milk spoil any faster once unfrozen? No. It will continue on it’s normal process and turn sour in the same amount of time as it would have if you hadn’t frozen it.
Any other questions? Leave a comment and I’ll find an answer for you!
4 comments
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December 9, 2008 at 8:29 am
Jen
Thanks so much Sharon! I accidentally froze some milk and just wanted to make sure it was OK. Well, you answered that for me and motivated me to take more advantage of my deep freeze!
I’m so glad I found this blog! What a smart bunch of ladies.
September 10, 2009 at 6:06 am
sandrar
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.
October 7, 2009 at 10:27 am
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Sign: gfndc Hello!!! tsnna and 1792vewfbrhese and 8181 : I love your blog. 🙂 I just came across your blog.
October 26, 2010 at 2:55 am
Peter
Hi Sharon,
I think your husband is right – the freezing process seems to make whole milk taste like skimmed milk.
I’ve been wondering why my tea sometimes tastes so disgusting!