Milk is not only a healthy drink but a necessary element for creating many tasty food items. All of your favorite shakes, cakes, and bakes need milk for cooking. That’s a lot of milk. So, where can you store that much?
Would your fridge be any good at storing milk? Can you freeze milk in your deep freezer? Does freezing milk affect its taste and texture? For how long can you freeze milk? Is frozen milk as good as fresh milk?
Lucky for you, we have answers to all the questions right here. Starting with a big YES, you can easily freeze milk. In this post, you’ll learn all about freezing milk at your home. So, you will always have a steady supply of milk to prepare your favorite desserts whenever you want.
Why Should You Freeze Milk?
Fresh milk directly bought from the dairy is very good for health. You can either drink it like a hot beverage or use it to prepare a number of tasty desserts.
However, as soon as the milk turns sour, there’s literally nothing you can do except pour it down the drain. So, why not save it while you can by freezing the milk?
Unlike your other drinks, milk has a very short shelf life. It can quickly turn from a whitish-sweet liquid to a yellowish-sour fluid with a foul smell at room temperature. The texture of milk changes to give a curdled appearance.
When placed out in the open for too long, milk easily gets spoiled by fermenting bacteria. Bacteria quickly attack fresh milk and start fermentation to produce a sour taste of curd that’s no longer useful. Freezing milk helps to prevent it from getting spoiled.
Tools You Need For Freezing Milk at Home
If you are planning to freeze an extra gallon of milk at home, you will need a few necessary tools in your kitchen. Such as:
- Small containers
- Plastic Container or freezer bag
- Ziploc bags or Resealable plastic bags
- Vacuum Sealers
- Freezing labels.
Note: Not anything fancy, but only a handful of plastic freezing containers are a great way to freeze milk without occupying much freezer space.
Stepwise Guide on How to Freeze Milk at Home
You can easily store an extra gallon of milk in your freezer for up to three to four months. All you need to do is follow the step-by-step instructions below to freeze milk at home.
Step 1: Find Yourself Quality Milk
Milk is available at stores in several different forms with variable fat content. Not all types of milk are good for freezing at home. You should ensure you’re only buying the best quality milk that can be frozen for later use.
Milk with higher fat content usually takes much time to freeze and changes its texture when frozen. As the fat separates, it breaks into layers, causing the milk to taste bad and look weird.
On the other hand, milk with lower fat content is better for freezing at home. Since it lacks extra fat layers, it tends to hold its texture nicely when frozen for up to three months.
Step 2: Discard the Original Container of Milk
Like other dairy products, milk comes in various glass containers, glass jars, mason jars, paper cartons, and sometimes tetra-pack cardboard containers.
Remember never to freeze milk in smaller containers. Nor any glass jugs of milk or a glass bottle should be stored in your freezer, as it can be hazardous.
The glass bottles may explode under freezing low temperatures, while the cardboard boxes can easily get wet and leaky. You wouldn’t want a milky mess in your freezer that takes hours to clean up. Instead, you should use an airtight, freezer-safe plastic jug.
Step 3: Transfer the Milk
Once you find a quality plastic airtight container, transfer all the milk from the glass bottles. Make sure to place a large deep bowl or a tray below when transferring the milk content into the container to avoid spills.
Milk is known to expand at a low freezing temperature. So, you should not fill the container until the last edge of its extra space. Instead, leave a few inches of space below the brink of the container’s mouth.
Giving the milk a few inches of headspace would prevent the container from overflowing or bursting off when frozen
Step 4: Label the Milk Container
After successfully transferring the milk into the container, it’s time to close the lid using a tight seal. You can use a little tapping and screwing to seal the milk container with an airtight lid to avoid trapping much air.
Now, use a marker to label your milk container with the use-by date and best-by date. You can also use sticky notes or freezer labels.
Make sure to use the frozen milk first whenever you need milk to prepare something. Frozen milk is only good for up to three or four months. Don’t wait longer than that to use frozen milk.
Step 5: Set the Freezing Temperatures
Once you are done securing your milk safely inside your freezer, it’s time to set the temperature. Milk starts freezing at around half a degree centigrade (i.e., 0.5 °C to 1°C). However, when the temperature reaches around -18C, milk freezes into a properly frozen state.
Also, you can freeze milk in an average ice cube tray. But you won’t be able to seal the tray, so it’s possible that the number of cubes will quickly lose the taste and texture of the milk.
Different Types of Milk You Can Freeze at Home
Since milk comes in several different forms and countless alternatives, one can easily mess up the freezing process. So, it is better to know which kind of milk can or can not freeze at home.
Here are all the milk types you CAN freeze using the above method.
Freezing Whole Milk
You can easily freeze whole milk in your freezer, but it’ll take longer than skim milk. Since whole milk is rich in fat content, it’s liable to separate into layers giving the milk a curdled appearance.
Freezing Condensed Milk
If you are desperate, you can also freeze condensed milk at home. But you must remember that it has added flavor and sugar, so it’s naturally heavier than the original milk. Therefore, condensed milk is very hard to become solid.
Freezing Evaporated Milk
Evaporated milk resembles heavy cream but is more problematic because it lacks fluidity. You can freeze evaporated milk, but it is more prone to separation. Plus, it won’t return to its original smooth state once you’ve frozen it. However, you can still use it to make cakes and desserts.
Freezing Formula Milk
Since we’re talking about milk, formula milk is no exception. It is skimmed cow’s milk made for small babies. You can freeze formula milk if you have bought too much, but there’s no guarantee it’ll stay fresh.
The formula milk is not freeze-supportive, as per the manufacturer’s claim. Plus, it will separate into layers when thawed.
Freezing Plant-based Milk
You can easily freeze all types of plant-based milk at home, including coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, etc. However, when thawed, plant-based milks will give a little grainy texture. It is safe to be used for baking cakes or making smoothies.
Can You Freeze Milk—Final Thoughts
Milk can only survive for a few hours in the fridge. So, the best idea would be to freeze milk if you have it in bulk. Freezing milk can save it from turning sour and getting spoiled. You can easily thaw the frozen milk and use it to make delicious desserts, and your favorite beverages.
Don’t shy away from buying an extra gallon of milk when you’re getting it cheap. Buy extra and save more by freezing the milk. You can freeze milk as whole, it’s plant-based alternatives, and non-dairy milk as well.
Can You Freeze Cooked Chicken—FAQs
How to Thaw Frozen Milk?
From defrosting milk, transfer the frozen milk container into the fridge overnight. You can also place the container in a large bowl filled with cold water. If you have a microwave, you can also microwave the milk to thaw it. Just make sure to transfer the milk into a microwave-safe container first.
How Long Can You Freeze Milk In The Freezer?
You can freeze milk safely in your freezer for 3-6 months in an air-tight container. Don’t forget to label the container with the freezing date and make sure there’s no air or moisture in it.
Can You Freeze Breast Milk?
Yes, you can also freeze breast milk for up to 6 months in the freezer. Change your freezer temperature settings to -18° C or lower. When you want to thaw frozen breast milk, simply put it in the fridge.
How Long Does Frozen Milk Last After It Has Thawed?
The frozen milk can be thawed whenever you want to use it. But you should make sure if the milk is still usable. This means that your frozen milk shouldn’t expire or it’ll cause a health hazard. So, the milk is good to be used a day before its expiry date.
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