Got Milk?

I've gotten a few questions about how we freeze milk. We just stick it in the freezer when we get home from the store and when we need some more I take it out a day in advance. I let frozen milk thaw on the counter until it is about half liquid and half ice. Then I put it in the fridge to finish the job there. A gallon takes up to two days to completely thaw. That's why I prefer to freeze 1/2 gallons when they are available.

The expiration day on milk is truly a "for sale by date". After the milk is opened it is good for 7 days past opening but needs to always be kept cold. Once milk is warm the growth of bacteria is astoundingly fast.

When milk freezes it turns yellow, but when thawed again it is white. We drink mostly skim which never seems to change consistency. If milk has a higher fat content sometimes the fat will separate and then there will be small chucks floating around in the thawed milk. I think this must have something to do with the temperature of the milk when it was frozen, because it doesn't always happen. Shaking helps, but sometimes they just won't go away. The taste is not changed, but my kids won't drink it. So I either strain it through a fine metal strainer or just use it for baking.

Keep your eyes open. There's lot of marked down milk out there!