How to Freeze Milk

Freezing milk is an easy way to extend its shelf life. Moreover, this is also a great way to save money as you will be able to buy in bulk and get discounts! Thawed milk is safe and just as nutritious as fresh milk, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t freeze it!

Table of Contents

Freeze milk

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Leave room for the milk to expand. As the milk curds, it will take up more space than it did in liquid form. ^{[1] X Research Source} If the milk jug is filled to the brim, there is a chance it will overflow the freezer, creating a frozen battlefield in it (especially for glass jars). Fortunately, this is also easily preventable — just drink one cup less milk to leave a few centimeters of space between the lids of the jars. This way, the milk will have enough room to expand.

On the other hand, if you already drink more than 1 to 2 cups of milk, then you can skip this step.

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Enter the date for the milk carton. When milk is refrigerated, the expiry date printed on the carton will no longer matter, unless you defrost it immediately. For this reason, you should write on the box the date of freezing and the number of days remaining before expiration. You can write directly on the box or you can use paper tape to make the label.

For example, if today is August 24 and the milk expires August 29, you can label it as “Freeze: August 24 — 5 days from expiration” to know if the milk is still ready to use after thawing. how many more days?

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Put the milk carton in the freezer. You’re ready to freeze your milk — simply place the labeled milk carton in the freezer below 0 ^o F/C. If the carton of milk does not fit in the freezer, divide the milk into several smaller containers. Within a day the milk was frozen solid.

Once the milk has frozen, you can see the fat layer separating. Don’t worry, — this is normal during the freezing process and it’s safe.

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Store milk for up to 2 to 3 months. Most information recommends that you only store frozen milk in the freezer for up to 2 to 3 months. ^{[2] X Research Source} Some sources even recommend that you freeze your milk for up to six months. ^{[3] X Source of Research} Milk can generally be kept in the freezer for a long time in general, but it will gradually pick up the flavors of other foods and become difficult to drink.

Note that dairy-rich products like custard smoothies, buttermilk, and ice cream typically have the same shelf life as regular milk (or slightly shorter) when frozen — usually about 1 to 2 months.

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You can freeze milk in an ice tray. Instead of freezing milk in its container, you can pour it into an ice tray. This is a great option for those who need frozen milk to make cakes, as you can use ice cubes one by one instead of smashing a chunk of frozen milk or waiting for it to defrost.

You can also put ice cubes in a cup of fresh milk — the milk will stay cold without being diluted like when using regular ice.

Defrosting milk

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Thaw milk in the refrigerator. The way to defrost milk is to use the slow and slow method, not fast. For this reason, the easiest way to defrost milk is to move it from the freezer to the cooler in the refrigerator. The warmer temperatures below the cooler will help the milk turn liquid gradually.

This can take a long time — depending on the amount of frozen milk, it can take up to 3 days for the milk to completely thaw in the refrigerator.

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For faster defrosting, dip the carton of milk in cold water. If you need to defrost milk faster, try filling a tub of cold water ( not hot water ) and submerging the frozen milk carton in it. Use a heavy object like a cast iron pan to keep the milk carton submerged in the water and defrost. This will be quicker than defrosting milk in the refrigerator, but it can often take up to several hours, so be patient.

The reason that water defrosts milk faster than a refrigerator is due to the way in which energy is transferred between the milk and its surroundings at the molecular level. Liquids transfer heat energy to ice more efficiently than air, so using water is a quicker way to defrost. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Do not use heat to defrost milk. Never defrost milk by heat. This method will definitely spoil the milk:

Do not let frozen milk come to room temperature.
Do not defrost milk in the microwave.
Do not defrost milk in hot water.
Do not defrost milk in a pot on the stove.
Do not defrost milk in the sun.

Use frozen milk

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Use within 5 to 7 days after thawing. If the milk is still fresh when you freeze it, the “freshness” of the milk will remain mostly intact after thawing. Therefore, most defrosted milk is still good to drink and can be used in cooking 5 to 7 days after thawing. Although the texture looks and feels slightly different, it is still safe to use.

Note that if the milk is not fresh when you freeze it, it will not be fresh when it is defrosted. In other words, defrosted milk with a shelf life of one to two days left, when defrosted, it will still be almost in that state.

Shake well before using. During freezing, the fat in the milk solidifies and separates from the liquid. This effect will be more pronounced in high-fat milk. To let the fat dissolve into the milk, shake the can a few times during defrosting.

You may also notice that the milk has turned yellow — this is normal when curdling and is not a sign that the milk has gone bad.

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Alternatively, you can use a blender. It is not necessary to manually shake the milk to dissolve the fat into the milk. Using a machine like a blender or food processor can both make milk more uniform and smooth. This also helps you deal with the undissolved ice that you may not discover when drinking.

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Don’t be afraid to see the texture of the milk seem different. Thawed milk can have a different “feel” than regular milk — it can sometimes be a little thicker or thinner. ^{[5] X Research Sources} While thawed milk is safe, changes in properties like these can also make it difficult to drink.

On the other hand, defrosted milk can replace raw milk in cooking if its texture when cooked is difficult or impossible to detect.

Things you need

Milk
Freezer

Steps

Freeze milk

Defrosting milk

Use frozen milk

Things you need

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