Freezing milk

[quinie]

I had never thought of freezing milk until a neighbour said cartons can be kept in the freezer-if it's skimmed or semi-skimmed.Any opinions on this,please?How long can it be kept,etc? (We were discussing stocking up in case we can't get out if we get snow like we did last winter!!) I enjoyed reading about the home-made soup-nothing to beat it, esp Scotch Broth or Tattie Soup!

[gingejbee]

I prefer to keep cartons of long-life UHT milk in store for emergencies. There's never enough room in the (large chest) freezer for milk!

[Purple_Popple]

Milk does freeze very well, but best to use it within 3 months, and defrost it thoroughly it sometimes 'splits' during defrosting so best way to avoid this is to take it straight out of freezer and place in fridge to defrost slowly. Ive heard cheese freezes well too, but never tried it.

[Euphemia]

I used to freeze milk when I lived in the islands. It also helped slow up the contents thawing during a power cut.

[gen2]

When we go on holiday, we always place any remaining milk in the freezer for our return. It even seems to work for full-cream milk as well as the reduced fat varieties. Maximum period has been 2 weeks. Allow to fully thaw out and shake well before use.

Always use plastic containers. Doorstep glass bottles may break when the contents expand upon freezing.

[quinie]

Thank you all for your answers. I'll certainly give freezing a try.Long-life UHT seems a good idea, gingejbee -is that the kind you get in restaurants? -not so keen on that kind but ok in an emergency Was lucky last winter-my milkman managed to get through with deliveries (with great difficulty)

[numnum]

i freeze milk a lot due to living out in the country. i always like to have a few back up pints in the freezer just in case

i do buy the longlife milk but i've noticed i end up putting them to the back of the cupboard, by the time i remember they are there and i need them there out of date!!

[Postdog]

Er, plastic exapands too. OK, better than broken glass but be prepared for bloated containers.

[Bambiagain]

I remember the milk freezing on the doorstep in the winter when I was a child. It didn't break the glass bottles, just expanded to push off the foil top.

[mumsie_wumsie]

Milk freezes very well. Skimmed and semi skimmed is best.Just make sure it defrosts completely and then give it a good shake. I always keep about 8 litres in my freezer.Don't like to run out!!!

[quinie]

Thank you all for your replies.Bambiagain,your answer brought back memories but it was cardboard tops when I was a child. At school there was a wee device for punching out the centre parts. We used the tops for making woollen pompoms! Ah,memories...Do any of you remember doing that or was that too long ago??

[boxtops]

I remember the cream freezing out of the tops of the bottles, and the bluetits coming along a feast. In those days, the milkman's float was really colourful - we had silver top milk, gold top was Jersey cream, blue was something else, there was red top and blue top. And orange juice in the little bottles.

[mumsie_wumsie]

Who else remembers the little bottles of milk every child used to get at school, I think they were 1/3rd of a pint. And lovely in the winter when there used to be frozen bits in the bottles. Those were the days !!!

[boxtops]

I do, miss!

[Bambiagain]

Quinie, I remember making pompoms with cardboard, but it wasn't from milk bottles as we definitely had foil tops. I do remember, like Boxtops, the silver and gold tops and I can't remember what the blue or red meant either. And yes, we had the 1/3 pint bottles at school (long pre Thatcher!!).

[quinie]

Some teachers used to put the bottles on the pipes that ran round the room to defrost the milk-hated warm milk,liked the frozen bits

[annie0000]

Modern long life milk actually tastes fine - not like the stuff we used to get - we take it camping and also keep cartons in for emergencies (like I can't be bothered going out to the shops!!) My freezer is usually too full of food to worry about trying to fit in milk. Stock up on flour/bread mixes and that'll be you sorted!

[Voulez-vous]

I remember the wee bottles we had at school! In my experience they were always warm. Nasty warm milk!

'tis funny how we all had the same experience, but experienced it differently!

Such is life! :-))

[Bambiagain]

Voulez-vous - Nasty warm school milk put me off the stuf for life. I can't drink it even now, half a century later.