Freezing Milk

December 12, 2008


Many people ask (and I have wondered myself) can you freeze a gallon of milk? Will the taste or texture suffer after being defrosted?

I tried freezing a gallon of milk this past week and here are the initial results.

My experiment was done with a gallon of 2% milk.

When it was time to thaw, I left it on the counter overnight and by morning it was still slightly icy in the middle and cold enough to remain at a safe temperature so as to not spoil at room temp. I shook it firmly and stored it in the fridge.

We drank it straight this evening with dinner and it tasted completely fine. There was no detectable difference except that it acted a bit more like 1% milk in taste and thickness. I assume this means that the ice crystals which formed while freezing became mixed with the milk when it thawed.

We don't drink whole/full fat milk, but I would assume, based on my freezing of other various dairy products that the higher fat content could cause separation of the milk fat solids and graininess. If anyone has tried this, please let me know if it worked.

All in all, I would do this again with 2% or lower fat milk in a heartbeat, especially over a holiday weekend when a trip to the grocery store can take three times as long because of long lines and traffic.


8 comments:

Just Jaime December 12, 2008  

I froze a a quart of half and half a while ago. Just Tuesday I needed some so I pulled out and thawed it by adding it to my potato soup. It worked perfectly in a recipe!

Anonymous,  December 14, 2008  

at our local grocery store we can buy a "twin pack" of milk...which is 2 gallons at a lower price. My family is not able to drink all of the milk before it will spoil-so we always freeze it. I have never had problems, but we drink Skim milk or 1%

Anonymous,  December 16, 2008  

The only problem we've ever had freezing milk is that the jug expands and cracks during freezing and leaks when thawed.

Angie December 17, 2008  

My SIL buys the organic half-gallons at Costco and freezes it. It comes in the paper carton so it doesn't crack.

Robyn Weatherspoon December 21, 2008  

I freeze milk all of the time and I haven't had any complaints yet! It really saves time and money when you can catch it at a good price!

Anonymous,  February 04, 2009  

Great suggestions ladies. I have never even considered freezing milk. I think I just might now.

Schimmy February 12, 2009  

I freeze Vitamin D milk all the time. I just pour out a cup or so before I freeze it so it doesn't crack my milk jug. My kids and husband don't even notice a difference.

Anonymous,  February 23, 2009  

Wonderful idea. I've never froze milk because I don't have much room in my freezer.

However, I would certainly freeze buttermilk. I buy it all the time for waffles and such, and it always goes bad before I use it all. Same with heavy cream.

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A new recipe will be posted each Monday and, of course, you can always search the archives by category.

The Goal of this blog is not just to give you my recipes, but to teach you which ingredients freeze well, which don't, methods and tips to help you freeze your own recipes...because who knows better what your family likes than you?

Do you only cook organic? Great! Are you a vegetarian? No problem! Make what works for you and save time, money and (let's be honest...stress) while doing it.

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