# Any low tech methods for quick cooling of milk?



## Mrs. Weasly (Jul 31, 2009)

So, all winter I have been getting pasteurized milk from a local farm for my cheesemaking, and have taken advantage of cold temps, lots of snow outside to cool the milk rapidly (I use one gallon stainless steel containers). I live in hope we won't always have this snow, but I anticipate a problem--what is the best low tech way to cool this milk once the snow is gone?
Thanks,
MW


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## Vickie44 (Jul 27, 2010)

I always just fill the sink with very cold water , I have to many critters outside. I would also be very interested in any ideas.


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## FreightTrain (Nov 5, 2005)

freeze some water filled gatorade bottles and place them into the milk? i knew someone who added these to their milk pail and milked right onto them to cool the goats milk instantly...


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Get a stainless steel bucket slightly larger than your container of milk. Make a saturated salt solution with water, and put it in the bucket in the freezer. It will become a semi-frozen slurry. Set your container of milk in the slurry.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Get a stainless steel bucket slightly larger than your container of milk. Make a saturated salt solution with water, and put it in the bucket in the freezer. It will become a semi-frozen slurry. Set your container of milk in the slurry.



I do something similar to this except I use rubbing alcohol and water mixed together...I hated the mess the salt water made on my fridge shelves if I didn't get a bottle rinsed properly after taking it out. But both methods work fantastically.


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## stamphappy (Jul 29, 2010)

Watched a show once about kitchen tips. They wanted to cool down a bottle of wine quickly for unexpected guests. The host of the show emptied the bottle of wine into a gallon size ziploc and placed it in a sinkful of water and ice. The wine was cooled in about 1 minute. Pretty impressive. 

I like Freightrains idea.


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## highlandview (Feb 15, 2007)

I love these ideas.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Cold water, used for hundreds of years. > Marc


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

wine coolers in markets around here use moving water..have seen mention of set ups using aquarium pumps to keep cold water in motion. I suppose it's all a matter of how much milk you have to chill.
I wouldn't feel comfortable using a plastic bottle with frozen water as to sterilize the outside seems a huge undertaking for me...almost the same with a glass jar...
I keep my milk in glass and I sterilize it before putting the milk in.
Using the slurry method that Alice and i have mentioned is quite possibly the most hygienic method..it requires no extra cleaning of things. She uses salt and water... I use alcohol and water...we gt the same results...a liquid that is stored in the freezer that does not completely freeze...when bottles of warm milk are placed in it is rapidly cools them.


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## prairiegirl (Nov 2, 2004)

I use a very large bowl of ice water in the frig.
Making ice is a daily chore here as I use a lot of it in the warmer weather just for cooling milk quickly.

I feel the same as suzyhomemaker in that I wouldn't feel comfortable putting a plastic bottle right into the clean milk. I don't think I could get it clean enough for me. Yes, I'm very particular with my milk.LOL


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## MattyD (Nov 22, 2010)

springvalley said:


> Cold water, used for hundreds of years. > Marc


-Yep. My Grandparents had a spring house right beside the farm house. Ice cold spring water flowing through the concrete culvert in the floor chilled the milk cans in a hurry.

L8R,
Matt


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## Mickey (Aug 28, 2002)

Similar to prairiegirl I use a bucket larger than my stainless milk pail and fill it with ice water. Chills the milk very quickly.


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## [email protected] (Jul 5, 2007)

I use the rubbing alcohol slurry too, it works great for me.


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## Sarah J (Jun 28, 2003)

I use a couple of sinks of cold water - stir the milk in one direction and the water on the outside of the milk container in the other. When the water warms up, switch to the other sink and repeat until the milk is the temperature you want - usually takes me about 10 - 15 minutes to get it from "just out of the goat" temperature to 45*, and three sinks (I use a double sink and empty and refill one side while using the second sink)


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I'm lucky if the "cold" water is cooler than the fresh "goat temp" milk in the summer. I just pour it into glass jars and stick in the fridge.


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## mammabooh (Sep 1, 2004)

I keep quart mason jars in the freezer, strain the milk into them when I come in from milking, and stick them back in the freezer for about 30 minutes or so.


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

FreightTrain said:


> freeze some water filled gatorade bottles and place them into the milk? i knew someone who added these to their milk pail and milked right onto them to cool the goats milk instantly...


That's my prefered method.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

The "germs under the edge of the lid" issue makes me crazy. I just couldn't do that. How do you sanitize the gatorade bottles?


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

good lord I can't imagine throwing anything into my milk.

we put it in jars and then into the fridge


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## ne prairiemama (Jan 30, 2010)

Last time we were milking for people (right now we're milking to feed baby goats lol) we just put ice in the cooler before hand,, milked and poured it into canning jars , put their lid on and sat them in the cooler of ice


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## robinthegeek (Nov 18, 2004)

I have two small freezer packs in the bucket while I am milking. The hard plastic kind. Then I either hand wash and air dry, or run them through the dishwasher.


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## CheerfulMom4 (May 21, 2008)

mammabooh said:


> I keep quart mason jars in the freezer, strain the milk into them when I come in from milking, and stick them back in the freezer for about 30 minutes or so.


Do you ever forget your milk in there? I ask because I used to do this (not milking now) and I forgot it more then once. :rotfl:


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## MrsFarmerWilly (Dec 25, 2005)

Thank the Good Lord above for you folks, I am STARTING to milk my goats with the high hopes of making Cheese and butter. I have read about cooling the milk as soon as possible and I like the idea of using Alcohol in the water. How much water to how much alcohol do you use? And do you have a favorite book that helped you get started. I have my Country Living book that I pour over and my sweetie bought me, "Goats Produce Too!" The Udder Real Thing volume 2, I have read it but I swear it is in some language unknown to my southern drawl. Please help me if you can.


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

depends on how much milk i'm getting. if its just a half gallon or less, i milk with a straining cloth on top of a jar, move the cloth, cap it and put it into a bucket with water from the hydrant (right out the barn door) then i gather eggs, put into this water. by the time I get this to the house, the milk is cool, the eggs are clean, the water goes into the flower pots by the door. 

if i have lots more milk, i milk into a ss pail, put into half gallon jars, back of our extra fridge which is set very cold. 

i used to do the water bottle in the pail thing, and it did work. i used a brush to scrub the tops, then run thru the dishwasher. never an issue. the problem was that it took up too much space in the pail. if its really hot, I may set into the freezer a short time, but have busted too many jars that way.


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