# Pastuerizing raw milk?



## juliemom26 (Mar 16, 2011)

Hey there, I am new here and have been lurking for weeks. This is a great place!

So we are looking to get a milking cow and have our own milk. In the mean time our neighbor down the street (very good friends of ours) just got a jersey that they are milking, she offered me her extra milk (as a trade for eggs and maybe some extra). Her milk is raw. I have read up quite a bit on raw milk and am pretty much all for it. We "fed" our now 21 month old raw goats milk for a while when he couldn't tolerate anything else. But then our almost 2 year old nephew got E coli (the very rare, bad strain) from drinking raw cows milk (they were getting it from the nephew's uncle, who is a reputable local dairy farmer). At that point my dh said no more raw milk. I let it go at that point because ds was the only one drinking the goat's milk (because no one else liked it) and we weren't even sure it helped him.

Ok, so there's the back story (thanks for sticking around). So I am working on dh and the raw milk thing. If we are going to milk our own, I want it to be raw. For now though, I a need to get back to my neighbor/friend. It is a great opportunity for us to get fresh milk and I was thinking that I would just pasteurize it until dh and I come to a consensus. If we pastuerize it though, will we still get all the cream so we can make butter/etc.? Part of the reason I want fresh milk is for the butter/cream.

THank you so much! I really look forward to getting to know you all!

Julie


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

I have pasteurized our milk for years. Our daughter got JRA when she was fourteen. The doctor said it was probably caused by strep infections. Since then I have always pasteurized. Our milk tastes great. Yes you get cream, but it sometimes takes a little longer to rise. Your milk should taste fine, especially if you use a commerical pasteurizer. If you decide to invest in a pasteurizer, make sure to get one with a stainless steel inner bucket. Automatic pasteurizers make the process a lot faster and easier than trying to pasteurize on the stove. I think you will find many cheese makers recommend pasteurzing the milk before using it for hard cheese and yogurt. That way you innoculate the milk with the cultures you want it to contain and there is not as much danger of wild yeasts and organisms causing indiffernt results. By the way, there is nothing wrong with home pastreurizing milk. It doesn't reach the extreme temperatures of the ultra pasteurized stuff.


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## frank (Dec 16, 2008)

Get "The Milk Book" by William Campbell Douglass, M.D. Clean milking practices eliminate the threat of e-coli. Lucky you...get that fresh milk! Maybe you can milk the cow yourself. Make sure you wash the belly area, hooves,all around the udders, then dry the udders with a clean towel. Good luck!


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## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

If this is going to be your cow why not just have the milk tested from time to time.
That way you are sure it is safe.
You will also know just how sanitary the milking is.
I would drink raw milk, that I milk, any day.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I have always used milk raw even when it came from a friend or farmer rather than from my own goats. But, in your case, I would pasteurize. You have already had bad experiences with raw milk, so why upset your husband? It's so simple, even if you just choose to heat it on a stove yourself, why not do it. It's possible your family has some immune weakness to dairy microbes, and that's what allowed them to become ill so easily when others didn't. People who are lactose intolerant can become ill from microbes in raw dairy easier than others simply because their gut is already dealing with inflammation from the dairy products themselves.


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## juliemom26 (Mar 16, 2011)

THank you all so much for your replies. I talked with dh even more yesterday and he really isn't comfortable with drinking the raw milk from the friend. While I don't agree at all, I totally respect him. Now I just have to decide if it is worth paying $4.50 a gallon for milk that I am going to have to pasteurize. Are there any extra benefits to this milk pasteurized than store bought? I will still be able to make butter, right?

Again, thanks!

Julie


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Store bought milk is homogenized, but home pasteurized milk is not, therefore you get cream. It may take a little longer for the cream to rise, but it will rise to the top of the milk and you can skim it off to make butter. I would get a cow rather than pay over $4 per gallon for milk. Many people prefer raw milk, but it takes only one experience such as we had with our daughter to make you wish you had pasteurized your milk. However, I am not advocating pasteurized milk, just explaining why some of us feel safer if we pasteurize. Everyone who tries our milk thinks it is great.


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## LFRJ (Dec 1, 2006)

Go ahead and get the milk. Pasteurize it - heck, if you can swing it - buy a pasteurizer. We did. AND WE DRINK OUR GOAT MILK RAW these days!

Before, and just after we got our goats, my partner was on Chemo, so raw milk was out of the question. Now that we have the pasteurizer and rarely use it, we're happy that we have the option. We can offer others our goat milk pasteurized, or raw - their choice. I don't frankly, notice much difference - but yes, cheese makers typically do recommend pasteurized milk for soft cheeses. May be a hassle, but I'd go with the Jersey milk (pasteurized) any day before the store bought milk. Offer up a taste test, store milk vs. home pasteurized Jersey milk from down the street - THEN see what Hubby says.


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## juliemom26 (Mar 16, 2011)

I think we are going to buy a pasteurizer. Dh said ok, so I am excited to try it. Any suggestions for the best ones to get?

Also, I tried to pasteurize our fresh milk yesterday and it tastes different than our store bought milk. It is almost "sweet" tasting and it has a smell to it. Nothing rancid or bad, but you can just tell it has been cooked. It smelled like "milk" when we brought it home. Did I do something wrong? My 11 year old son tried it (he loves milk) and snubbed his nose at it a bit. I don't want the kids to not like the fresh milk.......

Julie


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

Yes, I have this one as it comes with a stainless steel bucket.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-all-stainless-steel-2-gallon-milk-pasteurizer-/160560423515


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## CheerfulMom4 (May 21, 2008)

linn said:


> Yes, I have this one as it comes with a stainless steel bucket.
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/New-all-stainless-steel-2-gallon-milk-pasteurizer-/160560423515


I also have this pasteurizer and love it! I had a different one before and the difference in the two is night and day. My milk tasted "cooked" with the other one, this one it does not.


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## juliemom26 (Mar 16, 2011)

Yeah! That is the pasteurizer I just bought. I am glad you all like yours!

So, please talk butter with me. I really want to make my own butter, but I got very little cream. Is that because I cooked it too long? I think I cooked my second batch just right and still got very little cream. The cream/butter was something I was really looking forward to. Do you all get as much cream with the pateurized milk as what you do with the non pasteurized?

Thanks a heap! Again.

Julie


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

I get almost as much cream when I pasteurize using the automatic pasteurizer. It may take it a little longer to rise to the top. I store my milk in glass gallon jars.
If you pasteurize on the stovetop, it would be easy to overheat or cook too long, so that may be the problem. Maybe the people you are buying from are skimming some of the cream off the milk before selling. It would still be classified as whole milk if they left some cream.


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## juliemom26 (Mar 16, 2011)

Thanks for the reply, again. You have given me hope that my heating methods probably did some damage with the cream. My new pasteurizer should fix that.

I dont think our neighbors are skimming any off, but I cant be sure. When I picked up the milk (in half gallon jars) it had a good 2 inches of cream on it. After pasteurizing (and sitting a day) it had like 1/4 an inch of cream. Very sad.......

Julie


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## linn (Jul 19, 2005)

I think that you are really going to love your new pasteurizer. It makes pasteurizing the milk much easier. I have learned a couple of tricks that I would like to share with you. Before filling the pasteurizer's outer bucket, make sure your tap water is hot, this cuts down on the heating time. Once the buzzer sounds, unplug your pasteurizer immediately and pull the cork stopper out to drain the hot water down. Insert the water supply hose in between the buckets, poking the hose down until it reaches the bottom of the bucket. and turn water on until you get a very small stream of water coming out the drain hole. Keep the cold water going through at this rate until the drain water is cool or cold. Don't force too much cold water through at a time or the lid on your inner bucket will be sucked down by the vacuum pressure created within the inner bucket. If this ever happens you will know what I am talking about. LOL If it does happen, you will hear a loud "pop". All you have to do is press on the inside of the lid and it will pop back into the right shape. I have a double sink and I set my pasteurizer in it so all the mess and water goes right down the drain. Best wishes for a great experience with your pasteurizer.


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## juliemom26 (Mar 16, 2011)

You are a huge help linn! Thank you so much for your advice. I cannot 100%visualize what you are talking about, but I am sure that once our pasteurizer gets here it will all make sense!

Julie


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