# Freezing milk



## sage_morgan (Dec 18, 2005)

So I found some milk at 3.00-something and got two gallons. I froze one. It took quite a while to thaw. Are there any tricks to freezing milk that I should know?


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## JLDW (Feb 28, 2008)

Hi I'm new, but I have been freezing milk for years now and have never had any problems. Some say open them up and pour some of the milk out, but I have never done so. The only thing is when it does thaw out shake it up a bit. I always let mine thaw out in the refridgerator. Hope this helps.


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## Tessynae (May 13, 2006)

How long does it keep in the freezer? And does it taste *any* different when it is thawed?


Thanks


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## JLDW (Feb 28, 2008)

I have heard up to 1 year in the freezer, but mine has never stayed in there that long......lol I buy whole milk and really not noticed a change in the taste, just shake it up after it is thawed and use it with in a week. I have had it in the freezer for as long as 6 months before. I would recomend freezing only the half gallon jugs. And there is a slight color change once it is frozen, sortive a yellow color, but after it is thawed and shaken up it is white. I think it is due to the fat contient in the whole milk that makes it change color. I usually buy alot to put in the freezer when I hit a 4-$5.00 sale (1/2 gal). I also freeze heavey cream that way too. Hope this helped.


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## FrodoLass (Jan 15, 2007)

We don't use up a gallon of milk in my house before it goes off. I found a good sale on gallon jugs of milk, but don't want to freeze a whole gallon. Can I put it into smaller (say, 1 quart) containers to freeze it? What kind of reasonably priced containers would you guys suggest?


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## mdharris68 (Sep 28, 2006)

FrodoLass said:


> We don't use up a gallon of milk in my house before it goes off. I found a good sale on gallon jugs of milk, but don't want to freeze a whole gallon. Can I put it into smaller (say, 1 quart) containers to freeze it? What kind of reasonably priced containers would you guys suggest?


recycled plastic peanut butter jars work well


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## Bonnie L (May 11, 2002)

I have a LOT of quart canning jars so that's what I freeze milk in. Don't fill them to the top or the jar will break. Thaw them in the fridge. I re-use old canning lids for freezing.


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## FrodoLass (Jan 15, 2007)

Bonnie L said:


> I have a LOT of quart canning jars so that's what I freeze milk in. Don't fill them to the top or the jar will break. Thaw them in the fridge. I re-use old canning lids for freezing.


That's what I was thinking of using, but everything I've read said not to use them. So you use them without problems? It wouldn't need to be frozen for long...just a few weeks as we use it up.


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## Bonnie L (May 11, 2002)

FrodoLass said:


> That's what I was thinking of using, but everything I've read said not to use them. So you use them without problems? It wouldn't need to be frozen for long...just a few weeks as we use it up.


That's strange. I can't figure why not, unless it's the breakage problem if you overfill the jar. After a couple of jars break, you'll know exactly how full they should be! 

Using glass seems more sanitary then reusing plastic containers. Those can harbor germs, but a scalded glass jar won't. 

I've never frozen milk for more than a month or two, but buying on sale gallons is cheaper than buying small containers.


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## FrodoLass (Jan 15, 2007)

Bonnie L said:


> That's strange. I can't figure why not, unless it's the breakage problem if you overfill the jar. After a couple of jars break, you'll know exactly how full they should be!
> 
> Using glass seems more sanitary then reusing plastic containers. Those can harbor germs, but a scalded glass jar won't.
> 
> I've never frozen milk for more than a month or two, but buying on sale gallons is cheaper than buying small containers.


Thanks Bonnie! You've been a lot of help.


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## naturewoman (Nov 12, 2002)

I can't use a whole gallon without it going sour either, so I freeze it in smaller bottles to get the gallon price. I tried canning jars but had one break when thawing, so switched to plastic. A tiny bit of bleach in water will purify the bottles between uses. I let them stand, filled, for about an hour and then rinse and drain dry.

I get the Sam's Club fruit-flavored sugar-free soda in the bigger bottles (they come in two sizes). The bigger bottle holds almost three cups of milk. After I drink the soda, I rinse with bleach water and dry before using for milk. When I fill them, I leave about a half inch below the threads for expansion.

One gallon of milk will fill three bottles and leave me about nine cups of milk to keep in the fridge, which I transfer to a plastic half-gallon milk jug for daily use (because I like it's size and the handle). I thaw one bottle at a time as needed. I like the fact that these smaller bottles thaw faster than a milk jug, but even these take more than overnight to completely thaw in the refrigerator, so you need to take them out the morning of the day before you need them. 

I also like the size of these bottles because they fit in smaller places in the freezer, including the shelves in the door.


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