advice needed, too many trips to shops!!

jasperconran

Hi Guys,

I know this has been discussed before, but I cant find the thread anywhere!!. I am sick of going to the local shops every other day for milk and bread. I know that I have read somewhere on here, that other peeps freeze their milk, but I am just wondering how long you can freeze it for?? asdas have got their milk on any two for £3 at the min. but i am worried on how long i can freeze it for, and will it be ok when i defrost it?? also I could stock up on bread and put it in the freezer obviously, but my hubby moans that the bread is too dry. so i end up buying it, like all the time!:mad: i seem to waste so much time (and petrol) going to the shops just for these 2 items. any help gratefully received!! thanks

ChocClare

I always have milk in the freezer as our nearest "local" shop is two and a half miles away! Milk freezes well as long as it is homogenized (which practically all supermarket-bought milk is these days). Just bung the plastic bottle in the freezer and let it defrost in the sink overnight when you want it. The only thing you have to be careful of is knocking it, as if you get a split in the plastic you'll be dripping milk everywhere! I have kept milk at least six months and it's been fine.

Bread DOESN'T last so long in the freezer, particularly sliced bread. That said, I usually buy the kids that ghastly plastic stuff - best of both or kingsmill everyday, depending what's on special offer at Mr T's. I get three loaves at a time and freeze two. They are always FINE when you take them out of the freezer - not dry at all.

Brown bread does tend to be a bit dryer though. You can always take half a loaf out and put it in a spare bread bag, and freeze the other half. My mum takes her bread out one slice at a time to defrost. It's fine as long as you don't leave it in the freezer too long - if you're going to the shops every couple of days, then I'm sure you could buy at least a week's worth at a time - it would be fine to freeze for that long.

rachbc

i used to freeze both with no probs but have stopped as they take up sooo much room that I could use for other stuff. I freeze rolls for packed lunches and find as long as i keep them in a bag and seal it up they are fine

jet77

I keep powdered milk for emergencies and DD's never notice the difference in their cereals and I quite often use it my tea ... it's still hot and wet Could you get a bread maker off freecycle maybe and then you could bake your own and enjoy that lovely smell as well as lovely fresh bread?

tandraig

when I freeze bread it comes out fresh when i defrost it by leaving it defrost naturaly. You defrosting in microwave? milk should last a couple of months in freezer. again - I never defrost in microwave. you dont have to freeze loaf in wrapper _ i freeze about as many slices as i use daily - six in my house for sarnies. i put six slices in bag or cling film and freeze those. same for rolls i wrap individually. then try to defrost by leaving on worktop - microwave is useless at defrosting bread! but perhaps as my 'ding' is very basic other MSE ers can tell you how to do it?

flutterbyuk25

I freeze bread all the time. I don't eat much of it (well I could do, especially with butter! but try not to!), so a loaf can last me a month. I split loaf in 2 and freeze in 2 batches. I then take out slices the night before if I know I want bread the next day.

I tend to mainly have toast rather than sandwiches so don't notice any dryness. With toast you can chuck frozen bread straight in the toaster so no need to defrost.

I find that 'baked' bread (from bakery) freezes better than processed bread if you get what I mean.

Milk wise, I use longlife milk rather than normal mik as I hate the taste and only have it in hot drinks. So could you get some longlife milk in for the times when you run out?

HTH

x

anguk

I do my weekly shop on a Wednesday and have the milkman deliver on Saturday and Monday. I always keep a couple of cartons of UHT in for emergencies.

I know milk from a milkman is normally more expensive than the supermarket but it actually works out cheaper for me to have it delivered because I'd call in the shop just for a carton of milk & I'd end up getting other stuff and spending about £20! :eek: If you factor in the cost of the petrol and time taken to go to the supermarket it may be worthwhile paying a few pence more to get it from a milkman.

Plus there's the luxury of being able to open the back door on a rainy or snowy morning to pick the milk up knowing I don't have to go out to the shop.

Some milkmen deliver bread too.

savingholmes

I would expect bread and milk to last around 3 months in a freezer.... You could always buy longlife milk as another option? I have started buying lactofree milk for the kids to try and get rid of their exzema that is long lasting but more expensive.... Like others have said a milkman is another option....

Olliebeak

I do like to keep long-life UHT milk (lasts around 3-4mths) AND some powdered (lasts a bit longer and useful for cooking with) in the cupboard as well as some in the freezer. I also keep long-life soya milk in the cupboard as I have 2 dgk's who are cow's milk/lactose intolerant.

I also keep barm cakes (soft breadrolls) and sliced white bread in the freezer. OH and myself eat granary bread but the dgk's (who can descend on me at a moment's notice) won't have that - so ordinary white sliced in the freezer comes in very useful as they can get through a full loaf of bread just eating buttered toast :rolleyes:.

esmf73

If you're getting out a loaf at a time, perhaps when it is defrosted, if you sprinkled it with a little water and put it in the oven for a few moments so it was warm and crispy he wouldn't notice the difference.

That said, I freeze milk and bread and take out as needed! Its great and means I can take advantage of special offers!

valk_scot

I keep a couple of cartons of long life milk and also dried milk in the larder and use that for cooking and baking, plus emergencies. It's cheap and stores easily. I don't freeze milk because the local shop is very close and they don't charge over the odds for milk...in fact it's cheaper than the supermarkets so I buy it there anyway. I prefer to keep my freezer space clear for bargain buys and whoopsies.

I do freeze some bread though. I make most of my bread but the kids like that round milk bread for lunchbox sandwiches so I buy that when it's cheap and freeze it in packs of eight slices at a time. (ie four rounds of sandwiches.) I just make up the sandwiches with frozen bread and it doesn't go dry by lunchtime...well, no complaints anyway! I've usualy got half a loaf of sliced home made in there too, just for emergencies. I just leave it out on the worktop to defrost. It doesn't taste as good as fresh, but it's fine for toast or dipping in soup.

My solution for dealing with moaning husbands is to tell them to run the house and do the cooking for a week, on the same budget I do. My family have long ago learned that any complaint about the food leads to them being placed at the top of the cooking rota that weekend to see if they can do any better. I would very much like to just have my meals placed in front of me ready to eat every night.... I certainly wouldn't be complaining about minor details, would you?