Freezing Milk

JAMIEDODGER

Yesterday I went to our local trading post. 4pts are 79p. I bought the usual 2/3 week supply (usually about 18 x 4pts). all except 2 cartons went in the freezer. I have never had any problems with freezing milk. I have another freezer just for this purpose. usually i save about £10 a fortnight buying from here and freezing it rather than just nipping down to the shop. With me and 4 kids we go through a lot of milk!

samf1971

I've just rec'd my online delivery and have 6 x 6pints of whole milk all with an expiry date of 31st (Monday) I'll not use all of them by Monday so wanted to ask can I freeze it? If so how long will it last and how do I defrost it when it's been frozen.

thanks everyone

samf1971

Forgot to add..... how long roughly will it keep in the freezer?

noonesperfect

It should be fine. My neighbour buys and freezes all her fresh milk (whole milk cos she has grandchildren there all the time).
I would complain that they've sent you such alot of short-dated milk. Who, on earth, can get through 36 pints of milk before Monday?

I believe milk should be ok for a month or so. It might be a good idea to unscrew the lid slightly when you defrost each bottle. Leave it on the draining board in a coolish kitchen to thaw.

darich

Also remember that it'll expand when it freezes so you may want to ensure there is enough room for expansion within the container.
Remember that as the liquid expands, the air will be compressed and that's when things burst. you might need to open each bottle enough to allow the air out but that might defeat the whole purpose if they're opened.

shandypants5

we freeze ours ..usually in the large plastic containers you buy it in..
We dont losen the lid and we havent had one split yet, but they do swell up quite a bit in the freezer..
we leave ours on the draining board overnight to thaw..
Not sure how long it will keep we always use ours up within two weeks.

thriftlady_2

You don't need to do anything to the carton before freezing -there is enough room in them to allow for expansion.

When you take it out to defrost it will look yellow -don't worry it will be fine once defrosted. It will take quite a while to defrost so be prepared to wait most of the day.

maple41

I often buy milk and freeze it. It is best with the 1 or 2 pints imho. The plastic containers do bulge a bit. Keeps ok for a couple of months. Suggest defrosting in the sink or in a bucket with water in it. It defrosts quicker and is contained just in case the container splits. Don't just put it in the fridge to thaw, it takes ages and it is surprising how much water comes off.

mary43

We've often bought milk and put it in the freezer.............never had any problems yet (not in there long enough in our house !)

Angelraesunshine

i always freeze all my milk in there container and and have only had one problem cos i squeezed in 8, 4 pinters an the freezer in a too small gap , of course they expanded and when i tried to get one out i could not and ended up making a whole in it which i did not know until it defrosted all over the sink and lost half the milk lol.
i defrost mine on the sink for one day and finish off in the fridge