Can milk be frozen and stored in the freezer: expert clarifications

At home, the easiest way to save milk is to freeze it. Not so long ago, in the northern regions of the Russian Federation, this product was sold on the market in the winter in the form of “bowls” - the day before the planned trade, they were poured into stainless steel dishes and waited for the liquid to crystallize, and then transferred to a bag. Now such exoticism can be found less and less, however, long-term storage of milk in the freezer remains popular in everyday life until now.

Organization of the process

There is nothing complicated in freezing milk and liquid products made from it in a freezer. All that is needed is compliance with the technology, as well as a refrigerator that can provide temperatures from -18 ° C and below.

The basic rules of freezing

To preserve as many useful substances in milk as possible, you must adhere to the following rules:

• The highest possible crystallization rate. Ideally, a 1 cm layer of milk should freeze in 8 minutes. It is difficult to achieve such indicators with a household freezer, but you can reduce the duration of the process by reducing the thickness of the layer.
• The absence of sudden changes in temperature. Before placing the product in the freezer, it should be cooled in the main compartment of the refrigerator.
• Exclusion of proximity to products with a pungent and specific smell. It is better to store fish and any products made of it in another compartment or put them in vacuum bags.

Container selection

On the expanses of the worldwide network, there is often advice to freeze milk in plastic bottles from under water and other drinks. This is certainly convenient, but you cannot do this:

• Such containers are not intended for use at temperatures below 0 °. During their stay in the freezer, phthalates and other harmful substances are released from the plastic, which pass into the product. In addition, the freezing process takes a lot of time and milk loses its beneficial properties.
• Another reason you should not use bottles is the inability to dose-unfreeze their contents. If you need 100 ml, you will have to return to the liquid state all 500, 1000 or 1500 ml, bearing in mind that re-freezing is prohibited.

The most convenient packaging is special plastic bags with zip locks designed for freezing. Milk is poured into them in a thin layer (not more than 5 mm thick), and the packages themselves are laid out so that cold access is provided from all sides. This makes it possible to relatively quickly get layers of frozen milk, which can then be broken into pieces and transferred to a storage container or packaged in one bag of a suitable size.

For those who like to add milk to tea or coffee, the freezing method in silicone ice molds is suitable. Finished pieces can be stored directly in them or moved to another container.

What kind of milk can be frozen?

In terms of quality, it makes no difference to freeze boiled milk or raw. If it has already undergone heat treatment, then after thawing, you can eat it immediately; otherwise, bring to a boil before drinking.

However, do not place hot liquids in the refrigerator. If there is a need to freeze boiled milk, it must first be cooled.

• Absolutely any milk can be frozen, including breast and vegetable.
• It is not forbidden to freeze milk with various additives - berries (whole or chopped in a blender), pieces of fruit, sugar, jam. True, this is done not for the purpose of storage, but to obtain a delicious dessert, which in the hot season can replace industrial-made ice cream. The texture of such a product resembles ice - in fact, this is it.

What happens if you freeze sour milk?

• It is stratified into a liquid and a protein-fatty fraction. Simply put, after thawing, whey and a product will be obtained that taste and appearance are very similar to cottage cheese.
• If the sour milk was boiled, it is worth pouring it out, and not trying to save it by freezing, because you still can not get rid of the taste of bitterness.

Shelf life

• In a household freezer at a temperature of -18 ° C, milk can be stored for about 10 days without loss of quality and taste. Then the amount of vitamins and other useful substances will begin to decline, and the taste will deteriorate, but the product will remain usable for 3-4 months. If the temperature is reduced to -25 ° C, the milk will be safe for human health for 6 months.
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• Sudden changes in temperature in the freezer significantly reduce the shelf life of frozen foods.

How to defrost milk?

The best, albeit rather lengthy, way is to leave the milk overnight in the main chamber of the refrigerator. If it was frozen in the form of thin plates, and not huge blocks, then in the morning it will return to its usual state - liquid.

If you need to defrost urgently, a microwave will come to the rescue. True, the benefit of such milk is no longer necessary.

When added to coffee, tea, porridge, you can do without preliminary defrosting and add a piece of ice-cold milk directly to a hot drink or food. However, one must take into account the fact that the temperature of the dish will become much lower.

Freezing milk is a great way to consume this product if you cannot constantly purchase it fresh. And preserving breast milk in this way allows you not to transfer the baby to artificial feeding, when the mother needs to leave for a long time or take medications that affect the lactation process.