How, in what container and for how long is homemade milk stored?
Whole milk, which has not undergone normalization (bringing products from different cows to a single fat content), long-term transportation and repeated transfer from one container to another, is a highly valuable nutritious product.
It contains a lot of easily digestible protein, calcium, potassium and phosphorus, vitamins A, D, B9. Proper storage will allow you to preserve the entire list of useful substances in the drink.
Read on to learn how to store homemade milk correctly and for how long.
Content
Shelf life
Due to its high fat content, reaching 7%, homemade milk is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria, which ultimately lead to spoilage of the product. That's why valuable liquid is stored in a sterile container, only at low temperatures - in the refrigerator. In the old days, housewives stored milk in clay jars in a cellar or icehouse.
In a refrigerator
Unboiled milk can retain its freshness for 2-3 days, pasteurized milk for about a week.
Modern housewives store milk in the refrigerator, placing it closer to the back wall, where the low temperature remains at +2 +4 degrees.
You should not place products with a strong odor next to it, even with a tightly closed jar.
In the freezer
Only pre-cooled product can be frozen. In a freezer with a temperature of -18 degrees, milk is stored for about six months.The qualitative composition and taste do not change after proper defrosting. Repeated freezing and defrosting is not allowed.
Do not fill the container to the top to avoid breaking the walls of the bottle or bag due to expansion of liquid during freezing.
You can find proven methods for freezing milk in this article.
At room temperature
At room temperature of +20 +25 degrees, the souring process begins 8-12 hours after milking.
Is the expiration date different from store bought?
Milk that has gone through the production cycle undergoes mandatory pasteurization (sometimes ultra pasteurization) and is packaged in airtight containers. This product can be stored for more than a week, after opening the package - up to 3 days. Ultra-pasteurized does not spoil for up to 4 months when packaged and about a week after opening the box.
Homemade milk inferior to store-bought in shelf life due to the following factors:
- it has more fat content;
- not pasteurized on the farm;
- The level of hygiene during milking in a private household is often inferior to the conditions in a large enterprise where milking machines are used.
What should I store it in?
Store homemade milk can be in any non-metal container:
- glass jars,
- plastic bottles (new ones only),
- enamel cans,
- ceramic dishes.
Be sure to have a tight lid. Thick plastic bags are suitable for freezing.
The main requirement for dishes is that they must be absolutely clean.. Jars and cans are washed with odorless detergents (laundry soap, soda), then roasted in the oven for 15 minutes at 100 degrees or kept over steam.After the water has completely dried from the inside on the walls, milk can be poured into the container.
It has long been noted that milk in a clay jug remains cool for a long time and does not sour at room temperature longer than when poured into another container. The secret lies in the porous structure of the baked clay from which the dishes are made.
Through micropores, heat is absorbed from the liquid and its slight evaporation occurs. As a result, the bulk of the milk remains cool and the process of bacterial growth in it is stopped.
How to increase the shelf life of a product, is it worth boiling?
Provided that homemade milk is purchased from a trusted seller, It’s healthier to eat it unboiled. You can preserve the “live” liquid longer by quickly cooling it to +4 degrees immediately after milking (purchase). This can be done easily by dipping a can of drink in ice water or surrounding it with pieces of ice.
Through unboiled milk to a person Pathogens of dangerous diseases can be transmitted:
- leukemia,
- tuberculosis,
- brucellosis.
To preserve the maximum amount of nutrients in the product, it is better to pasteurize milk without bringing it to an active boil. For pasteurization, the liquid is quickly heated to 80-85 degrees with vigorous stirring. Maintain at this temperature for 2 minutes, then quickly cool by moving the pan from the stove into a bowl of cold water.
What to do if it goes sour?
The onset of souring can be easily determined by the appearance of a sour taste. Drinking such a drink can cause indigestion, but there is no need to rush to throw it away.
Spoiled milk used to prepare various dishes:
- pancakes and pancakes;
- omelette;
- cupcake or semolina;
- curdled milk (matsoni);
- cottage cheese;
- plain cheese.
Here are some simple recipes using sour fat milk.
Cottage cheese and cheese
The sour milk is left at room temperature, protected from direct sunlight and covered with a clean cloth, until a curd appears. This takes 2-4 days. To speed up the curdling, you can add a spoonful of country sour cream or whey to the container.
When the clot is clearly separated from the transparent whey, the dishes are placed in a water bath and heated for 15-20 minutes. The cottage cheese is drained into a colander lined with gauze., until the whey has completely drained.
To prepare simple cheese, the resulting cottage cheese is mixed with eggs and butter (for 1 kg you will need 2 raw eggs, 100 g of butter and 1 teaspoon of salt). The resulting mass is melted with constant stirring at high speed, over low heat. The end of the melting time is indicated by the viscousness and homogeneity of the mass; this usually takes 15-20 minutes.
The finished cheese is placed in a mold, where it cools and becomes hard.. If desired, at the end of melting, finely chopped herbs, nuts, and dried fruits are added to the mass. Ready homemade cheese is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 7 days.
Homemade sour milk cheese, video recipe:
Curdled milk
Useful for the gastrointestinal tract, a satisfying drink. The sour milk is additionally fermented with sour cream or yoghurt, using 2-3 tablespoons of sourdough per 3 liters of milk. After thorough mixing, the product ripens for 24-36 hours in a warm place.
In cosmetology, yogurt is used to prepare nourishing masks. for face and body. It successfully relieves redness and pain from burns on the skin.
Pancakes
Without preliminary preparation, the “thoughtful” milk will become an excellent basis for pancake dough. For 0.5 liters of product you will need to take 2 raw chicken eggs, 0.5 cups of sugar, a pinch of salt and baking powder, and a full thin glass of premium flour.
All dough components are thoroughly mixed with a blender at low speed.. Thin pancakes are baked in a hot frying pan, in melted or vegetable oil, or melted pork fat.
Pancakes with sour milk, video recipe:
Adviсe
Only milk that is minimally contaminated with bacteria is stored for a long time. Maximum sterility of the product can only be achieved by maintaining hygiene during milking and transportation of milk to the buyer.
Therefore, when buying farm milk, You should pay attention to the following things:
- Sales of milk are permitted only in new polyethylene or glass bottles.
- The farmer has a health book and a certificate - permission to sell milk.
- General neat appearance of the seller.
- Availability of a refrigerator for storing the product until sale.
After purchase, milk must be cooled as quickly as possible to the minimum positive temperature. For long-term storage it is better to pasteurize it. Sour milk can be used for food only if it does not have a bitter taste or traces of mold on the surface.
When freezing milk, many housewives pour it into ice cube trays or small silicone muffin molds. After freezing, the milk cubes are poured into bags. Use as needed by throwing cubes into tea or coffee, wiping the face to refresh and nourish the skin.
Conclusion
“Live” homemade milk, provided the dishes are kept clean and stored at temperature, does not sour for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Boiling (pasteurization) extends the shelf life up to a week. The frozen product fully retains its quality for six months.
To preserve homemade milk it is necessary to pour it only into clean dishes, protect it from strong odors and keep at a temperature of +2 +4 degrees. Ceramic cookware helps the product stay fresh longer.
