Note to housewives: how long can boiled milk be stored in the refrigerator and at room conditions?

The benefits of milk are well known. This is a product containing a storehouse of substances necessary for the body.

Natural milk is a source of minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, fats and protein. The only drawback of the product is that even boiled milk quickly deteriorates.

The maximum extension of its life directly depends on proper storage, which also ensures biological and nutritional value.

We will tell you further how long boiled milk can be stored in the refrigerator, freezer, or at room temperature.

Shelf life

A fresh natural product quickly loses its properties and becomes unusable for consumption in violation of the recommendations for its storage. The rapid proliferation of microorganisms, especially in warm conditions, leads to souring and the appearance of rancidity. Such products, instead of being useful, can cause serious health problems, including poisoning.

Of course, it contains more vitamins, but there are also a huge number of pathogenic microorganisms in it, which becomes the reason for its rapid souring.

When boiled, not only are almost all the beneficial properties of the product preserved, but it becomes completely safe for health. Another important thing is that boiled milk lasts much longer than raw milk.

In a refrigerator

The refrigerator is the best place to store both raw and boiled milk. Here are the most favorable conditions for dairy products.

Provided that the constant temperature in the refrigerator compartment is maintained at no higher than 6 degrees, boiled milk can remain suitable for consumption for up to 3-4 days.

If the refrigerator capacity reaches 8°C, then the probability of preserving a high-quality product can reach 7 days.

Boiling time and utensils are important., in which dairy products are stored. For example, milk in a plastic container, even boiled, will spoil much earlier than in a glass container.

After boiling, the milk should be cooled to room temperature, then poured into a container pre-treated with boiling water. Only after this can it be put in the refrigerator.

In the freezer

The freezer compartment of the refrigerator ensures the preservation of boiled milk for up to one and a half months, that is, from 5 to 6 weeks. This amazing method allows you not only to preserve the product for a long time, but also not to spoil its taste and beneficial properties.

The algorithm for properly freezing milk is quite simple. You just need to follow a few steps:

1. Pre-prepare the dishes so that the liquid does not fill it to the brim. When frozen, the volume of milk increases and this can damage the container and spoil the product.
2. Pour the milk into the prepared container.
3. Load into the freezer. It is advisable to ensure a temperature below 20 degrees for rapid freezing.

Before use, you should remove the milk from the freezer in advance and place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for a day to gradually defrost.If lumps appear after defrosting, you can give the product a uniform consistency using a blender or mixer.

This video will show you how to freeze milk:

At room temperature

In some cases, milk is also stored at room temperature. Is it true, the risk of rapid souring increases significantly. And its suitability for consumption decreases accordingly.

To preserve milk without refrigeration for as long as possible, you need to resort to a trick. After boiling, it is poured into a clean, dry container, which must be immersed in a container with cold water. Be sure to cover a jar or other container with milk with gauze and close the top with a tight lid.

However, even such measures do not ensure long-term storage of milk. Boiled food will not sour within just 18 hours, and raw food will not sour in even less - only 10 hours.

No refrigerator or freezer Powdered or condensed milk can be stored for months without any problems. But the packaging of the latter should not be opened. Otherwise, it has a tendency to deteriorate.

Differences for raw and boiled products

The main difference between boiling and raw storage is the shelf life.

It should be borne in mind that fresh milk purchased from private owners or from a farm may present an unexpected surprise. That is, it loses its freshness (go sour) literally within 1 – 2 hours.

After all, When purchasing raw dairy products, it is impossible to determine how much time has passed since milking. The negative impact can be caused by long transportation of milk and poor quality treatment of the cow's udder before milking.

Therefore, fresh milk must be boiled as soon as possible. Even when placed in a refrigerator, the shelf life directly depends on the power of the unit.

Eg:

• at a temperature of 6-8 degrees, milk will not spoil within 18 hours;
• if the temperature in the chamber is 5-6° - about 24 hours;
• at 3 – 4°C for up to one and a half days;
• If the temperature is constant at 1 degree, then the milk will not turn sour for 2 days.

In what container should it be stored?

The ideal container for storing both boiled and raw milk is glass or ceramic containers.

The use of bottles, cans, and jugs provides for important conditions:

1. Vessels should be closed with lids, preferably with rubber seals.
2. This lid has a special clamp that presses it and ensures a tight fit to the neck of the vessel.
3. Using a tight lid prevents the penetration of pathogenic bacteria that cause spoilage of the product. In addition, milk in a well-closed container does not absorb foreign odors that can spoil the taste of the milk.

As for ceramic containers, it is rarely possible to choose a tight lid for it. But our grandmothers preferred to store milk only in clay jugs, as they keep the milk in good condition for a long time.

The best material for industrial packaging is tetrapack and polypack. Dairy products packaged in such containers are stored much longer. In what container to store milk, read Here.

Is it possible and how to increase the shelf life?

At home, you can use simple methods to extend the shelf life of the product. This:

1. Boiling. To boil, it is enough to keep the milk on the fire until a head of foam rises. There is no point in boiling further - the milk will burn and its taste will be spoiled.
2. Freezing. When using freezing, remember that the container should not be filled to the top before loading it into the freezer. And the product should be defrosted not in a warm place, but on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
3. Cold storage. Here it is important to know what temperature the refrigeration unit provides.
4. Pasteurization. It can be done at home. To do this, keep the dishes filled with milk in a water bath for 30 minutes. The method is considered more gentle compared to boiling. Pasteurized milk retains more nutrients than boiled milk. Pasteurized milk can be stored for up to 2 days.
5. Baked milk. This product can be prepared in the microwave or oven, keeping it for about an hour and a half at a temperature of 80 - 90°C. Baked milk can be stored longer than boiled milk, retaining its properties for up to 7 days. Please note that the product has a high fat content.

When packaged in a tetra-pack, ultra-pasteurization is carried out, which allows the milk to be stored for one and a half months, provided that the packaging has not been opened.

What to do if it goes sour?

Sour milk, if it is not bitter, can be recycled at home. A special starter is added to it and left in a warm place until a dense mass of thick consistency is obtained. Instead of sourdough, you can use sour cream. This is how you can turn sour milk into yogurt, fermented baked milk, kefir, or pour it into cottage cheese.

Pancakes with sour milk, video recipe:

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Some tips for housewives:

1. To prevent milk from curdling during boiling, add a little sugar or baking soda to it.
2. To boil milk, it is recommended to use enamel or stainless steel utensils. Copper and iron utensils lead to oxidation of the product and spoil the taste.
3. A container made of ceramics and clay is suitable for storage.
4. Excessively long boiling leads to the formation of sediment on the walls of the cookware. This is protein. You can prevent the appearance of protein sediment by stirring the milk while boiling or using dishes with a double bottom.
5. Store milk and dairy products on the top two shelves of the refrigerator.

Conclusion

Milk is a perishable product. Its proper storage ensures not only prolongation of suitability for consumption, but also prevents the risk of developing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and poisoning. Therefore, storing milk should be taken very seriously.