Wifezilla
Low-Carb Queen - RIP: 1963-2021
Dairy is a class of food that is a bit trickier to preserve with good results. It is delicious and very nutritious, but tends to spoil quickly. Buying large amounts of milk or other dairy products when on sale can save you a bundle, but you can only use it so fast. So what do you do when you end up with 4 gallons of extra milk or 6 pounds of butter?
There are a few things I have figured out over the years, and I thought I would put them up so others can save themselves from making mistakes I did, or even pass along their their own ideas.
Milk: This is where dairy starts but it doesn't stay fresh long. Making cream into butter and milk into yogurt are two basic ways of preserving milk that also taste very good. If you want to keep it as milk, though, your options are a bit limited.
Back in the 70's, my mom used to buy extra milk when it was on sale and freeze it. The thawed milk was nasty and we wouldn't drink it. It was, however, just fine for cooking.
You can purchase powdered milk, but this isn't one of my favorites. It tastes funny when reconstituted . Also, most powdered milk is non-fat. That fat happens to be one of the most nutritious part of the milk. If I could find dried whole milk, I might reconsider.
You can also buy condensed milk and that comes in handy in a pinch. I had friends who used it as a coffee creamer when camping. I am not aware of ways a person could make their own condensed milk, but if you know of any, please post.
Cream: If you freeze cream, it will still work fine in cooking, just don't expect to be able to whip it like you can fresh cream. One thing I have successfully done is to freeze the cream AFTER I whipped it. You just allow it to partially thaw before using. It's kind of like making your own CoolWhip but without all the brain-melting chemicals.
Butter: Ok, so you made cream in to butter to make it last longer, but butter can go rancid. If you find yourself with more butter than you or the family can use in a week or two, butter can be frozen without a change in flavor or texture. If you think you will be using the frozen butter within a few weeks, the package it came in should be fine. For long term storage, wrap your sticks of butter in some freezer wrap or put in a freezer safe zip lock bag.
(more later)
There are a few things I have figured out over the years, and I thought I would put them up so others can save themselves from making mistakes I did, or even pass along their their own ideas.
Milk: This is where dairy starts but it doesn't stay fresh long. Making cream into butter and milk into yogurt are two basic ways of preserving milk that also taste very good. If you want to keep it as milk, though, your options are a bit limited.
Back in the 70's, my mom used to buy extra milk when it was on sale and freeze it. The thawed milk was nasty and we wouldn't drink it. It was, however, just fine for cooking.
You can purchase powdered milk, but this isn't one of my favorites. It tastes funny when reconstituted . Also, most powdered milk is non-fat. That fat happens to be one of the most nutritious part of the milk. If I could find dried whole milk, I might reconsider.
You can also buy condensed milk and that comes in handy in a pinch. I had friends who used it as a coffee creamer when camping. I am not aware of ways a person could make their own condensed milk, but if you know of any, please post.
Cream: If you freeze cream, it will still work fine in cooking, just don't expect to be able to whip it like you can fresh cream. One thing I have successfully done is to freeze the cream AFTER I whipped it. You just allow it to partially thaw before using. It's kind of like making your own CoolWhip but without all the brain-melting chemicals.
Butter: Ok, so you made cream in to butter to make it last longer, but butter can go rancid. If you find yourself with more butter than you or the family can use in a week or two, butter can be frozen without a change in flavor or texture. If you think you will be using the frozen butter within a few weeks, the package it came in should be fine. For long term storage, wrap your sticks of butter in some freezer wrap or put in a freezer safe zip lock bag.
(more later)