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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Freezed milk

51 replies

Namechanged4thi5 · 16/07/2021 22:56

I went into M&S to get milk , I gave myself 2 mins to be in and out at a quiet time and managed this. However in my rush I picked the two bottles right in front and of course they had the shorted use by dates. They both run out today. I freezed one immediately upon getting home but there is no way we can drink 4 pints of milk by tomorrow. 1 bottle is nearly empty..how long will the freezed one be safe to consume?

OP posts:
TheHateIsNotGood · 17/07/2021 00:23

As naked upthread says, with milk you just do the sniff test. If your nose doesn't work then make a cup of tea, add the milk and you'll see with your own eyes if it's really off.

LittleBearPad · 17/07/2021 00:26

Yes it will be fine

Smell it. You’ll know when it goes off

MissTrip82 · 17/07/2021 02:21

@FreeSpirits

Freezed 😂
Fuck me that’s rude.

I can guess what you might be seeing when you google and agree with meredintof above - it probably does mean that if you freeze it close
to the use by date you need to use it fairly promptly when you thaw it.

BarbaraofSeville · 17/07/2021 04:07

Forget about the dates. They're ridiculously conservative, especially from M&S - often in factories where they pack the same product for different supermarkets, the M&S ones will get a day or two shorter than other supermarkets, because M&S want lower risk of food spoiling before or on the date.

Plus, as others have said, it's very likely that the milk will be fine for a few days after the date, it does not automatically go bad or become unsafe the day after the date on the bottle. Although in this hot weather, you need to be careful that it's in the fridge and your fridge is cold enough. Once the milk is well on the way to defrosting, put it in the fridge, before that, the big ice cube in the bottle will help keep the defrosted milk cool.

The milk you put in the freezer will be safe to consume for months, if not years, and when you take it out, once defrosted will behave exactly the same as the one you have been using, ie at least 3 days to be able to use it.

If your milk looks OK, smells OK and tastes OK it is OK. And if it's not, it's not necessarily unsafe to eat/drink, just that it doesn't taste nice. In the days before widespread refrigeration, people were used to dealing with slightly off milk, and there are some uses where it's perfectly safe to use the soured milk, and is actually quite useful and beneficial, eg scones.

Sadly with modern day obsession with use by dates (not a dig at you OP, but I see this so often and I'm genuinely baffled that so many people are so bound by the date on the bottle and are unable to rationally assess the safety of a product and think they have to stick rigidly to the date on the pack) this seems to have been lost.

But with your milk, it will probably get used up over the weekend and will be fine for that amount of time anyway.

Fifthtimelucky · 17/07/2021 09:51

If I have lots of milk left a day or so after its 'use by' date and it is starting to turn, I use it for cooking - something like a rice pudding or custard. I can use up a lot like that!

Namechanged4thi5 · 17/07/2021 10:33

I’ll do the sniff test when using…but trying to finish both bottles over the weekend

Lesson learnt about checking dates before buying

OP posts:
KrisAkabusi · 17/07/2021 10:38

@Namechanged4thi5

I’ll do the sniff test when using…but trying to finish both bottles over the weekend

Lesson learnt about checking dates before buying

That's not today's lesson! The lesson is you can freeze things past their best-before dates.
Pigeonpocket · 17/07/2021 10:43

@GreyhoundG1rl

Defrosted food should be consumed within 24 hours of thawing.
That's only a blanket rule because generally, people sticking stuff in the freezer won't remember if it was 10 days before the use by date or 1 day.

If you know something had 3 days left before you froze it, it should be fine for up to 3 days after it defrosts.

There's nothing magical about 24 hours that makes food suddenly spoil after being thawed. It's just to cover their arses because people are forgetful and don't use good judgement.

DappledThings · 17/07/2021 11:42

That's not today's lesson! The lesson is you can freeze things past their best-before dates.
I agree!

Itstheprinciple · 17/07/2021 12:08

I get milk out of the freezer months later, defrost and use as normal, paying zero attention to the date on it.

Actually I pay very little attention to the date on milk most of the time. If it's off, you know it. Similarly fruit and veg.

Thissucksmonkeynuts · 17/07/2021 12:14

It depends on your freezer, it will have a symbol somewhere that gives you a rating. I gave up freezing milk, it takes so long to defrost.

PeonyTime · 17/07/2021 12:16

By freezing the milk for three days, you have probably given yourself another 3 days of use.
But your nose is probably the best guide to its freshness. I've binned milk before its use by date because it's been off. I've also 7sed milk several days past its date because it's been fine.

Namechanged4thi5 · 17/07/2021 12:17

@KrisAkabusi yes that too!

I’m making loads of pancakes to freeze!

OP posts:
Briarshollow · 17/07/2021 12:50

Where to start… 🤭

Erictheavocado · 17/07/2021 13:19

For various boring reasons, I occasionally end up with a 4 pint bottle of milk which is beyond it's date. I have opened bottles as much as ten days after the date and used them with no problem. It takes me about a week to use a bottle and I've never had one go off in that time.
As far as freezing is concerned, my mum, who freezes loads of milk, tells me that skimmed milk freezes better as it doesn't when it defrosts.

Manista · 17/07/2021 13:26

I freeze skimmed and full fat milk with no problem at all. Defrost it overnight then shove it in the fridge. As for watching use by dates - just sniff it. If it's on the turn it's easy to tell.

PuppyMonkey · 17/07/2021 13:36

I've never been able to get on with frozen milk, it doesn't thaw properly and never tastes right imho.

Lockheart · 17/07/2021 13:39

I've always frozen full fat milk - sometimes for quite a while! - and I've never had a problem with it separating, going off, or tasting funny.

I always keep a spare pint in the freezer because I'm forever running out at inopportune moments.

FusionChefGeoff · 17/07/2021 13:57

Do people not have taste buds or noses anymore?!

DappledThings · 17/07/2021 13:58

[quote Namechanged4thi5]@KrisAkabusi yes that too!

I’m making loads of pancakes to freeze![/quote]
The point being you don't need to be making pancakes and freezing them if you didn't already plan to. You can just use the milk as normal without a second thought.

WiseUpJanetWeiss · 17/07/2021 14:07

To answer your original question, when you froze the milk on 13th it had 3 days’ expiry left. The act of freezing stops the deterioration so once thawed it will still have approx 3 days left.

When it freezes it looks yellow, but when fully thawed it looks fairly normal.

If milk smells and tastes OK it is OK (generally of course - this assumes you haven’t contaminated it with raw chicken or anything...). If it’s soured it will taste sour and if you put it in coffee (or anything hot) it will separate and look horrible. Sour cream is a thing, and it won’t hurt you.

Mrstamborineman · 17/07/2021 14:11

You cannot freezed anything.
It is important to point out this freezed frozen mistake to prevent you appearing as a daft adult to not know this.

BarbaraofSeville · 17/07/2021 14:29

It is important to point out that not everyone's first language is English, some people have conditions like dyslexia or people get tripped up by autocorrect to prevent you appearing like a rude adult for not considering this.

beautifullymad · 17/07/2021 14:49

Sour milk won't hurt you. You'll know if it's gone 'off' turned sour as it tastes different. Sour milk is brilliant for making scones.
Don't worry at all. It you don't like the taste buy some more.

Namechanged4thi5 · 17/07/2021 14:50

OH no! I’ve just notice my title!! I didn’t gather why some comments were sarcastic and mocking…got it

OP posts:
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