Can you freeze milk or cream ?

I know now that you can freeze butter very successfully. What about milk, or cream, or buttermilk, or yoghurt ? I've always assumed you can't freeze these ?

Thanks, Celia

Celia,
Freezing will not harm either milk or cream from a nutritional point of view. However, the fat will separate, giving them a grainy texture, which may be OK for cooking. You can't whip cream that has been frozen. I remember my mother freezing milk when I was young and I also recall milk being frozen when the milk man delivered it in the milk box on winter mornings. The cardboard cap would rise about 3 inches above the glass bottle. Frozen yogurt is sold as an ice cream substitute.
Here are two links:
http://www.ochef.com/1030.htm

http://www.cdkitchen.com/features/tip/516/Freezing-Cream

I have 7 gallons of frozen milk as I write this. I've frozen milk for years, buying it when it goes on sale. As far as separating goes, I've had less than a handful separate in all the years I've done this practice. I also freeze buttermilk and cream if I don't use them fast enough (admittedly I don't use the cream for whipping after freezing).

Howie and Larry, thank you ! I'm going to try freezing some buttermilk today - that is one thing that gets wasted a lot in our house. Howie, those links were great - answered some questions I hadn't got around to asking yet, like whether or not you can freeze cheese.

If you're going to freeze milk or cream, do you need to do it as soon as possible ? In other words, can you freeze them because they're about to expire, or will the fact that not as fresh at time of freezing shorten their freezer lifespan ?

Thanks, Celia

I have 7 gallons of frozen milk as I write this. I've frozen milk for years, buying it when it goes on sale. As far as separating goes, I've had less than a handful separate in all the years I've done this practice. I also freeze buttermilk and cream if I don't use them fast enough (admittedly I don't use the cream for whipping after freezing).

What octane is that, Larry? Freezing in bulk when it's on sale sounds like a winner, but the family uses 1/2% (I know, I know). Just wondering the % you've got stashed away and whether 1/2% would stand it ok?

Scott, the ochef link that Howie provided suggests that skim and low fat will actually freeze better than full fat milk. We rarely buy non-UHT milk anymore, so we just keep 50 litres at a time in the pantry. But non-thickened cream and buttermilk can only be bought fresh here, which is where most of my wastage is.

I have 7 gallons of frozen milk as I write this. I've frozen milk for years, buying it when it goes on sale. As far as separating goes, I've had less than a handful separate in all the years I've done this practice. I also freeze buttermilk and cream if I don't use them fast enough (admittedly I don't use the cream for whipping after freezing).

What octane is that, Larry? Freezing in bulk when it's on sale sounds like a winner, but the family uses 1/2% (I know, I know). Just wondering the % you've got stashed away and whether 1/2% would stand it ok?

I have 7 gallons of frozen milk as I write this. I've frozen milk for years, buying it when it goes on sale. As far as separating goes, I've had less than a handful separate in all the years I've done this practice. I also freeze buttermilk and cream if I don't use them fast enough (admittedly I don't use the cream for whipping after freezing).

What octane is that, Larry? Freezing in bulk when it's on sale sounds like a winner, but the family uses 1/2% (I know, I know). Just wondering the % you've got stashed away and whether 1/2% would stand it ok?

I usually buy non-fat milk, but I've had luck freezing all the way up to 2%. I can't remember if I've frozen whole milk, but I'd sure try it. 1/2% should be no problem (problemo for you Hispanics).

I couldn't believe my luck finding these 7 gallons. Milk's been $3-$5/gallon (and I love paying those prices ). I was at a health food store to buy some pills and, out of curiosity, checked their milk prices and spied the 7 gallons dated the same day for 99 cents/gallon. I swooped them all up and immediately froze them (they were a mix of percentages).

What Howie said.

Natural milk, as it comes from the cow, is a fat emulsion. Freeze it and it will tend to separate out (as it does, anyway, if it hasn't been homogenized). This will of course be less of a problem with low-fat milk. Separated milk should be no problem, though--shake it up vigorously and you're back in business. Before homogenization, this used to be a routine household task.

Buttermilk and yogurt tend to have an active bacterial culture involved, and that introduced the additional complication of insuring that the bacteria survive the freezing process.

good to know, thanks guys. Now I just have to keep my eyes peeled for those specials.

I know lots of folks who freeze milk although I haven't done it myself - mostly because I can't figure out how to determine the expiration date after thawing.

I know lots of folks who freeze milk although I haven't done it myself - mostly because I can't figure out how to determine the expiration date after thawing.

We drink so much so fast it's usually not a concern. But a rule of thumb: if it tastes okay, it's not expired; if it tastes bad, it's expired.