Simple Ways to Keep Milk Fresh Longer

Last Updated: November 1, 2022 References

Hoping to get the most out of your milk? When it comes to your moo juice, good storage practices are key. We're here to walk you through everything you need to know—including the ways to refrigerate and freeze your milk. We'll even go over the best ways to buy your milk, so you can keep it fresh for longer.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Refrigerating and Freezing Milk

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Put the milk in a refrigerator as soon as you get home. If you have a long trip before you arrive home, keep a cooler bag in the car to store the milk in.
- Make sure that your refrigerator is set to 40 °F (4 °C) or less.^{[1]
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Store milk on the refrigerator shelves. Most people keep their milk on the door, but it is best to keep it on the shelves where it is cooler and has a more stable temperature.^{[2]
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Take some measures to avoid contamination or spoiling of your milk. Even when it's refrigerated, you can help it last longer:
- Keep the lids on the bottle. Tightly screw the lid on so that the milk doesn't absorb any odours from strong smelling food. If you want to be extra careful store the milk separately from other foods.
- Never return unused milk back into the original bottle. Once it spends any time at room temperature, milk spoils quickly. When people have unused milk from a jug, especially in restaurants, it is often put back in the bottle which can easily create spoilage. Don't do this.
- Avoid exposing the milk to light. Light can destroy many of the vitamins and nutrients in milk such as vitamin D and riboflavin.^{[3]
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- Maintain the cleanliness in your fridge.^{[4]
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  Research source} Milk can easily pick up any odors. Keep all food in your fridge sealed so they don't get a chance to contaminate your milk.
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Freeze milk to keep for a long time. You can freeze milk for up to 3 months. After thawing, the texture and taste may be a little affected, but the milk will still be safe and usable, especially if used in cooking or mixed with anything else.^{[5]
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Research source}. Make sure the container you're freezing it in has a little room at the top, to allow for expansion as it freeze.^{[6]
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- Always thaw milk in the fridge and if it separates beat it up with an electric blender.
- For the best results freeze skim milk. Condensed and evaporated milk also freeze well.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Buying the Milk

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Buy the milk last. Milk should be constantly stored at 39°F (4°C) and by carting it around the supermarket while you casually select your other groceries and browse the cereal aisle, it can really warm up.
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Pick the milk with the furthest use by date. Look towards the back of the fridge where they usually store the newest milk.^{[7]
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Consume the milk within five to seven days of its printed sell-by date.^{[8]
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Research source} Food specialists recommend that once opened, it is best to finish the milk in three days. Often it is better to buy small bottles more often.
- Open the bottles or cartons in the order you bought them. Place the oldest bottles towards the front of the fridge and use them first, because if it's first in, it's first out.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Storing Other Types of Milk

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Refrigerate canned and UHT milk. Even though you buy ultra-heat treated milk at room temperature, when opened it must be transferred to an airtight container, refrigerated and consumed within three days.
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Keep powdered milk in a cool and dry place. Once opened, powdered milk should be consumed within a month. After being made up, reconstituted powder milk should be transferred to an airtight container, refrigerated and consumed within three days.^{[9]
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Remember that chocolate milk goes bad. Flavored milks are more tricky to tell if they are bad because of their high sugar content. Like regular milk, chocolate milk lasts for about a week.^{[10]
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Community Q&A

Question

Do glass bottles keep milk from going bad for longer?

Helpinghand4you

Community Answer

Not necessarily, but milk should be stored in the fridge in a sealed container. Do not leave milk at room temperature for two hours or more.
Question

How should your store in milk cardboard cartons without a cap?

Community Answer

Do not store without a cover of some sort, as it can allow contaminants an easy way into your milk. Keeping the cap on will help to keep your milk uncontaminated. If you don't have a cap for some reason, cover with kitchen plastic wrap and wrap a rubber band around it to keep in place, to provide a barrier between the milk and bacteria that might get into it.
Question

How do you store lactose milk?

zoe pukas

Community Answer

Store it in the coldest part of the refrigerator. It is best if consumed within one week of opening.