Storing milk in the fridge might be the most common and known way to store milk to prolong its life. However, it is also important to ensure the correct placement in the refrigerator. It is best to store whole milk or skim milk at about 37 degrees Fahrenheit, which is usually somewhere in the back of the shelves, most commonly located on the lower shelves. You may need to set the milk aside for an easy fit. Also, avoid storing milk on door shelves. It’s an attractive place to store because it’s easily accessible, but it’s warm to the front and the temperature fluctuations caused by frequent door openings cause a faster spoiling of the milk.
There are several options for long-term storage. You can actually freeze the milk in a plastic container (fragile cardboard and glass are not suitable for this application as they expand when frozen). Be sure to store the milk and freeze it before the expiration date, giving 1-2 inches of allowance for expansion.
A plastic jug that often comes with milk works well. It is stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Place in the refrigerator and slowly bring to a liquid temperature to thaw. The thawed milk looks coarse because the fat molecules are separated, but it is okay if you shake it or put it in a blender and rotate it. The shelf life of thawed milk is significantly shorter than that of fresh milk. Keep this in mind when sizing the container for freezing milk, as thawed milk should be used within 3-4 days.
You can also buy canned evaporated milk. This is heated concentrated milk that removes about 60% of the milk’s water content. Very creamy, with a slight caramel flavor, perfect for adding to coffee or tea, but unlike regular whole milk, it does not contain the same, so it is normal for babies over 1 year old. Remember that it is not a food source, the number of vitamins, minerals, and fats as regular whole milk or long-lived milk. Canned condensed milk is similarly concentrated, but very sweet and ideal for making caramel, dessert sauces, and simple ice cream recipe.
Just like milk, cream and half-and-half are best kept in a cool place in the fridge. Again, the door part must be avoided! The door is for spices. You can also opt to freeze the cream and store it for a long time in either an ice cube tray or a plastic container.
Be sure to shake after thawing or otherwise mix to facilitate the reintegration of milk fat and liquid. When thawed, the heavy cream foams as easily as fresh. Half-and-half freeze well in ice trays, plastic containers, and even freezing bags.
For butter, it is absolutely easier than milk. You don’t actually need to refrigerate it which, in fact, most people are amazed about.
Keeping the butter in a bowl with a lid on the counter makes it very easy to spread for 3 weeks to 1 month. There are exceptions to this: don’t do this if the kitchen is very hot, as it will accelerate spoilage. It also works best with salted butter, as salt helps preserve it.
Brie cheese, goat cheese, and other soft and fluid cheeses are delicious but softer than their chewy cousins. If you see spots of green or blue mold, you should discard them. This is disappointing, but not as much as food poisoning.
If you plan to eat within a few days of purchasing, the wrap you have included is fine. In fact, mozzarella cheese should be stored in a wrap or saltwater and eaten within a week of opening. The best way to keep soft cheese in the refrigerator for more than 10 days is to wrap the cheese in a layer of parchment or paraffin paper, then in a loose layer of foil, store if you haven’t already wrapped it in cheese paper. (By the way, cheese paper is completely reusable).
Soft cheeses could also be stored in the freezer for up to two months, wrapped in vacuum-sealed bags. If it’s a very flashy cheese, it’s best to eat it immediately, as it will lose its original texture a little, but if it’s okay to be a little harder than usual, freeze it. And when you’re ready to eat, put it in the fridge and thaw it. If you don’t have a dedicated cheese drawer, store the cheese in a cold place behind the fridge and keep it away from other odorous things-cheese can absorb odors.
Cheeses that are firm to the touch and have a low water content, such as pecorino, parmesan cheese, and cheddar cheese, fall into this category. If you eat them quickly within a few days, it’s okay to keep them in the wrap. For long-term storage, you must wrap in parchment or paraffin paper, followed by wrap or foil.
Like soft cheese, these varieties should be stored in a cold place behind the refrigerator. You can also freeze these cheeses as long as they are tightly wrapped to prevent freeze-burning in the freezer. If you have moldy spots on your hard cheese, you should be able to cut the moldy spots and eat them by cutting the radius of the shape by an inch.
If you have a bag of pre-shredded cheese, keep it in the bag it came in, or put it in a resealable bag, and it`ll be good in the fridge for a week or two after it`s has been opened. It is also good to be placed in the freezer for it to last up to three months. You can grate your own hard or semi-hard cheese, freeze it, put it in a freezing bag, and easily spread and thaw it. Sliced cheese in a bag also freezes well. Seal in the freezer bag or an extra layer of foil to prevent burning in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator when ready to use.
Keep the yogurt in the fridge. It is best to consume the yogurt within 5-7 days once opened, but it can be extended to about 2 weeks. If you see mold or pink stripes, discard them. Not worth the risk. Fortunately, if you have too much yogurt and you don’t have enough time to eat, you can definitely freeze it. Frozen yogurt is a snack used by chain stores in many countries. Of course, it’s only eaten with granola but put it in the freezer to add flavor. Yogurt drops some of its texture when it’s frozen and thawed, but it’s delightful when kept in the freezer. It can be used to create your own frozen yogurt with different flavors. You could also freeze it in a freezer bag or an ice cube tray if you’d like.
I blame my upbringing for my lifetime fealty to dairy products. My dad is from Wisconsin and my mom is from Ireland, which means, on both sides, my culinary heritage is deeply linked to butter and cheese. I have often thought it would be easier for me to give up cake for life than good, crusty bread smeared with salted Irish butter. But dairy products typically have a short shelf life, particularly if you don't store them properly. Here's a handy guide to the best way to store dairy.
Where to store milk in the fridge
You probably already know to store milk in the fridge. But where in the fridge matters. Milk, no matter if it's whole or skim, is best kept at around 37°F, which, depending on your fridge, usually means somewhere in the back on a lower shelf. You may need to store the milk on its side so that it fits easily. Avoid keeping milk in one of the door's shelves. It's a tempting storage spot because it's easily accessible, but it's warmer toward the front, and temperature fluctuations caused by opening and shutting the door frequently make milk spoil faster.
How to store milk in the freezer
For longer-term storage, you have a few options. You can actually freeze milk, as long as you do so in a plastic container (it expands when it freezes, so cardboard and glass, both vulnerable to breaking, aren't great for this application). Make sure to freeze milk before the expiration date and give it an inch or two of headroom to expand. A plastic jug, like the one milk often comes in, works just fine. It'll keep in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw it by putting it in the fridge and letting it slowly come up to liquid temp. Thawed milk will look grainy, because the fat molecules separate out, but shake it up or put it in the blender for a spin and it'll be just fine. The shelf life for thawed milk is considerably shorter than that of fresh — you'll want to consume thawed milk within three to four days, so keep that in mind when deciding what size containers you want to freeze milk in.
How to store heavy cream and half-and-half
Like milk, cream and half-and-half last the longest in a cool spot in the fridge. Avoid the door! The door is for condiments. You can also freeze cream for longer storage, either in an ice cube tray or in a plastic container. Again, you'll want to shake it up or otherwise blend it once thawed to encourage the milk fat and liquid to reintegrate. Once thawed, heavy cream will whip up just as well as the fresh version. Half-and-half will also freeze just fine, in an ice cube tray, plastic container, or even in a freezer bag.
How to store butter
I have great news for you if you love butter. You don't even need to refrigerate it! Yes! That's right! It's one of those American things that puzzles people from other countries.
If you keep your butter on the counter in a covered dish, it'll be just fine, as well as extremely spreadable, for three weeks to a month. There are exceptions here — don't do this if your kitchen is very hot, since it'll hasten spoilage. It also works best with salted butter, since the salt helps preservation. I tend to keep butter on the counter in the cooler months and in the fridge during the summer.
How to store yogurt
Keep yogurt in the fridge, of course. Once you open yogurt, it's best within five to seven days, but it can be stretched to about two weeks. If you see mold or pink streaks in it, throw it out — it's not worth the risk. Luckily, if you have too much yogurt and not enough time to eat it, you can definitely freeze it. Frozen yogurt is a treat that many national chains have capitalized on, and yes, it's totally just the stuff you eat with granola but in the freezer, plus flavoring. Yogurt loses some of its texture when it's frozen and thawed, but it's delightful when kept frozen. You can make your own frozen yogurt flavors, like coconut-mango frozen yogurt. Or you can just put dollops of yogurt on a sheet pan lined with parchment or foil, freeze them, and transfer to a freezer bag to plop into smoothies and baking. You could also freeze it in a freezer bag or an ice cube tray, if you'd like.
How to store cottage cheese
Once you've opened cottage cheese, it'll stay good in the fridge for seven to 10 days. Don't leave it on the counter! This is not a cheese to play fast and loose with. But there is a neat, very easy trick to prolonging its shelf life — just store it upside down. The tub will form a kind of vacuum seal, which will hinder the growth of bacteria. You can freeze it, too! Transfer to a freezer bag and it'll be good for two to three months. Cottage cheese loses its texture when you defrost it, so it's not as good to eat plain but still excellent for baking or smoothies.
How to store sour cream
The upside-down trick works well for sour cream, too! In the fridge it'll last for up to two weeks. Plus, did you know you can make sour cream at home with milk, cream, and vinegar? You sure can! You can also make crème fraîche, sour cream's fancier, mellower French cousin, with buttermilk and heavy cream. But anyway, once you have it, use or freeze it. Like cottage cheese and yogurt, it won't be as good texturally as it was fresh, but you can use it for cooking or baking, especially in this sour cream pound cake.
How to store buttermilk
That crucial ingredient for biscuits and pancakes, buttermilk actually lasts a pretty long time in the fridge. As long as you keep the carton closed tightly, it'll be good for three weeks to a month. But yes, you can freeze buttermilk, too! Shake it up and freeze in an ice cube tray, freezer bag, or quart container. It'll stay good for up to three months. If you love making biscuits, but aren't keen on keeping buttermilk around all the time, may I introduce you to the wonder of powdered buttermilk? It's excellent for baking — you just reconstitute the buttermilk by adding some water — and keeps in the fridge for a year or more. Definitely enough time to make it through stacks and stacks of pancakes or piles of biscuits.