Milk
A regular fixture in most fridges, milk is often wasted purely because of timing. The relatively short shelf life of milk combined with busy lifestyles can leave cartons or bottles untouched or only half consumed before they expire. Simple awareness of your milks lused-by date will go a long way to reducing your waste and sending money to the bin.
Store |
Store milk in a cool and stable environment in your fridge. If you have space, ideally this would be your top shelves rather than the fridge door, where fluctuating temperatures may shorten the lifespan of your milk.
Give yourself a reminder of your milk’s used-by date. Write it on your fridge door or somewhere prominent in your kitchen as a reminder of when it needs finishing.
Milk can also be stored in the freezer for up to 6 weeks, though may separate slightly upon thawing. Use frozen milk in cooking rather than plain drinking and thaw fully in the fridge.
And remember, while it’s fine to have your milk out of the fridge for short periods of time, the combined affect of changing temperatures will shorten the life of your milk. To get the longest life out of your milk, only have it out of the fridge for as long as it takes to pour and serve.
Cook |
- Use up milk with a classic white sauce with butter and flour – ready to adapt for pasta sauces, pies, lasagne, soups and stews.
- Smoothies and milkshakes are great pick-me-ups for using milk left overs – blend with any fruit to hand, yoghurt and a touch of yoghurt or ice-cream
- Soups are great sponges for milk – try adding a dash after pureeing root-vegetable soups – as are rice puddings and risottos.
Buy |
When shopping, a good habit is to buy your milk last. This will reduce the time your milk stays out of refrigeration and will help make your milk last longer. Buy choosing milk which has a used-by date furthest from the day of purchase, you also give yourself more time to use it up.
Fun Fact |
1958 was the first year that paper cartons were introduced to sell milk in Australia. At the time, over 1.3 million glass bottles of milk were being delivered each day in Melbourne alone.
Recipe Ideas |
Why not try the following recipes for some great ways to use milk in your cooking: