Sour milk

[Betsy]

This might be a stupid question, but is there any use for sour milk? Ours occasionally "turns" when there is a half gallon or more still left, and I hate to just dump it down the drain if there's some way to salvage it.

Thanks!

Betsy

[Cindy Armstrong]

betsy
As far as I know, because milk has undergone processing to ensure there is no unwanted bacteria in it, once it has actually "gone sour", it's a lost cause. Milk that you yourself have added vinegar or lemon juice to to create "sour milk" is a whole different ballgame. I think you are better off just to throw it out.
cindy

[Vanessa]

Hi. Your post reminded me there is a dessert called dulce de leche cortada but I cannot find it. Maybe GAIL has heard of it?

[Jessica]

Betsy--Somewhere I have a recipe for a chocolate cake that uses sour milk. I will try to find it and post it for you. It is not a light recipe but I don't recall it being particularly heavy.

[Gail]

First of all, I checked my things for the recipe Vanessa suggested and came up empty. Sorry.

Secondly, I have ridiculous book entitled,
How to Repair Food. In the section about "souring" milk it states, "Add 2 teaspoons of baking soda to a quart of milk and it will be good for another day or two. This is the lactic equivalent of putting a penny in the fuse box." Note that it says "souring" not "sour," meaning you might be able to nurse the milk along very slightly if it's only on the way to going bad, but not much. With all the scares with people becoming sick and/or dying of bacterial causes, I don't know that I'd even do this-- if the milk has turned sour, it's bad for a reason. I don't know that I'd want to jeopardize anyone's health. Maybe what you need to do is re-evaluate your usage of milk and buy less or smaller cartons. (?)

[Deanna]

Boy do I agree with you, Gail! After having spent several long miserable days with food poisoning over the Memorial Day Holiday, I'm being VERY careful about what I ingest. If milk has gone bad, out it goes. Why take a chance?

If a recipe calls for sour milk, there is a way to make it sour...don't you add a bit of vinegar or something? I seem to remember my Grandmother doing this for something...

Just went to the EPICURIOUS website and found a substitute for sour milk:

"A recipe calls for 1 cup sour milk and you have none? No matter. Stir 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice into 1 cup whole milk. Or substitute 1 cup buttermilk."

Hope this is helpful to someone!

[This message has been edited by Deanna (edited 06-21-2000).]

[Cindy Armstrong]

Originally posted by NydiaC:
When my milk turns sour, I usually use it in recipes that call for sour milk or buttermilk. Cindy, are you saying that you shouldn't do this? Is it not safe?
Well I think that better safe than sorry is a good moto. If the milk has gone bad,past it"s expiry date , sour, what ever you want to call it, DON'T USE IT. When a recipe calls for "sour milk", they don't mean "bad milk". They are referring to milk that you have added vinegar or lemon juice to. You can also use buttermilk in its place. Hope I'm not coming on to strong but I would hate to see anyone ill.

[NydiaC]

When my milk turns sour, I usually use it in recipes that call for sour milk or buttermilk. Cindy, are you saying that you shouldn't do this? Is it not safe?

[Caroline]

Consider "watering" (milking?)your outdoor plants with it.

[noni liedtke]

Originally posted by Cindy Armstrong:
betsy
As far as I know, because milk has undergone processing to ensure there is no unwanted bacteria in it, once it has actually "gone sour", it's a lost cause. Milk that you yourself have added vinegar or lemon juice to to create "sour milk" is a whole different ballgame. I think you are better off just to throw it out.
cindy

, you will find all sorts of help. good luck, Noni

[NydiaC]

Betsy,

If your milk is going bad before the expiration date, then it's probably not being kept cool enough. Check your refrigerator temperature setting; you may want to consider lowering it. I had to lower mine to one notch below the recommended temperature. If you feel your refrigerator is cool enough, it could be that your grocer's fridge is not, or whoever delivers it to them. You may want to experiment with buying your milk somewhere else. When I buy milk, it generally lasts 5 to 7 days past the expiration date.

[Vanessa]

Hi again. I checked and the dessert I mentioned is not with spoiled milk after all is with fresh milk and by adding lemon and cooking it it becomes curd like. I agree with bad milk discard. Just buy smaller amounts or ultrapasterized milk (kept in shelf) or even powdered milk you can add water in case you run out of milk. I use lactaid milk and for some reason it lasts a while.

[Betsy]

Thank you everyone for all your replies! This was my first post and it's nice to know that I can count on getting good information.

The problem is that sometimes my milk goes bad *before* the expiration date, and I've been trying to figure out what to do with it besides lug it back to the grocery store for a replacement. I guess "watering" my plants isn't such a bad option!

Thanks again,
Betsy

[lorilei]

OK, I just have to ask... Is there any real benefit to "watering" plants with soured milk? Or does this just seem like a good way to get rid of it?

I'm curious... I'd be tempted to do this to my little porch garden, but I wouldn't risk a "sour milk smell" unless there were perks!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif