I have been saving money on milk for quite a while. When, I was younger and had young ones at home, milk gone sour was poured out or fed to an animal.
Drink sour milk
Now, I just use it up by putting Hershey's Quik in it and drinking it instead of another form of chocolate.
Make buttermilk
Since I make buttermilk by leaving perfectly good milk on the counter overnight with a little buttermilk in it for a starter, why not drink sour milk that I paid for? Make buttermilk on the counter!
Make buttermilk substitute
Normally, I use milk with lemon or vinegar in it when a recipe calls for buttermilk. The substitution of this "buttermilk" does not affect the baking a bit.
Freeze sour milk
If you don't want to drink sour milk and have no immediate use such as making buttermilk or a buttermilk substitute, freeze the sour milk until you need it. If your recipe where you need buttermilk calls for 1 cup buttermilk, freeze one cup of sour milk. When you need buttermilk, thaw the sour milk and add vinegar or lemon juice.
Since I bought this milk marked down, I saved one dollar. Instead of a gallon of milk costing me $3.19, I paid $2.19. SCORE!
Out of date
Can you see the date? It is on the top line. The first "1" of "11" is only partially printed. The date is 01 10 11. I purchased this on 01 09 11. I decided to take a chance. Today is 01 20 11. My chance paid off. However, even if this started going off, souring, I would not have lost out on a deal. Just use it as buttermilk if you don't want to drink it with chocolate.
Date meaning
That is the 'sell-by' date. That is not the date by which it must be consumed. I am sure the idea of buying milk on sale is not suitable for most folk. I like milk on sale. According to several experts, milk should be good for five days and for seven days beyond the sell-by date. My jug of milk was not even opened until 01 14 11.
Promise
I could not taste any sour milk when I drank milk that soured and had chocolate from the cupboard stirred in.
Tonight
At 10:30 on January 20, 2011, I drank a glass from the jug in the picture. It still tasted as fresh as when new. You can see there is enough for two more days, maybe one day.
My pennies
Every dollar or penny I save is to my benefit. I refuse to spend just to spend. Well, I do have a pecadillo or two, but don't we all? I saved less than a dime on each glass of milk I drank, but that counts when I add up all my ways of saving, living frugally, being parsimonious.
Your turn
Did you ever drink sour milk with chocolate in it? Other than drinking it with flavor in it or using it for buttermilk or feeding it to animals, what else do you do with sour milk? Have you thrown milk out? I won't tell anyone. Promise. Chickens love milk or dairy products in any form!
it must not have been very sour for you to not have tasted it, even with the chocolate. I have used slightly soured milk to bake with and *gasp* have probably thrown some out too. thanks for not telling!
ReplyDeleteLOL...nothing you say leaves my lips! Actually, I drank soured milk, flavored with chocolate for three or four days and never tasted anything other than chocolate. If I had, then I would have baked with it.
ReplyDeleteThere are times our milk has tasted sour BEFORE the "sell by date." Yes, we threw it down the drain. I never thought about using it while cooking. Great idea! ((We are not chocolate milk people.))
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, milk doesnt last long in our home because hubby loves cereal with milk... and LOTS of it! I bought 2 gallons from Aldi's yesterday (for $1.99/gallon). I will freeze one and then use the other throughout the week.