Freezing Dairy Products to Stretch your Grocery Budget
Have you ever tried Freezing Dairy Products to Stretch your Grocery Budget?
While shopping with a friend one time I seen a great deal on butter and scooped up at least a dozen and put them into my cart. My friend gave me the oddest look, she had no idea that butter could be frozen.
The shock was on me when someone later told me that you could also freeze milk. That information was awesome to hear, since it seems we are running to the store for milk many times a week.
Shopping during sales and preventing perishables form spoiling are a great way to stretch your grocery budget. Did you know that many dairy products can last in the freezer, and later re-thawed in the fridge for use?
Milk
- Pasteurized homogenized milk can be frozen for up to 1 month while Non-fat and low-fat milks will freeze better than whole milk. Take note that liquids expand when frozen, so be sure to remove about 1/3 cup of the milk before placing in the freezer. When thawing, be sure to shake your milk well to remix the fats.
Butter
- Butter can last for 6-12 months in the freezer, yet Unsalted butter can lose its flavor over time so it should only be frozen for 3-6 months.
Cheese
- Hard cheese can be frozen for up to 4-6 months. They may become dry and crumbly after thawing, so they are then best used for cooking and not slicing. Myself, I shred the cheese and separate about 2 cups into each freezer bags – perfect to use for casseroles, tacos, lasagnas and pastas!
Cream Cheese
- Cream cheese can be frozen for up to 4-6 months. Since it loses a bit of the creaminess once thawed, mix well and best used for baking and cooking.
Cottage Cheese
- Cottage Cheese can be frozen for up to 1 month.
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I have always frozen butter but never anything els. thanks for the tip!
Living in the dairy state of Wisconsin, I grew up knowing how feezable dairy products are. It’s great! My freezer is usually well stocked on the last great deal of butter! I often freeze milk and cheese to keep it from spoiling as well. It’s a tip I try and pass along to others because it is so helpful. I had a hard time believing there were people out there who didn’t know you could freeze dairy! But i’ve run into a few friends over the years who weren’t familiar with this tip. I guess it has a lot to do with how you grow up!
I honestly had no idea you could freeze dairy products, let alone milk. Mainly because they don’t have a very long shelf life. Thanks for the tip!
I knew that you could freeze milk, cheese and butter, but had no idea how long you could do it. When I do freeze cheese it tends to get lost in the back ends of the never-to-be-seen-again frosty innards of the freezer where my delicate hands don’t want to dig. I even have gloves next to the freezer just for that, but it doesn’t help. I didn’t know you could freeze cottage cheese. Is that okay to just eat then as a side dish or do you have to use it in lasagna or something? There have been times I’ve bought too much of that on sale and some has gone past the expiration date. Thank you for the information!
I had no idea. We’re constantly running out of Milk, too. This was definitely Pin-worthy 😀 http://pinterest.com/pin/4222193370933750/