Milk going off.

Our milk has been fine (so far); have turned down the temperature on both fridges in the hot weather.

The upright freezer seems to be working overtime and icing up a bit though, although it is supposed to defrost itself.

Yes I think you are right Flickety. Our little house in the garden has smelt very musty this year when I have opened it up, so I have invested in a dehumidifier which seems to work.
Have pm'd you icyalittle.

I think the unusual weather conditions we have had this year do not help. exceptional rain that has soaked everything and led to increase humidity in our houses followed by hot weather exacerbating the humidity, perfect conditions for accelerating moulds and bacteria growth.

We have a house in France, which we visit every month or so. I keep basic provisions there and I have found this year that things like instant coffee, with lids well screwed down that usually stay dry between visits have clearly absorbed humidity and are all rock hard. Similarly a jar of jam, again will a well screwed down lid has mould growth on it, which hasn't happened before.

I think the problem this year is the exceptional weather pattern.

Mamie I don't want to hijack the thread, but can you get double cream in your part of France? Pm me?

phoenix we only use a couple of pints a week and I was always throwing it away because it was off. I now use any version of micro-filtered milk like Cravendale or own-brand Pure milk - more expensive to buy but cheaper to use because I'm actually using it. It lasts 3 weeks unopened and about 10 days when open. It's not UHT so tastes normal, it's micro-filtered to remove bacteria, which is why it lasts. If your store doesn't sell a version, ask them to stock it in, they usually will. Google it to see what it is.

Read this article with interest, we have had our semi skimmed go off several times lately, never before and been wondering as to cause. with regard to the bread a brown loaf Burgen with seeds etc lasts uis a long time and we found that was going mouldy , so having a smaller fridge indoors and a large one in the shed outside we keep the bread in the inside salad tray and have no problems with moulds.

I love drinking milk and it is driving me mad that fresh organic milk seems to have disappeared from all our supermarkets in the last few months. We can still buy the ordinary stuff but have also had it go off quickly, recently. It seems ridiculous as we are surrounded by the famous dairy herds of Normandy.
I hate, hate, hate the long-life stuff and think it is why French coffee is so vile (as well as the chicory).

Sunshine is best, but we do take vit D tablets in the winter (not every day, just when we remember).
Especially after the dire summers we had a few years ago, although last year and this year have been good for vit D.

Ana, I'd rather have milk and sunshine than any more tablets. I do have a three monthly infusion of Ibandurate. Actually sun shine is best of all and apparently we get enough during our summer to last through the winter.

I buy UHT skimmed milk and that will last for a week or more in the fridge after being opened. I am very picky about milk so the moment I can smell it even slightly it goes out.

Must say that I have considered the calcium tablets, bearing in mind how little milk I drink, and the family propensity to osteoporosis.

I took it that Hunt was trying to limit the progress of her osteoporosis. Are you on the Calcium/VitD tablets, Hunt?

Hope it is ass's milk, Hunt, if you are bathing in it!

Hunt whatever are you doing with it all, bathing in it?

We seem to get through quite a lot of milk as well - two x two litre semi-skimmed and one x two litre full fat milk a week; if both the DGD come for a day or more then we need more full fat milk on top of that.

Cravendale courtesy of DD as ours was always going off before the sell by date. Have had no bother since

Lily mine doesn't (semi skimmed).

We have a milkman but he doesn't come every day. We get through three pints of milk a day for just the two of us so at the weekend we have 9 pints of milk delivered. The milk is always put straight back in the fridge and it is only in this extremely hot weather that it occasionally goes off. Pint and a half a day and I've STILL got osteoporosis. Ah well!

I'm a Cravendale buyer, too. Occasionally I will buy Asda's own brand filtered semi-skimmed but prefer Cravendale.

Doesn't the long life stuff go off as quickly as fresh milk once it's opened?

I buy 2 litre plastic bottles and freeze them. When bottle in fridge gets to about 1/4 full I leave a frozen one out in the sink overnight.
There's only two of us so the bottle is on the go for 3 or 4 days. Never known it to go off.

Milk will freeze in the plastic bottles as long as there is a gap of about an inch at the top to allow for expansion.

Is Cravendale that sieved stuff? Never tried it as we're happy with Yeo Valley organic. We buy a litre of whole and a litre of semi at a time and neither have gone off - yet. Both seem creamier than ordinary milk but Himself won't drink semi-skimmed (calls it geriatric cows milk - and skimmed, coloured water)

I think the idea of freezing milk cubes is an excellent one.

I get through a lot of semi-skimmed milk as I'm a tea belly!I buy it from my local corner shop and it always lasts until it's date if not longer.I suppose if you are transporting it by car it would go off quicker in this hot weather.
Try keeping a tin of coffee creamer or a can of evaporated milk in the cupboard for emergencies.Also,you can freeze a bit of milk in an ice cube tray,just in case!

Use soya milk, much nicer.