# How to use expired milk? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2019, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089 "2019-06-26T09:02:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/21 "2019-06-26T19:28:55Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I sniff it as I am about to pour. If it smells good, it’s fine. _shudder_ I do not drink cow milk, it grosses me out. My gf drinks milk, so if I’m using milk in a recipe I’ll have her smell it, as _all_ cow milk smells bad to me. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/22 "2019-06-26T22:53:44Z")
Mmmmm, cow milk. Food if the gods. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/23 "2019-06-26T22:54:44Z")
Kayaker, do you like (cow) butter? ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/24 "2019-06-26T23:12:09Z")
Interesting question because I’ve wondered if slightly off milk could hurt me. Problem is that I just don’t consume enough milk to keep it around, but I like a little milk in scrambled eggs. I do buy shelf stable milk, which one container is about 1/2 again as much as I need for cereal. So I sometimes end up with a container with about a 1/4 cup of milk hanging around my fridge for a week or more before I’m ready to make breakfast again. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/25 "2019-06-27T00:14:16Z")
A number of recipes call for sour milk. Banana bread, off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/26 "2019-06-27T00:19:32Z")
I just read up on the issue of baking with sour milk, since I had some in the fridge and was pretty sure it was fine for baking. Indeed, [not only can you use sour milk in baking, it can actually make your baked goods better.](https://www.tastingtable.com/dine/national/sour-milk-recipes-leftover-food-hacks-baking) The microorganisms that cause the milk to go sour are harmless to humans (obviously if you’ve got mold or foul-smelling liquid this doesn’t apply). One of the things I read said that even if the milk seems REALLY sour, it will produce good results. However, I made some oatmeal bread with my very sour milk and didn’t care much for the results; the bread didn’t taste bad but it had kind of a funny edge to it so I ended up eating only half the loaf (it didn’t make me sick) and throwing out the rest. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/27 "2019-06-27T00:34:52Z")
Unpasteurized milk sours. Pasteurized milk spoils. I’d just throw it in the trash. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/28 "2019-06-27T02:15:24Z")
I must live in an area with an insane amount of bacteria floating around as it’s rare for a gallon of milk to reach its printed sell-by date before going off. And by “off” I mean it’s changed color and stinks. Perhaps my fridge is too cold? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/29 "2019-06-27T04:25:09Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I must live in an area with an insane amount of bacteria floating around as it’s rare for a gallon of milk to reach its printed sell-by date before going off. And by “off” I mean it’s changed color and stinks. Perhaps my fridge is too cold? more likely, your fridge isn’t cold enough. Or the fridge at the shop where you buy your milk. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/30 "2019-06-27T04:28:31Z")
If you’re going by the sniff test, you might want to pour it into a glass and sniff it there. Sometimes I’ve found that the neck of the bottle is what smells, and not the milk itself. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/31 "2019-06-27T08:26:42Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > My mother (born in 1914) said that used to work fine with raw milk, but that it didn’t work with pasteurized milk, which soured in the wrong fashion and just went rotten. > > You’ve apparently had different results; though it’s possible she was used to, and liked the results of, soured cheese made from raw milk, and didn’t like the results from pasteurized milk because they weren’t what she was used to. It’s also possible the bacteria floating around in the air in your location are different. Maybe we have cheesier air 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/32 "2019-06-27T11:18:42Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Kayaker, do you like (cow) butter? Yes. Apples/oranges.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/33 "2019-06-27T16:02:03Z")
Milk never goes dangerous. Well, I suppose that eventually, it’ll get moldy, but that’s long past the point where it’s curdling. The only way in which milk goes “bad” is that it (sometimes) tastes bad. So taste it. If you don’t like the flavor, then don’t use it. If you do like the flavor (even if it’s not the flavor that milk usually has), then go ahead. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/34 "2019-06-28T04:14:20Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > more likely, your fridge isn’t cold enough. Or the fridge at the shop where you buy your milk. My fridge is at 34, so not much opportunity to go colder and not turn into a freezer. And it doesn’t make much difference whether I get my milk from Trader Joe’s, Smart & Final, Target, or Safeway. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/35 "2019-06-28T04:21:01Z")
If it smells and tastes just a wee bit off but hasn’t curdled, it’s fine for making cooked pudding or custard. If it has curdled and really smells terrible, throw it out. (Or give it to a livestock farmer if you know one.) ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/36 "2019-06-28T12:59:08Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > My fridge is at 34, so not much opportunity to go colder and not turn into a freezer. And it doesn’t make much difference whether I get my milk from Trader Joe’s, Smart & Final, Target, or Safeway. Do you leave it on the counter a lot? Toss the cap after opening it? Buy it at the start of a two hour shopping trip in 100 degree heat? Drink straight from the jug? Live in a barn? And why do you keep buying by the gallon if it turns bad before you finish it? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/37 "2019-06-28T14:02:11Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Milk never goes dangerous. Not true. Even pasteurized milk may contain hazardous organisms. > **[Multidrug-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium Infection from Milk Contaminated...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3323239/)** > > An outbreak of multidrug-resistant Salmonella > enterica serotype Typhimurium infections occurred in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. A case-control study implicated pasteurized milk from a dairy, and an inspection indicated the potential for contamination... Plus which, while I suppose it’s not dangerous to most people to spend most of the next day in the john emptying oneself out from one end or the other, it’s not fun; and can be dangerous to people who are otherwise ill. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2019, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/38 "2019-07-01T04:27:49Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > Interesting question because I’ve wondered if slightly off milk could hurt me. Problem is that I just don’t consume enough milk to keep it around, but I like a little milk in scrambled eggs. I do buy shelf stable milk, which one container is about 1/2 again as much as I need for cereal. So I sometimes end up with a container with about a 1/4 cup of milk hanging around my fridge for a week or more before I’m ready to make breakfast again. You should try buying powdered milk. It’s “real” milk; it’s just had the water evaporated off of it, leaving only the milk solids…and it’s shelf-stable pretty much indefinitely. If you only use a small amount of milk, and only occasionally, the it’s just what you need. Make it up a quarter cup at a time, or whatever the recipe calls for, and you never need to waste a drop. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2019, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/39 "2019-07-01T11:39:10Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > You should try buying powdered milk. It’s “real” milk; it’s just had the water evaporated off of it, leaving only the milk solids…and it’s shelf-stable pretty much indefinitely. If you only use a small amount of milk, and only occasionally, the it’s just what you need. Make it up a quarter cup at a time, or whatever the recipe calls for, and you never need to waste a drop. Yeah, but it also has a different taste. I don’t know how detectable it is in recipe, but I definitely notice it in cereal (and just drinking it). That said, the **Zyada** says they buy the shelf-stable stuff, which also has a different taste to it. So maybe they’ll be okay with (or even like) the powdered milk taste. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2019, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089/40 "2019-07-01T14:33:43Z")
Pur it on your compost heap. PS - you’ll find a number of sources that say not to use “dairy” in a compost pile. Not sure why. Spoiled milk and yogurt are fine, especially in regular household quantities. Note that milk is a strong “green,” so add some browns to balance it if your pile is too green already. If your pile is tending too brown, the milk will help get things moving again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-use-expired-milk/836089.md?page=3)