Freezing Milk

[Zinger]

Would freezing raw milk until I am ready to use it be a problem for cheese making?

[wharris]

I would think that would be very bad.  But I have never tried it.

I would be inclined to guess that the act of freezing might damage the cassien proteins much the same way freezing live tissue damages tissue cells. The crystals created during freezing would puncture the membranes of surrounding tissue.

There may be other changes as well such as pH changes, acidity changes, or fat distribution changes.  I just don't think any of these changes would be good from a cheese making perspective.

But, this is all a guess as I have never tried it.  So I could be completely wrong.

[makkonen]

I used to get 2 gallons of raw milk a week from a local farmer. I was living alone at the time, and did not make cheese then. My gluttony and love of dairy could not compete with that volume of milk, so a couple of times, I attempted to freeze the excess. On thawing, it was always disappointing -- flavor degradation, watery texture, and general unpleasantness all around.

And this was just for drinking and cooking. For cheese, I imagine the changes would be even more devastating.

I also recall reading in Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking around that time that milk is very durable when heated/boiled, but reacts very poorly to freezing; I believe, as Wayne mentioned, that it comes down to the formation of ice crystals, which destroy or damage the micelles.

There's a reason you can buy boxed milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and a million other variations on preserved milk, but not frozen milk. It just doesn't work that well.

[Zinger]

Good points. It reflects what I surmised, but I thought that I'd get some input anyway.

Thanks,
Z

[MrsKK]

Last year, when I was preparing for my cow to come into milk, I was buying raw milk from a dairy once a month, 6 gallons at a time, and I froze what I couldn't use within a few days.  The flavor of previously frozen milk is disappointing, to say the least.  Not to mention the globules of butterfat that don't melt back into the milk.

However, I did make cheese with it and was successful.  As I was new to raw milk and to cheesemaking at the time, I can't say how the results would compare to fresh raw milk.

You never know for sure until you try it.

[mike_i]

I've done it twice. It worked just fine but it didn't taste as strong and rich as it did with fresh raw milk. I'd do it again if I had to freeze the milk but I would try to use the fresh stuff.

Mike

[Zara]

I just tried this as an experiment - with frozen raw goat milk my goatman froze for me. It was a huge pain in the neck to defrost, I mixed it with fresh raw and the results seem fine so far. I made some cambozola and ...

  I inadvertently made blue cheese curds (don't ask...) which we took to a party and they were very tasty and went over well.

So it can be done, but it was a messy hassle and I don't think I want to do it again.

[FRANCOIS]

You can freeze all the sheep milk you want.  Cow and goat are different,cow is the worst.  Your yield will below, flavor will be off but it can be done.  The bst thing to do after thawing is warm and whip in a blender to mix it back together.

[goatherdess]

I tried to use frozen/thawed goat milk to make cheese once and I wound up with a grainy watery mess. It wouldn't coagulate. The chickens got the benefit from it. Nowdays if I have to freeze milk, I only use it for cooking or drinking.

[Tea]

I have read that althought not optimal for cheesemaking, if milk must be frozen, then in a large flat tray, so the the milk can freeze and thaw at almost the same rate throughout.  Personally I haven't tried it, so I can't comment on whether it works or not.

[siegfriedw]

I have also read in numerous periodicals, internet lists and books that freezing milk is fine , but that has not been my personal experiences with my Goat Milk  and from the poor results I have obtained when thawing I would never even try to make cheese with it.


I was convinced of this when I read the story of Vermont Shepherd in American Farmstead Cheese by Paul Kindstedt.

They talk about their start up using frozen sheep's milk and the resulting poor quality of the initial cheese production. They tell how  then toured Europe to learn from Artisan and farmstead cheese makers over there.

I quote from the book  "A big lesson learned in the Pyrenees was to use fresh milk only - freezing milk was out of the question".

[hplace]

Prior to drying up my cow, I froze 20-30 gallons of skimmed milk (ran it through the cream separator) so we would have milk to drink while she was dry. The first gallon I thawed I threw out because it looked like the water and solids had completely separated. I got a watery clear liquid with chunks of white floating in it. Since I had all that frozen milk, I tried again and this time put it on low heat and slowly thawed it. Once the milk got luke-warm it completely snapped back together and looked just as it did prior to freezing.

I made some romano cheese with it and it turned out ok (a bit bland and rubbery), but not nearly as good as the fresh milk with all the cream in it. As for drinking, it tasted just like skimmed milk tastes - not that great, but ok. But, it did get us through the "dry" period until the cow freshened and we didn't have to buy any milk during that time.

[goatherdess]

When we freeze goat milk to get us through the dry period, I thaw it overnight in the 'fridge so it won't separate.

[cmharris6002]

I have had mixed results using my frozen goat milk for cheese making. The chevre was fine the feta had major issues with 'goaty' flavor. I never tried doing a hard cheese with frozen milk.

I do freeze milk to use/sell over the two months the goats are dry. It will not separate if you chill it to 40F within 20 min. before freezing. Also, make sure your milk freezer does not have auto defrost. The slight temp changes that occur in defrost mode or if warm milk is set next to frozen cause problems.

Christy