Elva Alice Hunter

Old Milk - Freeze it!

This method will give you milk that's just fine for cooking:  Making sauces, puddings, soups and baked goods.

It does require keeping an eye on what's going on with what's in your jug, and being honest about whether it will be consumed before it will be fully spoiled.  For example, if you know you're going to travel and that the half-quart in the fridge won't last until you return, this method will keep it from going to waste.

Here's the fast and simple version:
Pour your milk into a low, flat baking dish.  The kind you would bake brownies in.  Ideally, one with a fitted cover to reduce risk of spillage.  
Otherwise, don't bother with plastic wrap.  The dish is just for purposes of getting the milk to freeze into a block.
You're not going to store the milk long-term in this dish and plastic wrap won't stop a serious spill.

Put the dish in the freezer on a level, stable rack - especially if your dish doesn't have a fitted cover.

After a couple of hours, you should have a solid block of frozen milk in which the cream has been distributed evenly over the top layer.

Turn the block out of the dish and break it up into chunks. They don't all have to be the same size.
Every chunk will have the same proportion of milk to cream.  
Drop the chunks into a zip top freezer bag and return them to the freezer for long term storage.

When your recipe calls for milk, choose a chunk that approximates what you need.
You can let your chunk thaw at room temperature in a container on the counter, or microwave it if you're in a hurry.
Give the defrosted milk just a quick whisk with a fork to re-distribute the proteins and fat more evenly before using it as directed in your recipe.

Here's the precision, picture-perfect version:  Instead of using an open dish, use ice-cube trays or silicon molds to freeze the milk into small, uniform blocks.

Conclusions and Caveats:

I've used this method for all kinds of dairy milk. cream sour cream and yogurt - and have even mixed them together before freezing.  
Just make a note on the bag about what kind of milk product it is, and the date.

I've not used this for nut or seed milks, but my sense is that these products would not necessarily take well to freezing.  

Please note that this technique will not restore truly spoiled milk to a safe, useable product.  
It's a way to avoid having your milk products deteriorate to that point by taking proactive steps to preserve value in advance.
If in doubt, you really do need to throw it out.  Or maybe others in this discussion have ideas for use other than human consumption.

Hooray YOU for bringing personal accountability to the tool box, when it comes to reducing food waste!

The common culture teaches us not to even see waste in our own homes and on our plates.  Why?
Could it be because that works so well to drive consumption of processed, packaged, over-priced, poor quality food products?

When your mindset around food shifts to include waste reduction as a working concept, you'll stop spending money, time and labor on food that fills you up but leaves you empty.
Because you'll find the real "Joy of Eating".  

Think about the difference between eating a snack-pack of cheddar fishies (... or two, or three) and eating a delicious toasted cheese sandwich like those described by other contributors in this thread.

When you think about it, food always tastes BETTER when you think about it!

Thanks for creating this thread.  I'll put my method for freezing (and using) frozen milk in a separate post.

Kevin - you are absolutely right!  

I would never advocate for reducing processing time or temperature to try to make a used lid "work".  If it can't "take the heat" called for in a tested recipe, better I know that the moment I'm removing that jar from my canner.  

I hope nothing in my prior post suggests trying to compensate for using old lids by easing back on pressure, temperature or time!  

The seal itself isn't what makes canned food safe:  It's getting that food product up to the required temperature and pressure for the required time that kills the botulism spores, and prevents them from coming back alive to generate toxin.  

Getting a second use out of an old lid isn't worth skimping on pressure, temperature or time.   You will have a perfectly sealed jar of dangerous, even lethal, food product.

Close Your Eyes -

Using last year’s canning lids due to continuing shortages, to save money or to reach zero-waste?  

Choosing the lids that are most likely to seal is critical.  

Otherwise, all your good work invested in selecting, cleaning, cutting, and preparing your fruits and vegetables may go for naught.  If your lids fail, the long term gain you were counting on in quality, shelf-stable food supply over the next year has to shift to short term thinking:  You must use or consume what’s in those unsealed jars right away, and the product requires refrigeration to prevent spoilage and be safe to serve. Your time and labor won’t be completely wasted, but the return on investment changes drastically.

Don’t close your eyes to the danger of food from jars that haven’t sealed, or whose seal might not last.  

But do close your eyes when you are picking over your used lids to choose which ones to trust!

Of course, start by looking over your lids one at a time to discard any with obvious damage – severe dents, deep indentations from pointy-ended can openers, or gaps in the sealant ring. Then, when you’ve got your pile of possibles, pick up each lid again and run your index finger around the rim with your eyes closed.  

Your finger will tell you whether the rim is perfect, or not.  After all, prying open that last seal required some force – so there is likely to be a point at which the rim has been flared or bent.  Your finger will detect that flaw better than your eyes.

After choosing the lids with the least amount of flare, you can give them a quick fix by holding them on the upright against a sold surface and gently, but firmly, rocking that rim back and forth along the circumference to even things out.  It helps to dip the lid in hot water to make the metal more pliant, but that may not be necessary if the flare isn’t too severe.  

No romance here – just a bit of practical strategy.  Looking for love?  “Close your eyes and I’ll kiss you, tomorrow I’ll miss you.”  Once this Beatles tune is in your head, canning with used lids won’t break your heart.  Here's a Youtube link to help you remember.

When I get unwanted plastic credit-card type promotions in the mail I cut them on a sharp diagonal and use them to scrape grease or residue out pots and pans before they get washed.
The pointy end is especially useful for cleaning out that gap between the edge of my counter and the stove top, or working off baked-on drips around the gas burner.  

They are very good for removing labels from glass jars that merit re-use.

To be clear:  I use these for cleaning; never for food prep.  They ultimately get nasty, so I either re-cut them or throw them out.
I surely wish these wouldn't come in the mail at all, but by finding a use for them before they enter the waste stream I can indulge in a tiny sliver of sweet revenge.

"Southern Supreme" is my favorite.  I buy next year's loaf and keep it tucked in my freezer, because I can't imagine Christmas without it.  
Thin slices are lovely with tea.  
Thicker slices cut into small squares and speared on a toothpick with mild cheddar cheese and/or a bit of apple or pear make easy canapés.  
Here's their website: Southern Supreme Fruitcake

Martin, thanks for reminding us all with your wise words:  "... each canning session I feel like I learn a bit more."  

That's so true!  This is just my 6th season, and I know I have a ton more to learn.  Too much fun!

So glad to see this question! Greens seem to be especially susceptible to this problem. While I've never had quite as significant a loss as you describe, my jars typically come out showing loss.  I steam my greens lightly before filling the jars, and have wondered if that's producing too dense a pack.  On the other hand, more pliability makes it easier to be sure there are no air pockets, and the steaming technique I use allows me to capture the water for use in topping up to required headspace.  

Still, some jars lose more than others.  My alternative theory is that it may have to do with the ripeness of the greens themselves, and how long it's been since they were picked before I get them processed.  

Even when the water level in the jars ends up lower than the content, I've never found the product to be less than wholesome.  But I've gone to using only quart jars for canning greens precisely because of this phenomena.  It's true that quarts take up more shelf space, but a 3/4 full quart jar is still a more usable quantity of greens than a 2/3 full pint.

Bravo YOU for canning this year's harvest!  Be sure you mark your jars with the month and year - so you can remember how our lives all changed in 2020.

If I "spend more" by purchasing from makers or producers in my own community, I choose in favor of quality - every time.  If I have to seek further for that quality, I will still choose small, independent makers or producers even when the price point is higher.

For me, that's the difference between being a consumer and being a human; being just a bit of demographic data that drives algorithms and fuels marketing strategies - or taking part in a larger, human ecosystem that nurtures skills, sustains traditional wisdom, encourages innovation and turns "demand" into something deeper and more meaningful.  

I understand that classic economics relies on terms like "Supply" and "Demand" for it metrics and theory, and I honor that science for its value in debating legislative and social policy.  But I can make my individual choices in such a way that what I buy isn't just about what I spend. What I save isn't just about my money.  

Sermon over. That's all just the longer version of what Mother always told me: "We're too poor to buy cheap."

I wold like to know what "BWB" means.  "By the Way Books?"  I'm out of guesses after that ...  Thanks.