If I freeze semi-skimmed milk,it is noticeably "weaker" when thawed.?!
I've tried shaking the thawed milk,in case it had "settled",but it makes no difference.Why is this?
Answers: It seems very watery,and takes far more milk to get a cup of tea/coffee to the usual colour,to the extent that it's nearly cold.
I've tried shaking the thawed milk,in case it had "settled",but it makes no difference.Why is this?
I get the same with even skimmed milk. I shake it but it still is noticeably thinner.
The freezing process must alter the fat molecules somehow, but when defrosted they dont come back as they were previously. Strange!
Ice crystals have formed. When the ice melts, it makes water.
I freeze 4 pint containers of this semi-skimmed for weeks on end.
Never have I ever had the problem you seem to have incurred.
may I suggest you change the brand, or perhaps check the settings on your freezer?
I set mine at 17c
I've never tried to freeze semi-skimmed milk but skimmed milk freezes perfectly. It must be to do with the fat solids in semi-skimmed, perhaps they don't mix too well with the milk and water content from the ice once melted.
I've noticed this too!
I've always guessed that the ice crystals disrupt the fat globules in the milk (possibly even at the molecular level?)
but I don't know for sure!
Never had that problem. Give the milk a good shake when defrosted.
Milk in cartons and plastic bottles is homogenised ie it is mechanically disrupted to distribute the fat evenly through the product. Rarer nowadays is the silver-topped glass bottled milk. In that kind the milk is left as nature intended, in bigger globules which float to the top to form a cream layer. This milk is not that great as a tea whitener. I am guessing that the freezing process draws the water molecules together, excluding the fat molecules which will re-coagulate together and not mix back into the suspension easily once thawed. A hand blender might help, if it is a real concern.
Sometimes it can be, but make sure that you give it a good shake after it is defrosted
I freeze mine and have never noticed this!