When Milk Goes Bad: Several Culinary Uses for Spoiled Milk

Due to the move, I quit making yogurt in an effort to clean out the refrigerator, and in the bustle of trying to unpack and organize, it took me awhile to get started again at our new location.  Part of the problem was due to the yogurt starter.  I couldn’t find the official starter tablets, though I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them.  I still have to wonder where they could be, because they should only be in the refrigerator or freezer.  And I couldn’t locate the probiotic capsules either.  I know they’re somewhere….  What I did manage to have unpacked in the right location was some children’s probiotic powder designed to be added to milk.  Vanilla flavored single-serve packets.  I picked it up to try as a yogurt starter.  I thought I had used it before and that it had worked. (Maybe I used two packets instead of one.  Not sure.)

It did not work this time.  I let the milk culture all day and still only got lumpy milk.  I was going to add more of the probiotic packets and try again the next day.  But that day never came.  Instead, the lumpy milk just took up valuable real estate and went sour in the refrigerator.  My family would have a collective heart attack if they knew what I did with that sour, lumpy milk.  But we don’t want you and your family to experience any stress.  So here’s how to use spoiled milk, instead of just pouring it down the drain.  It’s kinda like making lemonade out of lemons.  There’s nothing to fear here.  It’s all good.

 

The first step to using spoiled milk is to re-brand it, so to speak.  The whole family will raise a stink about consuming spoiled milk.  After all, it smells nasty.  It tastes nasty.  Therefore, nothing good could possibly come from using it.  So trust me here, do not tell them you are using spoiled milk.  It is re-branded as homemade buttermilk.  Of sorts.   

The bacteria that are naturally present in milk have been consuming the natural sugars in milk all along.  But as the use-by date approaches, the bacteria swell in numbers, such that when you hit that magic date (or maybe a little afterwards depending on how cold the refrigerator is, how often it is opened, and how long the milk is left out before being returned to the refrigerator), the bacteria reach a point where their presence is known by smell and taste.  

From a baking and cooking standpoint, cultured buttermilk from the store is basically the same thing as spoiled milk, but the bacteria were purposefully added in extra numbers to produce the sour taste quickly.  Sour milk that you accidentally made at home will perform the same as store bought buttermilk in your recipes, and the same as your other DIY substitute for buttermilk using dry milk and lemon juice/vinegar. 

Because the re-branded buttermilk (formerly known as the soured milk) acts as a leavening agent, it’s a great choice for quick breads that use baking powder. 

•  Biscuits
•  Scones
•  Pancakes
•  Waffles
•  Cornbread
•  Quick breads

It also makes perfectly divine caramel dip for apples or caramel syrup (known by some as buttermilk syrup--but you know caramel syrup sounds much tastier) for pancakes and waffles.

Finally, it is perfect for dipping for vegetables before coating with bread crumbs for deep frying. 

And for those who wonder about the safety of consuming spoiled milk, remember that this is basically buttermilk.  It’s sold in stores for people to drink and use in recipes.  Also bear in mind that spoiled food rarely causes food poisoning.  Spoiled food usually makes people gag.  Food with bacteria, viruses, and protozoa that cause food poisoning usually tastes perfectly fine, and that’s why people eat it, and then get sick later.

These are the recipes I used that failed yogurt/now spoiled lumpy milk in just the past two weeks:

• Whole wheat sandwich bread
• Lemon quick bread
• Chocolate zucchini quick bread
• Buttermilk biscuits
• Caramel syrup
• Yogurt banana pancakes 
• Pumpkin waffles
• Caramel apple cupcakes
  

Nobody noticed.   They all scarfed it all down, except for the quick breads, because I'm freezing some for later.

Links to related posts:

Food Poisoning Overview

Basic Food Storage—Dry Milk

Caramel Syrup

Making Thick, Creamy Yogurt

Yogurt Banana Pancakes

Biscuits

References:

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/sour-milk-tips?utm_source=pocket-newtab  10.07.22