Milk is a part of our daily routine. In India, milk is used to make tea, coffee, sweets, and other dishes. But as soon as summer arrives, one common problem faced by everyone is that milk starts to curdle quickly. You may boil milk in the morning, but by the time evening arrives, milk already smells sour or curdles when reheated.
Though heat is the primary reason for this problem, some common practices can help delay curdling. In fact, one ingredient can be added to the boiling milk to delay curdling.
Why does milk spoil faster in hot weather
The science behind this is quite simple. Milk has sugars and proteins in it. This provides a fertile ground for bacteria to grow. In the summer season, the heat hastens the growth of the bacteria. This hastens the increase in the acidity of the milk. This increase in acidity causes the milk to curdle. Even if you leave the milk outside for a while, it can hasten the process. In hot conditions, milk can spoil in a few hours.
The one simple trick while boiling milk
One of the kitchen tricks that has been proposed is the addition of a little pinch of baking soda to the milk while it is being boiled. This works because the baking soda helps in the neutralisation of the increasing acidity in the milk, thus delaying the process of curdling.
However, the important thing to note here is that the addition of the baking soda should be in moderation. This is because if too much of it is added, the quality of the milk is likely to be affected. This trick does not permanently extend the shelf life of the milk but rather helps in the extension of time, especially in cases where the milk is on the verge of going bad.
Cool milk quickly after boiling
One of the biggest mistakes people make is leaving boiled milk on the kitchen counter for too long. Warm milk is left in a “danger zone” where bacteria multiply rapidly. Instead, after boiling milk, let it cool slightly. Then, put the container of milk into a bowl of water or under a fan to cool quickly. After that, refrigerate the milk when it becomes lukewarm.
Avoid reheating milk again and again
Heating and cooling the milk repeatedly causes damage to its protein composition. The more times you reheat the milk, the higher your chances of having curdled milk later on.
A better option is to boil the milk once and store it in the fridge. When you want to use the milk, take only that amount and boil it.
Store milk the right way
Another thing that is often overlooked is where to store milk in the fridge. When storing milk, one should avoid storing it on the fridge door because of constant temperature fluctuations. On the other hand, one should store milk at the back of a shelf where temperatures are constant and lower. One can store milk in clean and tight glass and steel containers to prevent contamination.
Keep it away from contamination
Milk can easily absorb smells and bacteria from other foods. Always make sure that the milk is covered and away from strong-smelling foods like pickles and leftovers.
Also, make sure to use clean utensils when using milk. This will help prevent the growth of bacteria that can cause spoilage.
However, milk curdling in summers is not an inevitability but rather a result of small errors that people commit on a day-to-day basis. By controlling temperatures and avoiding re-thermalisation, and through tricks such as adding a pinch of baking soda to milk, its shelf life can be extended very easily.
A little extra effort can go a long way in saving your milk and your effort, too.
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