What To Do With Sour Raw Milk: Best Uses and Hacks
Got some sour raw milk on your hands? Don’t toss it just yet! That tangy dairy product still has plenty of uses in the kitchen and beyond. Sour raw milk can be transformed into delicious homemade cheese, yogurt, or baked goods.
After owning dairy cows for a few years, I’ve learned a thing or two about ways to use up raw milk in many situations. While fresh milk is great for drinking, its sour counterpart opens up new culinary possibilities. In addition, it can be used on your garden or as animal feed.
You can use soured raw milk as a substitute for buttermilk in pancakes or biscuits, giving them a rich flavor and tender texture. Sour milk also works wonders in marinades, tenderizing meat and adding depth to your dishes.
But the uses don’t stop in the kitchen. Sour raw milk can nourish a successful garden as a natural fertilizer, or even become part of your beauty routine as a skin-softening ingredient. By finding creative ways to use this dairy product, you’ll reduce food waste and discover new ways to make the most of what’s in your fridge!
What Is Sour Raw Milk?
If you’re here, you probably already have soured raw milk and are trying to figure out what to do with it. But for the sake of understanding, let’s quickly break down what sour raw milk is.
Sour raw milk, also known as clabber or clabbered milk, is unpasteurized milk that has naturally fermented due to the action of beneficial bacteria. These good bacteria consume the milk’s lactose, producing lactic acid that gives it a sour flavor and thicker texture. Unlike pasteurized milk, which is a dead food, raw milk contains live cultures of bacteria. When left at room temperature, these bacteria multiply rapidly, and can sour the milk within hours.
So yes, sour raw milk is nothing like pasteurized milk that’s gone past the expiration date.
The souring process can be beneficial, because it actually increases the milk’s probiotic content. However, it is important to ensure whatever raw milk you have on hand has been obtained from the cow using sanitary practices. This greatly lowers the chance of harmful bacteria growth, the kind that can cause food poisoning.
You can usually tell if raw milk has soured by its smell and appearance. It will have a distinctly tart aroma and may appear slightly thicker or curdled. Many people actually enjoy the unique taste of sour raw milk.
If you’re unsure about the safety of your sour raw milk, it doesn’t hurt to err on the side of caution and avoid drinking it. Using it in cooking and baking would eliminate pathogens due to the milk being heated. But remember, raw milk that has been properly handled should be safe to consume, even if it has soured.
Distinguishing Between Spoiled and Soured Milk
Raw milk naturally sours over time, but it’s completely different from spoiled milk that has gone through the pasteurization process. Here’s how you can tell them apart:
- Smell: Soured milk has a tangy, acidic scent. Spoiled milk smells rotten and unpleasant.
- Appearance: Soured milk may have a slightly thicker consistency. Spoiled milk often separates and can develop mold.
- Taste: Soured milk is tart but still drinkable. Don’t taste milk you suspect is spoiled.
- Texture: Soured milk might be a bit clumpier. Spoiled milk can be slimy or chunky.
Remember, pasteurized milk doesn’t naturally sour – it only spoils. Using soured raw milk is safe, but throw it out if it shows signs of spoilage. Trust your senses when examining raw milk.
Good vs. Bad Bacteria
Raw milk naturally contains both beneficial and harmful bacteria. The good news is that the good guys help ferment milk into tasty products like yogurt and kefir, and also fights off the bad bacteria. The probiotics boost your gut health and immune system.
Bad bacteria has the potential to cause food poisoning, e coli, salmonella, and listeria. The downside to ultra-pasteurized milk from the grocery store is that there is no good bacteria present to kill any bad that may grow.
To harness the good bacteria in raw milk, it’s worth it to try making fermented dairy products at home. The acidity created during fermentation helps keep any bad stuff at bay. Just be sure to use fresh, clean raw milk as your starting point. Proper handling is key to keeping the bacteria in your milk balanced and beneficial.
Remember, you do NOT want to try and sour pasteurized milk, or use pasteurized milk that has spoiled. Doing so could be unsafe and cause foodborne illness. It is NOT the same as raw milk that has soured.
Hopefully this explains why sour raw milk is not a bad thing. It just happens due to the good bacteria present in raw milk. If you aren’t wanting to intentionally sour your milk, make sure it is chilled promptly after milking the cow, and that it stays stored at 40°F or below. This slows bacterial growth of all types.
Ways To Use Sour Raw Milk
Raw milk that has gone sour is a versatile ingredient in the kitchen. It’s a great way to transform tasty dishes, dairy products, and so much more using just a few simple techniques.
Here’s a list of my favorite ways to use up sour raw milk:
- Use it in place of buttermilk when making pancakes, muffins, or any of your favorite recipes.
- Make a simple sausage gravy and biscuits (using soured milk in place of buttermilk) for breakfast.
- Make raw milk butter with it! Butter made sour milk is considered a cultured butter, and has more of a tang than sweet cream butter. But it’s equally delicious.
- Add depth to marinades and sauces by adding sour milk.
- Make homemade macaroni and cheese using sour milk in place of fresh, for a zesty twist.
- For a good use of sour milk, make cornbread.
- Make homemade yogurt. I love making yogurt in the Instant Pot. The process is exactly the same as it is with fresh milk.
- Try your hand at homemade sour cream by mixing sour milk with heavy cream, and letting it sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours.
- Try making cottage cheese by gently heating your sour raw milk until curds form. Then drain the curds in cheesecloth for a few hours. Mix in some cream and salt to taste.
- Make mozzarella cheese. (This is my favorite no-fuss mozzarella recipe)
- Ricotta cheese is an easy option. Heat sour milk or leftover whey with a splash of vinegar, then strain the curds.
- You can make kefir with already soured milk by adding milk kefir grains and letting it sit for 24 hours.
- Use the soured milk as a base for smoothies.
- Use it to soak grains like oats for easier digestion.
non-cooking ways to use sour raw milk
- Dilute with water and put it on your garden for a nutrient-rich fertilizer
- Mix with your favorite essential oils and use as a moisturizing bath soak
- Feed it to your pets or livestock as a healthy treat
I hope this list inspired you for the next time you end up with some extra soured raw milk. Which of these raw milk products are you planning to try? Let us know in a comment below!
