Curdling Milk & Cream
 

I had a friend who told me that her milk went bad really early even though it had a Jan 23 expiration date. I had a half gallon of Publix half & half that also went bad very early again with a Jan 23 expiration date. I replaced it with a half gallon of Winn Dixie half & half with a Jan 23 expiration date and it went bad!!! This has never happened to me before. What the heck is going on? Is anyone else experiencing this?

One guess is the refrigeration level wasn’t maintained while shipping or transported to your homes. Neither milk or half and half like room temperature very long and the flavor can change even after a short time.

That was my thought. We do not buy milk very often but last few times notice it went bad before expiry date

You may already know this, but that expiration date only applies to unopened cartons.

Once you open them they last a week. (I write the day of week on the carton)

That being said, I have experienced early spoilage with the Lactaid brand on three occasions. I don't buy that brand anymore.

Have you checked that your refrigerator is not failing? Bad milk is often an early indicator.

I’ve never seen a milk cartoon in a store with expiration date over 30 days maybe coffee creamer.

We use Trader Joe’s lactose free milk or fair life. Expiration date 6 plus weeks, and have never had an issue even after date. I agree with earlier poster check your fridge, usually bad milk or cream may mean temp is inconsistent

I buy my milk and half & half at the neighborhood Walmart and have had both milk and half & half go bad way before the expiration date. My refrigerator is kept on 40 degrees. Somewhere along the line during shipping something goes wrong.

We have started buying A2 milk and half & half and find they stay fresh much longer

Try storing milk on the inside shelves of the refrigerator. A constant cooler temperature is maintained there as compared to the shelves built into the doors. Almost all the cool air is lost around the door shelves every time the door is opened and closed.

Something is wrong with the circumstances of your post. Milk being sold today may have a late Dec expiration date, but I have never seen it with an expiration date of more than a month i.e. Jan 23.

The fact that that same date shows up on each of your half gallon containers of half and half would seem unlikely. Didn't know that you could even buy a half gallon of half and half. When you say went bad, it sounds like you had it for a while before that happened. The Jan 23 date 3 times seems unusual.

It used to happen to us all the time. Then we stopped putting the milk on the door compartment, and set it on the actual shelf at the bottom over the crisper.

Also, check that date - is it really an "expiration" date or does it say "best by" or "best before?" They mean different things. Best before and best buy don't mean that they're not drinkable after that date. They just mean that the freshness is optimal before that date.

Once it's opened, you have around 7 days to consume it before it starts to go sour, no matter when you purchased it or how much later that date says "best by/before."

The more fat in the product, the longer it'll last. Half-and-half will be consumable longer than skim milk. Heavy whipping cream will be consumable longer than half-and-half. Butter can actually last indefinitely, if refrigerated. Though the butterfat will separate and form a sort of fatty shell around the stick. It's still good, will still bake properly, and is still fine to put on your toast.

If you keep your house somewhat cool (78° or lower) you don't even have to put the stick of butter in the fridge. You can leave it in the butter dish on your counter.

Me, too! Publix 2% gallon-sized jugs. Spoiled within days of opening. This has happened several times. Milk is stored on the top shelf in the fridge.

no problem with milk bought at Aldi's....and much cheaper than Publix or Winn Dixie. I agree though, that a Jan 23 date is way to far in the future. maybe the date stamped should have been Dec 23?

The top shelf
 

The top shelf can be warmer than the lower shelves. My theory is heat rises so when you are opening and closing the refrigerator door, heat comes in. I use my top shelf to defrost food quicker and I put overflow fruit up there so it’s not as cold and lasts longer. If you get a refrigerator thermometer, you could check the various temperatures at each shelf level. It could also be used to see what your actual temperature is in the refrigerator. The temperature on the door does not mean that is the temperature inside the refrigerator. I put milk, alternative milks, and meats on the lowest shelf so they are colder.