June 01, 2017

Refrigeration – to keep the milk from going sour!

Milk is highly perishable and must be protected against exposure to air, heat and light. Ancient housewife lore says that milk goes sour when there is a thunderstorm. Of course it is not actually the natural phenomenon that makes the milk go sour but the resulting warm, humid air. It promotes the growth of bacteria that produce acids.

Therefore: milk belongs in the refrigerator!

While many milk packages bear the inscription: “Refrigerate after opening”, this is not necessarily the best way to go. Especially during the summer months, it is particularly important to put not only fresh milk but also UHT milk into the refrigerator directly after purchasing it. Bacteria such as salmonella multiply rapidly at temperatures of just 10°C and up. In plain language, that means any kind of milk must have a temperature of less than 10°C and ideally below 8°C when it is opened. Milk is delivered to the supermarket in refrigerated lorries for good reason. Here the rule is that milk can be transported at a maximum temperature of 8°C.

But what is the best way to cool milk at home?

The correct cooling temperature for milk is 5°C. Thus the best place to store this highly perishable food item is on the middle rack of the refrigerator. Here the cooling temperature is around 4 to 5°C.

And what is the best way to cool milk in the hotel and restaurant industry?

Food quality is number one in the hotel and restaurant industry. Nothing is worse than serving a poor quality or spoiled product to a guest. This is confirmed by numerous bad reviews on Internet portals such as Holiday Check and tripadvisor.

Taking a closer look at the reviews quickly shows that sour milk was often offered for breakfast. Yet there is no need for this because special bag-in-box dispensers have been developed especially for the hotel and restaurant industry. A bag-in-box dispenser is a combination refrigerator and self-serve dispenser for beverages such as milk, juice or water. Bag-in-box (BIB) containers are connected inside the BIB refrigerator. These are beverage packages holding up to 10 litres. Buying these containers is often more economical compared to conventional milk packaging. Another benefit of the large containers is that service personnel can look after the guests instead of the milk supply.

Do you have questions about bag-in-box refrigerators? Gastro-Cool is your competent contact for bag-in-box refrigerators. Get in touch with us today for advice about our highly efficient and cost-effective models.