How to Skim Milk
This is another no-brainer. BUT……. No one told me that I should skim my fresh milk. No one told me what I could do with that thick stuff sitting on the top of my fresh milk. No one told me.
So, I’m an idiot.
I shook up my fresh, raw milk and I drank it…… cream and all……. for a year before anyone taught me to skim my milk. I didn’t know.
All the possibilities, all the goodness, all the BUTTER!!! I was just shaking up the entire container & drinking it. Kind of makes me gag now thinking about it.
So, I’m a moron.
And, I’m nice.
So, I’m going to tell you how to skim milk.
And, I won’t laugh at you if you have been shaking in the cream and drinking it for a year. And, I won’t judge you if you want to keep shaking up your milk and drinking your cream for the rest of your life.
Here’s how I skim the milk:
After straining the milk I let it sit undisturbed in the refrigerator for several hours (I find 12hr works but 24hr is best). Left alone, the cream will naturally rise to the top.
When you see the clear cream line the milk is ready to be skimmed.
Do you see that cream line?
#1 – I can’t believe I was drinking this. Maybe that’s why I have cellulite.
#2 – This is what I love about Jersey cows! They give the richest milk there is. Over 1/3 of this milk is cream.
Oh the possibilities! Butter, creme fraishe, whole cream, whip cream, buttermilk, sourcream, ice cream, half-n-half, the list is endless! To think I just drank that for a year.
You can use cream separators. I know a separator is a must if you are working with fresh goats milk because the cream is harder to get to.
There are several products available to help separate cream from milk. There are manual cream separators, electric cream separators, and even cream skimmers.
I use a ladle.
I keep the ladle held so that the rim just barely dips under the cream.
Then pour the cream into another container. Keep skimming the cream and pouring it into your cream jar until the milk below is visible and most of the cream is removed.
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Happy Milking!
Candi
