How long does milk last

Keep pasteurized milk closed, at 4°C (40°F). The USDA FSIS answer on yogurt, milk, and cheese says milk can be refrigerated for seven days, and FoodKeeper prints the same window as one week. Opening the carton does not create a second published number, so the opened row is also 1 week. If the carton gives a shorter instruction after opening, that day wins. The split between a safety date and a quality date is on the use-by and best-before guide.

Unopened UHT stays in the cupboard when the label says cool and dry. There is no separate ministry or USDA day-count for that sealed carton on this page; the date on the pack replaces the chart. Once it is open, it joins the pasteurized row and goes in the fridge. The ministry also says milk that carries a use-by date belongs in the fridge. In the freezer the ministry lists milk at 1 month. USDA says about 3 months. The large figure is the shorter one.

Get perishable food into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking it or bringing it home, and within 1 hour if the kitchen is above 32°C (90°F). USDA FSIS and Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry both publish that cutoff. A closed deep pot stays warm; a shallow box cools.

A chart is a window, not a verdict on the container in your hand. A sour smell, a slimy surface, or mould means it is finished, even on day one. This page is not medical advice.

• A sour or yogurt smell the moment the cap comes off.
• A swollen carton, a leak, or mould on the cap.
• Milk that has curdled, gone grainy, or ropes when you pour.
• A colour that has shifted grey or pink.

A thin cream line on top is not always spoilage. Smell and texture decide it. Do not taste a doubtful carton.

Freezing milk does not extend a safety date. It changes the texture. After thawing, the fat can separate and it needs a shake. The ministry’s freezer list caps milk at 1 month. USDA says about 3 months. Do not freeze a sealed UHT carton as it stands: the carton can split. If you pour it out, treat it like fridge milk in a separate container and keep the shorter window.

Thaw it in the refrigerator. Do not refreeze it.

Thaw in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Do not refreeze a portion that has thawed. The ministry states the same rule: thaw frozen food in the fridge and take out only what you will eat.

• Unopened milk keeps for the chart even after the carton date. The chart is 1 week. If the use-by day is sooner, the printed day wins.
• UHT stays in the cupboard after you open it. An open carton is fridge milk. This page has no separate published room-temperature window for open UHT.
• Three months in the freezer is every country’s number. USDA says about 3 months. The ministry lists 1 month. The large figure is the shorter one.

The windows assume a generally healthy household. Pregnancy, young children, older age, or a weakened immune system are reasons to keep the shorter figure, to skip raw or undercooked food, and to reheat leftovers until the centre is steaming. USDA’s figure for reheating leftovers is 74°C (165°F).

In pregnancy, for young children, in older age, or with a weakened immune system, do not drink raw milk. Choose pasteurized or UHT. If opened milk smells sour, heating it does not turn the smell into safety. A leftover dish made with milk follows leftovers: the UK FSA says eat them within two days.