Jar cracked in the freezer! Can the milk be saved?

[Amandala]

Hello ladies,

I bought a gallon of milk with the intention of freezing half, to save money.
I've done this several times with different kinds of jars and bottles and thought I had a good eye for which kinds were freezer-worthy. Well, I tried a new one this time, what a mistake. I opened the freezer to find it has cracks running all up and down the glass. The milk is still frozen solid, and I can't tell but it looks as though when it thaws I will probably be able to pull the bottle apart.

Crap!! Is it *possible* that the milk is still safe to drink? Does anyone know if there's a way I can get the milk out without broken glass in it? Or do I really have to throw it all away?

Aarrgh!! Every time I try to do something to save some money or get ahead a little, I screw it up!

[cristeen]

I did this recently... What I did was defrost the milk in a big bowl that could hold all of it. As the outside melted I pulled as much of the glass away as I could. Once it was all defrosted, I ran it through a mesh strainer to get any bigger chunks out that I could. And then I ran it through a flour sack towel to get any tiny particles.

I wouldn't have given it to the baby at that point, but I was okay with drinking it myself.

[Arianwen1174]

Been there, done that. And Amandala, you didn't screw it up! You may want to stick with canning jars for freezing liquids in, although I've used jars from store-bought foods many times. Be sure to leave a little room at the top and not secure the lid tightly until the contents are frozen.

[Amandala]

Thanks for that suggestion!
I put it in a bowl but then discovered as the milk started to melt that I could, in fact, pull the glass off in pieces. So I did. Then I ran the frozen milk under warm water and melted off the outer quarter inch or so, glass and all, I would think, and stuck what was left in a bag.

That should be safe then right?