How to Prepare Goat Milk to Drink

Goat's milk is a healthy drink, and it should be pasteurized before it is consumed.

A lot of people enjoy raw goat's milk, and goat milk advocates believe that treating it destroys important enzymes and reduces the nutritional value of the milk. However, if you are uncomfortable about drinking raw milk, it is a safe practice to pasteurize it before consuming it. Pasteurization kills any harmful bacteria in the milk and prolongs its refrigerated life. Pasteurization involves first heating the milk and then rapidly cooling it.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh goat's milk
• Milk strainer
• 2 saucepans, one larger than the other
• Candy thermometer
• Stove
• Ladle
• Clock with a seconds hand
• Sink with a plug
• 2 jugs of ice water
• Sterilized storage jars
• Refrigerator

Instructions

1. Strain the fresh goat's milk into the smaller of the two saucepans, with a milk strainer. Be careful not to spill.

2. Turn the stove on to medium heat. Fill the larger of the two saucepans with water at room temperature. Do not fill it to the top, or it will spill when you place the smaller saucepan in it. It should be about half-full. Place this saucepan on the stove.

3. Clip the candy thermometer to the side of the smaller saucepan. The tip should be submerged in the milk. Ensure it does not touch the bottom of the pan. Do not remove the thermometer at any stage of the pasteurization process.

4. Place the smaller saucepan inside the larger one.

5. Heat the goat milk till the thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 72 degrees Celsius. As the milk heats, gently stir it with a ladle to distribute the heat. Monitor the temperature.

6. When the milk is at 165 degrees Fahrenheit, hold it at that temperature for 15 seconds. Use a clock to help you do this.

7. Turn off the stove. Pull the smaller saucepan out of the larger one.

8. Plug the sink and pour in the ice water. Immediately place the smaller saucepan in the sink. Stir the milk occasionally as it cools. Monitor the temperature. It should reach 40 degrees Fahrenheit or 4 degrees Celsius.

9. When the milk reaches the required temperature, take the saucepan out of the sink and unclip the thermometer. Carefully pour the milk into the sterilized storage jars. Refrigerate immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not unclip the thermometer at any time during pasteurization.

• Do not remove the ladle from the milk, as this can contaminate it, and then contaminate the milk.

• Empty the sink and plug it and keep the jars of ice water ready before you begin heating, so you do not lose time.

• Add ice to the water as and when required during the cooling process.

• If you have a double boiler use it instead of the two saucepans.

• It is vital that the temperature and time are monitored, both while heating and while cooling. The time the milk is required to be held strictly depends on the temperature it is at. Pasteurization will only be successful if it is carried out flawlessly.

• Do not heat the milk in a microwave oven instead of in a double boiler.

References

• Food Safety: Myths About Raw Milk
• Michigan State University Extension: Milk Pasteurization-Guarding Against Disease
• Everything Goat Milk: Home Milk Pasteurization

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Milk Safety-Pasteurized Milk Ordinance 2009