7 Under-Rated Items to Have in Your Raw Milk Kitchen
We’ve been a raw milk family for quite a few years but I’m still learning. I love that from just one product, we can put it to dozens (probably more) uses. Below are several things that you will actually find in my kitchen or pantry that I would not want to be without, when it comes to having and cooking with raw milk. Also, as a disclaimer… I am not any type of affiliate and don’t have any sponsors. These are items I actually purchase, use, and recommend because I love them. The Amazon links are just for your convenience. If you click the link and buy it, I do not earn or receive anything, or benefit in any way.
Now that we have that out of the way, here is your list!
Wide mouth mason jars
No exaggeration…I have purchased, inherited, and been gifted hundreds of mason jars and not once has it crossed my mind, “oh I have enough jars for now.” We use them for so many things, but most of all milk and milk products. Separated cream, buttermilk, sour cream, chocolate milk, chocolate syrup to put over ice cream, yogurt, smoothies, and on…and on… From huge gallon-sized jars to tiny 4-oz jars; wide mouth or regular mouth. I use them all on a regular basis. I prefer the familiar Ball and Kerr brands because they’re tried and true, made in America for over 100 years, and I have dropped, banged, and abused them to the max and they are so durable. And actually, both brands are now owned by the same company. Other brands you can buy cheaper from Wal-Mart or Azure Standard just don’t cut it for us.
County Line Kitchen mason jar lid with pour spout and handle
This little gadget is a very close second for me. But I guess it is useless to have a mason jar lid if you don’t have the jars, so here it is solidly in the #2 spot. We have two of these - one for regular milk and one for chocolate milk, but I honestly think I’m going to order a couple more for when they are in the dishwasher or for iced tea and lemonade. I’ve tried a few different versions/brands of these little handled pour spouts and this is by far my favorite for 3 reasons: they are so durable - haven’t broken one yet after years of use; they are dishwasher friendly; they don’t require that flimsy little rubber band/gasket to be leak-proof. I have not found this brand anywhere except Amazon, so I’m including the link. At the time of writing this, there is also a 10% off coupon.
Cheese clothIf you are buying (or producing) raw milk, you’re eventually going to dip your toes into home dairy products like butter, yogurt, cheese, sour cream, etc… So, you might as well have some cheese cloth or butter muslin on-hand. I prefer the actual cloth kind rather than the plastic version.
Ball brand leak-proof plastic lids
Amazon.com: Ball Leak-Proof Plastic Lids for Glass Mason Jars, Used for Canning, Pickling, Juice, Jam, Jelly (Wide, 6 Count (Pack of 2)): Home & KitchenFor quite a while, this is another item that I was not able to find anywhere other than Amazon. Since writing this post, I’ve been able to find a very small stock at a few grocery Stores (Kroger, Meier). I’ve tried other versions of these “leak-proof” lids and this is the only kind I buy now. You can get them in regular mouth and wide mouth. There is no extra gasket and they are truly leak-proof. They are also easy to write on and erase. I just use a regular sharpie to mark what is in the jar and use fingernail polish remover and a cotton ball to remove the mark for the next use. And I think the black lids look really clean and sharp against the clear jars filled with white milk.
Instant Pot with yogurt buttonWe actually have two Instant Pots. Our main one I’ve had for years and I use it for everything except yogurt. It’s one of the first models and doesn’t have the yogurt setting. Earlier this year I actually bought the second Instant Pot (newer model) specifically for making yogurt and it does have the yogurt button. I bought it used (but new and in the box) on Mercari for $20 and it was worth every penny. And I strictly use it for yogurt and nothing else because I just don’t think its fully possible to get the food smells from the lid and rubber gasket completely gone. And I don’t know about you, but chicken broth-flavored yogurt does not sound like a winner. If you signed up for our email list, you received my yogurt recipe with the 5 raw milk recipes as a thank-you gift. ????
Small soup ladleI did without one of these for a long time, just because I kept forgetting about it until I actually needed it. But I just got one last week at Beachy’s in Arthur when we took our Cornish-cross chickens to be butchered and it’s so great. Much better than trying to use a small measuring cup or tablespoon to skim cream from the jar.
Bottle brush with long handleI’m lucky enough to have hands that will fit inside a wide mouth jar, but cleaning out regular mouth jars is alway a struggle unless you have a good bottle brush. I just bought one from Wal-Mart, but the handle is a little flimsy for when you really need to scrub the bottom or side of the jar, so I think when this one finally breaks, I’m going to look for a wooden handle brush.Did I miss anything? If you have something that’s really handy in the raw milk kitchen, leave it in the comments! I’m not really a gadget-person, but I do love anything that makes my life a little easier.