Don't Be So Quick to Throw Out Expired Milk!

We've all been there: A quick sniff in the milk carton or jug, and you just know it's sour. But contrary to what most people believe, sour milk doesn't have to be thrown out.

According to Douglas L. Holt, a food science specialist at the University of Missouri-Columbia, "milk held past the expiration date may be clotted and smell, but it is almost certainly safe - just as yogurt and buttermilk is."

In fact, sour milk can be used in baked goods. There are plenty of recipes that include soured milk, and while most people sour their milk with lemon or vinegar, expired milk can also work. Of course, use some discretion: If the milk is more than a week or two past expiration, or if it's moldy, toss it. Otherwise, here are some options for making use of something most of us throw away.

- Make a Sour Milk Chocolate Cake, with cream cheese icing.

- Try these Sour Milk Waffles.

- Sour Milk Gingerbread is another option.

- This Sour Milk Potato Biscuit-Muffins are a mash-up of two recipes from Kate at Living the Frugal Life.

- Indulge your sweet tooth with Sour Milk Doughnuts.

- A comment on one online forum suggested offering sour milk to a pig farmer in exchange for some pork products (apparently dairy-fed pigs make for amazing pork).

There are tons of other uses for expired milk. It may not smell great or taste very good to drink, but that doesn't mean it needs to go down the drain at the first sign that it's turning.