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National Milk Day

Drink · January 11

A look at milk, the everyday drink from cows and other dairy animals, and the simple ways people pour it, cook with it and pair it with food.

National Milk Day falls on Monday, January 11, 2027. That is 76 days away.

Milk is the white liquid that mammals make to feed their young, and the milk most Americans pour comes from dairy cows. It is mostly water, with fat, protein and a natural sugar called lactose carried along in it.

What ends up in the glass depends on how much fat is left in. Whole milk tastes rich and rounded. Skim milk is thinner and a little sweeter on the tongue, and the reduced fat versions sit in between. Most milk sold in stores is pasteurized, which means it has been heated to kill harmful bacteria, and homogenized, so the cream stays mixed in instead of rising to the top.

A cold glass next to a plate of cookies is the classic move, and dunking is allowed. Milk also does quiet work in the kitchen. It softens pancake batter, turns oatmeal creamy, thickens into a white sauce with butter and flour, and warms into cocoa on a winter night. Goat milk and sheep milk show up in some shops and in plenty of cheeses, each with a tangier, more grassy flavor than cow milk.

Milk keeps best in the back of the refrigerator, where the temperature stays steadier than in the door. Give the carton a sniff before pouring if it has been open a while. Sour milk announces itself fast.

Ways to celebrate

• Pour a cold glass of milk and pair it with a favorite cookie.
• Make hot cocoa on the stovetop with warm milk.
• Taste whole and skim milk side by side and compare.
• Try goat milk or a goat cheese for a new flavor.
• Whisk up a simple white sauce for pasta or vegetables.

Dates

All national days on January 11

Also on January 11

• National Hot Toddy Day
• Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day
• Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day

Categories: Drink days