Cooking with Powdered Milk & Food Storage

flourbug · 03-19-2011, 09:00 AM

I found a very nice site that has recipes (and pictures) for making cheese and yogurt from powdered milk and cooking with food storage. You may want to add this to your bookmarks or copy some of her recipes for your own use.

http://preparednessmatters.blogspot.com/

The page with recipes making use of food storage items, including powdered milk, is:
http://preparednessmatters.blogspot....Food%20Storage

MaxTheKnife · 03-19-2011, 12:00 PM

I grew up drinking powdered milk and using it in cold cereal etc... Back then it was cheaper than fresh milk and Dad had his ways so we got used to it. And I continue to use powdered milk and store it as well. I don't drink milk but I do like buttermilk and all the dairy products derived from milk. It just makes more sense to have a supply of powdered milk on hand instead of trying to keep fresh milk in the fridge and keep it from spoiling.

But nowadays powdered milk is more expensive than fresh milk. At least in my experience that is. I have several #10 cans full in storage at home and we keep it in the freezer here at BG's for occasional use. Admittedly, BG keeps both fresh cows and goats milk on hand because her Dad and my son drink cows milk and the goats milk gets used for cheese making and whatnot. But overall, I prefer powdered milk because you only mix up what you need when you need it and there's little or no waste. That's the way I like it...

preppiechick · 03-20-2011, 10:23 PM

Thank you for the links, FB!! I will be printing them off this week! Have you ever made any cheese or yogurt, from powdered milk and if so, any tips?

flourbug · 03-21-2011, 07:13 AM

pc, I made yogurt from powdered milk. The yogurt doesn't know. In fact, when I use whole milk I add some powdered milk to make the finished product heavier and creamier.

Jason and Mike like the sweetened yogurts (Dannon/Yoplait types) while I can't stand the stuff. However... give me a good home made tzatziki and a plate of toasted pita, and I am in heaven. So I like using plain greek yogurt as a starter. Bring on the garlic, cucumber, lemon, dill, olive oil, s & p, and oooooh momma.

preppiechick · 03-21-2011, 01:11 PM

@FB- How funny! I'm making greek salad with grilled greek chicken and grilled pita...with tzatziki tonight!!! (I did cheat and bought the tzatziki, though- decent one at trader joes) Good to know the powdered milk works. I just wasnt sure if it would taste odd or not really "jell" right.

Coyote · 03-21-2011, 02:32 PM

I don't drink milk but I do use powdered milk for baking. I used to freeze small servings of milk to use when baking but I have found powdered milk works just as well and is more convenient.

flourbug · 03-21-2011, 02:44 PM

It's Greek Night tonight at pc's house!

Quote:

I just wasnt sure if it would taste odd or not really "jell" right.

I use whole milk and add non-fat powdered milk. If you use just powdered milk then use a higher powder to water ratio than you would to make a quart of milk. I think that helps with the creaminess... but it also depends on the starter. If I use the greek starter (Fage, from the supermarket) when the yogurt is done it has a nice thick consistency. If I use Stonybrook or another plain yogurt, I have to add a bit of pectin or gelatin or the finished product is too thin (good for smoothies and salad dressings, but too soupy to eat out of a bowl). I can let it sit in the fridge for a few days to thicken up but then the yogurt tang is a bit much for the sugar fiends in my house.

preppiechick · 03-21-2011, 02:59 PM

Thanks- good tips, Fb! I don't know what brand of greek yogurt we have- I have bought the trader joe one, but don't know what it is. These recipes would most likely be used when there isn't anything available (ie supermarket, refrigeration) so I'll make sure to keep some pectin or gelatin on hand! Not really cost/time effective to make it right now.

Greek night- yup! It's 82F+ and a little humid, so perfect night! (don't worry, we still get to pay for it with the end of the week not clearing 50! You're always welcome here- I'll even break out the mexican...margarita's

flourbug · 03-21-2011, 03:42 PM

We don't have Trader Joe's here. Just their poor cousin, Aldi's.

One of these days I'll do some experimenting and come up with firm recipes. I cook by tossing stuff into a pot. If someone says they like the results, GREAT. Remember it fondly. Because there isn't much chance I'll ever be able to duplicate that same dish again. lol