Powdered milk

Powdered milk is an essential part of your food storage. I don’t know about you but I think I always had a fear of powdered milk. I was maybe a little apprehensive to do much with it because I was afraid it would be nasty. In fact, I have been waiting (okay, I admit, I was stalling) to do a post on powdered milk because I really want to make sure I dispel any misconceptions about powdered milk. It is not only a great and necessary item to have in your food storage but a good item to use in your everyday cooking or baking. It can save you money and increase the nutritional value of the foods you prepare.

Okay everyone, we are going to be brave now and learn how to effectively use powdered milk in our cooking and baking - I know I can certainly use the extra calcium because I’m not a milk drinker. Here are some excellent recipes to get started:

Making your own Evaporated Milk
1 1/2 C. water
1/2 C. + 1 T. non-instant dry milk powder* or 1 1/8 C. instant dry milk powder*
Mix together with wire whisk and use in any recipe calling for a 12 oz. can of evaporated milk.
*Must be REAL powdered milk not a milk alternative!

Making your own Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 C. hot water
1 C. sugar
1 C. non-instant dry milk powder* or 2 C. instant dry milk powder*
1 T. butter
Blend in blender very well. Use in any recipe calling for sweetened condensed milk. *Must be REAL powdered milk not a milk alternative!

White Sauce using powdered milk
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
¾ cup powdered milk
2 ½ to 3 cups water (depended on desired thickness)
Salt & Freshly ground pepper
Seasonings--fresh or dried herbs of your choice. (I like to use either parsley or coriander)
Melt butter in a saucepan on low heat. Gradually stir in flour. Add powdered milk alternately with water, stirring constantly. Add salt, pepper and other seasonings to taste.

Powdered Milk Facts:
•There are several varieties of powdered milk. Make sure you read the label--some may taste better but they may also have many added ingredients you don’t want to be drinking!
•Storage temperature is very important; the cooler the temperature, the longer the flavor will be preserved.
•Using a bucket or very large container for storage does work—but it must be used more rapidly than the smaller containers because of exposure to oxygen upon opening.
•Mylar pouches or cans are ideal for most people. Keep them sealed tight because once they are opened the moisture in the air will cause clumping.
•Foods made with low fat powdered milk will have fewer calories and less cholesterol than those made from whole milk. Adding additional powdered milk to the recipe will enhance the nutritive value of the recipe without increasing fat content.
•To use powdered milk in any recipe calling for fluid milk, simply add water for the milk called for in the recipe and put the powder in with the dry ingredients.
•To help your family adjust to powdered milk, use half gallon of store purchased milk with a half gallon of powdered milk. If you mix equal parts of 2% milk and non-fat milk powder, you will have 1% milk.
•Try adding a few drops of vanilla to enhance the flavor of powdered milk and let chill several hours before drinking.
•Be sure to do the mixing in the evenings, so the milk has the chill time needed before morning.
•Store reconstituted powdered milk in a milk jug for your family to use. They may not notice a difference in taste if the container is familiar . . . presentation is everything!
•Please realize that the powdered milk amount you use varies depending on the brand you purchase. Make sure you check the label on your powdered milk for mixing directions.

Instant non-fat powdered milk versus Non-Instant non-fat powdered milk versus Milk Alternatives
1. First of all, all powdered milk is nonfat; it is made by removing water from pasteurized non-fat milk.
2. Instant powdered milk and non-instant powdered milk are basically the same once they are mixed.
3. Instant powdered milk is light and fluffy and dissolves in cold water quickly just with stirring.
4. Non-instant powdered milk is denser and has to be dissolved in warm water and stirred a lot. It must be chilled before it is served.
5. Non-instant milk takes up less storage space than instant, which is why most powdered milk you buy from wholesale distributors is non-instant. Most food storage calculators which tell you how much milk to store, base their calculations on non-instant. If you choose to store instant milk, you will need to double the amount of instant milk you store.
6. Most recipes call for dry non-instant milk. If you are using instant milk, as a general rule, you will double the amount of instant milk that you use for recipes that call for non-instant powdered milk.
7. Be carefully when buying milk alternatives; they may taste better for drinking but contain other ingredients which may affect your use of them in recipes calling for instant or non-instant milk. They may taste better, but check the ingredient list to see if you want to go that route.

Tips for using Powdered milk:
*Dry milk is an excellent high-protein food that is low in cost. It is very high in calcium. When added to main dishes, it can extend the more expensive protein of meats, fish, poultry and eggs. It can also be used in combination with dried beans, peanut butter and cheese. Adding nonfat dry milk powder to beverages and other recipes is an effective way to boost the protein content of the meal. This is especially helpful for people who need to fortify their diets with extra protein and calories without adding fat.

*In cooked cereals, add 3 tablespoons of nonfat dry milk powder to each ½ cup of dry cereal (such as oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Malt O’Meal or other cereal grain) prior to cooking. Use the same amount of water as called for in the package directions when cooking the cereal.

*Add ¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder to each cup of fluid milk when making biscuits, muffins, pancakes, yeast breads, cookies and cakes. (This will cause the products to be firmer and to brown faster. Lowering the baking temperature or reducing the amount of sugar will reduce this browning effect.)

*Add ½ cup nonfat dry milk powder when reconstituting canned soup. Add ½ cup nonfat dry milk powder per can of condensed soup when making casseroles, such as tuna and noodles with cream of mushroom soup.

*Add ¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder for every pound of ground meat before browning. Add 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder for every pound of ground meat when making meatloaf or meatballs.

*Add ¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder to each cup of fluid milk, or add ½ cup nonfat dry milk powder to each cup of water or broth when making puddings, custards, gravies and sauces. (This may make the product slightly thicker.)

Here is a fun recipe using powdered milk:

Dry Milk Powder Rice Pudding
2 c. cooked rice
1 c. nonfat dry milk powder
½ c. sugar
¼ t. salt
3 c. water
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 T. butter or margarine
1 t. vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, combine rice, dry milk, sugar, salt and water. Bring to a boil; cook over
medium heat until thick and creamy, about 20-25 minutes, stirring often. Add egg, stir and cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into serving dish. Serve warm or cold. Y: 6 servings. You can add ¼ cup raisins, ¼ cup drained canned pineapple chunks or ½ t. cinnamon after you stir in the butter and vanilla.

Here are some drink recipes made with powdered milk for you to experiment with:

Peach or Apricot Cooler
1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
½ cup canned peaches or apricots, drained
1 cup cold water
Put ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Orange Cow
1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
3 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup cold water
Put ingredients in jar with tight-fitting lid and shake.
For a purple cow: Substitute grape juice concentrate for the orange juice.

Yogurt-Fruit Smoothie
¼ cup strawberry or strawberry-banana yogurt
1/3 nonfat dry milk powder
½ banana
¾ cup orange juice
½ cup strawberries (optional)
Put ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.