Powdered Milk Continued.......

Today's post comes from a friend of mine who knows everything there is to know about powdered milk. Keep an open mind as you read through the recipes and don't think that it is too difficult to make yogurt or cottage cheese. 

(information below from Jodee Packer)

There are several varieties of powdered milk (of course, there are flavored ones as well -- like chocolate!). Storage temperature is very critical in the long term keeping of powdered milks. The cooler, the longer it will keep the flavor on the palatable end (of course, using nitrogen pack/oxygen absorbers as well). Using a bucket or very large container for storage does work -- but it must be used more rapidly than that quantity in smaller containers due to exposure to oxygen upon opening. Mylar pouches or cans are ideal for most people. Keep sealed tight once opened -- moisture in the air will cause clumping. 

Regular nonfat (non-instant):

• more expensive, but you use less product
• averages about .80 cents per gallon of skim milk when reconstituted

This is the product sold by the LDS Cannery and several other companies. It is a dense dairy dehydrated milk powder that generally takes a bit of good mixing to get it to dissolve back into water without lumps -- using a blender or a whisk. It is milk that is basically spray-dried and put through one pass in the dehydration process. For the best flavor, shelf life is 3-5 years. After that, the flavor can start to definitely go down hill, although it is still usable for up to 10+ depending on storage environment. It can be used in all cooking. Do make sure it is well blended into dry ingredients when added in as a powder, or you can get powdered milk lumps. This can be sold as fortified and not fortified with vitamins A and D. Be sure and get one fortified, as these vitamins help with proper nutrient absorption.

Non-Instant Milk /Instant Store Milk

(picture from Adventures in Self Reliance)

Instant nonfat:

• cheaper to buy, but you use about twice as much in the long run

There is large crystallized versus small crystallized that is more of a powder in appearance. The product sold by the grocery stores is mostly large crystallized granules (Carnation, Smiths brand, etc.) and milk purchased this way is the most expensive per pound. In large bulk bags, like Maple Island, Country Cream, Country Pride, Best Pack, and Walton (Humboldt) brands -- these are just dehydrated like the regular, but run through the process a second time in order to make a slightly larger size of the powder than the regular -- so it is lighter and airier and thus dissolves into water more readily than the regular. For the best flavor, shelf life is 3-5 years, after that, the flavor does start to change, but just as with the regular, it still can be used for years even if the flavor is off. Can be used in all cooking. Same as with regular nonfat milk, this can be sold as fortified and not fortified with vitamins A and D. Be sure and get one fortified, as these vitamins help with proper nutrient absorption. 

Whole: This is powdered milk with the milk-fats left in and usually runs around 4% milk fat when reconstituted. Because of this fat, it has a very short shelf life -- closer to 3 years nitrogen packed. Several sources recommend storing this powder refrigerated. Maple Island does make a whole milk powdered product in addition to their nonfat products (www.maple-island.com). This would be an excellent item to have on hand with younger children or children with health concerns requiring higher caloric intake.

Whey based: Morning Moo is an example of this type of product. They use the sweet dairy whey as the base and then add in vitamins A & D to fortify the product to come up with a milk alternative drink. This is dissolved into tepid hot water and then cold water can be added. Shelf life usually runs about 5 + years based on temperature stored. It can be used in recipes that call for fluid milk except puddings, ice cream and yogurt (note: Morning Moos milk contains less fat than whole milk and will not set up in products that need fat as a thickener). Although Morning Moos milk takes hot water to mix the ingredients, a very small amount of hot water is needed, only one cup to dissolve the ingredients for 8 c of milk. During freezing temps and if you don't have ready access to warm water -- you might want to consider a solar cooker set up to warm up your water to dissolve this product.

Soy and rice based: For those allergic to milk from cows, soy based and rice based products are available. Generally, they are very expensive and hard to come by in the powdered form. It is most often readily available only in the fluid fortified form -- not the powder for making up yourself. However, it is possible to get the powdered product, but it is pricey and hard to come by. You can also just make your own milk from rice or soybeans, but it will not be fortified (directions located in several cookbooks and websites). Alternate sources for calcium intake need to be evaluated. Sources for those with allergies or concerns: Dixie's Soy Milk : 1-800-233-3668 ext. 300, www.dixiediner.com; Better Than Milk : Rice or Soy 1-800-227-2320 by Fuller Life Company; Soy Quick by Ener-G 1-800-331-5222; Trophic's Best (Tofu Delight) by the Blue Chip Group 1-801-263-6667. These can be made yourself, but again, evaluate for calcium levels and supplementation. 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. So, for children struggling to eat enough calories, adding extra powdered milk in with the dry ingredients is definitely a great alternative.

Reconstituting Powdered Milk

This is a table I Use for replacing powdered milk for regular milk in my recipes.
 
*1/4 cup milk = 1/4 cup water & 1 1/2 Tablespoons Powder Milk

*1/3 cup milk = 1/3 cup water & 2 Tablespoons + 1 Tsp. Powder Milk

*1/2 cup milk = 1/2 cup water & 3 Tablespoons Powder Milk

*1 cup milk = 1 cup water & 1/3 cup Powder Milk

*1 quart milk = 3 3/4 cup water & 1 1/3 cups Powder Milk

*2 quarts milk = 7 2/3 cups water & 2 2/3 cups Powder Milk

*1 gallon milk = 15 1/2 cups water & 5 1/3 cups 

Powdered Milk
The table above will help you work out the amount of powdered milk you will need to prepare a specific measurement of liquid milk. 

Here are some tips to help the milk turn out as fresh tasting as possible: Fill your pitcher or container with half the amount of water you will be using. Measure in the appropriate amount of dry milk powder. Stir to dissolve. Fill the pitcher with the balance of the water called for above. Stir again and chill. Use cool water when possible. The powder tends to dissolve more readily in cool water. Stir the milk a lot, to dissolve the milk powder. Then let the milk sit for a little while and stir again. The protein in the milk powder blends most easily if it gets a chance to stand after mixing. Powdered milk may be used immediately after mixing if desired. For the best flavor chill the milk for at least 4 hours or overnight.


Homemade Cottage Cheese

This is the best and easiest recipe. Tastes just like the stuff you get in the store for a fraction of the cost. The best part - it only takes 5 minutes or less to make!
2 cups water
3 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar (vinegar is cheaper and stores better, either one is fine to use, the taste isn't affected either way)
3/4 cup dry milk powder (non-instant like from LDS cannery)
OR 1 1/2 cups instant (country pride or stuff from grocery store)
If using dry milk powder, blend water and dry milk together and heat in a saucepan until it starts to steam, stirring constantly, then remove from heat; or place in microwave and heat until it foams and rises to top of bowl. If using instant milk, bring water to a boil and remove from heat, then stir in milk with a wire whisk. DRIP juice/vinegar around the edge of the pan and gently stir, milk will immediately start to curdle, separating into curds and whey. Let rest 1 minute. Pour into a colander, rinse with HOT water, then rinse with cold water and break apart into as small of curds as you want. (do this for about 1 minute until no whey drips.) Makes about 1 1/2 cups curds. Add sour cream or yogurt to cream. Add salt to taste. Use non-instant dry milk powder for ricotta and instant for table use or when you are in a hurry.



Broccoli Soup
Serves 8 cups
3 cups broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups milk (4 C. water + 1 C Powdered milk reconstituted)
4 T cornstarch
1/2 t salt
2 pinch pepper
2 pinch thyme, ground (I skipped this and it tasted great)
1/2 cup cheese, cheddar or swiss, grated (I used about 1 cup)
Place veggies and broth in saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook until veggies are tender, about 8 minutes. Mix milk, cornstarch, salt, pepper and thyme; add to cooked vegetables. Cook, stirring constantly (or it will scorch pan), until soup is slightly thickened and mixture just begins to boil. Remove from heat, add cheese and stir until melted.

Powdered Milk Yogurt Recipe

There are many uses for yogurt beyond the obvious. Here are some of the ways we use it: mixed with granola, as a sour cream substitute, to make smoothies, to make fruity yogurt Popsicle, to make salad dressings, to make yogurt cheese, etc. Times do not reflect the incubation period.
10 min 10 min prep

SERVES 6 -8 , 1 quart

• 3 3/4 cups warm tap water
• 1 cup powdered milk (non-instant)
• 2-4 tablespoons Dannon plain yogurt (LIVE CULTURES REQUIRED)

1. Combine the warm water with the powdered milk and place in a medium saucepan. (I sometimes blend some of the water with the powdered milk in my electric blender to make it smooth or use an emulsion blender.)
2. (You could add 1/3 C sugar and 1 T vanilla extract at this point for vanilla yogurt. Try other flavorings too.).
3. Heat the milk mixture to 180 degrees or until small bubbles form on the side of the pan and the milk begins to rise up (about 5 minutes.).
4. Pour the scalded milk into a pitcher and allow to cool to 100 degrees (about 50 minutes). When the milk mixture has cooled to 100 degrees, stir in the yogurt starter (Dannon yogurt).
5. Pour the yogurt into a clean quart canning jar and cover with the lid. Wrap the jar in a towel or blanket and place in a Styrofoam cooler. Be sure it is wrapped tight without any room for air to circulate around the jars. Pack it snug. Let the yogurt incubate in the box for 9 hours.
6. Remove the jars from the hay box and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
7. Note: You can add a couple T of your favorite fruit jam in the bottom of the glass jars before pouring the unset yogurt mixture into the jars.
8. Save a bit of the yogurt from this batch (before adding any sugar or flavoring or it won't set) to use as the starter for your next batch - so you don’t have to buy the Dannon Yogurt again. Well, at least not for a while. Eventually you might want to start with a fresh starter as the taste will get stronger with each batch (about every third or fourth time).
9. You can buy a large container of Dannon Yogurt and freeze the unused portion in ice cube trays to use for later yogurt batches.
10. Chill.

Cream Cheese/Yogurt Cheese: Line a colander with a clean, damp piece of cloth. Pour prepared yogurt into the cloth. (Remember not to add sugar or vanilla if making sour cream or cream cheese.) Allow the yogurt to drain overnight. In the morning the remaining solids will be yogurt cheese. They can be used anywhere you would use cream cheese or thick sour cream.

With practice you can also make Ricotta or Cottage cheese and with more practice and a Rennet tablet you can make mozzarella.
**These recipes may seem time consuming and maybe even intimidating, but they are so useful. You don't want to wait for an emergency to have to learn these skills so please challenge yourself to try at least to make yogurt. I have a yogurt maker that the yogurt mixture goes in to incubate. I love it and the yogurt is so much better than store bought. (Check the instructions that come with your maker because my recipe is slightly different than the one above) If I can make yogurt then anyone can!! I am not a great cook but I figured it out and it is easier than making bread :)

January Self-Reliant Goals:

Storage Goal: Powdered Milk 16lbs PP

Non-Food Storage Goal: Bleach 1 gallon per person. This will be used for cleaning and water purification.

72-Hour Kit Goal:Gather a change of clothes including underwear and shoes for every family member. Include warm coats and boots or have them immediately accessible. Also put $20 in cash in small bills in your kits.

Enjoy the journey!
Enjoy the blessings!
Feel the peace!!