Sunday, March 23, 2014

Powdered Milk

Do you store powdered milk?  I used to store just any kind at all.  I'd  use my FoodSaver to vacuum  seal it in jars.   Every once in awhile I would have to open a jar because I'd run out of regular milk.  I would only end up using it for cooking because the smell was enough to gross me out.  And trying to drink it? Oh heck no, not even chilling it and even adding a bit of vanilla extract would make it any better. I'd rather drink 2% milk, which to me is like wanna be milk but hands down better than some powdered milk.

So there I was with all these different brands of milk sitting in the pantry.
I stopped buying powdered milk and figured I can always use what I have for baking/cooking.    I had broken one of the very first "rules to remember"  of long term food storage. Store what you eat and eat what you store.
  One day I'll have some goats (maybe. That is if I stop reading over at Carolyn's blog about her goat antics and adventures. She's my "goat guru" and has made me think twice about getting some goats my own. And she's funny too) I would like to have a source for milk and cheese here though and not have to worry about it. We'll see...

I was grocery shopping one day and saw a can of powdered milk that I recognized. I'd never tried it before but a friend stores the same brand and she uses it in her world famous biscuits. (Well in MY mind they should be world famous!) After a few times trying to get my biscuits as nice as hers always are I got to thinking maybe it's the milk that makes the difference.  It turns out I was wrong about the biscuits.  I still can't make them turn out as amazing as hers are but I've been practicing a lot.  Anyway..... I had been on the lookout for the same brand and finally found it in a local grocery around here.
 It's called Sanalac dry milk.  One of the first things I thought of when I  saw it was "Wow, isn't that a baby formula?"  It's not but the name is close enough to make you want to double check.


I made a quart up and set it in the fridge to let it chill.  I don't know about you but I can't handle milk that isn't chilled anyway.  The first thing I noticed was the texture of the dried milk. It's truly a powder.  Not like so many of the other brands.  It was a little hard to mix up at first because it sort of clumped up in the bottom of the jar. Now I mix it up in a quart jar using a little hot water and then adding the powder.  It seems to be easier to mix up like that. Once I finally got it mixed up good ( now I just shake it rather than trying to stir it)and took a smell.  It didn't have that nasty smell that most powdered milk have. Once it was cold, I gave it a test run.  I was craving some cornbread and milk Now if you think I just poured it into a glass before checking out the flavor, you'd be thinking wrong.  No way I'm going to possibly ruin a good piece of cornbread.  I took a tiny sip. Just because it didn't have a nasty smell I wasn't willing to swallow a mouthful and end up either gagging or spitting it out. (or both)

 All this talk just to say I really like it.  The flavor is just great.  It actually tastes like whole milk. I suppose if you like 2% milk you could just decrease the amount of dry milk.  All this really means is that I've found a new milk that I'll gladly be adding to my food storage.

PS  This is not a paid ad, I just really think it's a good product.

36 comments:

  1. I thought you had bought baby formula at first, I will have to watch for some of that. I keep the regular stuff in the freezer for cooking, it is nasty otherwise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had to do a double take on the label too. I've always pretty much thought powdered milk was disgusting but I'm ok with this one. I'll just rotate out the powdered stuff out and stock up on this instead.

      Delete
  2. My blog today shows some of my prepz. Prepper sites always mention powdered milk. That is when I discovered I can gag and read at the same time. Even if you find a good milk substitute, who can drink it at room temp? I know you're referring to cooking with it, but I'd sure miss a cold glass to drink.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. New post you say? brb

      Woo hoo what a score! And as for chilling the milk before hand, I'm very sure I'd not be able to stomach it if it were warm. I'm not much for warm milk. This stuff though really does taste great once chilled. So for SHTF situations where there was no way to chill, I'd have to pass.

      Delete
  3. I heard this brand was good but doing the math on the price through Walmart it is almost $28.00 per gallon. I think it is cheaper to own a goat and much more entertaining!...bahahahaha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Around here the price on it is much much cheaper. A 2 pound can of this is $9.00 so it's still a bit pricey @ 4.50 a gallon.
      And as for the goats.... I'm still thinking I want some, if for entertainment only. The problem is that I know nothing about them other than what I've read. And I'm thinking that just reading about them just won't cut it, I want to get my feet wet first.
      And then I read about Carolyn's goats......

      Delete
  4. That's AMAZING that there's a good tasting dried milk product out there! Glad you found some that you can actually stomach! I haven't bought much powdered milk lately, and the stuff we do have just gets used in baking so I think when we're out, we're just OUT. We'll find a way to survive. But it's good to know that it passed the SciFiChick test and if I saw it and wanted some powdered milk for our storage pantry, I'd have no second thoughts about buying it now :)

    (Run away from the goats....run aawwwwaaaaaaaayyyyy!!!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad I coudl help :-) As for the goats I'm not running away yet, but I've started backing up a bit. Thanks for all you do to encourage me about goats. *snork*

      Delete
  5. I purchased powdered milk once, couldn't stand it. I had a lot of it setting around and finally made up some homemade hot chocolate mix like Swiss Miss. This was about the only way I could drink it. Of course I put the marshmallows in it...If you have extra you don't like and don't want to throw away you might try it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmmm.... that's a pretty neat idea. And I know that marshmallows can be dehydrated too. Kinda like lucky charms in texture but still better tasting good.'
      I'll have to whip me up a batch or three.

      Delete
  6. Instead of ditching your old smelly powdered milk, sprinkle it in your veggie beds. That acts like adding calcium to your soil, which helps your veggies, and prevents your tomatoes from blossom end rot.

    You could also mix it with water and spray it - that does the same as the plants absorb it through their leaves :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dani I never thought about using it in the garden. I'll have to try it on my tomatoes this year. You jangled my memory though of my grandmother spraying it on her houseplants.

      Delete
  7. Hey SCI- just found it on Amazon it is 74.00 + change for a box of 6 with free shipping. All the reviews were 5 stars and all said the same things you said.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL Glockmom. Thanks for the information. All five star?? I suppose that makes me redundant? ;-)

      Delete
    2. Good idea. I have some powdered and had thought about adding canned "table cream" to it, as needed. It for the apocalypse only :( Good idea using it in the garden...

      Delete
    3. LHB what is table cream? I'm not familiar with it I guess.

      Delete
  8. SCI,

    Yes, you can use all the powdered milk in your garden. It does wonders for your tomato plants.
    I'm not a big fan of drinking powdered milk, I would rather bake with it.
    I'll have to check out the brand you like and see if this is something worth keeping here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sandy,
      I'm no fan of powdered milk but this one makes the cut for us. Shoot it's just not worth the trip into town if we run out. I think if you are going to put some back for your food storage this one is a good bet.
      hugs to you n yours
      Sci

      Delete
  9. I have never bought powdered milk just to drink straight! Back during the deep recessionary years of the late 70's, early 80's, I bought powdered milk ( a LOT cheaper then!) to mix with whole milk to cut the cost for my family. If you mix half powdered/half whole milk -and YES, by all means, it has to be COLD - then it can help defray the cost of regular milk. If you're a prepper, you will have it as a "just in case" to cook with in case you cannot get real milk.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anony I remember drinking it as a kid and totally hated it. Mixing it with regular milk is a good way to stretch it though. I started out buying it to have it on hand just in case. I'd opened a can of this for making biscuits because my friend used it in her biscuits and I was trying to make them as good as hers. Apparently it wasn't the powdered milk that makes the difference. lol And you hit the nail on the head about "just in case" I keep it on hand now in case I run out. It really is a great substitute for the real thing. Much better than that smelly stuff.

      Delete
  10. hey Sci gurl - ya, we store powdered milk, but just the generic kind. i rotate it out and stock it up regularly, but never have too, too much on hand because there is no way on earth i could drink it. but i will use it in baking and such.

    our idea, is that if shtf and we run out of powdered milk or can't get any access to cow's milk, etc. - then we'll just have to learn to do without. that's why my goal this spring is to get some kefir grains and learn how to make kefir. it is a wonderful milk substitute and full of probiotics when you make it yourself. and the kefir grains will last forever if you store them and feed them correctly.

    but i am glad that you found a powdered milk and gave it the Sci-fi approval. you have many readers who are both new to prepping, and old hands at it - but all of them learn from these posts. thanks for sharing!

    oh - one last thing - everyone above is right about sprinkling the powdered milk around your tomatoe plants or making a solution and spraying. another good thing for tomatoes is epsom salt - 1 cup of epsom salt to a gallon of water - the tomatoes love it and it apparently keeps away tomatoe hornworms. the other thing to know for the future is that apple trees love calcium too. we have a friend who regularly feeds his orchard with powdered milk. cool eh?

    your friend,
    kymber

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Lady! Sorry I'm running behind in answering comments. Been dealing with "stuff" around here. You know if SHTF most folks will have to either have their own source of milk (cow,goat) or just do without because the powdered milk will eventually run out and it doesn't really have a long shelf life. I know you love all things fermented but I honestly don't like the taste of kefir. The only way I can do it is in smoothies and I don't usually have the stuff to make them.
      Hornworms? I can't stand them. And you wouldn't like to know what I do when I see them! PP would be proud! I finally got over being scared to touch them so I will yank them off the stem and....uhmmm you don't wanna know what comes next.
      Funny thing you mentioned epsom salt. Last year I added about a tablespoon full in each hole before planting. I also planted marigolds in between the tomatoes. Now I don't know what exactly kept the bugs away. I do know that until late in the season I had no problems with anything eating them. I'll have to start the epsom spray this year. (That is if we ever get anything planted) That and the old milk spray.
      Thanks so much for all you do,
      Love ya,
      Sci

      Delete
    2. Ok, now I MUST know what you do with those hornworms!

      Delete
    3. i know EXACTLY what she does to them - it's icky and blicky!

      Delete
    4. Turn your eyes away for a second kymber while I gladly answer Carolyn's question.
      Carolyn I used to be scared to death of them. I'd get a stick and sort of make them climb on it. No way I was going to touch that nasty bug. It looked like it could hurt me.
      Then a friend told me that not only will they not bite you they splatter really well if you throw them to the ground with maximum force. If that doesn't do it I get green goo on my shoe. OK kymber, I'm done now.

      Delete
    5. i knew it was going to be icky and blicky - and i bet it was PP who taught you how to do it!!! bahahahahahah!

      Delete
  11. Some good info here today! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for popping in Jim, Cookies are on the counter and coffees on the stove. Make yourself at home.
      Sci

      Delete
  12. I never had much luck storing powdered milk or corn meal. Even in mylar bags in pails, the stuff went bad on me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Harry I haven't had much luck with long term storage of either of them myself. The powdered milk always gets rotated out before it goes bad now. And heck, if it does go bad I can use it in the garden!

      Delete
  13. I looked. Walmart does not carry Sanalac! bummer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I couldn't find it at WallyWorld either. You might ask the manager if they would start carrying it. I did that once a while back when I realized they didn't carry a product I wanted. He was really nice and told me that if I still had a package of it I could bring it in to him and he would put it in the next grocery order. The funny thing is that both of the locally owned grocery stores carry it. Good Luck!

      Delete
  14. My mom buys this brand for me at the military commisary she grocery shops at. It's the best brand I've ever found. Can't get the kids to drink it, but I use it for all white sauce based recipies and when I make Magic Mix (see everyday foodstorage.com) Also use it for all baking. It's the best - way better than the nasty carnation brand. I keep it in quart size glass jars in the freezer then the fridge when I open the frozen jar - I gotta invest in a foodsaver

    ReplyDelete
  15. My mom buys this brand for me at the military commisary she grocery shops at. It's the best brand I've ever found. Can't get the kids to drink it, but I use it for all white sauce based recipies and when I make Magic Mix (see everyday foodstorage.com) Also use it for all baking. It's the best - way better than the nasty carnation brand. I keep it in quart size glass jars in the freezer then the fridge when I open the frozen jar - I gotta invest in a foodsaver

    ReplyDelete