Like many of you, I peruse the internet daily, mostly for news to get a feel for what is really going on in this country and around the world. I also check some articles on preparedness, hoping to find something worthwhile. A lot of ideas I get from other articles to blog about here don’t have any link to preparedness, per se. (“Those preppers are an odd lot. Better not look like you’re associated with them.”) Some of the suggestions in those articles, however, do dovetail nicely into living a prepared life.
With everything that is going on in the world, an ever-increasing number of voices advise storing beans and rice. A few suggest learning how to make bread. No one, and I mean no one, ever makes even a passing reference to the importance of storing powdered milk.
Of course, it’s probably because most would rather die than drink it again. We were already traumatized in childhood, thank you very much.
Never mind that powdered milk is a good source of essential vitamins and minerals, especially for growing children. Never mind that it is shelf stable. Never mind that it can be made quite palatable with a few key additions. Never mind that it can be made into fabulous yogurt with all those popular probiotics to help keep us healthy. Never mind that it can then be made into delicious cream cheese and smoothies, and that none of these retain even the faintest hint of powdered milk flavor to them.
As previously noted here on the blog, most of the reason for the off taste to powdered milk can be attributed to one of three factors:
Processing. The quicker method of drum drying used by processors occurs at a higher heat and can impart a cooked or burnt flavor to the milk. Spray drying used by the higher-end powdered milk companies avoids that off-flavor.
Chilling. Powdered milk must be as cold as possible when drinking. Storing it in a glass pitcher or jar also helps, as does adding a little sugar and vanilla or almond extract.
Storage. Powdered milk that is less than two years old (regardless of the use-by date stamped on the can) tastes much better than older milk.
I’ve also previously noted that it is entirely possible to make milk very palatable for drinking, so much so that there is never any need for powdered milk that you are storing to get more than 1-2 years past its best-by date.
But just in case you need some more ways to rotate through your powdered milk, here are some great suggestions for how to use it to take your baked goods to the next level. Powdered milk adds protein, fat, and sugar to baked goods without messing with the liquid ratio. In general, professional bakers recommend adding a tablespoon of milk powder to the dry ingredients of any baked goods you are preparing.
Bread. A tablespoon of powdered milk added to the bread dough will help
sandwich breads rise higher and flat breads become more tender. The cinnamon chip bread I baked yesterday did indeed rise a little higher.
Cookies. Adding a tablespoon of powdered milk to a batch of cookie dough will
produce a chewier cookie with a slight crust. As part of the baking frenzy yesterday, I also made a lot of cookie dough. As she was at one point in her life considering culinary school and really enjoys making beautiful and tasty food, and as she is a self-proclaimed cookie connoisseur, Becky immediately wanted to know what I had done to the cookies. She now considers, as do I, that adding a tablespoon of powdered milk to a batch of drop cookies is essential.
Brownies. Full-fat powdered milk is recommended as
being best for brownies—again, just a tablespoon. (OK, I didn't get to try this one yet--but soon!)
Totally agree on keeping powdered milk on hand. Lots of it. I rehydrate it in most recipes calling for milk. Also it is one of the main foods recommended to store by the LDS. There are some books on unusual uses of powdered milk by some of their members. I even use it when a recipe calls for evaporated milk, just use twice as much powdered milk as you would for normal milk.
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