Preparedness Uses of Kool-Aid

Over the years, there have been several occasions when I passed on buying a product at Grocery Outlet because even though it was a screaming deal, the item in question was something I didn’t use.  At the time.  Like coffee for a dollar a can (should have gotten for barter purposes), or a large container of unflavored gelatin for 50 cents (good source of cheap, easily digested protein), or the orange Jell-O for 5 cents (screaming deal for sugar and a protein source).  I know I have passed on cheap packets of Kool-Aid as well.  And while I probably don’t need 50 packets in storage, having a couple dozen wouldn’t hurt, either, and it wouldn’t take up much space.

So here are half a dozen or so reasons for stocking a bit of Kool-Aid.

Marking the snow in a crisis.  Pour several packets of red or orange Kool-Aid in a spice shaker bottle.  Sprinkle it on the snow to indicate to search and rescue or whatever that there is a problem.  (I've seen it, and it works well, but I just can't imagine getting into a situation where we would have to do this.  Admittedly, I don't have a great imagination at times.)

Making the medicine go down, for children and elderly.  For this reason alone I would recommend at least a dozen packets, preferably in cherry or grape flavors as those are recognized as being the best flavors to mask the nasty taste of some medications.  Remember the Great Amoxicillin Shortage of a few years past?  It wasn’t actually that we had no amoxicillin (though that time is probably coming); this country lacked pediatric formulations, the flavored syrups that make it easier to administer medications to children.  Make a little syrup and mix in a crushed tablet or empty the capsule into the syrup.  Problem solved.  Hysteria over.  Do not think that you will be able to tell the child to suck it up without the flavoring.  It’s not worth the tears.  I had to take a nasturtium and usnea tincture for a couple of weeks last summer, and wow, was it nasty.  Four teaspoons of sugar in the tea that had tincture added wasn’t enough to cover the nasty taste.

Homemade sports drinks or oral rehydration solutions will taste just like store-bought when you use something like Kool-Aid for flavoring.

More important than that, though, will be covering the off taste of water, whether it naturally tastes bad, like my son and daughter-in-law’s water at their student apartment in Provo, or whether it’s due to having to add chlorine or iodine to purify it.  You don’t want to run the risk of dehydration in a dicey situation.

Or perhaps you just need another tool to help offset the risk of food fatigue.  I don’t know that that trick would work on me, but for children Kool-Aid might offer a welcome change of pace.  And it can also be used to make a fine snow cone syrup.

And then there are the desserts.  Here is just one example:

Orange Dreamsicle

1 ½ cups vanilla yogurt

1 cup half-and-half

1 package unsweetened Kool Aid

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk, chilled

Pour yogurt into a strainer lined with a coffee filter and let drain in the refrigerator until about ½ cup of whey is collected.  (This may take up to 6-8 hours.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the half-and-half and Kool-Aid.  Add the condensed milk and yogurt, stirring until smooth.  Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Links to related posts:

Candy Flavorings to Add to the Medicine Chest

The Medicinal Uses of Usnea

The Medicinal Uses of Nasturtium

Homemade Sports Drinks

Preparedness Uses of Iodine (Water Purification)  

Food Fatigue, American Style  

Snow Cone Syrup (Plus a Medicinal Use) 

Making Creamy, Thicker Yogurt Faster (Perfect for Making Cream Cheese)

Pantry Staples Using Dry Milk (Sweetened Condensed Milk recipe)