Powdered Milk? Yuck!
By Milehimama on Nov 10, 2009 in Home Cooking
Who likes powdered milk?
What, no one’s jumping up and down, yelling “Me! Me! Me!”?
That’s because no matter how much you chill it, powdered milk never quite tastes the same as the cold jugs.
Yet, powdered milk is a necessary evil sometimes. Natural disasters or economic woes can mean that spending $3-$4 on the fresh stuff is out of reach. If one has no refrigeration, powdered milk is a life saver.
It’s a good idea to feed it to the family once in a while, so if there is a pressing need, it’s not entirely foreign. But how do you get it down the hatch of stressed out kids?
Don’t drink it!
Here’s what I do.
- Substitute milk for water in recipes. Works really well for oatmeal or hot cereal!
- Make soup. Creamy soups. Think cream of broccoli, potato, chowders… powdered milk is non-fat, so you’ll be adding protein and calories, not clogging up arteries.
- Doctor it up. I try to keep a can of Ovaltine in our hurricane stock with powdered milk. It has extra vitamins for times when we’re eating everything out of a can, and we rarely have it at home, so it’s a “treat”. It does have artificial food colors in it, though, so I also have chocolate syrup on hand, too. (Well, almost always. We’ve been known to break into our hurricane stash for a chocolate fix!). Or, make some hot cocoa mix. All the calcium of milk, but warm and comforting, too. (I skip the pudding mix that is optional for that recipe, but a few chopped chocolate chips in the mix never hurt anyone!)
- Use convenience foods. Use powdered milk to make instant puddings and drink plain water for thirst. (If you cannot have artificial colors, you’ll have to search out natural versions.) Truthfully, made from scratch pudding isn’t difficult, either, but in an emergency you probably won’t have the time or inclination to cook up a batch.
- Add powdered milk to savory dishes to enhance nutrition. Add the powder to mashed potatoes or any gravy dish with lots of flavor for a calcium boost without noticing the taste.
- Make yogurt. It’s easy, and you can strain it to make a creamy spread or mix in fruit for a tasty snack.
A word about using powdered milk to stretch your budget – do the math. Right now, for example, fresh milk is cheaper than powdered milk. in my area. How do I figure?
The cheapest I can get powdered milk is at WalMart, and it’s $6.34 for enough to make 10 quarts. This works out to $2.53 per gallon (63.4¢ per quart, 4 quarts per gallon).
Locally, a gallon of milk is running $1.99 right now, 54¢ cheaper than the powdered.
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Yeah, you really have to price out fresh milk before you go buying it because it seems like it would be cheaper.
Strangely, my 2 and 4 year old LOVE drinking powdered milk. It makes me want to gag as a beverage but they actually ask for “milk in a box”.
Shannon | Nov 10, 2009 | Reply
I was floored when I got milk the other day – $1.89 a gallon!
Powdered milk is always good to have on hand though. I’ve never had a glass of it, but used to always have it on hand for things just like you said – mashed potatoes, cooking, etc.
Tia | Nov 11, 2009 | Reply
Believe it or not I actually have kids that prefer it.
I do keep it on hand for cooking and such. If I am out of regular milk it saves me that trip to the store and thereby saving some money.
Thanks for the tips!
christy | Nov 11, 2009 | Reply
I admit that I am not fond of it either, but you are right about it being great to cook with!
Birdie | Nov 12, 2009 | Reply
3.49 per gallon on sale. We use dry for rice mixes, pudding, and hot cocoa as well. I basically use it with everything but not straight. My family would rebel! I get the bulk size at Costco and freeze it to prevent spoilage but it can loose vitamins if frozen to long though.
kat | Nov 12, 2009 | Reply
For a while, the Costco off I-10 in Houston carried Morning Moo Milk. It was a large bucket of powdered milk substitute. It costs about $1 a gallon and tastes a little better than regular powdered milk.
Houstonmom | Nov 12, 2009 | Reply
I’ve heard about Morning Moos (maybe from your site?) but somehow I thought it wasn’t actual milk, but some kind of powdered, blended drink!
Milehimama | Nov 13, 2009 | Reply
I got this from their site:http://www.moosmilk.com/
Nutritious Drink Mix – a delicious, milk alternative fortified with vitamins & minerals
Features
· Blend of Grade A Sweet Dairy Whey, and Dairy Solids, and nondairy solids
+ Whey is a rich source of nutrients including carbohydrates, trace minerals, and protein
+ Nearly all of the calcium caseinate, butterfat, and cholesterol from the milk used to produce the cheese remains in the cheese
· Fortified with Vitamins A & D
· 90 Calories per 8 oz serving – 30 calories lower than 2 % milk
· Little or no preservatives
· 9% Lactose vs. 20% in regular milk
· Low-fat – 2 grams of fat per 8 oz serving
· Good source of calcium
Houstonmom | Nov 13, 2009 | Reply
I like this post – I need to buy a couple of boxes of powdered milk someday.
I like your creative ideas for using it. If we were ever in a crisis situation we’d plan to use it for cooking and not straight drinking, I think.
Kaira | Nov 14, 2009 | Reply
Last comment on powdered milk I promise. I stumbled on this today. She does a good job on describing the diff btw powdered mill and moo milk alternative. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlSUc2uk5_8
Houstonmom | Nov 20, 2009 | Reply