Powdered Milk - alternative

[flatfoot]

What is the best technique for correctly mixing powdered milk? I've never had much success and have leaned towards small UHT packs in the past. If I can get acceptable results with powdered milk I'll give it another shot.

[enduro]

What is the best technique for correctly mixing powdered milk? I've never had much success and have leaned towards small UHT packs in the past. If I can get acceptable results with powdered milk I'll give it another shot.

My Sunshine tin says to add 130G of powder to 900g milk or 1 cup powder to 3 cup water. Says only mix powder onto water and that's the method I use and then use a whisk, fork or spoon to blend. I use about 2 tblsn for a bowl of cereal.

It's ok to premix the powder into cereal and then pour water and give it a stir around. I've never had lumps this way.

[Son of a Beach]

I've found it seems to work better with cold water than with hot.

If the powder has been in your pantry for a while, don't expect it to mix well at all. The age/freshness makes a HUGE difference to how well it works. My wife has started using powdered milk in cooking sometimes of late, and since she started doing this, the powder in our pantry is not always very old and stale, and it always works much better than it used to when I used it only for bushwalking, and it would sit in the pantry for many months (or even years).

[enduro]

I've found it seems to work better with cold water than with hot.

If the powder has been in your pantry for a while, don't expect it to mix well at all. The age/freshness makes a HUGE difference to how well it works. My wife has started using powdered milk in cooking sometimes of late, and since she started doing this, the powder in our pantry is not always very old and stale, and it always works much better than it used to when I used it only for bushwalking, and it would sit in the pantry for many months (or even years).

Agree fully with this statement. The taste can change quite a lot as the milk ages too. When the can is fresh and airtight one can hardly tell the difference btwn powder and fresh milk.

[Son of a Beach]

When the can is fresh and airtight one can hardly tell the difference btwn powder and fresh milk.

Well, I don't know about that. I would agree that when it's fresh, and you've been walking for 12 days in the rain, and then pour it over your Weet-Bix for breakfast, you can hardly tell the difference then!

[corvus]

I add my powdered milk + sugar to my cereal in the bag add water in the morning and eat out of the bag ,milk mixes with no lumps.(milk is several months old now with the same result )
corvus

[enduro]

I add my powdered milk + sugar to my cereal in the bag add water in the morning and eat out of the bag ,milk mixes with no lumps.(milk is several months old now with the same result )
corvus

Works for me too and my milk is about 2 years old. Tastes great as it is well sealed and in a cool place (though the storage space does get up to 30'C in the summer - that's as cool as we can get it in summer wa).

[flatfoot]

When the can is fresh and airtight one can hardly tell the difference btwn powder and fresh milk.

Well, I don't know about that. I would agree that when it's fresh, and you've been walking for 12 days in the rain, and then pour it over your Weet-Bix for breakfast, you can hardly tell the difference then!

I bought some Powdered Milk today and tried it out. I couldn't believe how well it mixes. My previous experience with Powdered Milk is from a jar that must be well past the use-by date at work.

[robl]

At 5 cal/gm I regard powdered milk as an excellent food for bushwalking.
I have heard of someone going to Fed and back with nothing but it as food. (but he has been determined to be strange)

Energywise in my pack it rates at number 3. (after pasta and oats)
On a 9 day walk I would carry 1kg of full cream. I like milk and I have pleasant ways of consuming it. I use a plastic shaking jar and make a batch for breakfast to have with my tea and to be poured over my hot porridge. A good way to become properly hydrated. In the evening I make another batch for a cup of tea and skake up some of Mrs Fosters egg custard and cook it, or make a mousse, (Weightwatchers is very tasty) or perhaps a hot milk drink, and then into the sleeping bag warm and nicely hydrated.

A shaking jar is necessary.

[mountnman]

I'm not a milk person at the best of times, but when out walking I use the Nestle Sunshine Instant full cream powder which I read about on Roger Caffins FAQ and have found it never to be lumpy, and mixes easily in hot or cold water.

[whynotwalk]

I am wondering .... they reckon you can dehydrate yoghurt - using a standard food dryer - then reconstitute it with water when you need it. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds plausible.

SOOO ... what would happen if you dehydrated milk? You could use the solid tray (as used for fruit leathers, stews etc). You wouldn't get much per tray, but it might just supply enough to do tea, coffee and cereal. Has anyone tried it?

Maybe you'd just end up spitting (milky) chips but you never know ...

cheers

Peter

[corvus]

Owing to the fat and liquid quality of milk I doubt it would dry in a household dehydrator and why would you bother, silly post.
corvus

[Macca81]

Owing to the fat and liquid quality of milk I doubt it would dry in a household dehydrator and why would you bother, silly post.
corvus

you would bother, just to find out if its possible... do you not ever want to just try something, just to see if it can be done??? by your above post, i guess not...



WNW, why not dehy the yogurt, then when you rehy it just add more water? it might not taste just like normal milk, but it could prove to be an interesting alternative, particularly for breakfast

[corvus]

Owing to the fat and liquid quality of milk I doubt it would dry in a household dehydrator and why would you bother, silly post.
corvus

you would bother, just to find out if its possible... do you not ever want to just try something, just to see if it can be done??? by your above post, i guess not...



WNW, why not dehy the yogurt, then when you rehy it just add more water? it might not taste just like normal milk, but it could prove to be an interesting alternative, particularly for breakfast

At my age I have tried plenty of things just to see if it could be done but as a self funded retiree I cannot now afford to waste food on the off chance that it may possible to turn a sows ear into a silk purse,nor can I justify using precious energy on a perhaps outcome especially when I understand the limitations of my Dehydrator.
corvus

[jose]

I've tried dehydrating yogurt but I couldn't get it to dry enough to make it into a powder - more like flakes. It was quite edible with my muesli but nothing like the fresh product and I haven't thought it worth doing again

[Biggles]

The choice should be very simple, and rather less pedantic than to sound like you're preparing High Tea for Two in the bush with all mod-cons.

For me, I have powdered milk mixed for my VitaWeeties. I've prepared it in —4°c with no caking/flaking.
Green tea with nothing added all other times.
UHT milk triangles present a waste problem if you don't use all of it in one serving, then quite a bit of rubbish to cart out. Found several of these nasty remains in a recently-vacated walkers campsite.

Freeze-dry ice cream is available, why not freeze-dry yoghurt? Very interesting things can be found, though I'm up for experimenting with dehydrating my own food to save on the often atrocious cost of some foods (e.g. $16.95 for a one person meal...).

[John Sheridan]

How long does the Condensed milk in a Tube last for one week, or more only if you use it for coffee, I Have a tube of Nestle 200g, it says it can be used for camping, but also says refrigerate after opening, I guess when they say camping they mean when you have a fridge in your pack

I guess in Winter it would keep longer in your pack than summer.

Cheers.