How do you feel about powdered milk?

[Rebookie]

I was wondering if I should try it out. My MIL is a big PM user.. Can you bake with it?


I would love haters and lovers opinions!


Thank you so much!

[calimomx2]

I bake with it but we don't drink it. I've tried to be sneaky and add it into the regular milk to make it stretch and for whatever reason my dks and dh can tell!!

[bumplett]

I've used it to bake/cook with, and it has a great shelf life.

We don't use it for drinking either -

[jas]

I use it in baking too. I even use it when I make my bread. I have used it in smoothies and I have this recipe for Majic Mix a combination of dry milk, flour and butter. I use it for everything from creamed soups, gravy to pudding.

I don't drink it plain though. I just started using it in the last six months and enjoy it.

[Rebookie]

I don't think we will be drinking it straight either. Our family doesn't just drink milk.. I was just thinking about it. Maybe with a rich dessert but not to drink for fun. =D

[ahmom]

BLUCK! I do have some for HM bread but don't bother using it for other things.

[bumplett]

in that case, maybe you can try powdered instead of buying reg. milk at all - that would save money, and save from having milk spoil before you can use it all??

[Rebookie]

You guys are going to cringe whne I tell you this... My milk spoils REGULARLY... In half gallon form! I can't use it fast enough!

What is the prepared life of PM?

[No Frills]

I'm a one person household and don't drink milk. The only time I use 'real' milk is when I make sausage gravy and biscuits or white sauce. I use powdered milk and/or powdered non-dairy creamer for baking.

I buy a half-gallon of milk about once every 6 months. Since I only use a cup or two at a time, I repackage the milk in heavy duty freezer bags. Two bags with 2 cups each and four bags with 1 cup each.

[Incognito]

For many years, I used to buy powdered milk in large plastic bags (No Name brand), freeze it and use it all the time. I didn't buy fresh milk at all.
But for the past few years powdered milk has become outrageously expensive, and it is far more economical to buy fresh milk in 4 litre jugs. That way, I can freeze it, thaw off the cream and refreeze that, and use the rest as-is for meals and baking.

[zakity]

Either buy regular milk and freeze in usable portions or use powdered.

I buy regular milk because my guys can go through it and I use it for making yogurt. I keep powdered around to use in baking or for a recipe when we are low on regular milk. As per my husband (who was raised on powdered milk), I am not allowed to serve it to the boys are regular milk. He isn't even happy that I have it in the house to cook with.

[savvy_sniper]

I use powdered milk for cooking. Hubby and I LOVE milk. We have stepped down from whole milk. I alternate buying a gallon of 2% then a gallon of 1%. I refuse to step down to skim milk!

[Nishu]

Are we talking about instant or non instant powdered milk here?

I see instant powder in boxes, but the only time I've ever seen non-instant was in bulk at Central market. I think the non-instant is supposed to taste better, and I put it in peanut butter-honey balls and it tasted better than the ones made with instant milk.

Are we all talking about the same thing?

[perSue]

I love PM because it's handy to have when kiddo decides last minute he wants somethiing creamy... w/out adding more liquid (more cooking time, and over cooking something), i just add some PM and sometime corn starch, etc. and it's thick/creamy.
I bake with it as well... for example, when making soda bread, i use PM w/lemon juice for buttermilk in recipes.
kiddo drinks milk so much, i hate using "his gallon" in cooking (no one else drinks it). So PM is my back up.
I'd not recommend drinking it straight... but cooking w/it, using the proper measurements, you can't tell.
HTH

[frugalfranny]

Very handy.....long shelf life........I use it for kitchen things (and crafts) but NOT for drinking.

If your 1/2 gallon spoils but you still want regular milk.....might be best to just go to the quart size. Wow.........that would last me about a day and a half.