February 6th, 2006 - Milk and cheese
Catherine wondered if you could make homemade cheese with powdered milk. The short answer is yes; you can use any kind of milk for cheese making. However, most cheese are made with whole milk because the fat content is a pretty important part (tasty) of cheese! You might try half and half, however, like the “part skim mozzerella” you can find in the store. (I don’t know how much of that is made with skim.)
And no, I won’t buy my powdered milk at Wal*Mart. I’m proud to say that it has been at least 5 years since I was in one and I plan to never go in one again. I believe it is morally criminal the way they treat female workers, under pay their staff, and choose corporate profits instead of fair benefits (leaving the rest of us to pay for things such as healthcare for employees’ children). Among other things. They aren’t the only ones who do this, and I am working at avoiding other such stores as well.
On the other hand, I’ve just joined a local food buying coop (thanks to Frugal Veggie Mama!) and I can get 50# of powdered milk through them at a very good rate. I’m a little nervous however. I wish I could sample it first…and I haven’t figured out how to store that much milk, either!
February 6th, 2006 at 10:30 am EST
Ann-marie, I’d love to know what you’d pay for 50# of powdered milk through a co-op. I’m still waiting on the catalog for the one in my community : )
February 7th, 2006 at 8:43 am EST
I’m another who won’t shop at Walmart.
February 7th, 2006 at 11:08 am EST
Thanks for the reply! I made yogurt with powdered milk, and it is not as thick as with whole, but still yummy!
For those on a major shoestring budget who wish to avoid Wal-Mart- Freecycle is a great source for powdered milk. Most people seem to hate it. I posted once asking for a box, and I got e-mails from TONS people begging me to take theirs. Make sure to ask how old it is!