Powdered Ingredients.... needs no refrigeration

[ice_maiden]

Ok I have refrigeration but I got really tired of throwing stuff away because I didn't use as much as the smallest container I could buy.  I use these ingredients for the portion control and convenience more than the refrigeration issue.  But it would work for those of you who are without refrigeration, and actually some of the options are healthier. Having these always on hand means exactly that,  I always have them even if I'm out of fresh. Here is a list of some of the things I keep in a powdered version.

Tomato Powder instead of can tomato sauce.  means no salt or sugar added.  can make tomato sauce or paste with it.
Powdered sour cream.  Not good for dips, but great for mixing in recipes that call for SC.  No fat..it's gone so only the taste.
Powdered mushrooms ... this is more because I like the taste but not the texture
Nido - whole milk powder.
Powdered Bell peppers,  another texture issue, but is is great to have on hand when you need bell peppers but the fresh have run out.
Ova easy egg crystal .  These are expensive but the closest to real eggs
Real Lime Powder.  I like mexican food and it tends to use a lot of lime.
Honey granules.  I know that honey doesn't spoil but these don't make a mess..  
Beef and chicken bullion granules.  I shoot for the low sodium type.

above are the mainstays but there are some other things I keep on hand also

butter powder
Hot sauce powder
powdered jalapenos
vinegar powder (apple and balsamic)
ground vanilla powder
Real lemon and Real orange


there is also one more thing I keep but you have to mix it up (this is how I make single serve casserole without wasting a can of creamed soup)

Homemade cream of anything soup mix (no salt added, I use nido for the milk but the author has other suggestions for dairy free. )

recipe HERE.
http://www.humoroushomemaking.com/homemade-cream-of-soup-mix
Most of this will last for ages.... the only thing you have to watch is humidity.  I live in a humid summer climate and my combat for this, beside a jar that seals well, is those little silicon packs they tell you to throw away... DON'T... they are non-toxic, reusable and good for keeping moisture out of a lot of things..in the winter expose them to your heater for a while  and they are good to go again.

As a side note:  you can powder most anything you can dehydrate, with a coffee grinder... things that have fat content like sour cream need to be purchased ... it is a different process to remove the fat.

 

[Konaexpress]

Holly cr@p! Had no idea about these things. Looking forward to seeing what others post.

John

 

[ice_maiden]

Konaexpress they make a large variety of things powdered... some other things I can think of off the top of my head are powder peanut butter, powdered Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce.

another plus to powdered foods is lighter weight.. that soup mix is the equivalent of 7 cans of soup, at half or more of the weight.

a good place to research powdered ingredients is backpacking forums and websites.

 

[ramblingvanman]

Thanks Icemaiden. I had no idea some of that stuff even existed.

 

[WriterMs]

You list several things that I don't remember popping up on the "no refrigeration" thread!

Sounds like you cook recipes from scratch a lot, which I don't. But I can see uses for several of your powders just to enrich the simple things I heat up. Thanks.

 

[Konaexpress]

She had me at soy sauce. Free range chow mien! Whoo hoo! My fried rice is not to bad either.

John

 

[ice_maiden]

Sounds like you cook recipes from scratch a lot, which I don't. But I can see uses for several of your powders just to enrich the simple things I heat up. Thanks.

Back when, I used to cook from scratch for 5 people. Now it's only me, so I just mix some ingredients and microwave... most things I cook only take a few minutes, but they are based on things I use to cook from scratch.  I just had to learn how to substitute ingredients to reduce the waste.  For example a can of tomato sauce became a spoon of tomato powder or a can of cream of chicken soup became a couple of spoons of "cream of anything soup mix, chicken bullion granules and water.

I still eat a lot of easy to grab food like stuff on crackers but after a while I start lusting after things I use to make ... so I learned to adapt them to simplicity.

 

[highdesertranger]

wow that cream of anything soup looks cool I have got to try that one. were do you find powdered vinegar and Worchester sauce, I have never seen these. anyhow very cool thanks for the tips. highdesertranger

 

[TMG51]

I'm also interested if all these powdered things are available at a sticks n' bricks location somewhere. Mail ordering food items seems cumbersome to me.

 

[B and C]

/\    /\   What he said.

 

[ice_maiden]

Where you are located geographically depends on what is available to you in a S&B Location TMG51, so sometime mail order is the best or only way to get it.

Some of these things I order from Firehouse Pantry in Brookville OH, website HERE

tomato powder (although I got mine from Denver Spice @ Amazon 'cause I had a credit)
vinegar powder
Worcestershire & Soy powder
Hot sauce powder

Cheese powder (White and yellow cheddar, Romano, Blue, Parmesan & Cream Cheese)
Pepper powders (red and Green Bell, Jalapeno, and many hot varieties)
They also make a lot of their own blends of stuff for mixes
just go to their search and type "powder"

The Butter powder and Sour Cream powder came from Hoosier Hill Farms

These are things I have found at my local walmart
Real lime, lemon and orange powder packets
honey granule packets
powdered peanut butter
Coconut milk powder
Nido (whole Milk Powder) (usually in the Mexican food isle)
Powdered milk (low fat)
Buttermilk powder (baking isle)
Chicken and Beef Granules (here in the mexican food isle)

When you have free time, walk through your local grocery store and actually pay attention to what is on the shelf. You'd be surprised at some of the things they carry and that you can use differently than the box they come in. That box of Sour Cream and Chive Potatoes is nothing more than dehydrated potatoes with a chemical package.  If you don't want the chemicals or the sodium (or amount it makes)  rehydrate the potatoes and use them how you want. The whole trick is the rehydration. It is actually longer than what those boxes call for. That is why those boxes  never really taste like cooked from scratch.  But this again is a topic for another thread.


You can order/locate the bell pepper powder and mushroom powder, but I just make it myself out of dehydrated bell peppers and mushrooms, with a coffee/spice grinder. (dehydrated mushrooms are available at my walmart in the produce section)

Another place that you can go if you are in that area is [font=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]Berry Farm foods in Cridersville, Ohio Website HERE[/font]
[font=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]They invite you to stop by.[/font]
[font=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]They carry quite a few powdered ingredient and dehydrated foods[/font]

[font=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]I live in a very rural town that has a Walmart and a Local chain grocery ... Very limited amount of anything out of the norm[/font]
[font=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]I can find more gourmet items when I visit my brother in Houston, so finding stuff S&B depend on location.
[/font]

 

[LeeRevell]

One thing to be aware of is that many dry powdered foods contain a lot of salt and preservatives.  Make sure you are eating healthy.

 

[ice_maiden]

One thing to be aware of is that many dry powdered foods contain a lot of salt and preservatives.  Make sure you are eating healthy.

Lee if you are talking about the stuff out of processed boxed foods then you are very right. But what I am talking about is a more pure form of powdered foods.

Let's take the Tomato Powder for example.

Here are the ingredients for an 8 oz can of Hunt's tomato sauce

Ingredients: Tomato puree (water tomato paste), water, less than 2% of salt, Citric acid, spice, tomato fiber, natural flavor.

That less than 2% salt adds up to 410mg per serving and with 3.5 servings per can... it means a whopping 1435mg of salt per can.  spice and natural flavor can cover a lot of unknowns

Now here is the ingredients for Tomato Powder

Powdered Tomatoes, Silicon dioxide (see no salt at all)

Silicon Dioxide is an anti-caking agent.  Silicon dioxide is found naturally in many plants. For example, leafy green vegetables, beets, bell peppers, brown rice and oats, and alfalfa. (pretty much all good for you)

So the healthier choice would be the Tomato Powder.

This generally applies to most all of the other powders too.  Just not the stuff that you get out of processed boxed food.

 

[LeeRevell]

Lee if you are talking about the stuff out of processed boxed foods then you are very right. But what I am talking about is a more pure form of powdered foods.

Let's take the Tomato Powder for example.

Here are the ingredients for an 8 oz can of Hunt's tomato sauce


That less than 2% salt adds up to 410mg per serving and with 3.5 servings per can... it means a whopping 1435mg of salt per can.  spice and natural flavor can cover a lot of unknowns

Now here is the ingredients for Tomato Powder

Powdered Tomatoes, Silicon dioxide (see no salt at all)

Silicon Dioxide is an anti-caking agent.  Silicon dioxide is found naturally in many plants. For example, leafy green vegetables, beets, bell peppers, brown rice and oats, and alfalfa. (pretty much all good for you)

So the healthier choice would be the Tomato Powder.

This generally applies to most all of the other powders too.  Just not the stuff that you get out of processed boxed food.

Point taken.  My point still stands too.  No matter what the form or packaging we need to check the ingrediants and be sure what we are getting.  Even more important if we have medical problems.  I am pre-diabetic.  A buddy has Celiac Disease.  So it is important to be careful.

 

[DesertDweller]

Great to see your thread, Ice Maiden! I've been storing and using powdered foods for several years now, and I am planning on bringing "some" of my stock on the road with us. 
Here is where I get a lot of stuff from:
http://honeyville.com/store/  They have physical locations, or you can buy online.
http://www.augasonfarms.com/?avad=49183_daa9f1d9  Some products are sold in WalMarts at certain locations, but you can also buy online
http://beprepared.com/?sc=GOOGLE&oc...27HQhIcFO7tzeTyrYRsGcYmfmtrKTCxMwsBoC3Czw_wcB  This one is based in Utah, and does have physical store in Murray, Utah
https://www.campingsurvival.com/?gc...i7kKA4mOKbRlA4DY7zdjBODIujDqP2GnzGhoC8yXw_wcB  I've also bought interesting items from here.
http://www.firehousepantrystore.com...DjXOdh0kPRZRq9WX997-k33XM4S_5NPpFHBoCVcvw_wcB  Lots of neat and gourmet stuff here. I get their stuff via mail.
https://www.sweetmarias.com/  I buy green coffee that can be roasted in a cast iron pan outdoors, great sippin's here

Don't buy items by the case, buy one of each item you want to try, then test them. Some you will not like, some you will keep on hand all the time! 

YES, I'm a prepper. We've had to live on freeze dried and powdered food for months at a time when we have had personal "SHTF" situations. Be aware that it takes WATER to rehydrate these foods.

 

[Kaylee]

Fantastically useful thread, so... bump!
I do not have a fridge (just 2 coolers), and do not plan to get one any time soon (possibly never).

Last fall, I decided to try sour cream powder, mainly to try to improve the flavor of some "ReadyMeals" entrees I'd previously stocked up on for my summer car dwelling experiment.
("ReadyMeals" are a brand of single serving ready-to-eat shelf-stable entrees, that are designed for the microwave but also work as "boil in the bag". They're often on sale for close to a dollar, so handy to have for days one doesn't feel like cooking.)

I considered a few brands, and ended up buying a one pound container of Hoosier Hill sour cream powder (about $14 at Amazon).
It's a square container, so much more space efficient than #10 cans, and I'd been wanting to try one of their products.

Here's a "Santa Fe style steak" pouch beside the sour cream container:

nutrition & ingredients:

closeup of what the powder looks like:

both prepared, ready to eat, on a (store bought) tortilla:

It definitely improved the taste, and added some protein & calcium.
As some of the Amazon reviews mention, there was a moderately odd after taste, but I did not find it bad, and quickly got used to it (this is purely subjective - I'm generally non-fussy, food-wise).

It was easy to prepare just one serving worth, so is ideal for non-refrigerator folks. I carefully measured the first time or two, then eyeballed all subsequent servings.

During that period, I was using up some MRE squad sized "polytrays", including some pork crumbles, and when I realized I had sour cream as needed, decided to make tacos, which turned out really well.

Taco shells with pork crumbles & cheese, nuked, then added some (canned) diced tomatoes:

after adding lettuce and HH sour cream:

I've also had it on Pastys (a traditional hand-held meat pie that's a signature dish of Michigan's Upper Peninsula). Wow!

So far, all experiments have been done in a s&b motel kitchenette. I have prepared some of the ReadyMeals in my van, while on the road, but have not yet made sour cream from powder there.
I'll update as that changes.

highdesertranger had expressed interest in sour cream powder in another thread, and while trying to find that, I found this great thread. A grand necro felt warranted.


Stay tuned for a butter powder review, with porn & a key tip.

 

[WanderingRose]

If you are ever in any part of the country that has Amish, their grocery stores carry a phenomenal array of powdered ingredients and freeze dried foods, in addition to any flour or grain you can imagine.

There is a nice one in Shipshewana, Indiana, also in Koloa, Iowa, many others I have never been in.

 

[RoadStar66]

Those are some pantry items to make a note of. But the problem with powdered foods is that the dehydrating process (heating until all the moisture is evaporated out) destroys just about all food value except starch and some proteins. And they've usually full of preservatives, artificial flavorings and colorings, and lots of salt and sugar. But it's nice to have some packaged stuff around for the times you run out of "real food" or want something to add to spice up a dish.

 

[MikenMJ]

Yes I've been looking into the powdered foods. Trying to go that route as much as possible. Thanks for the information.
Thank you
Mj

 

[maki2]

powdered grains...commonly called flour
cocoa powder
salt
granulated sugar
instant coffee and tea
powdered cheese
gravy mixes
corn starch

most of us have been using powdered foods all our lives