It's a matter of ......Powdered Cheese

(Image courtesy of www.padutchfineteaspices.com)

One of the most frequent questions that I hear has to do with Food Storage types of "powders". Folks say "What in the world do I do with them?" They include things like shortening powder, butter powder, margarine powder, etc. Actually, in the Food industry, these powders are used often, particularly in prepared mixes. Today, I want to talk about Cheese powder. Commercially, you most likely have seen or used Powdered Cheese if you have purchased Potato Au gratin mixes or Macaroni and Cheese mixes.

Cheese powder comes in different qualities. The first type that I purchased a number of years ago looked really, really orange and was almost florescent. You all know what I mean. When I tried to make sauces with it, it was still really, really orange, and not in an appetizing way. I avoided it for a while, but got the courage to purchase more and try it again.

I went to Crane's Kitchen Kneads on Redwood Road in Salt Lake City. They sell the powder by the bag (clear plastic). That was very important to me as I wanted to "see" what kind of powder it was....I was avoiding the really orange type. The type of powder they sell is white in color, and it makes a wonderful sauce etc. It does get more color when you cook it. If you wish to see what it is like, get the "big" brand-named Mac and Cheese and look at the powder in the package. It is white. The taste is mild as well. I have come to really like it and wanted to share some ideas of what to do with it.

Nitro-pak (http://www.nitro-pak.com/) recommends the following directions for use: Gradually combine cheese blend with hot water. Stir together until smooth and creamy. Spread: 3/4 C. Water, 3/4 C. Powder. Yields 1 Cup. Sauce: 1 C. Water, 1/2 C. Powder. Yields 1 Cup.

Let's start with something really simple....Cheese Popcorn. Here is a recipe courtesy of http://www.thespicehouse.com/:

Cheese Corn Notes: (This recipe was provided by Evelyn Dybzinski).

Ingredients1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1 can butter flavor spray
1 jar cheddar cheese powder

Serves / Yields1/4 cup popcorn makes large bowl

Preparation Instructions
As the popcorn comes out of popper, spray the pan spray on it in spurts. When the bowl is full, sprinkle cheddar cheese powder on top. It will fall through and stick to the spray. Great!
(Evelyn states the following: "I use the cheddar cheese powder on my air-popped popcorn to save on calories. Also, I've found the butter flavored pan sprays help it to stick to the popcorn--again less calories").

Here is another "doable" recipe that comes from http://www.pioneerthinking.com/:

Cheese Sauce Mini-Mix

1/3 cups dehydrated cheese powder
3 Tablespoons powdered milk
3 Tablespoons dehydrated butter powder or margarine powder
3 Tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoons onion powder

Cheese Sauce

Combine:
1 cup hot tap water
1/2 cup Cheese Sauce Mix (above)
Bring to a boil stirring with a wire whisk -- it only takes a minute! For a touch of color add a few parsley flakes (optional). Mix-A-Meal Cookbook, by Deanna Bean and Lorna Shute, p. 46.

Here are several favorites that use Cheese powder when you purchase them as mixes from the store. The information comes from http://bulkfoodmarketplace.com/uploads/RECIPE14.pdf

MACARONI & CHEESE
1¼ cups uncooked macaroni
¼ cup cheddar cheese powder
¼ cup milk
¼ cup butter or margarine
Cook macaroni in 2 quarts boiling water until tender.
Drain. Add cheese mix, milk and butter; stirring
gently until noodles are well coated.

AU GRATIN POTATOES
(Using Dehydrated Potatoes)
¼ cup cheddar cheese powder
1 tbsp dehydrated onion flakes
¼ tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp celery seed
1/8 tsp garlic powder
3 cups dehydrated potatoes
2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp butter or margarine
2/3 cup milk

Mix together first five ingredients. Place dehydrated
potato slices in casserole. Sprinkle dry ingredient
mixture over potatoes, then add boiling water and
butter. Stir until butter is melted and sauce is
smooth. Stir in milk. Bake at 400°F for 30-35
minutes until potatoes are tender.

USING FRESH POTATOES: Peel and
slice 3 medium potatoes and place in casserole.
Heat milk and butter until warm. Add dry
ingredients; mix until smooth. Pour over potatoes.
Bake at 400°F for 45-60 minutes until potatoes are
tender.

Finally, you can use it as a sprinkle on Baked Potatoes, or put some into biscuits. Experiment with it today. Take the opportunity to gain a new skill!

Blue Chip Group, Grandma's Country Foods & Kitchen Kneads

My sister and I went on a "Food Storage Tour de Jour" today and visited many different establishments, primarily in Salt Lake City. In light of the recent "case lot" sales, I was pleasantly surprised to find such reasonable prices and a really great selection at all of these Establishments. Here is a summary of what we found:

Blue Chip Group (432 W. 3440 S., SLC UT): This supplier has recently opened a "store" attached to their plant. They had a tremendous selection of nearly everything you can think of with very, very good pricing.

• For example, I found Freeze-Dried Chicken, Roast Beef, and Pork Chops. The price for a #10 can of Freeze Dried Chicken is $30.97. A similar product at Emergency Essentials is on sale this month for $39.99/can, and Alpine Food Storage has a similar product for $38.00/can.
• I was pleasantly surprised to see a host of Gluten-Free products as well. I have a family member who needs these and they are often very expensive and hard to find.
• You can view a current price list at http://www.bluechipgroup.net/products/fdretail.pdf. You can also view their items in the "store" and get descriptions if you like at http://shop.bluechipgroup.net/main.sc.
• Just so you know, I believe some of these products may be less at Macey's case lot sale right now as they made such a big purchase from BCG that they got quite a discount. For example, during Macey's last Preparedness sale, I was able to purchase Dent Corn (dehydrated.....it is to mill and make corn meal when I need it) for $14.00 a bucket. It was much more today at BCG, but still very reasonable.
• If you want to fax in an order, you can and they will let you know when you can come to "will call" and pick it up. Or, you can do as we did today and just go "shopping" at their store. Overall, BCG was very easy to work with today.

Grandma's Country Foods (386 W 9400 S, Sandy UT): This was a different experience, but still a very good one.

• Most Utahns have seen "Grandma's Country Spices" in our local grocery stores. This is the warehouse, but they also have a store attached to it. The prices of the spices are very, reasonable, and they also have many Freeze Dried foods, appliances (grain mills etc) and Emergency Preparedness supplies. They even let us go into the warehouse to look at something I really want to get. (We will have to see if the Rooster of the house agrees:).
• We learned that they currently have their Powdered milk (Country Cream) on sale, and the #10 cans hold 51 oz versus the 33 oz of competitive brands. In taste tests with other Powdered Milk brands traditionally this brand is rated very high, if not the best. They have a case of 6 cans (#10) on sale for $60.00. The Lindon cannery charges $7.60/can, so they have the best price. However, since milk is such a "touchy" issue, you may want to purchase a can of each (Country Cream can be purchased at Macey's) and try them to see which your family prefers.
• The website for this supplier is http://www.grandmascountry.com/.

Cranes Kitchen Kneads (7579 S 1700 W, West Jordan, UT (801) 561-9616): They do not have a website, although the Ogden Location does.

• They also have many staples, a demonstration kitchen, lots of sprouting supplies, candy making supplies, and a great selection of nuts. I purchased some powdered cheese today that I am trying to do some "experimenting" with. It isn't that dark orange type (yuck!), but the type you would find in the the national brand of Mac and Cheese.
• In past visits to this store, if you cannot find a certain item elsewhere, I have traditionally found it there. Since it is a drive, and they do not have a website, you may want to call first to see if they have what ever you are looking for.
• Also, they are open Tuesday through Saturday only.

It seems that many people who were shopping today were stocking up, but for a different reason that I hadn't even considered. They were trying to get their shopping done before General Conference. I guess these types of suppliers sell out of many things around that time as people are reminded about the need for being prepared.