in a box at the front door via Fedex.

A. thought I should share milkman with the group, so after a site search that got no hits, I decided that I would.

Let me first say that we have no affiliation with Familiar Foods, Inc. that distributes Milkman. We only use the stuff.

What is Milkman you ask? It is an instant low fat dry milk.

As I have stated before, when we started backpacking we were rather poor. Therefore we tried to make meals as cheap as possible. We tried packing cereals such as cheerios and grapenuts with non dairy powdered milks. They tasted terrible! With Milkman, the buoyancy created by the milk fat allows the cereals to hold up longer with out turning soggy and the milk at the end is drinkable!!!


What do we use it for?

To replace the weight of liquid milk.

It is much better for cereal than powdered non dairy milks.

It makes instant puddings creamier. Before leaving on a trip we repackage instant puddings in ziplock bags that include the pudding mix and the amount of Milkman required to make the needed milk called for in the directions. Shake bag vigorously, making sure to mix all ingredients, allow to sit while you eat dinner. Makes a wonderful dessert and is creamier than just using water.

It is a tastier addition to coffee or tea than non dairy creamers.

After a web search I can not find anywhere to purchase it other than REI. Which, by the way, we have no affiliation with either!  :P

The cost is about $1 USD for a packet that makes one quart.

We hope that this will be useful for some people!

M and A

Now if they could just come up with powdered whisky   ::)

If they can dehydrate salsa..why not dark beer?  Some are certainly thick enough. :D

And what about wine...in Germany isn't it refered to as Liebersmilch...?

wrote on Mar 4^th, 2006 at 2:03am:

After a web search I can not find anywhere to purchase it other than REI.

This is what I use also, we had a supermarket (Albertsons) that use to carry it but they removed it from the shelves a few years ago and like you REI is the only place I've found it.
I tested it on the family, I guess you could call it a blind test. I filled a milk container with it and put it back in the refrigerator nobody could tell the difference, my better half used it in her coffee and the kids on cereal. Great product!
flp

Any one ever try making milk   (You need to Login or Register

Yechhhh, nonfat milk!  IMO, no matter how hard you try it will come out as white-colored water.

A local organic/health food store (Fruitful Yield) carries NOW brand whole dried milk.  This should be light-years better than any nonfat dried milk product.  You should be able to get it or order it from your local health food store.  (On the internet, Adventurefoods.com has whole milk powder too.)

I have no idea what "non-dairy nonfat milk" would contain, but I'm sure in the end it is nowhere near the organoleptic properties of real milk.

TTC,
I purchased 1 lb. of whole milk through Adventure Foods when I could no longer get Milkman through Albertsons, it was a pain to mix. I would imagine that it would be quite good if I could get past the lumps and since went back to the Milkman 2%, ordering through REI.
flp

wrote on Mar 4^th, 2006 at 1:55pm:

TTC, I purchased 1 lb. of that through Adventure Foods when I could no longer get Milkman through Albertsons, it was a pain to mix. I would imagine that it would be quite good if I could get past the lumps and since went back to the Milkman. flp

TTC

Besides, Milkman, as stated in my orginal post, is lowfat. Not Non fat. It is not at all white colored water...

M

I have used Milkman on trips too and have been satisfied with it. I don't drink it plain, but use it in recipes and it does seem to help the taste/texture much more than nonfat milk.

Tim

wrote on Mar 5^th, 2006 at 3:15pm:

I have used Milkman on trips too and have been satisfied with it. I don't drink it plain, but use it in recipes and it does seem to help the taste/texture much more than nonfat milk. Tim

Tim,
I am not a milk drinker, as a kid during the summers I would visit my great uncle in Central Florida and work on his dairy farm I list it as an eight on the gag scale. The only way I use milk other than in recipes is on cereal. My test was trying it on cereal, if you use 2% at home, as my family does I'll guarantee you will not taste a difference.
flp

TTC, Altho I use non-dairy creamer in my coffee, and like it; I have to relate this story...Our package of it spilled into the bottom of the food pack last summer, got just enough wet to get sticky, and remained the consistency of sticky silly putty the rest of the trip!! Made me start to re-think the stuff... :P

Here is the deal. Go to the International food isle in your Kroger, Walmart...whatever. There is a product in the Mexican section called Nido. This is a powered milk they apparently drink hot. I have found nothing even close to this as a powered milk substitute. Tastes almost as rich as cream. Put some granola in a vaccum seal bag and put about 2 tablespoons of Nido in the bottom and seal it up, Mix in some lake water and squish it around and you have killer cereal, eat out of the bag and no dishes but a spoon (wipe it on your shirt and go ;)). Add this to cheap mac and cheese with squeeze parkay and it tastes so good you'll start making it like this at home. Trust me...this stuff is fantastic. [smiley=thumbup.gif]

I'm going to find these milk products listed -- milkman and the mexican one -- ..sounds like they'll make my oatmeal and granola all the more tastier.  

BUT, Intrepid_camper...for coffee, for 3 years I've brought in a bag of those little creamers you get from McDonalds, for example.  I put the bag on the top of the food pack, so it doesn't get crushed.  They are a WONDERFUL, lightweight delicacy for those who love cream in their coffee.  My buddies gave me a hard time initially, but now they love this, and carefully manage our creamer supply so it lasts the entire trip!  Try it!  You'll like it!  

prouboy

Prouboy,

Milkman is no longer on the market.  The company stopped making it due to lack of demand, maybe a year ago or so.  Too bad, as I liked it.

Have not been able to fiind Nido in any of the grocery stores I go to  (near Denver), even though they have a large Mexican Foods section.

I've thought of experimenting with the regular non-fat dry milk, and adding a bit of coffee mate to it - might be ok.

 Nido, Is a Nestle product.
Nido is a dry whole milk, contain 26% milk fat and it's a good replacement for the real milk, good for the baby beyond one year of age.
Nido is a full cream milk powder enriched with vitamins and minerals.

Sounds like a better choice for your coffee/baking/cereal needs than most powdered milks, which tend too be low-fat.

Lots of places on-line to buy it ;)

I've been using powdered Soy Milk. It's rich enough, but mixes kind of slow compared to powdered milk, even in hot coffee. I got the idea to try it from a gal that posted a dried food produces link here last spring. It does have a nice taste after it's mixed. I found mine at a health food shop.

Any evidence of the melamine contaminated Nido making it into the US?  

dd

  :'(  Now I'm glad I drink my coffee black, and eat my oatmeal with just plain water and a handful of trail mix ;)

I started Packit Gourmet awhile ago and we have a really good full-cream milk powder up on the site - Nature's First

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I also really like Nido. I use both but for different things. Nature's First tastes better to me but Nido mixes a bit easier so it depends on what I'm making. I posted a review of the two awhile ago... I'll look for it.

Found it!

I was talking about both milk and eggs here. I thought someone might be interested in the eggs part so I didn't delete it. Sorry to get off topic!



Milk

Nature’s First – This is my hands down favorite powdered milk. It’s a full cream milk with the simplest of ingredient lists. Milk. The downside is that because it doesn’t include any additives it can be a little more work to get it to fully dissolve. If I’m eating anything where milk plays a big part (smoothies, granola, etc) this is the one I reach for.

Nido – My old favorite and my current backup, Nido is also a great tasting choice. You can get it in most Asian and Latino grocery stores in a small or large can. It dissolves much more readily than Nature’s First so this is what I use in most of my recipes calling for powdered milk. It doesn’t have a full-cream milky taste, but it does taste like you're drinking milk NOT milk powder.



Eggs

This one is a little bit harder…. I hear many backpackers say they opt to pack in fresh or hard boiled eggs. Personally I wouldn't do it. I don't want to have to worry about spoilage or breakage so, unless it’s the first day out and I want fried eggs on the menu, I go with powdered. I’ve found a couple of good powdered options that taste a lot like real eggs.

Ova Easy – Made with just freeze-dried eggs, this one is definitely my first choice when it comes to powdered eggs. It’s the closest thing I’ve tasted to the real thing – in fact, I recently served these to a friend and they couldn’t tell the difference! Good on their own, I really like them with a little freeze-dried cheese tossed in or mixed with dehydrated bell peppers and tomatoes. Yum!

Sonstegard – This is more of a mix than Ova Easy as they’ve had milk, oil and salt added to them. These taste almost as good as the Ova Easy but (maybe due to the add ins?) they’re a little bit bulkier and heavier. A good option though and less expensive if you’re on a budget.

Camp_Girl wrote on Mar 26^th, 2009 at 9:24pm:

Nature’s First – This is my hands down favorite powdered milk. Ova Easy – Made with just freeze-dried eggs, this one is definitely my first choice when it comes to powdered eggs. Sonstegard – These taste almost as good as the Ova Easy but (maybe due to the add ins?) they’re a little bit bulkier and heavier.

Camp_Girl -- thanks for the great info!  You may have caused me to change my habits!   I have brought in pre-measured powdered milk in a nalgene bottle for years...a quart is good enough for one breakfast of granola.  And I bring in extra powdered milk in a baggie.  Question: will Nature's First mix up okay in a Nalgene, if I just add water and shake?  How difficult is it to mix?  

Ova Easy and Sonstegard -- How would you say these compare to egg beaters?  Egg beaters have been my standard...never had a problem with them going bad, even though they're supposed to be kept cool...but they are heavy.  They do okay in an egg-rollup I max with tortillas, cheese, and salsa, but they do taste a bit bland...

Thoughts?

prouboy

Regarding the bland taste of egg-beaters, the style with some egg yolk in it tastes much better than the one with no yolks.  ;)

Sweet site Campgirl!

Separate topic was split and has been moved to   (You need to Login or Register

Puckster wrote on Mar 26^th, 2009 at 11:20pm:

Camp_Girl -- thanks for the great info!  You may have caused me to change my habits!   I have brought in pre-measured powdered milk in a nalgene bottle for years...a quart is good enough for one breakfast of granola.  And I bring in extra powdered milk in a baggie.  Question: will Nature's First mix up okay in a Nalgene, if I just add water and shake?  How difficult is it to mix?   Ova Easy and Sonstegard -- How would you say these compare to egg beaters?  Egg beaters have been my standard...never had a problem with them going bad, even though they're supposed to be kept cool...but they are heavy.  They do okay in an egg-rollup I max with tortillas, cheese, and salsa, but they do taste a bit bland...

Glad I could help!

On the Nature’s First – it will defiantly mix easily if you shake it in a Nalgene. It actually does mix really easily in general. It’s just that Nido practically dissolves as soon as it hits the water so you can just give it a quick stir and it’s ready to go. Nature’s First is more powdery so you just have to stir it a bit to make it dissolve. But it’s worth it!

On the eggs – I’ve eaten egg beaters a couple of times at a friends house and they seemed fine. I don’t think that I would take them with me into the backcountry just because of the weight issue. When I ate the Ove Easy and Sonstegard, I was comparing them to fresh eggs and the Ova Easy tastes almost the same as fresh. By far the best powdered egg I’ve come across! The Sonstegard is good too but not quite as good as the Ova Easy. It is less expensive though which is a plus. Both are much better than the traditional powdered eggs that everyone is afraid of  :)

marlin55388 wrote on Mar 27^th, 2009 at 1:31am:

Sweet site Campgirl!

Thanks! I really appreciate that!

CAmp girl-

U are welcome!