Food Storage Made Easy » Baking Ingredients

Food Storage and Fondant

Julie - Food Storage Made Easy — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:15:16 +0000

Ok so this is TOTALLY stretching it – but when a sister gets married you have no time for coming up with new posts – so you’ll have to use your imagination.

IMAGINE – you have to make a wedding cake and you only have food storage items as ingredients – well YOU CAN! Last summer I forced myself to try fondant icing after wasting hours upon hours watching the cake decorating shows thinking it looked so totally cool.

Well it turns out I found this great recipe with really great instructions and it uses SHELF STABLE (that’s how I am making this post relevant) ingredients. The only 3 ingredients are marshmallows, powdered sugar, and shortening.

So I tried a little for fun cake and then my sister got engaged and she thought I should make her wedding cake -my very first wedding cake -. HELLO SCARY! Well it actually turned out and I had a blast doing it.

No one warned me how sad I would be when the bride and groom took the knife to my very first wedding cake masterpiece and RUINED IT!

Common Substitutes, Measurements and Yields

Jodi and Julie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:40:13 +0000

We recently posted about some info that one of our great readers (Nola) shared with us in a document she put together that had TONS of common substitutions, measurements and yields. We were going to break it up into multiple posts, but then realized it would be hard for you all to use it that way – so we made it into a pdf you can all download!

Print it out and put it in your Food Storage Made Easy Ebook Binder (we’ll be including this handout in our next free binder email updates – just in case you were wondering).

Day 8: Food Storage Christmas (baking ingredients)

Jodi and Julie — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:00:24 +0000

Baking Ingredients are necessary for you to be able to make a lot of recipes using your grains and legumes. There are a variety of ingredients found in this category, so be creative if one of these ideas isn’t available in your local stores. Add the Day 8 Tags to whichever option you choose:

Extra Container of Salt

Salt is one of those things that you run out of, and don’t necessarily think of storing. Find or buy a container of salt and make it cute with ribbons, or put it in a gift bag, and remind them Food Storage isn’t just grains and legumes.

A #10 Can of Powdered Milk

Powdered Milk can be one of those things that are hard to find, or hard to remember to use. Give someone a nice #10 can, or box and challenge them to try it out the next time they are cooking with milk.

A #10 Can of Powdered Eggs

Another item that is hard to find, and can be pricey if you don’t live where they sell it locally is powdered eggs. Try giving someone a #10 can of powdered eggs to help them try out a new thing they may not have thought of.

Back to the 12 Days List

Food Storage Recipes: Worms & Dirt

Jodi -- Food Storage Made Easy — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:17:32 +0000

I have a confession to make … my husband HATES powdered milk. Even with Crystal’s delicious drinkable powdered milk tips my husband still refuses to drink it (he loves the fatty kind!). As one of the emergencies from our Seven Day Challenge, we had no power, and no fridge food and we decided to make a treat for our kids to keep them occupied in the evening. We happened to have some gummy worms hidden in a cupboard so I made delicious “Worms and Dirt” inspired by a meal at Boston Pizza in Banff, Canada. YUMM!

Worms and Dirt Recipe

1 box of chocolate pudding
Make with Powdered Milk!
Top with Gummy Worms

And my husband didn’t even complain that it was made ONLY with powdered milk! So at least I have one way to sneak it into foods that I know works now

p.s. What other sneaky tips do you have for using powdered milk?

Food Storage Substitutions

Jodi and Julie — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:55:44 +0000

When considering which items to store in your long term food storage, it’s beneficial to consider what bulk items you could store that would serve multiple purposes. This can help save space as you avoid storing unnecessary items, and many times you can extend the shelf life of items by making them out of ingredients with longer shelf lives.

Food Storage Substitutions:

Brown Sugar = 1 c. white sugar + 1-2 T. molasses
White sugar and molasses are already on our list of storage items, so if you plan to store brown sugar as well, just store a little extra of these items. Molasses has a longer shelf life than brown sugar, and you don’t have the problem of it getting clumpy and hardened since you will be making it fresh.

Buttermilk = 1 c. milk or powdered milk + 1 T. vinegar
This is so much easier than having to keep buttermilk or powdered buttermilk on hand when you need it for a particular recipe. Vinegar can also be used in baking recipes, to improve your bread recipes, as well as for homemade cleaning supplies. So these two items should definitely be part of your food storage already!

Baking Powder = 1 tsp. baking soda + 2 tsp. cream of tartar
While you may not think of storing cream of tartar, this actually makes a lot of sense. Both baking soda and cream of tartar can have an indefinite shelf life if stored in airtight containers at room temperature. Baking powder, however has a short shelf life of 6-12 months. To test if your baking powder is still active, stir 1 teaspoon into ½ a cup of hot water. If it doesn’t bubble, it will need to be replaced.

Food Storage Recipes: “Lemon Bars with a Twist”

Julie - Food Storage Made Easy — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:56:28 +0000

Ever since I was a little girl my mom would make me these bars on or around my birthday. I LOVE them. They don’t even really have a name other then my “Birthday Bars”. They are kind of like a lemon bar but the filling is made with brown sugar instead of lemon, like a sugar pie type filling! YUM!

Since it’s not my birthday, I don’t have a batch to take a picture of but I’ll update the blog with one soon! Just imagine this lemon bar picture with a brown sugar filling instead!

Julie’s Birthday Bars Recipe

Crust-
1 c butter
½ c powdered sugar
½ tsp salt
2 c flour

Filling Sugar-
2 eggs (can use 2 T. dry egg powder + 1/4 C. water)
2 c brown sugar (can make your own brown sugar)
2 T vinegar
½ c melted butter

Directions:
Spread crust in two 9 x 13 pans.
Mix filling and place on top of crust.
Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes.

Enjoy a delicious treat for your birthday or any other time!

For other food storage recipes check out:

Our Food Storage Recipes Page
Our Food Storage Made Easy eBook Binder
Our sister site EverydayFoodStorage.NET
I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage book by Crystal Godfrey
Country Beans book by Rita Bingham

Beyond the BabySteps: Let’s talk about Powdered Eggs

Jodi and Julie — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:48:00 +0000

Have you ever tried using Powdered Eggs in your recipes? Well we have and we were surprised! They actually taste good. Our favorite thing about powdered eggs is to ALWAYS have eggs on hand. No more running over to your neighbors house in a panic when you’re half way through a recipe and realize you are all out of eggs.

What are Powdered Eggs:

Powdered eggs are eggs that have been dehydrated and made into a simple powder, with a texture similar to that of powdered milk. While some brands of powdered eggs utilize the whole egg, others will only include the yolks or the whites, and may add other ingredients to enhance the flavor or the texture of the reconstituted eggs. Generally, it is possible to purchase powdered eggs in bulk, making them ideal for use in food storage programs.

Advantages of Powdered Eggs:

Dehydrated eggs have several advantages over fresh eggs.

First, powdered eggs have a longer shelf life. With proper storage, dried eggs can easily last for the better part of a decade. It is not necessary to store the eggs in a refrigerated area; all that is required is a cool to moderate temperature and a dark cabinet or cupboard.

Eggs that have been dried require much less storage space. This means substantial supplies of eggs can be kept on hand in a relatively small space. Re-hydrating the eggs for use in omelets and to make scrambled eggs require nothing other than the addition of a liquid, usually water or milk. In powdered form, the eggs can be added to baked recipes without the need to mix them with a liquid ahead of time.

Another benefit offered by powdered eggs is the price. A pound of dehydrated egg products is significantly cheaper than purchasing an equivalent number of fresh eggs. This makes the dehydrated eggs very cost effective.

Using Powdered Eggs:

Today, powdered or dry types of eggs are packaged in several different ways. Whole eggs may be dehydrated and later used in many recipes where whole eggs are needed. It is also possible to purchase powdered egg yolks as well as whole eggs. For use in recipes where the whites are all that is used, such as in meringues, packages of powdered egg whites are available, although there is some difference of opinion as to how well powdered egg whites work and taste when utilized in some recipes.

History Lesson:

The production of powdered eggs is usually traced back to the first half of the 20th century. The eggs were extensively used during World War II, especially in countries where food supplies were airlifted in to feed civilians displaced by occupations and bombings. In the United States, powdered eggs were often used as a substitute for fresh eggs during periods of rationing, allowing fresh eggs to be routed to provide nutrition to people serving in the military. Even with first call on fresh eggs, many branches of the military also utilized the powdered versions as a matter of expediency.

For more information on Cooking and Buying powdered eggs, visit our sisters sites!

BabyStep 7: Baking and Misc Ingredients (revised)

Jodi and Julie — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:01:44 +0000

In order to get your ready for the Seven Day Challenge, we are going through revising and cleaning up all our BabySteps. We created the BabySteps to break down the vast amount of information in the “food storage world” when we first got started last summer. From the BabySteps, we developed the BabySteps Checklists as a way to split up the 10 steps over a one year period.

We decided it would be good to revise each BabyStep as part of our Summer Crash Course. So jump in and get started … it’s not too late! This week we are covering BabyStep 7: Baking and Misc Ingredients (click here to view the full step)

Updated key points
Added instructions for making brown sugar
Added a dairy section including eggs, butter, sour cream

p.s. Stay tuned for a more advanced post on this topic coming later this week

I was sneaky tonight!

Julie - Food Storage Made Easy — Thu, 21 May 2009 05:51:49 +0000

So Crystal at EveryDayFoodStorage.NET is always recommending adding food storage to meals and not telling your family since they may not give it a fair chance. Well my husband works from home and knows how and what I’m cooking so I haven’t been able to use that trick.

Well tonight I hosted a little dinner party at my house and decided I would sneakily use tons of food storage in my dinner and dessert. I definitely recommend it, it was fun having a little secret… hehe.

Anyways, I made a great tortilla casserole recipe, (added black beans) and even made the tortillas from scratch using all fresh ground whole wheat! I even replaced the cream of chicken soup with BEAN FLOUR cream of chicken, my favorite!

For dessert I made my EMERGENCY, I don’t feel like baking, icing or dirtying a pan dessert with POWDERED MILK! Everytime I have to bring a dessert to a dinner and don’t have the time or energy to pick up fresh ingredients, I make a quick and easy pudding pie. I always have at least one tub of cool whip in my freezer for this special dessert.

Ingredients

Powdered Milk
Water
Box of Chocolate Pudding
Graham cracker crust
Cool Whip

Prepare pudding according to package directions for pie. Pour into graham cracker crust, chill for an hour or so. Top with Cool Whip. Optional, add strawberries, crushed skor bar or any crushed cookie.

I love this dessert because it is SO easy to bring places. The graham cracker crust container has a lid with it (you don’t have to remember to get your pan when you are going home). You don’t have to dirty dishes except the pudding bowl, but you can lick that. It’s a dessert that uses POWDERED milk and no one knows it. You don’t have to turn your oven on in the hot summer, its great!

Holiday Baking + Food Storage

Jodi and Julie — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:02:33 +0000

This time of year is an EXCELLENT time to stock up on your items in Step 7: Baking Ingredients. Mary Hunt, best-selling finance author, sends out daily finance tips in her Everyday Cheapskate newsletter which we LOVE. We encourage you to sign up for her newsletter and also to stock up on these items for your holiday baking AND your food storage. Here are Mary’s thoughts on the topic of holiday baking from her newsletter:

Holiday Baking on the Cheap

Although baking sweets for the holidays is a joyful and gratifying project, it does take time and money. If you’ve got the time to build your baking stockpile, merchants are willing to help out with the cost as they begin to compete for our holiday food dollars. This time of year, baking ingredients become loss leaders. That means they’re willing to take a loss on basic pantry items in hopes that while we’re picking up those items, we’ll drop a bundle on other full-priced food items. Here is a quick guide to help you stock your pantry with the right stuff so you can bake like a pro this holiday season.

FLOURS

All-purpose flour: As its name implies, this is your basic flour and can be used in most baked goods. It’s best to store flour tightly sealed in a canister. Flour has a shelf life of about eight months in the cupboard, about one year refrigerated and several years in the freezer. Always use up all the flour in the canister before adding more.

Self-rising flour: This is all-purpose flour to which baking powder and salt have been added. Don’t substitute it for other flours because the added ingredients might affect your recipe outcome. Only use self-rising flour if the recipe calls for it. It’s best to keep this in the original container, tightly wrapped, and keep in mind the shelf-life is only about six months.

Whole wheat flour: Store whole wheat flour in the freezer. It contains fat from the wheat germ and can become rancid at room temperature. Whole wheat flour is good for about six months in the freezer, and only a couple of months if stored at room temperature.

SUGARS

Granulated sugar: This is refined from sugar cane or beets and is used in most baked goods. When stored properly in a tightly covered canister, it will last for years.

Confectioners’ sugar: Also called 10X sugar or powdered sugar, this is granulated sugar that has been ground into a powder. Confectioners’ sugar is commonly used in cake and cookie icings and is often dusted on desserts. It’s best to store it in the original box.

Brown sugar, light or dark: This soft textured and hearty-tasting sugar is white sugar flavored with molasses. Light and dark are interchangeable; it is a matter of taste. Keep it well wrapped in the original packaging. It’s best to use it within six months of purchase for maximum flavor. Don’t store brown sugar in the refrigerator. However, if you are in a very dry area or are going to keep it for a long time, freeze it.

Molasses: This dark, thick syrup is the liquid that is left behind from the process of refining sugar. It can be stored in the pantry. Make sure you wipe the bottle well after using to prevent stickiness and pests.

Honey: For baking purposes, select a light colored honey for a more delicate flavor. Store tightly sealed in a cool dry place for up to one year or indefinitely in the freezer. If the honey crystallizes, microwave it for about 30 seconds or melt it in the jar in a pan of hot water over low heat.

Maple Syrup: Make sure you buy pure maple syrup, not pancake or table syrup. Once opened, store maple syrup in the refrigerator.

LEAVENERS

Baking soda: Also known as bicarbonate of soda, baking soda is used as a leavener to make dough and batter rise. Once opened, baking soda has a shelf life of only six months.

Baking powder: This leavener is composed of baking soda, an acid (usually cream of tartar) and a moisture absorber, like cornstarch. Once you open it, it will be effective for about six months when stored on the pantry shelf. Stored in the freezer, it will remain good indefinitely. You can check to see if your baking powder is still active by stirring one teaspoon into 1/3 cup of warm water. If it still fizzes, it’s okay.

Yeast: Generally, yeast comes in three forms: fresh active compressed “cakes,” (which will be in the store’s refrigerator section), active dry and rapid rise granules. Rapid rise yeast reduces rising time by as much as 50 percent, which allows you to eliminate the first rise. Rapid rise is the same as “instant” or “bread machine yeast.” Store unopened yeast in a cool, dry place, such as a pantry or refrigerator. Use within three to four months. Freezing yeast is not recommended.

CHOCOLATE

Baking chocolate: There are two main types to look for: pure, unsweetened chocolate (bitter or baking chocolate), and dark chocolate (bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate) that has added sugar but isn’t as sweet and mild as milk chocolate. Store this chocolate securely wrapped away from sunlight and dampness for up to three years.

Milk chocolate: This is dark chocolate with milk solids added, making it creamier and mellower. Store this chocolate securely wrapped and away from sunlight and dampness for four to six months.

White chocolate: This is technically not chocolate since there is no chocolate liquor, but it does contain cocoa butter along with sugar, vanilla and lecithin. Store white chocolate securely wrapped and away from sunlight and dampness for four to six months.

Chocolate chips: These contain less cocoa butter than chocolate bars, which is why they can retain their shape. It’s best to use these where you want the chocolate chip shape and use chocolate bars for melting. Store tightly wrapped for up to six months.

Unsweetened cocoa powder: The important thing to know about cocoa powder is that there are two types. Dutch process has been treated with an alkali, which neutralizes its acidity and gives a more mellow flavor. Natural cocoa powder has a deeper chocolate flavor. Recipes are often written for one type or the other, as they react differently with baking powder. Dutch process is always labeled on the box; if there is no mention, it is natural. Store it in a tightly sealed container for up to two years.

OTHER

Candy canes: Both your tree and your pantry need candy canes. These minty favorites always put a smile on a kid’s face whether they’re eaten by hand or sprinkled on top of cupcakes and cookies. To crush, place a handful of canes in a heavy duty plastic bag then break them up with a rolling pin.

Cinnamon: Everyone’s favorite baking spice not only tastes divine, but is good for you! Just one teaspoon of ground cinnamon contains more disease-fighting antioxidants than half a cup of blueberries. Add a few sticks at a time in a coffee grinder for the freshest flavor or skewer some mini-marshmallows on a cinnamon stick and use it to stir up a special cup of hot chocolate.

Ground ginger: An essential for gingerbread, ground ginger abounds in holiday baking. Milder than fresh ginger, this spice is kid-friendly. For flavor you can taste, make sure your supply is no older than six months.

Marshmallows: Toss them into hot cocoa, whip up crisp rice treats at a moment’s notice, or throw a few on some brownies. They’ll stay moist if stored frozen in a tightly sealed bag. Bonus: They’re easier to slice or snip with scissors when frozen.

Sprinkles: Who doesn’t love sprinkles? Best prices are found in bulk stores, but be sure to transfer into small, kid-friendly shakers to help little fingers decorate with ease.

Vanilla: Vanilla is used sparingly in recipes so if you can afford it, buy genuine vanilla extract. Because of its high alcohol content, vanilla will last indefinitely on your pantry shelf.

For more from Mary Hunt, sign up for her Everyday Cheapskate newsletter or read her blog Money Rules Debt Stinks. She also has some fabulous books you can check out at amazon.com

Smoothies – On a Food Storage Blog?

Julie - Food Storage Made Easy — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:39:22 +0000

So I have been making these delicious smoothies lately and couldn’t figure out if I could justify sharing the recipe on a food storage blog. The other day when I ran out of milk it dawned on me I could try some of my powdered milk in it instead. Well, I did it! It was delicious, so now I can officially share the recipe on a food storage blog (not to mention all the other ingredients are frozen, so they can count as food storage if you have a big freezer).

Fruit and Yogurt Smoothies

Serving Size: 2 large glasses
Prep Time: 5 minutes (if you make a bunch of baggies ahead of time)

Ingredients (if you skip the sugar, they’re actually REALLY healthy):

3/4 cup of frozen strawberries
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
1/2 cup of frozen peaches or rasberries
1 cup of powdered milk prepared
5 ice cubes of fat-free strawberry yogurt (or any other kind)
Some of sugar if you think it needs it (I try not to)

*instead of water for the liquid part of the milk, you can use juice for the flavor, and the powder to make it creamy!

Directions:

Pour milk into blender
Add fruit, blend
Add yogurt cubes, blend
Add sugar, blend
Eat with a spoon, or drink with a straw

Directions to prepare a bunch of smoothies for the go ahead of time:

Buy a 8-10 ziploc baggies
Buy bags of your favorite frozen fruits (I did 2 strawberry, 1 peach, 1 blueberry)
Divide up your fruit into the baggies
Divide a large container of yogurt into ice cube containers and freeze
Once frozen place 5 yogurt cubes into each ziploc bag
Put bags into the freezer and use them up as you wish, all you’ll need to add is the milk and sugar.

SO – ASK YOURSELF DO I HAVE DRY MILK IN MY FOOD STORAGE?:

Click here to get your box today – because let’s be honest if you’re anything like me, you’ll forget next time you are at the store. As we discovered when we interviewed Crystal, the author of I Can’t Believe It’s Food Storage … powdered milk is a GREAT food storage item to start using in your everyday cooking.

Added “BabyStep 7: Baking Ingredients” to Main Topics

Jodi and Julie — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:03:56 +0000

We added a BabyStep! Check out the long-awaited Step 7: Baking Ingredients main topic page to learn about what items you need to store to actually USE your core food storage items. There is no point in having wheat without having sugar, oil, etc. to make it into bread.