For Frankie. I have replied to your email several times and been unsuccessful I believe. I think this is the recipe you are looking for.
Whipped Topping
- 1 packet unflavored gelatin
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/3 cup boiling water
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 cup instant non-fat dry milk powder
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice (optional)
First take the cup of water and pour it into a large deep bowl. Put this bowl of water into the freezer while you do everything else. I use a metal bowl because the water chills faster. Next place the unflavored gelatin into a small cereal bowl. Add one tablespoon of water and let is soften up for at least 5 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
Add the boiling water to the gelatin mixture. Stir it with a fork for several minutes, to dissolve the gelatin completely. Let it sit and cool down some. Meanwhile measure the oil, vanilla and lemon juice all into a small container. Set it aside. Also measure the sugar and set it aside.
When the water in the freezer has ice crystals forming on it, take it out and place it on the counter. Pour in a full cup of dry milk powder. Using electric beaters (you have to have electric beaters to make this recipe), whip the mixture at high speed until it forms stiff peaks. This will take a full five to ten minutes. Don’t give up if it doesn’t thicken right away, keep beating. When it’s thick gradually add the sugar. When it is fully incorporated, gradually add the cooled gelatin mixture. When this is fully incorporated, gradually add the oil, vanilla, lemon juice mixture, in a small stream. The texture of the topping will change a little bit, becoming bright white and creamier. This is normal.
Now place the bowl into the freezer again for about 10 or 15 minutes. It will chill and thicken. Stir it with a wire whisk right before serving. You may serve it right away, or keep it in the fridge for a few days. Be sure to stir it before serving, because it tends to thicken up while it sits. Stirring it will make it creamy again.
I discovered a variation of this recipe as a teenager in a 1973 edition of The American Heart Association Cookbook. When I made it the first time, I was quite impressed with the results. Over the years, I modified the recipe, adding the vanilla and lemon juice, and increasing the recipe, to make enough for my large family. It doesn’t taste the same as the non-dairy whipped toppings you find at the supermarket. It actually tastes much better. The dry milk powder gives it a dairy flavor which, to my taste buds, is much more satisfying than the chemical fluff available in the freezer at the market. It costs about 75 cents to make. An equivalent amount from my store is $2.89. Big savings.
This recipe is quite easy after you’ve made it a couple times, and find the rhythm of it. Serve it anywhere you would regular whipped topping, and even use it in fancy pudding or gelatin creations. It holds up nicely. Great as a topping for Cream Pies. If you are trying to cut down on cholesterol, this recipe will work as well as real whipping cream on most desserts.
Whole powdered milk is also available. The brand name that seems to be the most common is Nestle’s Nido Fortificada. It’s available in 3-1/2 pound canisters and 12-ounce canisters. The 3-1/2 pound package is usually the best buy. It usually costs more per gallon than nonfat dry milk, but less per gallon than fresh whole milk. A 3-1/2 pound package makes about 3-1/3 gallons of milk. Divide the cost per package by 3.33 to determine the cost per gallon of reconstituted whole milk. Powdered whole milk is high in protein, calcium and Vitamin D. It has all of the fat that you would find in fresh whole milk. Nido Fortificada is also fortified with a few vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc, Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Not all whole milk powder is fortified, but Nido Fortificada is. Like fresh whole milk, powdered whole milk has about 150-calories per cup of reconstituted milk or per 1/4-cup of dry milk.
Powdered milk is easy to use in cooking, where the flavor is less noticeable. Over 30-years of cooking, I’ve used reconstituted milk in every type of recipe, from sauces and soups to cake, muffins and even custard. It is impossible to tell that you’re using reconstituted dry milk. Recipe mechanics work the same and the end products are just as tasty as if you used fresh milk. When powdered milk is cheaper than fresh milk, using it in cooking is an easy and painless way to reduce your grocery bill. If you have a small family simply mix up a quart of reconstituted milk and keep it in the fridge. If you have a larger family, mix up 2-quarts or even a gallon at a time. When you’re cooking, simply grab your reconstituted milk and use it instead of fresh milk. Clean, empty mayonnaise jars hold a quart and have wide enough mouths that they’re easy to keep clean. They are convenient for mixing up a single quart at a time.
Not a bit of it is true. Still, the reputation persists. The first hurdle you have to surmount is giving yourself permission to put all of those nasty rumors to rest and admit that drinking reconstituted milk is a perfectly good and legitimate thing to do. Drinking powdered milk doesn’t mean that you’re poor, stupid, uneducated or of low status. It simply means that you’re smart enough to know a good thing when you see it, and that you love your family enough to be fiscally responsible.
Reconstituted milk tastes best if your box isn’t too old, and if you mix your milk according to package directions. Old powdered milk does not taste as good as a fresh box. If your box of milk has been opened for a year or longer, the milk you make from it probably will not taste as good as milk made from a fresh box. The old box can still be used for cooking, but you owe it to yourself to buy a new box of powdered milk for drinking so the milk you make from it will not taste stale or old. If you don’t follow the reconstituting directions on your package, using more or less milk powder than required, it can give the resulting milk a weird flavor. Mixed correctly and chilled overnight, reconstituted milk has a pleasant, mild, almost sweet flavor.
So we know we should be drinking milk, but when we’re broke, what are the best deals in the dairy case? I wish there were an easy answer, but the truth is, the best deals tend to change from year to year, so I can only provide a few specifics.
The cheapest powdered milk is usually instant nonfat dry milk, in 4-pound (64-ounce) or 20-quart (5-gallon) boxes. Look for store brands and value brands for the best price. They all taste pretty similar, so don’t be afraid to try a lower priced brand. Most brands use 1/3-cup powdered milk to make 1 cup of liquid milk.
Processed cheese is higher in protein than cheddar cheese. It’s designed to melt more easily too. If you use cheese to make cheese sauce or add it to broccoli cheese soup, then processed cheese will work better than cheddar. It melts more smoothly and doesn’t clump up or become grainy the way natural cheese can. Processed cheese also makes divine homemade macaroni and cheese and fried cheese sandwiches. Since processed cheese is the most affordable type of cheese you can buy, it’s the one you should use the most often. If you are preparing a recipe and it calls for shredded cheese think about whether or not processed cheese will work just as well. You may prefer mozzarella for a pizza, but in a pinch, Velveeta will work almost as well. You have to take the time to cut it into small pieces, but it will get melty and cheesy the same way mozzarella will.
Among hard cheeses, shredded cheddar and mozzarella, in large bags are usually the best buys. Shredded cheese is easy to freeze, so if you buy a large bag and are concerned you won’t use it up before it molds, simply transfer it to several plastic zipper bags and stash it in the freezer. If your family is small this is a good way to get the lowest price on cheese without any accompanying waste. Also remember that our hands, no matter how clean they are, carry bacteria. If we place our hand inside of the bag of cheese we introduce bacteria into the bag and cause it to mold faster. It’s better to shake the cheese out of the bag, without actually placing our hands in with the cheese. This will allow it to stay fresher, longer.
Even if you don’t want to make your own homemade yogurt, the store-bought stuff is nutritious and worth buying when you can afford it. Do not buy the sweetened or flavored versions. You get more nutrition and more versatility from plain, nonfat yogurt. At home you can stir a spoonful of jam or a drizzle of honey into your own yogurt and give it all the flavors you can imagine. If you need portable yogurt then spoon some into a small jar with a good lid and carry it with you. Small plastic resealable containers, about 4 to 8-ounce each, are also good choices. You’ll be preserving the environment by reusing your own container and you’ll save a lot of cash over buying single serving containers.
