Reconstituting Powdered Milk

The key to reconstituting powdered milk is to use the right amount of water for the amount of powder. Below is a handy little table that will show you exactly what you need to mix to make a certain amount of milk from powder. You can then use it to cook or bake with or of course to drink it and use it in cereal.

The table below will help you work out the amount of powdered milk you will need to prepare a specific measurement of liquid milk. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference using the right measurements will make in how your reconstituted powdered milk tastes. I also find that mixing it up the night before and letting it sit in the fridge overnight greatly improves the flavor. You can get dry milk powder at your local grocery store, or you can order it from Amazon. Here’s the one I’m currently ordering. While we mainly drink fresh milk, it’s nice to have this on hand for baking, cooking, and of course to make up a little milk when you don’t want to run to the store.

To equal this amount of liquid milk	Use this much Fresh Water	And this much Instant Non-Fat Dry Milk Powder
1/4 cup	1/4 cup	1-1/2 tablespoons
1/3 cup	1/3 cup	2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 cup	1/2 cup	3 tablespoons
1 cup	1 cup	1/3 cup
1 quart	3-3/4 cup	1-1/3 cups
2 quarts	7-2/3 cups	2 -2/3 cups
1 gallon	15-1/2 cups	5-1/3 cups

Here are some tips to help the milk turn out as fresh tasting as possible:

• Use cool water when possible. The powder tends to dissolve more readily in cool water.
• Stir the milk a lot, to dissolve the milk powder. Then let the milk sit for a little while and stir again. The protein in the milk powder blends most easily if it gets a chance to stand after mixing.
• Chill the milk whenever possible. Use a refrigerator if you have one. If you don’t, then wrap the milk in a wet towel. As the water evaporates, the milk will cool. If you have a root cellar or basement, you may want to keep the milk there, or even outside in the fall and winter.
• If you store the milk outside be sure that it is protected from critters who may be thirsty. A box with a large rock on top is sufficient to keep out most animals.
• If you do not have refrigeration, then only prepare enough milk to last the day. I prepare it the night before, so it has a chance to blend and chill overnight. About 2 quarts will be enough to last a family of 4 for most of the day. If you continually find you have some left over, then prepare less the next day. If you find yourself running out, then prepare more.
• Some people add a drop or two of vanilla to their milk to improve the flavor. Other people add a spoonful or two of sugar for the same purpose. I don’t use either of these ideas, because we are accustomed to reconstituted milk, and prefer it plain.
• If you have fresh milk available, then it may be mixed half and half with reconstituted milk to improve the flavor. If you use half whole milk and half reconstituted milk, you will end up with a very good tasting milk that is equivalent to 2%.