How to dehydrate your own cheese!

In my search for a powdered cheese alternative, I kept thinking how much easier it would be if I could just make my own powdered cheese. That, and my son really prefers goat cheese, and honestly I do too. I mean, it real cheese for one thing!

So, finally, I decided that I’m going to try it! I’ll update with pictures when its done. For now, here are the instructions!

For hard cheese:

Cut cheese into small pieces. The exact size of the pieces does not matter. They can be as wide or long as you choose. The smaller the pieces, the faster and evener they will dry. The thickness of the slices are important. The cheese slices should be no more than 1/4 inch thick. Thicker slices take too long to dry.

Lay the cheese pieces directly on the rack in the food dehydrator. Leave space around each piece of cheese, so that they are not touching each other.

Turn the dehydrator on. If the dehydrator has a temperature setting control, choose the lowest setting.

Flip the cheese pieces over every three hours. If the food dehydrator doesn’t have a fan, rearrange the trays every few hours. This provides more air flow for more even drying of the cheese pieces. To rearrange the trays, move the top tray to the bottom tray spot and move the other trays one spot up from where they previously were.

Remove the cheese pieces from the dehydrator when the cheese is fully dry. Dry cheese appears even-toned in color and is a shade or two darker than fresh cheese. Store the dry cheese in an airtight package.

For soft cheeses:

Cover the food dehydrator trays with plastic wrap. You will have to cut a hole in the center of the plastic wrap to allow air flow through the center of the food dehydrator.

Spread a thin layer of soft cheese over the plastic wrap covered tray. The layer should be no thicker than a 1/4 inch.

Turn the dehydrator on. If the dehydrator has a temperature setting control, choose the lowest setting.

Rearrange the trays every three hours if the food dehydrator does not have a fan. To rearrange the trays, move the top tray to the bottom tray spot and move the other trays one spot up from where they previously were. If the food dehydrator is equipped with a fan, it is not necessary to rearrange the trays.

Check the cheese every three hours. The cheese is done dehydrating when it is dry to the touch. Remove the cheese from the dehydrator and store in an airtight package.

Egg Substitutes

When it comes to baking, there is one thing that is very hard to leave out of a recipe. Eggs. Neither of my boys can have eggs, after hearing that I need to store powdered eggs to bake with I was a bit clueless on what I was going to store. Here are some tried and true egg substitutes made from things most allergy friendly families have on hand. I also included on of my favorite baking secrets when baking eggless.

• 2 tbsp cornstarch = 1 egg
• 2 tbsp arrowroot flour = 1 egg
• 2 tbsp potato starch = 1 egg
• 1 heaping tbsp soy powder + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg
• 1 tbsp soy milk powder + 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg.
• 1 banana = 1 egg in cakes and pancakes!
• 1 tbsp milled flax seed and 3 tbsp water = 1 egg. Light, fluffy cakes!

Now for my favorite baking ingredient….Salvia Hispanica, or more commonly known from the name brand as Salba. (It's actually the Chia pet, lol!) They harvest the seed and it is sold as a supplement, similar to flax. But what I use it for, is to make a gel out of it. By taking the seeds, adding water to them and letting them sit over night or at least a couple of hours, it creates a gel around the seeds that is just like the egg whites! I use it for baking and it really holds up! I was able to make a moist bread that didn't just crumble when you touch it (which commonly happens when you have to cook without eggs, yeast and gluten as a binder). If the labels doesn't have the directions it’s:
1 part Salba + 8 parts water = 1 egg Combine in a glass jar and let sit overnight or at least an hour.

Milk Alternatives

Before I started food storage, I bought Almond milk or Coconut milk in the carton once a week. But as I realized (when reaching for an extra carton that was gone already) I needed to have some for storage, I ran into a serious problem. I could only find powdered Soy and Cow milk. With my youngest son having a soy intolerance, I was very worried that I would never be able to find a powdered milk to store. For about a year I searched high and low for a powdered milk alternative. I found some great alternative to dairy and hopefully you can enjoy some of these as well. If you don’t have an issue with milk or dairy, you are one lucky dog!
Here are some of the powdered milk alternatives that I have found:

• Powdered and Evaporated goat milk. The powdered is something that you can usually find at any Wal-Mart or Meijer’s. They come in 12oz. cans that make about 3 quarts. Usually running about $12 a can or from the maker 12 cans (case) for $117.00. The evaporated (which is ideal when baking!) comes in 12 0z. cans and from the maker come in cases of 12 for about $30.

• DariFree is our personal favorite. It comes in a 19.5 oz can and makes about 6 quarts of milk. Available in vanilla or chocolate (yum) &  believe it or not it’s potato based of all things! Gluten-Free Casein-Free Fat-Free Soy-Free Rice-Free MSG-Free Protein-Free Cholesterol-Free

• Soy based powdered milks are not hard to find. Just type in “Powdered Soy Milk” in your search box and you’ll instantly have at least four to choose from. Beings that they are so easy to find, I won’t run through the different brands out there. *Know ,though, that most soy products are coming under fire for not being as nutritious as thought. Since most of our soy in the US is genetically modified and cooked at such a high heat,  they lose most benefits. Also, in recent studies among men who consume a large amount of soy, there are some undesired side effects in the “man region” and health. Just saying….

• Coconut milk is another alternative that is great for baking and cooking. You can find it canned, which should be reserved for use in baking/cooking and not drinking. Also, you can buy it dry or powdered. With a  quick search I found a pound of it on Amazon for $9.00. We have only used the liquid before, but if it’s similar in taste, it should be very good! I would like to get my hands on some.

Cooking Essentials

I titled this section Cooking Essential, because lets face it, when you have sensitivities or allergies to foods, that will inevitably effect how you cook and bake. With our restrictions so many staple ingredients, I’ve had to really become creative when cooking and storing foods. It’s easy when you can have eggs, dairy, yeast and cheeses. They sell 10 pound cans of dehydrated or freeze dried cooking essentials. But when you can’t have those things, you have to either look for an alternative or figure out how to store the substitutions you use everyday. I’ve tried to think of all the staples from cooking and baking that I substitute with and comply them in sections. If you see anything missing, please let me know!

• Milk Alternatives
• Egg Alternatives
• Cheese Alternatives
• Baking Powder/Soda,  Vinegar and Yeast Sensitivity (*note: under advisement of our Dr. we were able to introduce sourdough spelt bread to our boys. Since they have only a yeast sensitivity, be it a high one, naturally occurring yeast is tolerable. If you have a yeast ALLERGY please don’t ever experiment with it unless advised by your Dr.)
• Misc. For example broth, bouillon, chocolate chips…You know random cooking goodies ;)

Sugars

There is more to storing sugars than just storing sugar when you think about it! We have a sugar sensitivity, and so have explored many options when it comes to replacing “sugar” in many recipes. Here are some of the things we store and therefore use in our house, instead of sugar.
Maple Sugar and Syrup. I think these two sugars get overlooked way too much. I use them a lot in baking, they really add that rich flavor that we enjoy.
Agave Nectar has grown widely popular in cooking lately. It’s got a syrup consistency with a mild honey flavor. Very tasty in my humble opinion. We use this and maple syrup in our pancakes.
Honey is something you can either have or you can’t. Luckily, in our household, we can have it. And if you can, there are lots of health benefits from eating it. I could go into a whole section on just honey, but I think I’ll just say that ripe or “raw” honey (honey that has been removed from the hive by a beekeeper) has a very long shelf life and will not ferment if properly sealed. Also, it’s said to be a lot healthier for you, since it hasn’t been heated.
Xylitol. Aside from honey, this sweetener has probably the most benefits out of all popular sugar substitutes. There are a lot of myths about it out there, so I’ll give a basic outline of what it is, and what it’s been proven to do. Xylitol is actually a sugar alcohol. Basically, they take any fibrous plant like corn, birch, plums and extract the naturally occurring sugars. They have done many studies and found that it helps in dental care, osteoporosis, infection, safe for those with diabetes and hyperglycemia too. Now, the main drawback for most people is the taste. And of course the wonderful laxative affect. When trying it out, be sure to mix it with your current sugars gradually.
Stevia is just one of those cool foods. It’s actually a plant that you can grow yourself. With 300 times the sweetness as sugar, and it’s health benefits for hypertension and obesity, you may want to try it. You’ve probably already seen adds for Truvia, the name brand. I’ve tried it in my coffee, but haven’t baked with it yet.
Brown Sugar is of course one of those things that make oatmeal and certain baked goods so tasty. It’s always a good idea to have some of it on hand. Especially if you like to eat hot oatmeal or in our case quinoa, on chilly mornings.
Sugar: Raw, Beet, Cane Long story short, they say that raw sugar is much better for you. But for some reason, at least where I shop, it seems to be  more expensive. Go figure. If you can have refined sugar, be it cane or beet, make sure that you always have some on hand. It’s inexpensive and you can always just cut back on it as long as you don’t have an allergy to it.
Rice Syrup is in just about every gluten free bar I’ve ever run across. Since we have a rice allergy in our house, I have never used it. But, a lot of people who bake with rice syrup swear by it! You can find it all over anymore and it will store for a long time.

Fats and Oils

What an exciting subject, lol! For most of you who already cook with allergy friendly alternatives, this section you may already have a handle on. For those of you who are new to food allergies, these are the things I use, or friends use. Hopefully you find something new! As I find new things, I’ll update this post as well.

Cooking and Baking Oils.
I’ve read that an oil allergy is one of the most uncommon allergies of them all. However, I do know some people who don’t use certain oils, either because they aren’t that healthy or they contain a food allergen. For example, we don’t use vegetable oil or soybean oil because we have a soy allergy in our house. When storing foods for either short or long term storage, it’s never a bad idea to keep in mind nutrition. If you cruise the internet, there are a multitude of conflicting stories on what to and not to use, so. Here are my personal favorites and those of others I know.

Olive Oil is probably the best oil to cook with. And at least for us, it’s the most used oil in our cabinet. Also, I read in a survival manual a long time ago, that you could survive on like a tablespoon of olive oil, until you could find food. And on top of that, it is great (I know from experience) for making oil lamps out of in a lights out situation!
Canola Oil is probably number two. Now, I have heard from some of my friends that they are highly sensitive to canola oil. So, it’s not right for everyone, but if you can have it it available everywhere and more affordable than other alternatives. 
Coconut Oil for some reason seems to have come under fire recently as unhealthy. It’s true that most of time when it’s been refined, it loses most of it’s health benefits, but why should we write off something that, in my humble opinion, is a life saver! Coconut oil can add a a wonderful flavor to all kinds of dishes and I use it to replace butter in many of my baking recipes. And now, I’ve seen it on the shelves of my local Meijer and Wal-Mart. Spectrum offers a wonderful range of coconut oil products.
Shortening is something I’ve had to learn to bake without (no soy in this house! UNTIL, I found this wonderful product from Spectrum, it’s made with palm oil and works wonderfully!

Fats
When I was making my own list of foods to store, I thought that this section was kind of interesting. I had never really thought of these as “fats”. I considered most of these either condiments or like peanut or any kind of nut butter as a protein. But, since these usually fall in a category titled fats, I will include these here.
Mayonnaise, if you have a dairy or egg allergy, is usually something you just don’t have anymore. And, since we couldn’t eat bread, I really hadn’t pursued any recipes or alternatives. But, I have since found some great recipes for making your own. And, as long as you keep these things on hand, you can make it fresh anytime you need to! Also, there is product made from grape seed oil called Vegenaise. I have read some good reviews on it, but have never personally tasted it. You can find it in the refrigerated section of your local whole foods store or ask for it at a health food store near you. Since it is refrigerated though, it’s not exactly the best option for storing large quantities.

Here is one recipe for making your own mayonnaise :
Mock Mayonnaise
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
Dash paprika
Dash cayenne
1 tablespoon apple- cider vinegar
1 cup canola oil
1 cup water
2 teaspoons arrowroot
1 teaspoon xanthum gum
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Dash onion powder
Dash of other spices, if you wish
Blend together until mayonnaise consistency. Store in refrigerator. Looks, smells and tastes like the real thing! Use for pasta and bean salads and lots more.
Salad dressing. I usually make our own salad dressing for the boys from extra virgin olive oil and spices I have on hand. But, keeping a couple of brands you know are safe, aren’t a bad idea either!
Peanut Butter. Now, if you have a peanut allergy, you obviously know of alternatives and what not. But, if you can have either peanuts or another nut or sunflower butter, these are great in a pinch! When there is a storm or you need to have a quick snack, a scoop of “peanut butter” will usually hold you over until you can either make a meal or power is restored. Just make sure you rotate them so that they don’t go rancid. And make sure, as with all of your food storage, that you store them properly!
If there is anything that you don’t see here, that you or you’re family uses, please feel free to share!

What is “The List”?

If you are completely new to food storage, you may be wondering what “list” I refer to so much.
When you begin to research and really look into food storage, you’ll find a general list of foods that are the basics. Food that you can use for a multitude of cooking and have a good shelf life, when stored properly. These usually consist of wheat, powdered milk and eggs, rice, sugar, salt. Just about anything you would need to make the basic food to get you through 3 months to a year, depending on the list. However, if your family is like mine, one or many of these are off limit foods. What to do then? Well, I’m glad you are here!

Here are a couple of links to some sites that have general lists of food that you should have in your food storage. There are more out there, but these are what I looked at when started out.

Food Storage Made Easy is a site that offers a step by step guide with list to help you with your storage. They start of with getting a 3 month amount of supplies at a time, I have a link on the side of my blog.
Another great place to start is the About.com Food Storage Calculator. Here you enter in the number of family members within a certain age range and they will calculate approximately how much food you need to store for a one year supply of food.
 Top 10 items to stock up in your pantry by Selina Dixon, manager and creator of Self-Reliant moms. Here, she has links to the FEMA and LDS list of foods to have on hand, and also outlines the top ten items that are recommended.

Depending on what your families needs are, you may be  able to use most of the items. But, if you run into things you can’t have, that’s where we come in! I have tried to break things down into categories to make finding these replacements easier.

No matter what list you choose to follow for amounts and  whatnot, just make sure that you are storing the foods properly and that you know how to use it :)