Rex Trulove
Anyone who has purchased a box of macaroni and cheese might have noticed a couple of things. First, the price is quite high for what you get. Second, the only thing remotely special is that the box contains a packet of dehydrated powdered cheese. I prefer being frugal and saving money, so I make my own dehydrated powdered cheese.
This is also great for cheese storage when you find yourself with too much cheese. (Is there such a thing as too much cheese?) At any rate, the dehydrated powdered cheese is wonderful for making your own macaroni and cheese. It is also superb when mixed in with hamburger, for instance, if you are cooking hamburgers and like cheese with your hamburgers. Additionally, the powdered cheese lasts a long time and it doesn’t contain extra ingredients as preservatives or to keep it from caking up, and since the moisture has been removed, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
Making the powdered cheese is pure simplicity, too, though it does take some time. To do it, just slice the cheese as thin as you can easily slice it. Put the cheese in a food dehydrator or a very slow oven so the cheese slices aren’t touching. You don’t want it to get hot enough to melt, you simply want it to dry. The drying time will vary depending on the kind of cheese and the thickness of the slices.
Every hour or two during the drying time, turn the cheese over so it is evenly exposed to drying. If you notice oils or moisture on the cheese when you turn it over, blot the cheese with a paper towel.
When the cheese is dried, it should be totally hard and brittle, with no soft spots. It will often also look darker than the original cheese did.
Once the cheese is dried, let it cool down for a half-hour or so, until it is at room temperature. Then simply use a blender, food processor, or coffee grinder to grind the cheese into a powder. This can be stored in an air-tight container with a tight-fitting lid.
The dehydrated cheese powder can be used to flavor many meals. If you want to make macaroni and cheese like the version that comes out of a box mix, this is simple, too. Just put a cup of dried macaroni in a quart of boiling water. Boil it for 8-10 minutes, until it is tender. Drain the water, then add 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup milk, and 1/4 cup of the dehydrated cheese powder. Stir it all together well, and you have macaroni and cheese.
The cheese powder can be used in so many ways that it is fantastic. I like adding this powder to meatloaf, to give the meatloaf a cheesy flavor. It is also great when heated with milk and a little flour to make a cheese sauce that is wonderful over steamed cauliflower or broccoli. Did I mention that this is also wonderful to take out camping?
I do love this idea, since I am a wanna be preper, kind of, This is an awesome way to store cheese.
It definitely is. As long as moisture is kept away from the powder, it keeps indefinitely. It is just the moisture that would let it go bad.
I had never thought of doing this. Thank you for this, Rex! It seems I’m always out of cheese by the time I want to use it. (We are some pretty serious cheese lovers around here lol) If I do this, I’ll actually have back up for when I do need it 🙂 Problem solved! You’re awesome!
I’m glad that it helps. I do it mostly because I love camping and including a block of cheese is a little clunky and inconvenient. It is also so much cheaper than packaged mixes when we want mac and cheese. :))
Yes! And my granddaughter could eat mac n cheese three times a day! lol It’s her number one food group ;P
Our kids were the same way when they were growing up. They loved mac and cheese plain, with hot dogs, or as chili mac, with hamburger and chopped stewed tomatoes. We still sometimes make the chili mac, too.
Thanks for the article. I enjoyed it.
I’m very glad that you liked it!
I always wondered how to make cheese powder….if I ever get a dehydrator (I want to make my own jerky) I’ll definitely try this!
Dehydrators are often inexpensive anymore, especially if you shop at thrift stores. However, you don’t need to wait. This can be done in a very slow oven, like about 125 F. If your oven doesn’t go that low, turn it as low as it will go and prop the door open with a hot pad.
Yes, I know that you can make jerky in the oven too, I just figured using a dehydrator would be easier. I’ll keep that in mind though if I want to make it before getting one.
The last one that I bought, I paid something like $10 for. It wasn’t fancy, but it didn’t need to be. The one I have now came from the local clothing bank that’s operated by our church. (Clothing banks don’t just give away clothing.)
All I can say is my hat’s off to you for making all of these items homemade. It is the way to go but we have all gotten so spoiled at the stores. Thanks for the reminder to do better.
That is part of our culture of instant gratification. People even get impatient waiting three minutes for a bag of microwave popcorn to pop. I’m not immune to it and relate to it. Still, there are three excellent reasons to ‘make-your-own’ whenever possible. 1. It is cheaper than store-bought. 2. It is healthier than store-bought. 3. It tastes better than store-bought.
Yes I know and it happens in so many life issues. Kids do not want to go to college, they want the jobs to come to them, etc etc.