Nov42010
51 Comments
10 Unusual Foods You Should Have in Your Pantry
- Shortening powder – This product is a sure-fire way of having shortening on hand for all your baking without having to worry about it going rancid. Even more important, you can sprinkle some in a hot skillet, and when it melts, you can pan fry! What a concept!
- Powdered peanut butter – Peanut butter has an amazingly long shelf life, even after it’s been opened, but powdered peanut butter is still very useful. Every morning I add a tablespoon or so to my protein drink. It adds all the flavor and nutrition of peanuts without any of the fat found in peanut butter.
image by sleepyneko
- Powdered butter – This product won’t give you exactly the same flavor of butter and it doesn’t quite melt, but it’s still a handy addition to your pantry. Once reconstituted and chilled, it hardens and has the same consistency of refrigerated butter.
- Tomato powder – The first time I read about this product, I said, “Huh??” Now I think it’s indispensable because it’s a cost-effective way of having tomato paste and tomato sauce on demand and save vast amounts of space at the same time.
- TVP (your choice of flavors) – I know Textured Vegetable Protein isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it comes in handy when you want to add a little more protein to a casserole or soup. Just a handful can add the flavor of chicken or taco meat (a little can go a long way), and you can’t beat the price.
- Freeze-dried cheese – You can still enjoy cheese enchiladas while fending off zombies with this great product! I first sampled FD cheddar cheese a few months ago, and was amazed by how beautifully it melts.
- Powdered cheese – When you buy this in bulk, you have the main ingredient (besides macaroni) for mac-and-cheese but also cheese sauces for veggies, casseroles, and the all-important survival food, nachos!
- Freeze-dried grapes – Yes, grapes. Canned grapes have never quite caught on (ewwww!), dehydrated grapes are raisins, but FD grapes have the same color, shape, size and flavor as fresh. They’re just crunchy, and they make a great, healthy snack.
- Dehydrated sour cream – Now, this won’t give you that wonderfully cool dollop you’ve come to expect, but when you make a dish that calls for sour cream, this product does just fine. Add some to mashed potatoes or a creamy casserole, and you’ll never know the difference.
- Freeze-dried cottage cheese – This was one of the first ‘survival’ foods we purchased. Because we have young kids, we wanted to make sure we had plenty of Vitamin D-dense foods. It sounds strange, but it’s actually quite good when it’s reconstituted and chilled.
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Oh my goodness Soren you are hilarious! I guess we had better stock up
mama4x
These are the ones I really want in my pantry but I am really lacking. I can always seem to spend an extra $20 at the grocery store, but paying $30+ for one 10# can and then shipping is hard. Yeah right getting a bunch at once either!
Liz Long
Can you put $5 in a can or envelope every week? If so, then in a few weeks you'll have enough for a #10 can to get you started.
ZMalfoy
Yeah, I gotta add all of those, exept the TVP– my soy allergy would only allow for occasional Bacos. Anything more than that, and I increasingly risk Bad Reactions.
But the rest are all things I need to add. thanks for reminding!
Dean M
Might notice that the shortening powder's first ingredient is soybean oil…
TheSurvivalMom
I wonder if soybean oil works best in this application? I have some contacts at Honeyville Grain and will ask around.
shotzeedog
Glad to see the post about FD Cottage Cheese. I was considering this but didn't know if it would be any good when reconstituted. I wanted it to make Lasagna in a grid down situation.
TheSurvivalMom
Wow, lasagna! You definitely have your sights set higher than I do! I'll have to practice making 'survival lasagna' with all my dehydrated and freeze-dried stuff.
gen224
Happily, I've got several of these stashed away already – but *never* to the TVP. I adhere to the belief that soy is dangerous and just like HFCS, no "tiny amounts" of poison are acceptable.
You mentioned the butter powder reconstitutes & forms well in the fridge – how does it *taste*? We "use what we store and store what we use," so before I buy it, I want to make sure it will taste good. What's your family's verdict?
TheSurvivalMom
It's hard to know what to think about soy. I have one or two soy-based energy drinks each day and haven't had any weird side effects and am of the mind that anything in nature can't be all bad. I'm not a huge fan of TVP though, that's for sure. It's okay in small amounts but once I had a taco filled with the taco-TVP, and I couldn't get that flavor and texture out of my mind. Kind of like the time I had this one dim sum dish that was wrapped in something I could have sworn was human skin. ewwwwwwwwwwwww!!! I still remember it.
gen224
yeah, "in nature" is somewhat in debate, since nearly all soy in the US is GMO and monkeyed-with genes by Monsanto really aren't "in nature." LOL
But what I'm most concerned with is the estrogen factor – I can't have any extra or I throw blood clots, which is not pretty.
But I've managed to build a pretty decent FS in spite of not using soy and avoiding GMOs, for the most part. 
blazeandbelle
Last week I ordered a few cans of soy beans for my long term storage . . . completely unaware of any problems. Please educate me – I may want to send those back! Thanks!
Dean M
Can you say, "GMO"? The great majority of non-organic soy grown in the US and Canada is now GMO [unless it says organic-it ain't]. Check out Jeffrey Smith's "Seeds of Deception" or read a bit on mercola.com on the hazards of GMO foods…
http://www.seedsofdeception.com/
mercola.com
TheSurvivalMom
I've found the chilled butter to have a milky flavor. If you like salted butter, you might want to add a little bit, to taste. It's more of a spread. You can't melt it like you can real butter.
Pearls
What about canning butter and then you can have all the wonderfulness that is butter….
TheSurvivalMom
I do love my butter and have pounds and pounds of it in the freezer. I probably should try canning it, but I've put that on the list right under, "make my own laundry soap".
)
swimkin
There is canned butter that you can purchase called Red Feather that I have yet to taste but have only heard good things about.
Claudia
Canning butter is very easy. I found a recipe online and have 31 pints so far. It is supposed to keep well for at least 5 years.
Barbara
Dried Eggs! An absolute must. They aren't great as 'eggs' for breakfast, but they're wonderful for baking. Those complete pancake mixes make too tender cakes with little flavor. Add a couple tablespoons of dried eggs to the dry mix before adding water, and the cakes are supremely better in taste and texture. I never use fresh in baking anymore, and they are great in any home made bread. They can be used in pudding, sauces, meatloaf, etc. They seem pricy, but total out to not too much more than fresh if you figure how may eggs a can represents. Do shop around, prices vary greatly.
TheSurvivalMom
Barbara, I haven't used dried eggs much simply because fresh are so plentiful and cheap where I live. I probably have about three dozen in my fridge at any given time. Great suggestions for their use, though, and in a power outage, all those eggs in my fridge will be worthless.
featherjack
Eggs keep a surprisingly long time and surprisingly well at room temp. The fresher to start with, the better of course, but fresh eggs on the counter will be fine for up to 3 weeks….
TheSurvivalMom
I have heard this but haven't ever tested it out.
Lynn
Where did you find dried eggs? I am new to this and just starting to prepare.
gen224
I'll be honest – the only reason I've contemplated powdered butter is the fluctuating (right now, HIGH) price of butter. But if it doesn't melt – is it *really* butter? ;o
I do get real cream from a farmer-friend of mine, and I'm darned close to making my own butter that way, so maybe I can get around the powdered butter, even yet.
Wendi
I agree with you 100%. It can't be butter if it doesn't melt. Gee whiz!
LizLong
I have most of them already (not huge amounts, but enough for a start), but not the freeze dried ones. I have been concentrating on getting ingredients more than completed meals. I want to get more TVP. Not fond of it, but we have a bunch of canned things that would be better and more nutritional with some protein added, especially the sloppy joe mixes.
TheSurvivalMom
I have had freeze-dried meals that also contained a bit of TVP, and it really isn't all that bad when it's an ingredient in a dish, but if you want to avoid soy, then it's not even an option. Freeze-dried 'real' meat and chicken is far better but also more expensive.
Not So Worried in Tn
Have you tried canning your own meats instead of using soy alternatives?
I have purchased all of the meat that I can get my hands on cheap and spend the weekend canning.
I purchased boneless chicken breast at $1.49 lb last month and purchased all of it I could afford.
Also purchased beef sirloin and prepped for the freezer. I will be canning it when I get enough meat and time to get the job done.
Mary
While I'm "technically against" TVP, I have to admit that it "has it's place". I have two cases of it (from Honeyville Grains) in my long term storage. I can see the benefits…like Liz, sloppy joes, tacos, etc. I've read about avoiding soy and having it, I don't know, but I do eat it, no negative results that I'm aware of. I recently canned butter and it was easy and set up well, was much easier than I expected.
Not So Worried in Tn
what is the storage life of canning your own butter? I think I might like to do this my self. I am still learining the art of canning, and love doing it.
can you send me the instructions please?
my email address is pokeedot@bellsouth.net
Thanks a million!!
debfroggie
Mary – canning butter is something I am very interested in doing. Any good resources on "how" to can butter?
gloria
How does one can butter
Sue in Alabama
I use powdered butter and eggs in my everyday cooking usually as a dry ingredient. I will reconstitue the eggs and use half and half with fresh eggs-no complaints yet. Use tvp to stretch meat in chili, etc-no one knows but me (smile). Often have wondered about the peanut butter powder. and have never heard of freeze dried cottage cheese. Very interesting!
Glenda
How to can butter:
Use a good quality butter (I buy salted for everyday use)
Heat your jelly or 1/2 pint jars or whatever size works for your family in a 250* oven for 15-20 min.
While jars are heating, melt the quantity of butter you wish to can and slowly let it come to a boil.
Back the heat off a bit, cover the liquified butter and simmer for 5 mins (Don't scorch it.)
Taking only ONE JAR AT A TIME FROM THE OVEN, fill with liquified butter and wipe top of jar.
Apply a HOT lid and screw on tightly. Place on a towel covered counter space to cool.
Once jars seal (popping sound) shake them frequently as they cool blending solids into the liquid portion again so you don't have a separated product when finished. Sometimes it requires shaking ea jar every 5 min near the end of the cooling process.
Once cooled, butter will store for 3 years. Keep in a cool place so butter can "set" – not necessarily the fridge.
Butter won't "melt" when opened without refrigeration, but use within a short time to be sure its fresh.
Glenda
Ellen
It's not recommended that the elderly, young children, and those with weakened immune systems eat butter that has been processed as above. If you want canned butter that will melt (the above method is time-consuming and expensive and makes the butter grainy so it will never melt again) pay for the RED FEATHER canned butter. It looks expensive per can but compare to buying all of the canning supplies and the butter to turn your butter into a waste product that's questionably safe to eat. Search for red Feather Canned Butter. Trust me!
TheSurvivalMom
Yes, Red Feather butter is excellent. It's expensive, so for most people would be one of those foods to buy a bit at a time and then hoard it.
)
Kate
I have used canned butter when the gov't used to give away commodities. Thank you for this recipe–I'm anxious to try it, as it seems fairly simple and it could free up my freezer space for higher priority storage.
Glenda
Here's the best part for butter!
I thaw a 1 # frozen package of butter at a time, letting it come to room temp.
Place in a large mixing bowl and beat with my elect beater till smooth and creamy.
SLOWLY add almost the same amount of your favorite oil, Olive, Canola, whatever and continue blending at low speed. ( I would use 1-1/2 to 1-2/3 cups of oil to 1# of soft butter. My husband likes a little less oil, but sometimes its a 1:1 ratio and he doesn't know the difference!)
I pour this onto my airtight plastic container and put in the fridge when not using it for toast, etc.
What you end up with is a "soft" spread that tastes just like butter according to my family. You have less unhealthy fats, nearly double the quantity and saved "butter money" as well. Healthy and frugal. Enjoy!
Glenda
TheSurvivalMom
Thanks for the butter tips, Glenda! Having layers of anything, butter included is a good idea: frozen, self-canned, commercially canned, powdered, etc.
Kate
I have done this for years to stretch the butter useage at my house. It tastes better than commercial soft products and goes farther with the kids because it so much easier to spread, even straight from the fridge.
Liz Long
Cream of Tartar – a BIG bag. It lasts a long time and if you add it to baking soda, which also lasts a long time, you will now have baking powder, which does NOT last a long time.
(I ordered my big big from amazon.com.)
katie
Where can you get shortening powder?
I've seen the other things on the list but no shortening powder. How long is the shelf life? Canned butter and cheese from Australia will last approx 5 years or so unopened
TheSurvivalMom
I buy shortening powder at Honeyville Farms. Check out their homepage, <a href="http://www.honeyvillegrain.com” target=”_blank”>www.honeyvillegrain.com. Shipping is only about $5.
katie
Thank you will check that out
Claudia
You can purchase shortening powder from Emergency Essentials. Web address is beprepared.com
Victoria Bennett
I only shop organic and this food is not. I am also concerned that items such as the dehydrated cheese blend has artificial food colorings. Read up on artificial colorings and then decide if you really want to put that in your body. I am storing whole foods with good shelf life like organic tuna, chicken, salmon etc., organic peanut butter and jam, protein powders, almond and coconut milk, reverse osmosis water, etc. I am not big on processed food with all those additives.
Dottie
It sounds so simple and easy Victoria. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
RainbowGardens
I have been building my food storage with only organic foods too! I switched to only organic foods about a year ago (after I started my food storage, so I had to donate ALOT of food!). My family hardly ever gets sick anymore! I figured in a crisis of some sort, we could not afford to be sick anyway. So the organic food storage pays for itself. Before we ate organic, we stayed sick. It seemed like one of us would get sick every month or two and then pass it to the rest of the family. Once we changed our diet, we hardly get a cold for more than 3 days. In over a year, we have had only 2 antibiotics between the 4 of us. So, my food storage is only organic now (except for the parmesean cheese………)and worth every penny!
Phillip
This year our company is providing a fried turkey for thanksgiving. I was thinking I could can the turkey meat slices but wonder with the canning process, would that overcook the turkey? Maybe freezing or dehydration would be a better option?
Thanks
Heather
I see there is a post for canning butter. Is it possible to can margarine? And would you go about it the same way?
Cristine
Can you only get these products online? Where would you find them else where. In storing food, is it only dried or canned food. No freezer/refrig. food?
TheSurvivalMom
Cristine, if you happen to live near a Honeyville Farms store (Utah, southern California, and Phoenix area), you can buy many of those products in person. Most, though, have to be purchased online. Shop around for prices and shipping charges. Maybe even place an order with a friend so you can share the shipping costs.
For storage, you'll store both canned and dry foods. We usually don't count what's in the fridge or freezer because so many emergency situations cause power outages.