Sour Cream Powder and Refried Beans

I thought this would be a good follow-up to the tortilla post in case anyone was wondering what I put on the bjillion tortillas I made. I saw this can of sour cream powder at a Macey's emergency preparedness sale a few months ago and decided I had to try it. If I could add sour cream to my long-term storage menu, that would create a lot of possibilities. Here it is in its reconstituted glory:


I think it looks slightly more yellowish in the picture than it was in real life. As you can see, its consistency isn't so different from the consistency of fresh sour cream. You can also thicken or thin it by changing the amount of water you add. It would be a really great thing to have in your year's supply if it weren't for the really strong bad taste. Yes, unfortunately sour cream powder didn't really taste like sour cream. I think it had the same aftertaste as powdered milk, which is probably pretty unavoidable in dry dairy products, but the taste was a lot stronger in the sour cream powder since it's a lot more concentrated when it is reconstituted. Boo. I did try it out in a recipe that only calls for a couple tablespoons and it wasn't that noticable, but I'm not sure that I wouldn't have been better off to just skip the sour cream altogether.

On a happier note, I would like to declare my LOVE for the refried bean flakes from the LDS cannery.


That's right, I just dropped an L-bomb. On beans. I'm actually kinda surprised that I even decided to try them since I normally don't even like refried beans. But they're awesome! Here's why:

-They taste way better than regular refried beans from a can. Just my opinion, but I would trust me.
-They have a shelf life of 4-5 years, a lot longer than Old El Paso. (I guess I'm just assuming that since I don't actually own any of that kind.)
-They only contain two ingredients: beans and salt. So you don't have to worry about all the lard or chemicals or whatever else is in commercially canned refried beans.
-They don't come out shaped like a can. I don't know why, but that always bothered me about the other kind.
-They're so easy to make! You just stir them into boiling water, cover them, and let them sit for 10 minutes.

I like to make them as recommended in Pantry Cooking:

Refried Beans

-2 cups refried bean flakes
-2 cups boiling water
-1 can (4 ounces) green chiles
-1 teaspoon dried onions
-1/2 teaspoon dried jalapenos (optional)

Stir refried bean flakes into boiling water. Lower heat and mix well. Add green chiles, onions, and jalapenos. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Makes 4 servings.


Try them! I know you'll like them.