# Best way to dissolve powdered milk into regular milk? (Yogurt-making)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** soda-softdrinks
**Created:** [August 1, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058 "2011-08-01T16:08:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/1 "2011-08-01T16:08:01Z")
I’ve started making yogurt at home again, and the recipe I used recommends starting with 1/4-1/2 c powdered milk, dissolved in 4 c (liquid) milk. I’ve been having problems getting the powdered milk fully dissolved, though, and I think this may be the cause of the slightly chewy small lumps ending up in the finished yogurt. The taste of the yogurt itself is fine, but those lumps are unappealing.
So what’s the best way to dissolve powdered milk into milk without getting lumps? Add all the powder to the saucepan, then stir in liquid very slowly? Add some of the liquid and mix in the powder slowly? Heat or no heat during the process? Pre-warm the liquid?
If it matters, I’m using the Samalac brand of powdered milk, which has a consistency around powdered/confectioner’s sugar, so it’s a relatively fine powder, not a near-granule like I’ve seen with some kinds.
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### Author:  [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/2 "2011-08-01T16:48:55Z")
Do the directions on the package of powdered milk say mix with cold water or hot?
Use whatever temp called for in the directions, then mix thoroughly with a LITTLE of your milk. Dissolving a small amount of dry ingredient of any kind in a large quantity of liquid can be difficult, depending on what the dry ingredient is. Also, if it still doesn’t dissolve easily, use a whisk rather than a spoon / spatula if that’s what you’ve been using.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/3 "2011-08-01T16:54:16Z")
Good idea, I hadn’t checked that. I was only looking at the yogurt-maker recipe, which doesn’t specify, and pretty much tells you to dump both in a hot saucepan and stir.
I’m assuming the package tells you to prep with cold or lukewarm water at warmest, since it would be giving directions for mixing milk for drinking.
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/4 "2011-08-01T17:13:31Z")
I’m not familiar with that brand. Is is labeled as instant or non-instant? Instant is the kind commonly available in ordinary grocery stores; non-instant can be found at some health-food stores. The two types have different mixing requirements. Instant can be readily mixed with a whisk, adding the liquid slowly. Non-instant is best mixed with an electric blender.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/5 "2011-08-01T17:54:08Z")
I fat-fingered when typing it in; it’s Sanalac, and was the only brand available at the grocery store I bought it from. I think I had Carnation brand before when I was making yogurt, and it was less finely powdered.
Looking online, I can’t seem to dig up any product details that give instructions/descriptions. I only buy powdered milk to make yogurt so I’ve never actually reconstituted it for drinking. I’m thinking the brand change must be part of the issue here, and that the old stuff was more suited to this process.
I have Teflon-coated pans, so I’ve always used a silicone spatula to mix in the powder.
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### Author:  [@FrigidLizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrigidLizard)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/6 "2011-08-01T18:21:01Z")
I always use a blender with a very low-speed setting to mix milk powder into liquids. Higher speeds work too, but make the liquid very frothy.
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### Author:  [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/7 "2011-08-01T18:42:44Z")
I’m guessing, as bibliophage mentioned, you probably don’t have instant. Even though the Carnation was “less finely powdered” it is instant – made to dissolve quickly in cold liquid. I’ve used other brands of fine-powdered dry milk and it was NOT instant, and does indeed take a bit of mixing to dissolve. In this case not dumping the whole lot in a large vat of liquid is even more important.
Basically, when mixing a small amount of [something] with a large amount of [something] it’s always a good idea to mix the smaller amount substance with SOME of the larger amount substance. That’s why you mix cornstarch/flour with a little cold water before adding it to a pot of whatever liquid you’re trying to thicken. etc. (that’s called making a _slurry_, BTW).
Note that I use the store-brand version of Carnation in my coffee every morning (keeps me from having to worry about keeping fresh milk at the office). Even though it’s a small container of liquid, and is hot, I still have to stir a bit to get it all dissolved/mixed.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/8 "2011-08-01T18:49:25Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#):
>
> I have Teflon-coated pans, so I’ve always used a silicone spatula to mix in the powder.
While you’re out at the store getting instant milk powder, step into the utensil aisle and grab a [silicone whisk](http://www.trudeaucorp.com/us/products/kitchen-tools-gadgets/types/bright-colors/p--0995052.html). Safe for your Teflon pan, but a better agitator.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [August 1, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/9 "2011-08-01T18:59:59Z")
Yeah, I’ve made roux and cornstarch slurries before, so I’m guessing that either this isn’t actually instant powder, or (possibly) that the stuff might be old.
And good recommendation on the whisk - I have a plastic one but it’s shaped kind of like a flat-ish spatula, not with “wires” arranged in a circle, and have only found it marginally useful.
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### Author:  [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/10 "2011-08-02T01:10:57Z")
Curious, what does the powdered milk do? When I make yogurt, I just use more yogurt as a starter.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/11 "2011-08-02T01:13:22Z")
> [@Alpine](#):
>
> Curious, what does the powdered milk do? When I make yogurt, I just use more yogurt as a starter.
It increases the protein content, which makes for a stiffer yogurt.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2011, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/12 "2011-08-02T11:44:43Z")
These instructions have you start out with milk and powdered milk, heat it to somewhat shy of boiling, then cool it down to warm-ish and add the live-culture yogurt starter. It’s pretty firm, which is nice because I don’t want anything else added to do that; it’s pretty common to find gelatin added to commercial yogurt (in the US at least) which makes it not appropriate for vegetarians. Yuck.
I checked, and the label doesn’t say “instant” anywhere. The instructions are very vague - most of them involve just “add powder and water and mix well”, but I suspect it’s the particular brand and that formulation that makes it harder to work with. I tried putting all the powder in the pan and adding a little milk at a time, or some milk in the pan and a little powder at the time, and both seemed to create clumps. I think the blender method may have to be employed with the rest of this powder.
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### Author:  [@Disgscen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgscen)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/13 "2011-08-02T20:03:48Z")
I make yogurt using Sanalac, and I initially had trouble getting it to dissolve too. The slurry method sounds good–I’ll have to try that–but what worked for me was putting the powder in after most of the cooling. So my yogurting method:
Bring milk up to temperature, then remove from heat.
Cool down to 120.
Add Sanalac, whisk well (but not vigorously), until temp = 110.
Add yogurt culture, and stir again.
Pour into yogurt containers.
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### Author:  [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/14 "2011-08-03T00:07:29Z")
Ah, thanks for the tip! I’ll have to try that on the next batch.
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### Author:  [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/15 "2011-08-03T00:26:50Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> It increases the protein content, which makes for a stiffer yogurt.
Thank you.
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### Author:  [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/16 "2011-08-03T00:55:36Z")
Adding wet to dry works best - just add the liquid sloooooowly and it shouldn’t clump.
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### Author:  [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-dissolve-powdered-milk-into-regular-milk-yogurt-making/591058/17 "2011-08-03T01:45:13Z")
Another possibility is a shaker jar. Put your dry milk and some of the liquid milk (I’d bet cold will work best) into a small jar (about pint sized). Close the lid tightly and shake vigorously.