Any grocery store will have powdered milk.
As for powdered potatoes, I could see using that in soup or bread (and trust me, just a little potato in homemade bread keeps it fresh MUCH, MUCH longer).
BTW, it wasn’t just poor people who got free cheese, etc. Anyone who was on Social Security, regardless of income or assets, was eligible. My grandmother got commidities, and because it was more than she could possibly use herself, gave some to my parents who in turn passed some of it on to me.
There was a damn good whole wheat pancakes recipe that called for powered milk that I got from one of the workout magazines a couple years ago. I wish I could find it.
I’m far from a master chef, but can’t powered milk be substituted in many recipes which call for milk?
I remember powdered eggs all too well from my childhood. We were on welfare, and we were more likely to have powdered eggs than the real thing. No matter how you prepared them they came out as a mushy yellow goo.
Powdered eggs = nasty.
Powdered egg whites, for baking = genius!!
Yes, but in most cases, you have to reconstitute it first.
Powdered milk is useful for wilderness camping. No one I have ever known has taken powdered eggs, however.
Oh yes. I forgot. I always keep a packet of powdered potato on hand to rescue mashed dishes that have become too wet. I like the taste and the consistency.
I recently bought powdered buttermilk to make dry ranch seasoning.
of course there’s POWDERED TOAST
http://http://youtu.be/xe2BUPqPSx4
I read Modernist Cuisine, and they were very fond of using dried potato flakes in potato recipes as a way to goose potato flavor. One involved sauteing dried potato flakes in butter.
I’ve seen powdered butter and honey at my local Winco lately, and have powdered milk in my pantry. I also keep powdered buttermilk on hand for baking purposes (buying fresh, we’d either have to drink extra that neither of us cares for or dump it, and I object to the waste).
Check out places like www.emergencyessentials.com for more :). (Note: I have no financial affiliation with the site in question.)
That’s probably the main use for them. It works out really well for any packaged baking mix.
I was pleasantly surprised how much powdered/instant mashed potatoes have improved. I recall the ones from my childhood with disgust. They were like white paste. Thirty years later I decided to buy a couple packages on sale. They were really good! Not homemade good. But a big improvement over the product sold in the 70’s.
When I was cooking deep fried chicken for a living, we’d use powdered eggs for the egg wash part of the recipe. And I’m certain that I’ve eaten them while I was camping at one point or another.
The difference is that they are now made by freeze-drying actual potato bits.
What’s the point of powdered honey, unless it was to be used like sugar? Honey doesn’t spoil unless it has something in it that does.
As for powdered peanut butter, I’ve seen that at my local natural foods store. I’m sure there’s a specific use for that too.
I saw powdered milk just yesterday at my local Aldi (they keep it with flour, sugar and other baking ingredients.) Given that Aldi doesn’t waste a lot of space, there must be people buying it for more than just mixing it into batter.
As for powdered eggs, I saw them at a local Whole Foods store.
I keep a packet of powdered milk in my cupboard, for emergencies when I run out of liquid milk and need a cup of tea quickly. Not as good as the real thing, but better than nothing.
We keep a supply of powdered milk around in case we lose power for a long stretch. Sometimes I’ll use a bit to make chocolate milk or put some in instant coffee.
I was baffled by that item myself. 
Years ago buying dry milk was a money-saving option. In New Hampshire where I do most of my shopping, it has been 10 years or more since that was true. It is now cheaper to buy fresh milk. I still buy it because powdered milk is especially convenient for bread recipes. Fresh milk has enzymes that interfere with the yeast, and pasteurization does not raise the temperature enough to destroy them. It has to be scalded, then cooled to lukewarm, which is time-consuming and inconvenient. With dry milk, you just add it with the other dry ingredients and substitute water for the liquid. I also use dry in a few other recipes that I make rarely, like fudge and some cake recipes. For drinking purposes, reconstituted dry milk is frankly nasty. If it’s going to be cooked a long time, there is no difference I can tell between fresh and dry.
I also use powdered potatoes in bread recipes. Fresh mashed potatoes works better, but powder is a lot more convenient and the difference isn’t huge. I’ve never tried dry eggs. I’ve seen them in the store a time or two but they weren’t cheaper than fresh, so what’s the point?