Sunday, February 15, 2009

Oh the Joys of Soymilk Making?

Have you ever considered making your own soy milk and/or almond milk? Almost 9 years ago when I was pregnant with my second child, my husband had the grand idea of buying a soy milk maker and making it at home. The cost savings were just too great to pass up. Homemade soymilk costs pennies for a half gallon versus over $3 in the store. However, I was so sick during my second pregnancy that I couldn’t stand the smell of almost anything, and certainly not a soy milk maker. I banished my husband and the machine to the garage where he was more than happy to make all that we could use or drink. Once Andy was born and I was faced with 2 children under the age of 2. The smell of homemade soymilk no longer made me wretch, but the thought of taking on one more task was more than I could bear. The soymilk maker sat and gathered dust in the garage, and one day in a cleaning fit, I threw it away. I thought I would never again tackle homemade soy milk. That was, until the price of food began spiraling upwards over the last year. Besides the cost, I was tired of having to make a special trip to the store simply because I ran out of soymilk and I was tired of storing an extra half gallon or two in the refrigerator. After a quick search on ebay, we decided to purchase another soymilk maker. It has been wonderful! With the push of a button and a wait of about 15 minutes, I have freshly made soymilk ready to go. I add about ½ tspn of salt, 2 T of sugar or equivalent sweetener and for pennies I have the liquid I need for soups, muffins, cereals and all of my cooking needs. This week I am going to attempt almond milk in it and I can’t wait for the results. Now I know that when I add soymilk to something, exactly what ingredients I am adding.