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View Full Version : Whaaaat?!?!? Powdered Peanut Butter



pipsissewa
02-05-2014, 15:16
I have never heard of powdered peanut butter, except maybe from a specialty backpacking food supplier (I'm not even sure about that). So, look what I found in my regular ol' grocery store (Ingle's) today:

25827 25828

The directions say just add water and stir. It was $5.28 for the 6.5 oz. (184 gram) bottle, which makes 15 servings. It's had most of the fat and oil removed, so it's not for those concerned with calorie density. Me, I'm more concerned with the density of my waistline!

I don't like sugar in peanut butter, but I'll give this a try just for the "cool" factor! :cool:

max patch
02-05-2014, 15:24
I think I can guess, but please let us know how this tastes, the consistency, and how much of a hassle it is to mix.

Hot Flash
02-05-2014, 15:26
Powdered peanut butter has been around for a long time. No, it's not very tasty. The only thing that it's decent for is if you're making dehydrated foods that need a peanut flavor in them, like many Asian dishes do. It will fit the bill for that, but as just peanut butter...it's gross.

Deadeye
02-05-2014, 15:52
I prefer "peanut butter in the raw"... take whole peanuts, chew vigorously, voila! Peanut Butter! Easy to transport, available almost anywhere.

max patch
02-05-2014, 16:06
I prefer "peanut butter in the raw"... take whole peanuts, chew vigorously, voila! Peanut Butter! Easy to transport, available almost anywhere.

Sounds good in theory but in practice they keeping falling outta my bagel.

Slo-go'en
02-05-2014, 17:21
I'll pass, I like the fat and oil...

daddytwosticks
02-05-2014, 17:21
My better half uses that stuff in her morning smoothies. She tried to get me to use it on hiking trips. I'll stick to my creamy Jiff. :)

Pedaling Fool
02-05-2014, 17:34
I'll pass, I like the fat and oil...Agree, if it doesn't have the fat/oil than there is no reason to have it.

Dogwood
02-05-2014, 18:44
We discussed this here before. I've seen it being sold in many places Ingles, Publix, Krogers, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo, Earthfare, etc. There's also a PB2 with chocolate version, which to me doesn't taste very chocolately.

Some are opposed to it here(because of things like cals/oz ratios which some seem to think is the only concern for trail food nutrition or carrying trail foods) but if you let your creative imagination flow I can see it being useful even in backpacking. It eliminates some of the carrying container concerns of constituted PB(wt possibly being one of them), possible packaging wt(even of soft sided small single serving sizes and resulting potential waste disposal issues), possible greater odor issues when carrying reg PB, avoiding potentially messy mishaps with reg constituted PB, etc. There are some possible uses for it even in backpacking that I can see but like most things you can look at it from different perspectives. It seems similar in tastes to reg constituted Natural PB(JUST PB), perhaps a bit less flavorful.

I add it to Asian inspired trail dishes like substituting it for Tahini in cold sesame Buckwheat noodle recipes. I also sometimes add it to B'fasts w/ oatmeal. I do mix small amts of powder at a time in a separate container(plastic baggie, cookpot, etc before I add the noodles, rice, etc) gradually adding in more powder as I find it makes reconstituting easier. Beware, it does thicken up a bit as you reconstitute it similarly as what happens when reconstituting powdered hummus. I might try reconstituting some powdered PB with non flavored EVOO. Interestingly enough the Butter Buds company sells powdered Olive Oil as well.

One thing I've learned, even as a ULer seeking to increase his cals/oz ratios in his trail food diet, NOT EVERY INGREDIENT in a dish needs to be chosen entirely based on it having an extremely high cals/oz ratio! For example, I can mix some reconstituted PB2 w/ shredded coconut/coconut flake and dip a granola/trail bar, baked high cals/oz crackers, dried apple chips, dried mango, etc into the mix. This way OVERALL I still get a decently high cals/oz ratio in a damn tasty trail food snack.

Malto
02-05-2014, 19:11
Agree, if it doesn't have the fat/oil than there is no reason to have it.

While I agree with Dogwood's overall point, PNB is one of the best ways of getting fat and high cal/oz food. I ate copious amounts on my thru. I would never even consider taking the powdered stuff for anything other than a low calorie ingredient in an otherwise higher calorie meal.

Dogwood
02-05-2014, 19:17
I wasn't trying to make an airtight argument for or against PB2. Different people have different goals. I was just saying it might help to keep an open mind about it therefore we might find more creative uses for it. :)

moldy
02-05-2014, 20:15
They also sell it in little individual serving packs in powder form. 2 tablespoons weigh 0.85oz. I plan on adding a few packs to every mail drop.
http://www.bellplantation.com/products/pb2-individual-packet-carton.html

Siarl
02-06-2014, 02:55
I...Love...Peanut...Butter!!! I've been eating it two to three times a week if not more since the moment I could fix my own sandwiches. I'm not interested in the powder though. But it seems like a lot of hikers are so anally oriented, almost obsessive about grams, fat content over protein content. I say what ever floats your boat. But if I have to eat three meals a day for the five months I'm going to be on the trail, dagnabbit, my food is gong to taste good no matter if it's pure protein or a whole loaf of french bread. Now don't think I'm offended by others needs to eat the way they do or comment on their various diets, I just need my food to taste good. More than anything, the reason I eat is not because I'm hungry, but because I keep wanting to enjoy that wonderful, delectable, fantastic flavor of what ever it is I'm enjoying at that moment. It could be aoli on bread or guac on tortillas with alittle but of chicken. But if it tastes good I'm not going to get bored of food. So, bring on the peanut butter and banana sandwich or wrap.

pipsissewa
02-06-2014, 09:11
We discussed this here before. I've seen it being sold in many places Ingles, Publix, Krogers, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo, Earthfare, etc. There's also a PB2 with chocolate version, which to me doesn't taste very chocolately.

Some are opposed to it here(because of things like cals/oz ratios which some seem to think is the only concern for trail food nutrition or carrying trail foods) but if you let your creative imagination flow I can see it being useful even in backpacking. It eliminates some of the carrying container concerns of constituted PB(wt possibly being one of them), possible packaging wt(even of soft sided small single serving sizes and resulting potential waste disposal issues), possible greater odor issues when carrying reg PB, avoiding potentially messy mishaps with reg constituted PB, etc. There are some possible uses for it even in backpacking that I can see but like most things you can look at it from different perspectives. It seems similar in tastes to reg constituted Natural PB(JUST PB), perhaps a bit less flavorful.

I add it to Asian inspired trail dishes like substituting it for Tahini in cold sesame Buckwheat noodle recipes. I also sometimes add it to B'fasts w/ oatmeal. I do mix small amts of powder at a time in a separate container(plastic baggie, cookpot, etc before I add the noodles, rice, etc) gradually adding in more powder as I find it makes reconstituting easier. Beware, it does thicken up a bit as you reconstitute it similarly as what happens when reconstituting powdered hummus. I might try reconstituting some powdered PB with non flavored EVOO. Interestingly enough the Butter Buds company sells powdered Olive Oil as well.

One thing I've learned, even as a ULer seeking to increase his cals/oz ratios in his trail food diet, NOT EVERY INGREDIENT in a dish needs to be chosen entirely based on it having an extremely high cals/oz ratio! For example, I can mix some reconstituted PB2 w/ shredded coconut/coconut flake and dip a granola/trail bar, baked high cals/oz crackers, dried apple chips, dried mango, etc into the mix. This way OVERALL I still get a decently high cals/oz ratio in a damn tasty trail food snack.


I wasn't trying to make an airtight argument for or against PB2. Different people have different goals. I was just saying it might help to keep an open mind about it therefore we might find more creative uses for it. :)

Well put, DW! Me, I need the protein (preferably plant based) but I don't need the fat! Thanks for all the great ideas!

Pedaling Fool
02-06-2014, 09:38
Well put, DW! Me, I need the protein (preferably plant based) but I don't need the fat! Thanks for all the great ideas!
How do you expect to get your fat?

pipsissewa
02-06-2014, 12:28
How do you expect to get your fat?


{Southern polite silence}



I think I can guess, but please let us know how this tastes, the consistency, and how much of a hassle it is to mix.


Well, I made some up this morning (at home). I think it tastes just fine. I put 2 tablespoons of powder in a bowl then added 1 tablespoon of water. I mixed it up and thought briefly that I was going to have to add more water. But soon all the powder got incorporated in the water and I had thick peanut butter. I ate it right off the spoon to really see how it tastes. I think on a flour tortilla it would be just fine. It looks, acts and tastes just like regular peanut butter, only slightly drier. In a sandwich with jam I think that dryness would not be noticeable. If I had added more water, it probably would have been creamier.

Mr. Pips loves peanut butter on tortillas for his trail lunches. We always take the "fill-it-yourself" tubes because the single-serve packets aren't enough. But the tubes are a hassle: heavy and bulky, messy (greasy), and only hold a few days' worth of lunches. I'll give this powder to Mr. Pips (he'll probably mix up 3-4 tablespoons of powder for each lunch) and I'll look for another brand made without sugar. Mr. Pips loves his sugary foods. But I just don't like sugar in peanut butter. Other than that, I think peanut butter powder tastes okay.

CalebJ
02-06-2014, 12:39
{Southern polite silence}
I don't think Pedaling Fool was trying to ask a silly question. It seems like a very legitimate one to me. Finding good sources of fat on the trail is important to most of us. Do you actively avoid fat sources while planning your hiking meals?

Hot Flash
02-06-2014, 13:43
I don't think Pedaling Fool was trying to ask a silly question. It seems like a very legitimate one to me. Finding good sources of fat on the trail is important to most of us. Do you actively avoid fat sources while planning your hiking meals?

Exactly my train of thought. While the powdered crap might taste okay to some people, it's just not as good as real peanut butter, either in taste or in caloric benefits. Like I said previously, I might use the powdered stuff if I was making up dehydrated meals that needed the peanut flavor, but using it instead of real peanut butter for sandwiches or snacks? No thanks. You gotta get your trail fats somewhere, and cutting them out of a super convenient form of easily portable food just doesn't make sense.

DeerPath
02-06-2014, 14:44
powdered peanut butter has been around for a long time. No, it's not very tasty. The only thing that it's decent for is if you're making dehydrated foods that need a peanut flavor in them, like many asian dishes do. It will fit the bill for that, but as just peanut butter...it's gross.

ditto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dogwood
02-06-2014, 15:34
Thx for posting that Moldy. Those powdered single serving .85 oz 90 cals/per packet come out to a 105 cals/oz ratio not all that bad as far as a cal/oz ratio. AND, certainly as good or higher than say these common trail foods that hikers don't complain about in regards to DISMAL cals/oz ratios:

StarKist Tuna(packed in Sunflower Oil, 2.6 oz) - 58 cals/oz * even a more dismal cals/oz ratio if opting for the version packed in water

http://www.starkist.com/product/chunk-light-tuna-sunflower-oil

Kellogg's Pop Tarts (Frosted Strawberry) - 95 cals/oz, even worse IMHO because it's LOADED w/ cheap sugar cals AND even then labeling laws allow other sugars not to be accounted for as sugar Kelloggs list(corn syrup, HFCS). Snickers 2 oz bars, although being relatively inexpensive, found readily, are convenient, of course taste great because Americans are ADDICTED to sugar, and have decent cals/oz ratios AGAIN are almost 1/3 by caloric content sugar. Even though a Snickers bar is 55% carbs most of those carbs are simple carbs in the form of simple cheap sugar. MAYBE, those levels of sugar aren't the healthiest nor necessarily the best to be consuming as a hiker? :-?

http://www.rwservices.poptarts.com/content/dam/common/products/nutrition/126324.jpg

http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/snickers-bar-mandm-mars-candies

People ask me how I get my trail food wt down so low. One thing that factors into it is that I don't opt for carrying an abundance of sugar! I don't get as many energy crashes or have to be constantly consuming high sugary junk foods to avoid it either.

If we read Pipsissewa's initial post this person is concerned about consuming sugar too. :-?

AGAIN, PB(reg Natural constituted w/ all the fat) is NOT the only source of fat(good fats, healthier fats) available. It's just one of many. Just because one ingredient in a trail food diet is not super high in cals/oz does not mean it should necessarily be frowned upon. Expand your high cals/oz ingredients list that's easily applicable to trail food scenarios.

Hot Flash
02-06-2014, 15:44
MAYBE, those levels of sugar aren't the healthiest nor necessarily the best to be consuming as a hiker? :-? .

And MAYBE a lot of us don't eat them. I know I would have to be starving and have no other source of food in order to willingly eat a Poptart or Snickers bar.

Dogwood
02-06-2014, 16:12
would you eat a Poptart or Snickers bar dipped in YOUR PB? ;):)

Venchka
02-06-2014, 16:19
Mrs. Wayne wagged home a jar of this powdered peanut butter last year when the product first surfaced at White Blaze. To date, it is still unopened. When I realized that all of the "goodness" had been removed, I kinda lost interest. Until I can use it on a trail maybe. I still go back to "Where's the beef?" Or in this case, where are the fat calories? The ones that keep you going on the trail? I might experiment with mixing in some high quality peanut oil along with some water.
In the mean time, I'll stick to the real deal.

Wayne

kennyxedge
02-13-2014, 22:26
I'll stick to the Jif To Go single serve packets.

rocketsocks
02-14-2014, 00:46
Sounds good in theory but in practice they keeping falling outta my bagel.
I'd be concerned about scaring all the other hikers away when they see me regurgitate the stuff, and then spread it on the bagel and then eat it again. Talk about a train wreck, that's right up there with eatin boogers.

Dogwood
02-14-2014, 02:11
Whew, WB seems like a bunch of children all trying to command their parent's attention at the same time. It's all good though. Diff strokes for diff arghhh folks. Ummm, regurgitated savoring the second flavoring of reconstituted powdered PB. I bet most of you complaining about PB2 haven't even tried it! HMM? I bet ya'all didn't eat your peas and carrots either. Nah, NO NO NO. I'm natta gonna eat um. Try them Johnny. You might like them. They're good for ya. NO. NO.