Unflavored milk alternative

[lil_miss_understood]

Even my supposedly "plain" soymilk (and rice milk) has vanilla flavoring in it. : It's not very good for savory dishes- I can still taste the vanilla.
Any suggestions?

[kjbrown92]

What kind of dishes are you making? Rice milk is more like water in consistency, so it's not like it makes things creamy (in my opinion), so you could just use water or broth. I use coconut milk in some savory dishes, but it depends on the taste you're looking for.

[Ruthla]

Depending on the recipe, I might use broth or water.

[menomena]

We use a lot of homemade bone broth.

What brand are you using that you can taste vanilla in plain rice milk? I use West Soy "plain rice drink" . No vanilla; no sweeteners.

link: http://www.westsoy.biz/products/product/1127.php

Hmm. My boxes all say it has safflower oil, not canola. That is distressing. I will have to go double-check my boxes. If they have changed and switched to canola, we are totally out of milk substitutes. :

[JaneS]

You can make your own rice milk by whizzing cooked rice up with water in the blender and straining.

[lil_miss_understood]

I'm looking at things like cream soups, so water and broth won't work.
DH says he can't taste it and neither can DS1. BIL hasn't said anything about it, it's just me. I was standing over my stove one day, cooking, tasted what I was cooking and thought "That's funny. I think I taste and smell vanilla." Lo and behold, there was vanilla in the soy milk (I didn't notice it when I was reading the label, probably because I'd just bought vanilla soymilk).
It's Kirkland's (Costco) so it's by no means the best.
I considered coconut but I try to avoid coconut milk as much as I can because ds2 reacted to it (through bm) for quite some time. I also avoid nut milks because he's only 14 mo and he reacted to peanuts, almonds and walnuts through bm also. He seems okay now, but it's something I prefer to just keep out of his diet for now.
I'll check out West Soy. That's the brand my ND has recommended but I try to get things as inexpensively as possible. Otherwise, I may try the homemade rice milk.
Thanks!

[WC_hapamama]

I've use unsweetened, plain soymilk in savory dishes with no problems. I've used the stuff from Trader Joes (beige container with green soybean pods) and the Unsweetened, plain silk.

If you need a creamy sauce without a milk sub at all, try making a veloute sauce.

[menomena]

Originally Posted by JaneS

You can make your own rice milk by whizzing cooked rice up with water in the blender and straining.

Good to know. Thanks!!

[menomena]

Originally Posted by WC_hapamama

If you need a creamy sauce without a milk sub at all, try making a veloute sauce.

Is it also egg-free and gluten-free?

[Chinese Pistache]

For cream sauces/soups, you could use potatoes and water/rice milk or a bechamel sauce with a safe fat, flour and broth.

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by menomena

Is it also egg-free and gluten-free?

It is if you use a gf flour sub. No eggs called for in it. Sweet rice flour has worked well for me in creamy sauces before.

[menomena]

googling veloute sauce now...

[txtarheel]

If coconut milk or broth won't cut it around here, I use oat milk. It's got a bit of a sweet flavor, but it's definitely not vanilla. Besides, milk and cream have a sweet flavor too.