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Re: tips for home cooked dehydrated meals

Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 8:15 pm
by snowpatch
I am known as the dehydrator queen by my family and friends. So you know what advise I will give you. Come April or May my dehydrator starts to run almost non-stop. I dehydrate almost everything for my backpack meals with the exception of asparagus which I buy freeze dried. It does not rehydrate very well. I sometimes buy some freeze dried broccoli or cauliflower for salad lunches, but will use dehydrated in suppers.

Except for a few meals ( Indian Dahl and Veggie Moroccan stew) I dehydrate ingredients separately and then mix together when packing the individual meals.

What I dehydrate: green beans (frozen works well), frozen corn, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, butternut squash, cabbage, onion, peppers(sweet and hot), yams, broccoli for dinners, spinach, canned artichokes hearts, cooked pasta,cooked brown rice, cooked quinoa, canned beans (black beans, chick peas, kidney beans...) cooked ground beef, cooked ground chicken, tuna (ends up a bit crunchy), cooked sausage (fat rinsed off well), olives, feta cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt (freeze then put in blender) tomato paste,and most fruits. I am sure there is more that I can't think of right now. You can try most anything. Oh, I almost forgot to say, I never have had luck rehydrating plain tofu, but the tofu chicken that you can buy rehydrates well. As well, I make some tofu "meatballs" that rehydrate fine.

I store the meats in the freezer and the rest in the basement where it is cool. Food is good for entire summer. If I have veggies left over in the fall, I throw them in the freezer for the next season and use up first. The grains and beans I will use at home. Can't tell the difference.

The most indispensable thing in my pack is my pot cozy from antigravity gear. To cook supper, I boil water in my pot. Add dehydrated meal, and put the whole pot in the pot cozy to sit. 20 minutes later I have a rehydrated steaming hot dinner.

For lunch salads, I pour boiling water in the bag of ingredients in the morning. Double bag, and let it sit in the top of my pack until lunchtime.

Re: tips for home cooked dehydrated meals

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:11 am
by sparky
Thanks for the replies everyone, I am soaking it all in. I am going to buy a dehydrator today!

So it seems that it is better to dehydrate ingredients by themselves, then actually mix together during the rehydration process? Or is it just fine to prepare the meal, then dehydrate the meal?

Re: tips for home cooked dehydrated meals

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 12:44 pm
by snowpatch
You can do either; dehydrate prepared meals or dehydrate individual ingredients. I do a mixture of both. I dry produce as it comes in season, and a few prepared meals. If dehydrating prepared meals, make sure to have items cut in a small uniform size. I prefer my rice and pasta if dehydrated separately.

Re: tips for home cooked dehydrated meals

Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 2:59 pm
by gary c.
Sparky,
Just a couple of links that might help get you started.

http://www.netwoods.com/cooking/drying2.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.trailcooking.com/dehydrating101" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.backpackingchef.com/dehydrating-food.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.onepanwonders.com/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: tips for home cooked dehydrated meals

Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:57 pm
by dave54
longri wrote:Yes, Dave, I calculated 48% fat (by Calories) for that trip -- I normally eat a lot less fat at home but I think it's okay to deviate from ideal dietary track for a week or three...
Agree. If you otherwise eat right at home, going off the wagon for a couple weeks is OK. The military has done extensive research on nutrition and human performance in harsh environments, and they basically say lay off the junk food and keep your calories up. No significant changes to the normal dietary recommendations due to extreme heat, cold, or altitude.

I looked at freeze drying machines for home.
They are not an appliance for a corner of your countertop. Very large, and most are 220V (they are a combination freezer unit and vacuum pump). I located a 110V model, but it looked so cheap and flimsy I passed. If anyone has seen a model practical for home use and reasonably priced post it here.

Re: tips for home cooked dehydrated meals

Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 9:45 am
by longri
Snowpatch:
Thank you for that great post. I was just thinking about asparagus as they are in season. I have never tried dehydrating asparagus and was thinking about (skeptically) giving it a shot.

Dave:
Can you point me to where you found that flimsy freeze-drying unit? I found serious models to be way too expensive and building my own not a trivial DIY project.

Re: tips for home cooked dehydrated meals

Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 12:28 pm
by sciaticnve
Gary C,
Could you offer a good recommendation on the dehydrated refined beans?

Thanks
Elliott

Re: tips for home cooked dehydrated meals

Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 9:50 am
by gary c.
sciaticnve wrote:Gary C,
Could you offer a good recommendation on the dehydrated refined beans?

Thanks
Elliott
We have a local market here in Lancaster called WinCo Foods that some bulk foods and they have great dehydrated refies that are flaovered with garlic and other things. This year I bought a #10 can of refries from Honeyville and they rehydrate well but are just beans. I've been adding a little garlic powder and chili powder to spice them up.

http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/refrie ... gecan.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: tips for home cooked dehydrated meals

Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:53 pm
by sciaticnve
Gary,
Thanks for the feedback.

Elliott

Re: tips for home cooked dehydrated meals

Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 6:10 pm
by justm
Here's a simple recipe for turkey chili, that dehydrates and rehydrates well.

Brown ground turkey with onions and garlic, season with salt-pepper, cumin, chili pepper
add 2 to 3 cans of small white beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 cans diced green chili's
2 cans of diced tomatoes and green chili's
1 to 2 smoked chipotles, finely chopped and some of the juice from a can
add water or chicken broth to get to the consistency you like.
simmer for about 30 min.
dehydrate, if it's runny, I place the chili on wax paper in the dehydrator
It takes over night on 160 setting ( meat)
At camp, add shredded cheese and eat with tortillas, enjoy !