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The Dehydrated Food Thread

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    • I tried this freezer-bag meal for lunch today. It looked like a brown, gloppy mess but it was really tasty.

      1/4 cup dehydrated taco meat
      1/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes
      1/3 cup dehydrated pinto beans
      a bit of dehydrated onion
      packet of dried red pepper flakes
      (I'm out of dehydrated peppers and tomatoes or I would have included those)

      I boiled 1.5 cups of water in BirdBrain's stove using 25 ml of HEET (it was a little too much), added about 1.25 cups of water to the freezer bag and let sit for 10 min. It rehydrated really fast.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • Yesterday I dehydrated chia seed pudding. It is delicious. It smells and tastes just like banana pudding with vanilla wafers.

      4 tbsp Chia seeds
      1 cup of almond milk
      1/3 cup of vanilla soy milk
      2 mashed bananas

      Mix it all together and refrigerate for about an hour or until it becomes pudding. Dehydrate on 135 for 5 hours.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • Powered up the dehydrator today.

      Easy pasta and sauce

      1/2 jar Trader Joe's tomato basil marinara
      10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies
      1/2 onion diced
      3-4 mushrooms diced

      1/2 box whole grain pasta shells, cooked, drained, and blotted dry with paper towels or spun dry in a salad spinner

      I have never dehydrated pasta. I'm dehydrating it on 130*. Time? We'll see.
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      Lost in the right direction.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Powered up the dehydrator today.

      Easy pasta and sauce

      1/2 jar Trader Joe's tomato basil marinara
      10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies
      1/2 onion diced
      3-4 mushrooms diced

      1/2 box whole grain pasta shells, cooked, drained, and blotted dry with paper towels or spun dry in a salad spinner

      I have never dehydrated pasta. I'm dehydrating it on 130*. Time? We'll see.


      Looks good
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • HeartFire wrote:

      I am totally new here on this board - to the above pasta being dehydrated - why don't you first mix the pasta with the sauce and dehydrate them together - one ziplock, one meal, no mess.


      Hi Judy (I love my tent!)

      I thought about mixing the pasta and sauce but wasn't sure about the difference in drying times. The veggies are chunky. Surprisingly, the pasta is nearly finished but the sauce needs several more hours. I will mix them together afterwards and maybe add some dehydrated ground beef.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • After 6 hrs, the sauce is turning into "leather" and easily slides off the tray with a spatula. It's still moist so I turn it over and reset the dehydrator for a few more hours. The pasta took 3 hours.

      also turned the temp up to 140* to speed things along
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      Lost in the right direction.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Traffic Jam ().

    • Traffic Jam,
      I don't eat meat, but when I teach a class on dehydrating, I usually tell people to dehydrate hamburger meat separately - bring it in a baggy of it's own - that way, you can toss a handful of it into any meal you want to. Use lean ground meat, and after it's cooked, rinse off the fat/grease. Fats don't dehydrate - they can go rancid. rinse the fat and then add spice to it, then dehydrate.

      Also, regarding foods that have already been cooked - such as the pasta and sauces etc, just turn the temp all the way up, they will dry faster, and since they have already been cooked, it won't hurt them.

      When drying fruits, raw veggies, smoothies etc, use a lower temp. It will take longer, but it won't cook the food.

      Yes, I did say smoothies - great for breakfast. 1 can of (full fat) coconut milk, a couple of bananas, mangos, etc - any kind of fruit, I have used oranges, pears, apples, mostly banana's and mango's - I throw in a handful of oatmeal, almonds or cashews, put it all in the blender and give it a wizz. you can add more honey etc if you want to boost the calories. Then dehydrate. One blender full like this makes 3 breakfast smoothies for me - guys may want bigger portions.

      Now, after you eat dinner at night, put water in the baggie with the smoothie and let it rehydrate overnight (you don't have to use hot water unless it's the middle of the winter). In the morning, just shake it up in the baggie, add more water if it needs it, and breakfast is ready to go.

      After the smoothie is dry, it's usually brittle or somewhat soft, I break it into large pieces, and put it in the freezer. Once it's frozen and brittle, I put it through a coffee grinder to powder it - it will rehydrate faster this way, also, it won't poke holes in the zip lock. You can also add a spoonful of chia seeds once it's dry.

    • HeartFire wrote:

      Traffic Jam,
      I don't eat meat, but when I teach a class on dehydrating, I usually tell people to dehydrate hamburger meat separately - bring it in a baggy of it's own - that way, you can toss a handful of it into any meal you want to. Use lean ground meat, and after it's cooked, rinse off the fat/grease. Fats don't dehydrate - they can go rancid. rinse the fat and then add spice to it, then dehydrate.

      Also, regarding foods that have already been cooked - such as the pasta and sauces etc, just turn the temp all the way up, they will dry faster, and since they have already been cooked, it won't hurt them.

      When drying fruits, raw veggies, smoothies etc, use a lower temp. It will take longer, but it won't cook the food.

      Yes, I did say smoothies - great for breakfast. 1 can of (full fat) coconut milk, a couple of bananas, mangos, etc - any kind of fruit, I have used oranges, pears, apples, mostly banana's and mango's - I throw in a handful of oatmeal, almonds or cashews, put it all in the blender and give it a wizz. you can add more honey etc if you want to boost the calories. Then dehydrate. One blender full like this makes 3 breakfast smoothies for me - guys may want bigger portions.

      Now, after you eat dinner at night, put water in the baggie with the smoothie and let it rehydrate overnight (you don't have to use hot water unless it's the middle of the winter). In the morning, just shake it up in the baggie, add more water if it needs it, and breakfast is ready to go.

      After the smoothie is dry, it's usually brittle or somewhat soft, I break it into large pieces, and put it in the freezer. Once it's frozen and brittle, I put it through a coffee grinder to powder it - it will rehydrate faster this way, also, it won't poke holes in the zip lock. You can also add a spoonful of chia seeds once it's dry.


      Thank you for the great tips. I'm going to try the smoothies and add my dehydrated chia seed, banana pudding.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • HeartFire wrote:

      I am totally new here on this board - to the above pasta being dehydrated - why don't you first mix the pasta with the sauce and dehydrate them together - one ziplock, one meal, no mess.


      Yup I tried that & turned into a real mess, prepared separately they can be combined better when dry, into one zip lock.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • WiseOldOwl wrote:

      HeartFire wrote:

      I am totally new here on this board - to the above pasta being dehydrated - why don't you first mix the pasta with the sauce and dehydrate them together - one ziplock, one meal, no mess.


      Yup I tried that & turned into a real mess, prepared separately they can be combined better when dry, into one zip lock.


      i think the spaghetti nests would work really good with the sauce already mixed in. I'll try it soon.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • HeartFire wrote:

      Traffic Jam,
      I don't eat meat, but when I teach a class on dehydrating, I usually tell people to dehydrate hamburger meat separately - bring it in a baggy of it's own - that way, you can toss a handful of it into any meal you want to. Use lean ground meat, and after it's cooked, rinse off the fat/grease. Fats don't dehydrate - they can go rancid. rinse the fat and then add spice to it, then dehydrate.

      Also, regarding foods that have already been cooked - such as the pasta and sauces etc, just turn the temp all the way up, they will dry faster, and since they have already been cooked, it won't hurt them.

      When drying fruits, raw veggies, smoothies etc, use a lower temp. It will take longer, but it won't cook the food.

      Yes, I did say smoothies - great for breakfast. 1 can of (full fat) coconut milk, a couple of bananas, mangos, etc - any kind of fruit, I have used oranges, pears, apples, mostly banana's and mango's - I throw in a handful of oatmeal, almonds or cashews, put it all in the blender and give it a wizz. you can add more honey etc if you want to boost the calories. Then dehydrate. One blender full like this makes 3 breakfast smoothies for me - guys may want bigger portions.

      .


      OK I missed this, and just picked up on it, and if you are teaching a class - be aware rinsing is not needed. Fresh Burger & Pemmican is loaded with fat and dosen't go rancid that fast. - so is fresh shelf stable lard that was used for hundreds of years will remain edible at room temp up to two months- without Hydrogenation, which creates the trans-fats, Crisco is the poor man's lard, hense the danger. Pepperoni which is room temp up to six months, due to a small amount of Saltpeter. When it comes to fats, there were a lot of myths perpetuated in 70's and 80's - when Lard was healthier than butter. Jerky is loaded with fat and avoids rancidity due to acids such as soy, Teriyaki and Worcestershire sauce.

      Muscle & energy for hiking come directly from eating fats. Eating Fat doesn't make you fat. Eating bread does - the worst thing to eat if you are diabetic. Beer is liquid bread and at 16 ounces is 170+ calories and makes you "feel" better at the end of a long hike and it works. It is the real cause of Beer Belly hard fat. If you ever eat a clam chowder made with a heavy cream - you eat less, The fat shuts down the stomach and sends a full signal - hence a sandwich and a soup at lunch is very filling.

      Nutritionist of that time period sheepishly now admit they got it wrong, and some are still perpetuating the myths, today.

      I realize I am tossing a lot at you all at once - I apologize for that. I sit around at a regular party table with friends who are diabetics. They pay to go to nutrition classes, listen to experts and they are obese and still eat the wrong things and guess what - one of them is a 300+ pound graduate of a culinary school and works in a cafe at a hospital, he & I have been friends for some 20+ years.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      WiseOldOwl wrote:

      HeartFire wrote:

      I am totally new here on this board - to the above pasta being dehydrated - why don't you first mix the pasta with the sauce and dehydrate them together - one ziplock, one meal, no mess.


      Yup I tried that & turned into a real mess, prepared separately they can be combined better when dry, into one zip lock.


      i think the spaghetti nests would work really good with the sauce already mixed in. I'll try it soon.


      I hate the nests - I break the spaghetti in half to fit inside the glad bag, I cook it, rinse and using a v shaped parchment get the spaghetti back into a long shape for drying and packing. Honest I know its a waste of time. I still keep it separate from the sauce.
      Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! :thumbup:

    • HeartFire wrote:



      Yes, I did say smoothies - great for breakfast. 1 can of (full fat) coconut milk, a couple of bananas, mangos, etc - any kind of fruit, I have used oranges, pears, apples, mostly banana's and mango's - I throw in a handful of oatmeal, almonds or cashews, put it all in the blender and give it a wizz. you can add more honey etc if you want to boost the calories. Then dehydrate. One blender full like this makes 3 breakfast smoothies for me - guys may want bigger portions.



      i like this idea. while oatmeal is my ususal breakfast, sometimes i'll bring protein powder and seeds and mix it up best i can. never thot of making the same smoothies with plenty of fruits and veggies i make at home and going thru this process. thanks for the tip.

      i am curious why you use full fat milk when in an earlier paragraph you warned about fat going rancid.
      2,000 miler

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      The shells didn't dehydrate as small or light as I expected but I'm still happy with the weight. Total for shells and sauce is 11.2 oz. I would probably divide into 4 servings/ 2.8 oz per serving.

      I would probably add ground beef and cheese.


      Whenever I make up pasta I like to use the pre-sliced shelf stable pepperoni available in the 2, 3 or 4 ounce packages, depending on the producer. I heat up and rehydrate the pasta meal, and then in the last couple minutes before it's ready I drop in the pepperoni slices giving them enough time to heat up without getting soggy. I have never cared for how ground beef rehydrates and I like the results I get from the pepperoni.
      Of course I talk to myself... sometimes I need expert advice.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Tuckahoe ().

    • Wise Old Owl - good points about the pemican and fats - I do try to avoid using a lot of fats when I dehydrate stuff, but seriously - does a bottle of olive oil go bad sitting on the shelf? I guess I have to re- think some of this stuff. And, as a (former) nurse practitioner, yes - unfortunately our health care system is run more by the big $$ - phamacuiticals and food industry.

      Back to the pasta - I only ever par boil pasta prior to dehydrating, I usually use angel hair pasta because it rehydrates quickly, but just cook it VERY al-dente. I make lots of pasta dishes for hiking. The best book I think out there is the "Backpackers Gourmet" by Susan Frederick-Yaffee. She has a lot of recipes and tells you how to dehydrate and then re-hydrate the foods. After trying some of her recipes, I struck out on my own - basically any one pot meal, stew, casserole etc. I make an Indian Carrot pudding for desert that is packed with good calories.

      As for the full fat coconut milk, I guess it's the same thing as whole milk? IDK, I tried it once and it worked. I also make green smoothies, lots of raw kale etc. great way to get some vitamins on the trail, I dehydrate them at a low temperature so as not to cook the raw food.

    • Tuckahoe wrote:



      TrafficJam wrote:

      Tuckahoe wrote:



      Neat article. It sounds like fusty, rancid, olive oil smells just like hiker funk.

      "sweaty socks, swampy vegetation, or too-wet compost heap." :S


      There is a lot of rancid olive oil on the grocery store shelves.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123

    • I'm putting some meals together and plan on making Rasty's Jambalaya. I notice the recipe says freeze-dried chicken, celery, and bell pepper. I can understand the chicken being freeze dried but why is it recommended that the celery and bell pepper be freeze dried?
      Lost in the right direction.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Traffic Jam ().