Dehydrating Food

[bigsky2]

Does anyone make their own dehydrated food other than jerky? I would like to learn how to dehydrate other foods - both main dishes for backpacking and also snacks. If anyone could give me some info or point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.

 

[TheJason]

I've done it. It's not rocket science, but there are some things you can do to make it easier.

Use parchment paper (NOT waxed paper, learned this the hard way) on your trays
Avoid any excess fats/oils
Keep chopped items small in size, i.e. your veggies, meat, etch

I store the meals in Ziploc freezer bags (quart size) and put them in the freezer. They'll keep at least a year. Soups and stews are easy. Some pasta dishes work pretty well, like spaghetti. I've dehydrated chicken breast and mixed it with couscous and seasoning. The chicken will take a while to rehydrate.

The biggest thing you need to adjust to is the length of time it takes to rehydrate. Expect 20-30 minutes for meals once you add your water. If you're okay with this, it's a great system. If you want to eat in 10 minutes, stick with freeze dried.

 

[406LIFE]

I think JLS covered the biggies. I use a vaccum sealer and don't really have an issue "sucking up" anything.

 

[MThuntr]

yes chop things small otherwise you'll end up with gravel that resembles the flavor of ground beef.

 

[toprut]

When dehydrating ground beef, add 1/2 cup of fine dried breadcrumbs per pound of meat. It rehydrates much better and you generally avoid the beef gravel issue. And get at least 90% lean.

 

[DirtyDan]

Not sure if this is inappropriate, if so please delete.
There is a newer podcast out called Hunt Harvest Health that has some really good info and recipes for diy dehydrating backcountry meals. I've made the protein bars and they're pretty good.

 

[MJE2083]

I agree with previous posts. I've done ground beef a few times and adding the breadcrumbs is a good idea. Keep it lean. Try to keep everything around the same size/thickness to ensure even dehydration. I've also found shredded zucchini to work pretty well as a veggie since they hold a lot of water they shrink down pretty good. I've made a meal of ground beef, instant rice, zucchini, and some taco seasoning that was pretty tasty.

I also recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Lipsmackin-Backpackin-Lightweight-Trail-tested-Backcountry/dp/1560448814
Looks like you can get a used copy for 1 cent plus shipping. That's hard to beat.

 

[Epfd217]

I found several good dehydrated meal recipes last year using a google search. I tried a few out during the summer to see which ones I liked. You can dehydrate quite a few meals you wouldn't normally think of.
My favorite form last year was a trail chili. Cooked it, dehydrated it, packaged it and rehydrated it for a meal.

 

[commandoNate]

One of my favorites lately has been dehydrated ground elk with some veggies (corn, green beans, peas, ect.) and I cook it with instant mashed potatoes. Back country shepherds pie! Gotta look out for those peas tho, those make some tooth breaking pea gravel if you aren't careful.

My girlfriend stumbled on backpackingchef.com and found some good recipes and instructions there. I would eat ramen and jerky for a week if she didn't make the camp food for me.

 

[MedicineMan15]

Just read this article today on Argali on the subject: https://argalioutdoors.com/advice/diy-backcountry-meals/

Im new to the subject, but everything I've read here makes sense.

 

[Slosurfer]

Here's a good site that has recipes and good info on dehydrating just about everything for backpacking. http://www.backpackingchef.com/