Best prepping food to dehydrate?

[wakproductions]

A friend donated me an old food dehydrator machine. Got any suggestions on what food(s) make a good test candidate?

 

[Phase2]

Many fruits work well- sliced apple or banana would be cheap and easy to test it on.

You can look up specific recipes/instructions on the web.

 

[bwframe]

Pineapple is great, especially when you can get it on sale for $1. Fruit that doesn't readily discolor has always worked better for me, a lot less steps and timing issues.

Dehydrated cabbage is very handy to have around, as is celery.
Carrots too. I like to run on sale baby cut carrots through the 1/4" onion chopper.

Onions are also great to have around, but DO NOT attempt to dehydrate them in the house.
Now is a great time to get chives dehydrating, if they are still alive in your garden.
If circumstances permit, I might well top the growing garlic leaves before a hard freeze arrives to burn them down.

Note - Dehydrating puts a lot of moisture in your house. Windows get fogged and such. I try to dehydrate everything on the outside porch, for at least the initial few hours.

 

[wakproductions]

Nice ideas! Will give them a try.

 

[PistolBob]

We take strawberries when in season, pop off the green part, cut in half, dip in apple juice, then shake in a baggie of Nestle Quick or hot chocolate mix....dry them on the dryer...nothing like a few choco-dried strawberries in your oatmeal.

 

[wakproductions]

Cool idea PistolBob!

For rehydrating dried out food, how do you typically prepare it? Do most people eat the dedydrated stuff it as-is? PistolBob suggests oatmeal, which is a great idea.

 

[bwframe]

We take strawberries when in season, pop off the green part, cut in half, dip in apple juice, then shake in a baggie of Nestle Quick or hot chocolate mix....dry them on the dryer...nothing like a few choco-dried strawberries in your oatmeal.

Oh my. Might have to practice this on some store bought berries. I buy chocolate malt Ovaltine by the case.

What specific kind of apple juice? Does it matter?

 

[Phase2]

You can eat many dehydrated fruits as-is. Apple chips, banana chips and pineapple chunks work well. As PistolBob showed, you can use them in larger recipies. My personal favorite is simple cinnamon-coated apple slices. Work well straight or broken up in oatmeal, yogurt and salads.

 

[PistolBob]

Oh my. Might have to practice this on some store bought berries. I buy chocolate malt Ovaltine by the case.

What specific kind of apple juice? Does it matter?

Cheap

Store Brand is fine. It's mainly to make the chocolate powder stick and to keep the berries a little on the sweet side. We mix them in with home made granola too.

 

[PistolBob]

You can eat many dehydrated fruits as-is. Apple chips, banana chips and pineapple chunks work well. As PistolBob showed, you can use them in larger recipies. My personal favorite is simple cinnamon-coated apple slices. Work well straight or broken up in oatmeal, yogurt and salads.

Apples

When we dry Apple slices, we always spray both sides with a mixture of 50% lemon juice and 50% water. Keeps them from turning brown in the dryer and helps the cinnamon to stick.

If they do turn brown, eat them anyway....they won't hurt you.

 

[1988-4551]

Second the pineapple suggestion. If you have trays for it I’d recommend dehydrating some dinty Moore beef stew (you have to cut the pieces smaller and into a fairly consistent size). Was my knock off mre of sorts when backpacking out west and I didn’t want the full weight of canned goods. Add boiling water and give it five to ten minutes to rehydrate.

 

[PistolBob]

Second the pineapple suggestion. If you have trays for it I’d recommend dehydrating some dinty Moore beef stew (you have to cut the pieces smaller and into a fairly consistent size). Was my knock off mre of sorts when backpacking out west and I didn’t want the full weight of canned goods. Add boiling water and give it five to ten minutes to rehydrate.

We have had some success with dehydrating canned chili and then storing it in a vacuum sealed bag...I'm not the world's largest fan of this dried chili but it works, and on a cold night at the campfire it's pretty danged tasty...

 

[PistolBob]

Beef Vegetable soup

Dry some beef strips, but up into small chuncks
Dry some of each:

Canned Green beans
Canned Sweet Corn
Sliced up canned potatoes
CannedSliced carrots
Raw Sliced sweet onions
Canned diced tomatoes

Get a baggie, add about 2 oz of the dried beef meat, a 1/4 cup scoop of each dried veggie, 2 bullion cubes...seal it up and put it in your pack. When time to eat, dump it in a pan and add 2-3 cups of boiling water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and then slowly bring it to a boil. Boil until veggies are tender...chow down...add Romen noodles tot he mix if you want to get more substance.

 

[bwframe]

We have had some success with dehydrating canned chili and then storing it in a vacuum sealed bag...I'm not the world's largest fan of this dried chili but it works, and on a cold night at the campfire it's pretty danged tasty...

Wow, another great idea I can use. I make chili a lot. Sounds like a great idea when tired of the days old leftovers. Also good way to fill extra trays to load the dehydrator.

How long does this dehydrated vac sealed chili last?

 

[PistolBob]

Wow, another great idea I can use. I make chili a lot. Sounds like a great idea when tired of the days old leftovers. Also good way to fill extra trays to load the dehydrator.

How long does this dehydrated vac sealed chili last?

If you dry it well, and store it in air tight containers, vacuum sealed would be best, I'd say about a month or so. Moisture and sugar content are your enemies of dried food, that's what bacteria and mold likes. Several years ago I had about 10 lbs of Jalepeno peppers surplus...I halved them and dried them to a crisp crackle crunch. Put them in a plastic containers with a screw on lid (think peanut butter jar) and put a descant pack in each one (use the food safe ones) and we're still eating them with no ill effects. I have a container of dried sweet onions (which I make every couple years) that are still good to eat and add to soups chili, stews, etc. Store them in a dry dark place and they keep for a long time.

If you ever suspect spoilage, then throw it away.