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Dehydrator stories (Read 47447 times)

bullfrog Inukshuk Offline Posts: 277 Location: Chicago Joined: Jul 12^th, 2003	Dehydrator stories Dec 5^th, 2003 at 2:04pm	Quote Print Post
	I never was one to skimp on the food weight, but when we all had to go on diets after a trip in it was getting ridiculous. So last year I cranked up the dehydrator in an attempt to keep the weight of the food pack below that of the bear. I dried a number of different fruits. Strawberries were very popular, blueberries weren't worth the effort. Apples, bananas, kiwis and pears all worked well. I tried Rick Smith's Cole Slaw recipe from the recipes page here, and decided that was decent. It led me to dehydrate sauerkraut for the second trip in. That was a big success braised with sausage, and even popular as an out of the bag snack. Red bell peppers worked very well, and sweet corn with red pepper bits was another hit snack. I liked the jerky I made, even though it was a bit spicy for some others in the party. If you held it with fireplace mitts, you could barely feel the heat. Spaghetti sauce dehydrated into a leather that rehydrated well in cooking. What do others dehydrate? Bullfrog


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PhantomJug Voyageur Inukshuk Offline Posts: 2855 Location: 1/2 way there Joined: Feb 12^th, 2003	Re: Dehydrator stories Reply #1 - Dec 5^th, 2003 at 2:18pm	Quote Print Post
	I got a dehydrator as a Christmas gift several years ago and I think it's still in the box in the basement. Bullfrog, you have inspired me to finally get it out and try and make something. First attemp will be to dehydrate a bottle of Guiness Stout - (I'll let you know how it goes.) Seriously though I am going to get it out. Winters are long up here.


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bullfrog Inukshuk Offline Posts: 277 Location: Chicago Joined: Jul 12^th, 2003	Re: Dehydrator stories Reply #2 - Dec 5^th, 2003 at 2:25pm	Quote Print Post
	Take the stout out of the bottle. Glass takes forever to dehydrate, and then when you do rehydrate it, all you have is more to carry out.


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Bannock Inukshuk Offline Posts: 656 Joined: Dec 6^th, 2002	Re: Dehydrator stories Reply #3 - Dec 5^th, 2003 at 2:34pm	Quote Print Post
	About the only thing I dehydrate any more is hamburger, jerky, and chili beans. Everything else I can find commercially either in the supermarket or at my local CoOp. The quality is much better than I could do myself and it is not expensive like "camping/backpacking" food. For instance my CoOp carries in bulk dried mushrooms, dried peas, dried cream of mushroom soup, tomato powder, dried bell peppers, dried corn, dehydrated refried beans, dehydrated hummus, and many more things. They also carry the Just Tomatoes line of products (You need to *Login* or *Register* to view media files and links) They make all kinds of dehydrated fruits and veggies. Supermarkets carry many dried fruits -- apples, mixed fruits, etc, as well as dried onions and others.


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TwistTieCollector Inukshuk Offline Posts: 653 Joined: Feb 7^th, 2003	Re: Dehydrator stories Reply #4 - Dec 5^th, 2003 at 3:03pm	Quote Print Post
	Gimp_of_01 should chime in sometime soon, cuz his wife dehydrates chilis, stews, and casseroles for us. So damn good that we don't eat freeze-dried dinners any more (but we bring one along as a just-in-case-we're-laid-over dinner.) Sometimes the bigger chunks of meat or beans take a bit of sitting time to rehydrate to remove the crunch. We usually rehydrate by double sealing it in a one-zip bag in the AM and letting it sit thru the day. On travel day dinners we boil up water before adding it to speed up rehydration. She makes jerky too - once she packed along fish jerky. Why send fish jerky when we're eating it fresh from the lake? I dunno...Gimp passed the stuff around, threatening that if we ended up bringing it back his wife might lose her zeal to dehydrate the real yummy stuff. It didn't work, in many dimensions.


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The Gimp of 01 Inukshuk Offline Posts: 313 Location: 53098 Joined: May 1^st, 2003	Re: Dehydrator stories Reply #5 - Dec 5^th, 2003 at 3:31pm	Quote Print Post
	Salsa is always a big hit. Take along the most indestructible crackers you can find, (Triscuits have worked for us), reconstitute some salsa, and you have a nice treat. Besides that, we usually have at least one dinner of dehydrated chili, and one of dehydrated stew of the day. A vacuum packer works well to contain the finished product. For fruits, try taking some applesauce and dry it in the soup tray. Makes good apple leather. Jerky takes a little practice. It is somewhat like chili with all the variations a person can make. Seasonings, type of critter, type of cut all make a difference. Possibilities are pretty much endless. It does take some playing around to see what is worth the work and what is not. FISH Jerky??!??!!? What are you complaining about, TTC? It went over real good with our bottled water and thermally challenged ice cubes I thought.


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canoeboy Inukshuk Offline Posts: 73 Location: Hannibal MO Joined: Dec 2^nd, 2003	Re: Dehydrator stories Reply #6 - Dec 10^th, 2003 at 1:22am	Quote Print Post
	If anyone has ever had any luck with dehydrated eggs I could use your help? I have tried this and have had bad luck every time. Any info would be great.


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PhantomJug Voyageur Inukshuk Offline Posts: 2855 Location: 1/2 way there Joined: Feb 12^th, 2003	Re: Dehydrator stories Reply #7 - Dec 10^th, 2003 at 1:27am	Quote Print Post
	Quote: Take the stout out of the bottle. Glass takes forever to dehydrate, and then when you do rehydrate it, all you have is more to carry out. I told you we should have poured it out of the bottle, Pascanell. Geez . . . You never listen.


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QPassage Inukshuk Offline Posts: 1073 Location: Louisville KY Joined: Oct 6^th, 2002	Re: Dehydrator stories Reply #8 - Dec 10^th, 2003 at 3:27am	Quote Print Post
	I've tried the egg thing too, without much luck. I've been told though (but never tried it) to seperate the yokes from the whites before drying. You can buy powdered eggs at this site though, (You need to *Login* or *Register* to view media files and links) However again I've not tried them. But the price seemed reasonable. Hope this helpped. qp


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TwistTieCollector Inukshuk Offline Posts: 653 Joined: Feb 7^th, 2003	Re: Dehydrator stories Reply #9 - Dec 10^th, 2003 at 12:36pm	Quote Print Post
	Canoeboy, I've never tried dehydrating eggs, mainly because powdered eggs are so readily available. Dehydrating raw eggs is begging for a case of salmonella...dehydrating cooked eggs is a crime against nature. I have eaten freeze-dried scrambled eggs (e.g. add hot water and eat) and they are horrible. However, I do condone and am quite proficient at rehydrating powdered eggs. To produce lump-free reconstituted powedered eggs the key is not to add all the water at once...add only a bit of water and then mix thoroughly to produce a smooth paste free of lumps. Once the paste is made then continue small additions of water with mixing until the eggs take on the consistency of well-scrambled raw eggs. These will fry up as well as fresh eggs (within reason). Salt and additions of flavor nuggets such as green pepper, onions, meat (bacon, sausage, brat, walleye), cheese, salsa, etc. will hide the fact that you are eating the once-dessicated remains of chicken ova.


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