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Thread: UL Food!

  1. #1
    Registered User One Half's Avatar
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    Default UL Food!

    I thought y'all may be interested in my thread in the food section. I just got done with second batch of my freeze dried foods. These weights are INSANELY UL! Check out the thread.

    http://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthre...yer-my-results
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

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    Congrats.
    You cant magically make more calories per oz than standard dry foods you can buy.

    But you CAN make them better.

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    Registered User Suzzz's Avatar
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    I've been thinking about buying a dehydrator for a while. Making my own trail food is only one part of the plan. I'd also like to dehydrate food for home because I'm sick and tired of throwing out spoiled fruits and vegetables! And it would make a nice addition to my emergency back up supply (winter storms often cause electricity outages around here).

    My big question is... How do homemade dehydrated meals taste compared to the store bought ones? Store bought meals have a ton of salt added to them to enhance taste, do you have to do the same with homemade meals? Store bought meals taste OK but not great. I'd like to think that homemade meals would taste better, is that so?

    Do you have a recipe/cookbook to recommend?

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    There is dehydrated food and there is freeze dried food.
    The latter is the type the OP is talking about and the type you buy from Mountain House and the like.
    To me freeze dry can taste better (yes most is too salty) and re-hydrates faster/better but the cost of a home freeze drying system and the time involved in preparing the food in it is not for me.
    I do have a dehydrator and used that a lot when I was out hiking every two or three weeks.
    Of late I used my dehydrator for apples and mushrooms of which I have both in abundance.

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    Registered User One Half's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Suzzz View Post
    I've been thinking about buying a dehydrator for a while. Making my own trail food is only one part of the plan. I'd also like to dehydrate food for home because I'm sick and tired of throwing out spoiled fruits and vegetables! And it would make a nice addition to my emergency back up supply (winter storms often cause electricity outages around here).

    My big question is... How do homemade dehydrated meals taste compared to the store bought ones? Store bought meals have a ton of salt added to them to enhance taste, do you have to do the same with homemade meals? Store bought meals taste OK but not great. I'd like to think that homemade meals would taste better, is that so?

    Do you have a recipe/cookbook to recommend?
    Quote Originally Posted by Franco View Post
    There is dehydrated food and there is freeze dried food.
    The latter is the type the OP is talking about and the type you buy from Mountain House and the like.
    To me freeze dry can taste better (yes most is too salty) and re-hydrates faster/better but the cost of a home freeze drying system and the time involved in preparing the food in it is not for me.
    I do have a dehydrator and used that a lot when I was out hiking every two or three weeks.
    Of late I used my dehydrator for apples and mushrooms of which I have both in abundance.
    Franco is right that I am freeze drying food, not dehydrating. I simply cook my meals at home, just larger, and then freeze dry the leftovers for the most part. I do not need to add extra salt, etc. Most of that in commercially produced foods is part of their preservation/shelf stability needs along with the general crappy palate of the american eater. I do believe that my own made meals taste better, whether I am comparing my latest dinner to a restaurant meal or my own FDed meals to commercially produced.

    As for a cookbook, I make up some of my own combos. Stews/mixes are great for freeze drying as they are 1 bag meals to rehydrate and heat on trail. I am doing some meals as individual dishes, just in separate "bags" when rehydrating and heating on trail.
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

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    Registered User Suzzz's Avatar
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    Thanks for the info PennyPincher! It was late laste night when I read your post and did not notice the freeze dry / dehydrating difference. Either way, these are both interesting options, I'm just not sure spending the extra money for a freeze drying machine is the right way to go for me right now. Seems to me you need to do a lot of it to make it worth it financially. Still... interesting.

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    Registered User One Half's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PennyPincher View Post
    Franco is right that I am freeze drying food, not dehydrating. I simply cook my meals at home, just larger, and then freeze dry the leftovers for the most part. I do not need to add extra salt, etc. Most of that in commercially produced foods is part of their preservation/shelf stability needs along with the general crappy palate of the american eater. I do believe that my own made meals taste better, whether I am comparing my latest dinner to a restaurant meal or my own FDed meals to commercially produced.

    As for a cookbook, I make up some of my own combos. Stews/mixes are great for freeze drying as they are 1 bag meals to rehydrate and heat on trail. I am doing some meals as individual dishes, just in separate "bags" when rehydrating and heating on trail.

    Just a little update on this. I love my salt shaker at home and generally my meals I make don't have much salt in them and I prefer to add salt when I eat. Also, my husband is into bicycling insane distances (anything more than 5 miles is insane in my book and I only go 5 under protest and absolute necessity but he has a 100 miler he does every year, in August, in TEXAS) so I have been trying to help him with his electrolyte balance without garbage. This got me thinking that I need to bring salt with me. So I have a container but also going forward I plan on adding a couple shakes of salt into the meals that it's appropriate for when I am packaging them(NOT the pulled pork for example but definitely the eggs).
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

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    Registered User Luna Anderson's Avatar
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    I prefer freeze dried food, ramen noodles, bread and can food for a long hike about 6-7 days. Also bring along a solo stove to make fire and cook my noodles. I see some people take fruits and some burritos when hiking but it's spoiled fast in 1-2 days. I've been trying to go ultralight and minimalism so such food is my recommendation.

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    Quote Originally Posted by PennyPincher View Post
    Just a little update on this. I love my salt shaker at home and generally my meals I make don't have much salt in them and I prefer to add salt when I eat. Also, my husband is into bicycling insane distances (anything more than 5 miles is insane in my book and I only go 5 under protest and absolute necessity but he has a 100 miler he does every year, in August, in TEXAS) so I have been trying to help him with his electrolyte balance without garbage. This got me thinking that I need to bring salt with me. So I have a container but also going forward I plan on adding a couple shakes of salt into the meals that it's appropriate for when I am packaging them(NOT the pulled pork for example but definitely the eggs).

    Used to live in Wichita Falls.

    I have been buying freeze dried protein and dehydrating other stuff.

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