View Full Version : Dehydrated Recipes
The Mouth
05-30-2018, 10:50
Hey everyone, I am planning on using dehydrated food and freezer bag cooking. Does anyone have any good recipes for this style of cooking? I have a cook book dedicated to it, but it doesn't have much variety. I am going to start experimenting soon to get the formula down. Thanks!
I recently purchased the Harmony House Backpacking Kit. It is a variety of freeze dried and dehydrated foods. My plan is to make my own mixes in ZipLocs. The bases will be couscous, quick cook brown rice, or mashed potatoes. I will experiment with the beans (different varieties) to see if they can be bases also. I will then add vegetables, different ones or mixtures. Finally spices and olive oil.
I also have powdered cheese and powdered eggs (forget the brand but not Harmony House as I believe they are vegan) for protein and absorbing any excess water. Tuna or salmon can also be added. I don't eat meat so won't be adding it.
I don't really plan on particular recipes, just prepare to be able to reconstitute with 2 cups water and have enough calories.
Tipi Walter
05-30-2018, 11:09
I dehydrate all my backpacking meals and use a nifty 10 tray TSM machine.
My basic premise is to prepare meals at home you really like to eat---refried beans, chilis, brown rice, grains, spaghetti, soups, baked sweet potatoes ETC and don't eat these meals but dry them for your trip. Most anything you like to eat as a meal at home can be dehydrated. Exceptions---pizza, ice cream etc.
Your next option is to buy canned foods you like---soups and whatever---and dry them.
Check out my Kitchen keyword pics which show several pics of stuff I've dried---
https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/keyword/kitchen/
lesliedgray
05-30-2018, 11:13
Hey everyone, I am planning on using dehydrated food and freezer bag cooking. Does anyone have any good recipes for this style of cooking? I have a cook book dedicated to it, but it doesn't have much variety. I am going to start experimenting soon to get the formula down. Thanks!
I have stockpiled quite a few things.. one of my favorites is chili and rice ( with beans). My chili is protein-packed because i use at least 3 different kinds of beans ( black, navy and pinto) and i add corn kernels also. Mix chili with cooked rice, cut some parchment paper to fit your trays ... leave a margin for airflow if you have a top-fan model; measure out a 1 or 1 1/2 cup portion to either side if the tray and dry thoroughly.. i also have done jambalaya, ground meat which i have dried seperately and mixed ( in the bag) with a bit of dry gravy mix, instant mashed potatoes, and dried vegetable or combo you want... i also add a TB or so of whole dried milk, or maybe a spoonful of a powdered cheese.. i have also dried spaghetti sauce & noodles.. either ( precooked) elbow macaroni, another short type, or regular... beef stew.. make it the way you like it, be sure your pieces are 1/2 inch or smaller, cut a parchment paper "tray" to fit your dryer trays, ladle it out and dry it.. canned chicken dries well.. they say that home-cooked and cut chicken doesn't rehydrate as well as canned ( either store-bought or home pressure-canned) chicken does.. maybe, maybe not, but the nutritional content is there.. i have even dried chopped cooked ham to add to the other ingredients of my choice... or you can buy packs of sliced lunch ham, slice into strips or dice it and use it in anything that sounds good...
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MuddyWaters
05-30-2018, 12:03
Spaghetti
Chili
Sloppy joe in tortillas
Tuna/shells in mushroom cream soup
Burritos/tacos
Mac cheese beefy chili etc
Cheesy rice w/ broccoli
I dehydrate all my backpacking meals and use a nifty 10 tray TSM machine.
Most anything you like to eat as a meal at home can be dehydrated. Exceptions---pizza, ice cream etc.
https://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/keyword/kitchen/
Damn. Ice cream pizza is my favorite meal of all!
Guess I need to rethink my strategy.
Love the ideas. I have one question - how do you prepare the dried burritos on the trail?
Tipi Walter
05-30-2018, 13:54
Damn. Ice cream pizza is my favorite meal of all!
Guess I need to rethink my strategy.
Try this: Cook/get your favorite hot pizza---cut in thin strips---place on trays---pour melted ice cream over pizza---dry thoroughly.
In the field place dried wad in pot with just enough water to rehydrate. Voila! Pizza and ice cream---or pizza marinated in a sort of milk shake.
Tipi Walter
05-30-2018, 13:57
Love the ideas. I have one question - how do you prepare the dried burritos on the trail?
Except for a few rock hard beans, I either eat them as a snack out of the ziploc or when I'm cooking up a dinner of soup I add a dried burrito to the soup and it reconstitutes great.
It must be said that all my ideas are from a vegetarian stand point---no experience with dehydrating meat for field use.
MuddyWaters
05-30-2018, 14:00
Love the ideas. I have one question - how do you prepare the dried burritos on the trail?
Dried beef/taco seasoning
Dried Refried beans
Rehydrate
Put on tortilla with cheddar cheese and
Taco sauce pack
Tipi Walter
05-30-2018, 14:12
My latest kick is ordering cases of Amy's organic refried beans and process 6 or 7 cans for a trip by spreading out on my silicone sheets and ziplocking up.
At home I cook up a big pot of organic brown rice with salt and olive oil and once done and cooled I use a big blender and blend up the cooked rice with water added to help in blending. Then I dry this mess in sheets and ziploc. Blended brown rice works much better than the hard kernels of dried cooked rice.
For a backpacking meal I put the refried beans and rice in enough water to bring to a boil and let sit in my pot cozy for 30 minutes---voila dinner.
Here's the Amy's---
42788
The Mouth
05-30-2018, 14:13
TSM Machine? Do you have a link for it?
Old Grouse
05-30-2018, 17:15
Just Google TSM Dehydrator.
randall_mcduberson
05-30-2018, 18:08
https://www.backpackingchef.com/
I recommend checking out this website and his book if you haven't already. There are some good recipes to start with and you can experiment from there. He also covers the drying processes and such. I learned a lot just by trying some of these recipes and packaging ideas. I also have Lipsmackin' Backpackin', not a horrible book.
You can really make just about anything. You can get a pound of organic dehydrated egg powder on amazon and on other sites as well. I really enjoy making some rehydrated scrambled eggs and cheese and bacon and peppers and onions and... sorry I get excited about food.
I found that canned chicken still doesn't rehydrate super well if you leave it in large chunks. I recommend breaking it down more before dehydrating. Ground beef is really good if done right.
Beans are an easy thing to use and add some great flavor, nutrients, and texture to a dish.
By far my favorite thing to add is dried sliced tomatoes. When they rehydrate some, it adds a whole other level to a dish while I hike.
In that book, there is also a pretty great breakfast recipe with mashed sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and dried apples. SOOOOOO good.
Sorry again, I get excited about food and planning my meals for shorter trips (3-10 days) is one of my favorite parts of getting ready.
nsherry61
05-30-2018, 18:14
Damn. Ice cream pizza is my favorite meal of all!
Guess I need to rethink my strategy.
You don't have to think too hard. Just lyophilize. You can freeze-dry ice cream.
YouTube on how to make your own freezedrier (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qckdVa_UF4)
or
You can buy a commercially made one here for less than the price of a new car (https://harvestright.com/).
Tipi Walter
05-30-2018, 18:20
By far my favorite thing to add is dried sliced tomatoes. When they rehydrate some, it adds a whole other level to a dish while I hike.
I went thru the Dried Tomatoes phase a couple years ago---
https://photos.smugmug.com/Backpack-2014-Trips-152/Bald-River-Backcountry/i-pGcGJcJ/0/67cf5234/XL/Trip%20158%20003-XL.jpg
Dried beef/taco seasoning
Dried Refried beans
Rehydrate
Put on tortilla with cheddar cheese and
Taco sauce pack
Was specifically wondering about the prepackaged frozen burritos that Tipi has on his SmugMug - they appear to be sliced and then dehydrated.
Tipi Walter
05-30-2018, 23:01
Was specifically wondering about the prepackaged frozen burritos that Tipi has on his SmugMug - they appear to be sliced and then dehydrated.
Yes, once dried they become crunchy like granola etc. It's fun to go to a grocery store and find crap I can take home and dehydrate for my next trip. It's easier to buy the stuff than to prepare it at home and then dehydrate it---
These soups are excellent and dry out into thin hard sheets and quickly rehydrate in the field---
https://www.google.com/search?q=imagine+soups&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjm4P7d-q7bAhXrxlQKHb17Cz0Q_AUICygC&biw=1536&bih=732
lesliedgray
05-31-2018, 07:06
My latest kick is ordering cases of Amy's organic refried beans and process 6 or 7 cans for a trip by spreading out on my silicone sheets and ziplocking up.
At home I cook up a big pot of organic brown rice with salt and olive oil and once done and cooled I use a big blender and blend up the cooked rice with water added to help in blending. Then I dry this mess in sheets and ziploc. Blended brown rice works much better than the hard kernels of dried cooked rice.
For a backpacking meal I put the refried beans and rice in enough water to bring to a boil and let sit in my pot cozy for 30 minutes---voila dinner.
Here's the Amy's---
42788
I never thought about blending cooked rice.... Good idea!
One of my life goals is to get a freeze dryer... no more problem.... bring whatever you like....[emoji4]
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Tipi Walter
05-31-2018, 10:23
Lesliegray---Educate me about the advs of freeze drying vs simple dehydration?
litetrek
06-04-2018, 11:44
A guy who goes by babelfish5 (AKA hungry hiker) has some pretty good dehydrated recipes on youtube. I've made two of them and both were good. One was bbq'd spaghetti - different but good and the other was a spicy chicken stew sort of thing - don't remember the name. The chicken stew was also good.
litetrek
06-04-2018, 11:50
Correction babelfish5 also goes by hungry hammock hanger. The stew is aztec chicken stew.
Traffic Jam
12-10-2019, 08:45
I’ve started fermenting and made some killer kimchi and have southwestern kraut bubbling away. Has anyone tried dehydrating their fermented foods? My guess is that low-heat dehydrating will preserve the good microorganisms.
coach lou
12-10-2019, 09:57
I’ve started fermenting and made some killer kimchi and have southwestern kraut bubbling away. Has anyone tried dehydrating their fermented foods? My guess is that low-heat dehydrating will preserve the good microorganisms.
Are you on Judies FB Dehydrating page? I will send your Name in.
Are you on Judies FB Dehydrating page? I will send your Name in.
Got a link to that page? Sounds interesting.
coach lou
12-10-2019, 12:02
Got a link to that page? Sounds interesting.
'Dehydrating Backpacker Food'
Thanks! Just requested to join.
coach lou
12-10-2019, 12:10
Thanks! Just requested to join.
Judy makes awesome tents to!
coach lou
12-10-2019, 12:26
Oh, this is Judy Gross?
Yes indeed!
OK equal time for the carnivore option. Avoid insulin spikes and crashes, and eventual T2D. High satiety, low hunger. Protein is the key! Burn you own body fat. Low inflammation and ancestrally approved.
We made wonderful breakfasts using dried steak or hamburger, mixed with dehydrated whole eggs and dehydrated cheddar cheese (or dried parmesean). Many possible combinations.
Lunch? Elephant ear jerky made from carne asada, well spiced but no sugar.
Dinner? Steak or hamburger mixed with dried vegetables and more dried cheese powder. Spices. Many variations possible. Dribble on some olive oil.
Very lightweight (1.5 lbs/day for two), nutritious, avoiding the low protein sugar-laden carby garbage hiker fare (never again Little Debbie!. Prioritizing protein is especially important if you are over 50. For more info https://www.thepediet.com/ (no conflict, although full disclosure the author is my doctor).
I much prefer the ova easy freeze dryed eggs as opposed to the dehydrated.
Agree on Ova Easy being the best backpacking eggs.
For dehydrating, my method is to make something I like at home, then dehydrate it in the dehydrator - any big pieces of stuff needs to made smaller than you might usually go with so it dehydrates and rehydrates more quickly. So for spaghetti and meatballs for example, I cut up the meatballs into lots of small "mini-meatballs" before mixing them with the noodles and sauce and then dehydrating.
HeartFire
12-13-2019, 06:46
I’ve started fermenting and made some killer kimchi and have southwestern kraut bubbling away. Has anyone tried dehydrating their fermented foods? My guess is that low-heat dehydrating will preserve the good microorganisms.
I dehydrate kimchi - it's fantastic - it does get hotter after it's dried! One night, I didn't have any soup packets, so I made kimchi soup - it was perfect! I add some of the dried kimchi to all my meals.
I have a DIY backpacking food group on FB - https://www.facebook.com/groups/610904789060556/?ref=bookmarks (please answer all the questions - i try to keep out folks that are not back country campers.)
Finally broke down and bought a used Excalibur on eBay last night. Looking forward to trying out new meals soon!
coach lou
12-13-2019, 15:28
Finally broke down and bought a used Excalibur on eBay last night. Looking forward to trying out new meals soon!
Every once in a while food particles may get stuck on the fan or heating element and prevent in from operating.
Turn it on end and give the back near the mechanism a few light taps to loosen them up. I normal shake it out regularly now to avoid this.
My 4 tray is 5 years old and works great.
Every once in a while food particles may get stuck on the fan or heating element and prevent in from operating.
Turn it on end and give the back near the mechanism a few light taps to loosen them up. I normal shake it out regularly now to avoid this.
My 4 tray is 5 years old and works great.
Good to know - thanks for that tip! This one's a 9 tray. I'll probably never need that capacity, but I figured since I was buying into a unit on this level it would be nice to have it available. $120 shipped seemed pretty reasonable.
Traffic Jam
01-03-2020, 07:57
I dehydrate kimchi - it's fantastic - it does get hotter after it's dried! One night, I didn't have any soup packets, so I made kimchi soup - it was perfect! I add some of the dried kimchi to all my meals.
I have a DIY backpacking food group on FB - https://www.facebook.com/groups/610904789060556/?ref=bookmarks (please answer all the questions - i try to keep out folks that are not back country campers.)
cool! That sounds delicious.
I found a source (Sandor Katz, The Art of Fermentation, pg 26) that says to not subject lactic acid bacteria cultures to heat above 115*F/47*C if you want to preserve their health benefits.
These are great ideas. Thanks!
Nolan "Guido" Jordan
01-17-2020, 10:14
How about dehydrating hamburger meat (ground beef)?
Nolan "Guido" Jordan
01-17-2020, 10:17
OK equal time for the carnivore option. Avoid insulin spikes and crashes, and eventual T2D. High satiety, low hunger. Protein is the key! Burn you own body fat. Low inflammation and ancestrally approved.
We made wonderful breakfasts using dried steak or hamburger, mixed with dehydrated whole eggs and dehydrated cheddar cheese (or dried parmesean). Many possible combinations.
Lunch? Elephant ear jerky made from carne asada, well spiced but no sugar.
Dinner? Steak or hamburger mixed with dried vegetables and more dried cheese powder. Spices. Many variations possible. Dribble on some olive oil.
Very lightweight (1.5 lbs/day for two), nutritious, avoiding the low protein sugar-laden carby garbage hiker fare (never again Little Debbie!. Prioritizing protein is especially important if you are over 50. For more info https://www.thepediet.com/ (no conflict, although full disclosure the author is my doctor).
I think you're the person I'm looking for. How do you dehydrate ground beef? What kind of dehydrator do you use?
Traffic Jam
06-18-2020, 23:00
I dehydrate kimchi - it's fantastic - it does get hotter after it's dried! One night, I didn't have any soup packets, so I made kimchi soup - it was perfect! I add some of the dried kimchi to all my meals.
I have a DIY backpacking food group on FB - https://www.facebook.com/groups/610904789060556/?ref=bookmarks (please answer all the questions - i try to keep out folks that are not back country campers.)
My favorite meal on a recent BP trail was a package of organic ramen noodles with spicy kimchi seasoning and dehydrated kimchi. Awesomely delicious!
I dehydrated the kimchi on low and slow to preserve it’s goodness...115* for roughly 14 hrs, maybe 16. IDK, I lost track of time, just kept turning on the dehydrater until it was done. Beware, it will make your house smell pungent...very, very pungent...for days.
Traffic Jam
06-18-2020, 23:06
I think you're the person I'm looking for. How do you dehydrate ground beef? What kind of dehydrator do you use?
I’ve found it’s best to mix 1 lb lean ground beef with 1/2-1 cup of breadcrumbs, cook in the skillet, blot excess oil, and dehydrate on 145-150* for approximately 6-8 hrs. (Time and temp is approximate...adjust as needed.)