View Full Version : freezing home made dehydrated meals
2009ThruHiker
03-24-2006, 18:53
After you properly dehydrate... say some left overs... and then you freeze this in a vacuum sealed bag... and then remove it from the freezer to your pack... how long will it last? Does it need to be frozen first? I'm speaking specifically of dehydrated hamburger, tomato sauce, etc. thanks for the help!
gdwelker
03-24-2006, 21:25
I don't think there is a need to freeze dehydrated meals that you make, if you really dehydrate them thoroughly. Just today I was cleaning out the refrigerator (not freezer) and found some jerky I had made about 6 years ago - sealed in a nalgene, it was perfectly edible. I store my dehydrated made at home meals in freezer bags in my refrigerator, where it is cool and very low humidity (that's key). I've had them backpacking and kayak camping with no refrig for two plus weeks and they were fine. Just keep the moisture from getting to them.
GDW
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fiddlehead
03-24-2006, 22:00
I think freezing prolongs the longevity of the dehydrated food. Especially meat. I don't have any proof though. I dry hamburger and will freeze it if i am not going hiking right away. I've already stored it up to 6 months this way and whenever i dry hamburger, i don't get all the grease out, just most of it. The better i dry it, the longer it lasts and i think the freezing helps. anyway, that's my 2 cents.
another thing, i find that if i don't dehydrate veggies or fruit totally (leave it a little soft) it tastes better and is much more edible. Freezing would help the longevity once again i thnk.
Freezing helps keep out any moisture that you might not have gotten out, and it prevents any fat from going rancid. If you vac seal, and freeze, you have a long life-and once you remove it from the freezer, if it was dired right, you most likely can carry it for months, as long as you don't expose it to lots of direct sunlight. Keep it buried.
A good warning is if you see moisture in the bag after you have been carrying it for weeks-if you see moisture, that isn't a good sign.
If you are drying meat, make sure it is 100% dry - after you dry it, let it cool, then sack it-and watch it for 24 hours-if you see moisture beading, then dry it more. Then when dry, seal up, and it is good to go.