Dehydrator/dehydrating

[Doughnut]

I am really getting into planning for my thru-hike! So much so, that I am contemplating a Dehydrator,

Now at the risk of sounding ignorant (which I am) how do they work, besides the obvious drying out food.

I mean, do you cook the food, then dehydrate it? And to re-hydrate, just add water and let it sit? Boiling water? Can any food be dehydrated, Like Tuna, Chicken, LAsagna, Chili??

I am familiar with commercial de hydrated foods (mountain house),


What's a good machine to purchase? I haven't yet started searching the net, (other than an old issue of Mother Earth News) So, please, all serious and factual responses are appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Dough Nut

[Phreak]

I am really getting into planning for my thru-hike! So much so, that I am contemplating a Dehydrator,

Now at the risk of sounding ignorant (which I am) how do they work, besides the obvious drying out food.

I mean, do you cook the food, then dehydrate it? And to re-hydrate, just add water and let it sit? Boiling water? Can any food be dehydrated, Like Tuna, Chicken, LAsagna, Chili??

Yes, cook your food then dehydrate it. Depending on the food, I try to rehydrate my food for a couple of hours prior to cooking. It's not required to rehydrate this long but seems to make the food taste better. I put the dehydrated food in a freezer bag of water and simply hike with it a couple hours prior to getting to camp. I typically carry dehydrated chili, casseroles, stews, chicken-n-dumplings, fruits, veggies, the choices are endless.


I am familiar with commercial de hydrated foods (mountain house),After making your own dehydrated foods, you won't go back to eating Mountain House.



What's a good machine to purchase? I haven't yet started searching the net, (other than an old issue of Mother Earth News) So, please, all serious and factual responses are appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Dough NutHere is the unit I use -
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14099344

[Just a Hiker]

Hey there Dough! I don't dehydrate my trail food too awful much, but I do at times, plus I experiment sometimes. My Dehydrator is a "Deni", I know it's not "Top Shelf", but it gets the job done. What caught my eye in your post was when you mentioned chili, which is what I dehydrate the most of. My dehydrator somes with plastic covers for my trays so I can do stews and chili. Mine have always turned out pretty good. Have fun


Just Jim

[rafe]

Dough, lots of folks dehydrate food for hikes. But there's one issue doing this for a thru-hike: it ties you to relatively frequent mail drops, which can be a pain. You have to decide whether your camp cuisine is worth that extra effort and aggravation.

[Doughnut]

Phreak You are the MAN! Thanks for the info,
Hiker, I made Chili last night and was wondering how to carry it along.

Terrapin: I an mainly concerned with long stretches (like the 100 mile wilderness - which I am sectioning this summer) and self supply, sort of mix my own de hydrated, and purchase on the trail, and road side slop... Balance the diet so to speak, LOL

[sarbar]

The Nesco dehyrators are good buys, you can get a mid range one for $45-75. The top units work very well. Try and get an adjustable temp setting as well, don't go bottom dwelling just to save money. Your food will dry faster and more evenly.

If you don't have extra screens or liners for doing small and or wet items, just buy a roll of parchment paper. You can line your trays with it. It is safe in heat.
For more info on times and other things, I have a page on my website that is just on dehydrating: http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/dehydrating.htm

In most cases you can use a 1:1 ratio on dried food and boiling water, and a 15 minute sit, cozied.