I have never used dehydrated beans before. My question is- if dehydrated beans are placed in water and just sit will they absorb the water and be easily digestible? (Even though it won't be the most luxurious)
I have never used dehydrated beans before. My question is- if dehydrated beans are placed in water and just sit will they absorb the water and be easily digestible? (Even though it won't be the most luxurious)
It depends.
Were the beans cooked first before being dried?
My wife buys raw dried beans. Soaks them for 24 hours. Then cooks them for 3-4 hours.
The best red beans and rice ever! But I’m prejudiced.
YMMV
Wayne
Last edited by Venchka; 07-17-2019 at 01:23.
I found out the hard way (kind of) that there's a big difference between dried beans and dehydrated beans. Sounded the same to me, but there's a great deal of difference in cooking times. It's my understanding that the kind of beans you find in the grocery store (in bags) are dried beans. Dehydrated beans are harder to find, check online.
Dehydrated beans were cooked then deydrated. If you dont mind a bit of crunch you can eat them raw. Sort of like Corn Nuts. Dried Beans are not of much value to a backbacker as they require lots of fuel. I buy #10 tin cans of dehydrated beans from Honeyville.
Some of the best beans to cook and dehydrate at home are lentils---2 lbs of dried lentils make enough dried lentils for 10 or 15 days worth of backpacking dinners---especially when added to cooked and dried brown rice.
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First thing, thoroughly cook up lentils with salt and plenty of olive oil.
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Once cooled dry up whole wad on dryer trays.
Dehydrated beans, like those you can get at harmonyhouse.com, are pre-cooked, then dehydrated. they rehydrate quickly. You can add them dry to something like minute rice or instant mashed potatoes and they'll be edible. I like beans & rice with curry powder, raisins and summer sausage, or beans & mashed potatoes with spam.
I like this recipe. To make it I use Santa Fe brand dehydrated (pre-cooked) beans purchased over the Internet.
http://andrewskurka.com/backpacking-...fritos-cheese/
Last edited by Siestita; 07-16-2019 at 23:27.
To answer the original question: yes, pre cooked, dehydrated beans will rehydrate and can be eaten. That said, it's been my experience that adding boiling water or nearly boiling water will rehydrate them more quickly than cold water. AND, rehydrating in cold water will work faster if the container used is moving around (e.g. in a backpack while hiking) as opposed to just sitting stationary. YouTuber "Jupiter Hikes" places whole, pre cooked, dehydrated pinto beans in a container with a sealed cover to cold soak around a half hour or so before he plans to eat. Then he keeps hiking while the beans rehydrate.
If you like the beef and bean burrito concept, try this recipe...Hell, most of his recipes are awesome. (BBQ spaghetti, Ghoulash, Stroganoff etc)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJqMmWJA7EQ
The powdered sour cream adds a whole layer of flavor to it as well.
I was out on a section hike last year around grayson highlands around the time it was closed for bear activity. I got my hammock set up and was walking around looking for fire wood and right behind my hammock the tree I was tied to behind it was a big pile of beans, I guess they got the wrong ones.i gathered them up and buried them a couple hundred yards from camp.
How does the olive oil affect the storage life of the dehydrated lentils?
"To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." - T.S. Eliot
I purchased some dehydrated or freeze dried re-fried bean off Amazon.They are great for freezer bag cooking.quick,and convenient.Just dont eat too many at one time.I now mix mine with instant rice and add a shot of hot sauce to them with a dash of salt and pepper.Makes an easy fuel efficient meal that can also go in a wrap.