question for all you dehydrators

[Josh Calhoun]

i heard that if you put dehydrated veggies and meat in the freezer it will last longer. but when you unthaw it does the food not get moisture on it? wouldnt it spoil then? i am sporing in ziplock bags.

[Pedaling Fool]

Never really thought about it since I never freeze or even refrigerate my dehydrated foods, but I can see your point/concern about condensation. I would say that if you let it air out it wouldn't be a problem, but if you left it closed up in plastic bags (as I'm sure most people would tend to do)... I don't know; in the short term I don't think it would be an issue, but I guess it could be in the longer term.

[Rocket Jones]

Like John, I don't freeze my dehydrated stuff, I try to rotate the stock so it's used up within a year or so. If you wanted to, I'd suggest 1. using heavy freezer bag name-brand ziplocks. 2. Getting as much air out of the bag as possible, even using a vacuum sealer if possible. 3. Storing the pint and quart-sized bags in a second gallon-sized bag to add a layer of protection.

[The Old Boot]

I freeze all my dehydrated veggies and they're fine when I take them out. I started off just storing them in good quality zips in the kitchen but I had a problem finding a cool dry place for them. Then when I ended up pitching out a bunch of dehydrated green pepper because of a mold issue, I moved everything else to the freezer.

I zip everything in appropriate size baggies, then store them inside larger heavy duty freezer quality zip-locks. I just took out some carrots for tonight and the rest of the bag of carrots that has been in the freezer for 12 months is absolutely fine as are the rest of the veggies in there. There's no evidence of frost on any of it.

I use the dehydrator for food like my veggies because I buy in quantity while it's seasonal (carrots/brocoli etc) or on sale (mushrooms) for normal household use because my freezer isn't big enough and I've nowhere to put a bigger freezer.

[Rain Man]

I don't do a lot of dehydrating, and don't claim to be an expert, but this is what I've started using--

Zip-Lock's Vacuum Freezer System

Gives me both a re-sealable (in the field) bag and benefits of vacuum sealing. For what it's worth, I do freeze mine.

Rain Man

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[Josh Calhoun]

thanks for the responses. i am starting my thru hike in feb and trying to get a stock of food up. would the veggies and meats be fine if i left them in a cool place until i hike?

[HikerMom58]

I'll add to the comments about it's OK to freeze them. It really is okay!! We have always put our dehydrated food for hiking in the freezer as well. We freeze ours in a good quality freezer zip lock freezer bag. We've never had a bit of trouble with any moisture.

[bigcranky]

We dehydrate a lot of stuff, and everything gets stored in the freezer. Most of it goes in vacuum sealer bags, so there is never an issue with moisture from condensation, but even the stuff in regular ziploc freezer bags is fine.

[rustmd]

i dehydrate all my hiking foods, store in freezer using quality brand-name zip lock baggies. i like the idea of storing small snack-size baggies in larger ziplocks for extra protection.

i make my own beef jerky and freeze that. i found condensation building up inside the bags, so now i first wrap the beef jerky in a layer of cotton, then put it in the freezer ziplock bags and into the freezer. i learned that from natives in northern alaska.

[Pedaling Fool]

thanks for the responses. i am starting my thru hike in feb and trying to get a stock of food up. would the veggies and meats be fine if i left them in a cool place until i hike?

I've kept dehydrated foods for up to a year without ever once putting them in a refrigerator, nor have I ever vacuum sealed them, just put them in simple ziplock baggies. This include chicken jerky, which I don't pre/post cook, just put it in the dehydrator and dehydrate (Disclaimer: That goes against all methods I've read on how to prepare chicken jerky -- everything I've read has you either pre or post cook the chicken).

However, I do add a lot of salt to the marinade

[slow mind]

"This include chicken jerky, which I don't pre/post cook"

I agree with the salt it won't get you sick but..... YUCK!!!!

[Blissful]

i heard that if you put dehydrated veggies and meat in the freezer it will last longer. but when you unthaw it does the food not get moisture on it? wouldnt it spoil then? i am sporing in ziplock bags.

I kept mine frozen or in the fridge for long term storage. No issue with moisture for me.

[Josh Calhoun]

thanks for the replies everyone

[daddytwosticks]

I too have stored my dehydrated foods in the freezer in regular heavy duty Ziplock Freezer Bags. I've done this with jerky, spagetti sauce, and chilli. Never had a problem with moisture. Good luck and have a great hike.

[Navy Salad]

When you dehydrate foods with fat content, even though dehydrated, the fat is still subject to spoiling over time. So it helps preserve these foods particularly. But I routinely put ALL my dehydrated meals (even dried fruit) in the freezer.

[Zipper]

Another vote for a freezer storer. Not a problem - worked great!

[sarbar]

I only store the more fragile foods in the freezer - and yes bags work fine. For fruit, veggies, pasta, rice and so on I store in mason jars in my pantry, cool and in the dark. Dairy, meat and fatty items should be stored in the freezer.

[Wise Old Owl]

You do not need to add salt at all - you can add low sodium soy (kikoman) for the best flavor or Morton's lite (no aluminum taste)...or Mortons Sugar cure for ground meats... in very small amounts....

It is not necessary to put into the freezer after dehydrating... the soy is important to add salt and acid to prevent mold... it is one key ingredient to "issues" that cannot be skipped/

Oh I just saw Sabars above post... I was answering the first post...

Sabar and I are on the same page.... I just find fatty items are ok in the fridge.....