Recipes for Adventure Action Guide - Dehydrate 31 Meals (2024)

FAQs

What can you make with a food dehydrator? ›

Most food can be dehydrated at home, with the general exclusion of dairy products and high-fat items. Unlike fruit, meat and most vegetables should be cooked first before dehydrating. Once you have a variety of dried ingredients, you can assemble them into meals.

To successfully dehydrate whole meals and leftovers you have to follow some rules: Thoroughly cook your food before it's placed in the dehydrator. Always reheat leftovers before drying, to prevent the growth of bacteria. Cut or shred your vegetables, fish and meats into smaller pieces.

Dried fruits can be used in cobblers, breads, pies or puddings. When using dehydrated products you will need to rehydrate the food, a process usually referred to as refreshing. Refreshing is done by soaking or cooking (or a combination of both) the dehydrated food in water until the desired volume is restored.

Therefore, avoid drying foods like peanut butter or avocados and be sure to trim meat to remove any fat before dehydrating. While nonfat dairy products can technically be dehydrated, it's not recommended and may be associated with a higher risk of foodborne illness.

However, do-it-yourself home dehydrators may only remove 80% of the water in food, leaving it with a shorter shelf life. However, most top end dehydrated food will still maintain a shelf life of up to 15 years, and depending on the type of food, in some cases up to 25 years.

After environmental factors like air, moisture, and insects penetrate them. Now back to how long dehydrated food will last if vacuumed-sealed. Vacuum-sealed dehydrated products can last for up to 10 years. This is because the vacuum seal bag prevents oxygen from entering.

It is not possible to over-dehydrate vegetables when using the proper temperature (but you can scorch them if dehydrated at too high of a temperature).

Strategies for Long Shelf-life Dehydrated Foods

Packaging: Choose airtight, moisture-proof packaging materials to prevent rehydration. Storage Conditions: Keep your dehydrated foods in cool, dark, and dry areas to prolong their shelf-life.

Do you need to flip food in dehydrator? ›

You will probably need to rotate trays at least once from bottom to top during the drying process. Doing so will ensure more even and consistent drying regardless of the type of dehydrator you own.

For home dehydration, there are two tried and true techniques to dry eggs: the cook-dry method and the wet-dry method. For the cook-dry method, eggs are beaten (scrambled) and cooked in a pan. The cooked scrambled eggs are dehydrated for about four hours until brittle, then pulverized in a blender or food processor.

You can dehydrate almost any fresh food, but some things dehydrate better than others. Here are some favorites. Fruits (apples, bananas, apricots, peaches, pears, cherries, blueberries) for eating as snacks or chopped in granola and trail mixes, or dried as purees for fruit leather.

Dehydrating certain foods is a great way to preserve them so you have a supply when they're out of season or too pricey. You'll also reduce waste and save money by preserving excess food that'd otherwise go off before you get to eating it. Food dehydrators are purpose-built to dry foods optimally.

Dried foods last between four and twelve months, depending on the environment where you store the food. Always store dried foods in an airtight container away from sunlight, heat, and excess moisture. You can store your dried foods at room temperature, but the lower the storage temperature, the longer the storage time.

Quick math here - for 10 hours a month, a typical dehydrator costs you about 65 cents.