Best foods to dehaydrate?

[NoTies]

Possibly true about attracting the critters, not any of them on the ice. No problem with tainting the flavour, all you are doing is sealing the porosity of the shell to stop air reaching the inside so a very light spray to wet the shell is all that is needed. We were keeping aggs at about 4 deg C and only lost about 5% after 6 months.

[Lodesman]

Has anyone ever tried vacuum-bagging eggs? Would it work?

On pizza, we tend to enjoy it European-style with a thin, crisp crust and high-quality, but minimal toppings. That's not to say we don't enjoy the occasional delivered N American variety with a chewy crust and piled high with toppings. We find a pizza stone, either on the bar-b-q or in the oven is the next best thing to a wood-fired brick oven (I've been told the optimum temp for pizza in the brick oven is 850 deg F). The pizza stone is the weight-conscious alternative for the cruiser.

Kevin

[knottybuoyz]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

Has anyone ever tried vacuum-bagging eggs? Would it work?

Hey Kevin.

Do you mean to lengthen the time you can store them? Never vacuumed bagged them but when we provision ships for the Arctic we get "oiled" eggs. They're coated with a thin layer of vegetable oil. The shell being permeable will, over time, allow the contents to spoil. Oiled eggs were turned about every two weeks to keep the yokes from settling to the bottom of the shell. I'd like to try to vacuum seal an egg and see if the whites and yoke would leak out through the shell.

Rick

[Lodesman]

That's the idea Rick. I'm sure oiling and turning eggs does the trick, but if there's an easier way, I'm all for it. Presumably sealing the eggs in plastic would do the same thing as the oil - keep the air from entering and allowing the contents to dry out and oxidise.

Kevin

[Pblais]

had a cunning plan to build a solar dehydrator out of flexible windscreen material, pyramid shaped with vent holes at top (facing down to stop rain ingress), stainless tray on the bottom and hang it from the shrouds. Any thoughts?

The key to easy dehydration is low humidity. A friend that lived at 8500 ft elevation in Colorado used to do great stuff just laying it out on window screens in the sun. He could do most any vegetables very fast.

I think to try natural sun dried food near the water isn't going to work well. You need some added energy like a food dehydrator. The natural forces at work are not helping you dry out food.