Dehydrating Food

[BobnCamie]

Salt fish is (IMO) like salted meats, in-edible. Something about it don't work for me. Guess we just have to catch 'em as we go! Darn. I like the idea of the dried stocks, I enjoy my chili and stews very much. If we get to leave this summer, dehydrator goes along. The honda gen will have another job. Thanks for the idea. Bob

[Mike OReilly]

I just finished drying and vacuum sealing a bag of fresh green bell peppers. Space before drying: about the size of a medicine ball, space after drying and bagging; about the size of my gloved hand.

Drying allows you to store so much more food in a much smaller space. And best of all, the food remains nearly as good as fresh, and can last for years.

[sparrowhawk1]

My favorites are bell peppers,mushrooms and jerky. The other nice thing is if you don't feel like spending time making a meal you can add them to rice cook it in a bowl inside a pressure cooker and have minimal clean up.

[Certeza]

I've dehydrated a bunch of stuff in the past, but then discovered freeze dried goods and realized that in most cases I prefer the flavor and consistency of freeze dried over dehydrated. These days it actually costs me more in time and money to dehydrate my own foods, and buying freeze dried in gallon jars is cheap and easy. Companies are seemingly popping up everywhere offering freeze dried goods.

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by Certeza

I've dehydrated a bunch of stuff in the past, but then discovered freeze dried goods and realized that in most cases I prefer the flavor and consistency of freeze dried over dehydrated. These days it actually costs me more in time and money to dehydrate my own foods, and buying freeze dried in gallon jars is cheap and easy. Companies are seemingly popping up everywhere offering freeze dried goods.

Easier of course, better tasting okay. Cheap well if you have some links I would be interested in that. One of the things that I was disappointed in when I first started dehydrating is that I wanted to make instant hummus. but If I blend the chickpeas first or dry them and grind them they don't come out to nice consistency,( terrible)

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Certeza

I've dehydrated a bunch of stuff in the past, but then discovered freeze dried goods and realized that in most cases I prefer the flavor and consistency of freeze dried over dehydrated. These days it actually costs me more in time and money to dehydrate my own foods, and buying freeze dried in gallon jars is cheap and easy. Companies are seemingly popping up everywhere offering freeze dried goods.

I'd certainly like to see those links Certeza. Your experience is directly opposite mine. I've never found a commercial dried or freeze dried (freeze drying is just another method of dehydrating after all) that compares to the quality I can get out of doing it myself. And the cost has always been a lot more expensive ... but perhaps you've found some real gems. I'd love to have more details.

[BobnCamie]

We stopped in Wal-mart in Fargo last fall on the way home and bought a few meals of freeze dried meals. The breakfast meals which we bought were fantastic. Not the shore lunch brand, as they are very salty. I believe brand name was mountain home or some such. I bag was $6.00 and was good for 4 meals for me(meaning 6 normal meals) and was made for tortilla wraps. Very good tasting and VERY cheap. We also bought from Cabela's in Grand Forks some tortilla soup mix, just add water from a company called Bear Creek that you add 8 cups of water to make 8 -10 cups of soup. Have not tried this yet, but have no reason to doubt them yet. I do know Mountain Home products out of Idaho is very good, used 3-4 different packages so far, will be carrying these on boat quite a bit. $1.25 a meal works very well into my budget. Tried also military mre's. Not too bad, but very dirty, meaning makes a lot of trash for what you get.

[Certeza]

In the 'Mormon Corridor' of the US there are literally dozens of companies popping up with various freeze dried bulk goods. This is because mormons are very serious about long term food storage for emergencies and tough times. You can get everything from soups and chilis, to fruits, veggies, and, meats. I'm not talking about individually wrapped portions, typically either sealed gallon cans or large vacuum sealed pouches. I can list off a few that come to mind off the top of my head...

Bear Creak Country Kitchens --- as previously mentioned these are VERY tasty. I especially like the chili and the soups. They come in pouches that store flat and weigh very little. Located in the Utah mountains, maybe they are cheaper for us here, but they are so economical that these are what we use even in our home.

A couple others are "Thrive" and "Daily Bread". As an example, I got some mushrooms from Thrive and there is no way I could've bought, dried, and sealed up that many mushrooms for that price. And freeze dried mushrooms are WAY better than dehydrated mushrooms. These organizations are also setup like 'tupperware' and the sellers host home parties. I only mention this because if you can go to an open house you'll be able to get large discounts on purchases. Also, both programs allow you to subscribe for a membership and discounted goods show up to your mailing address automatically.

[sparrowhawk1]

That sounds great but is there a place online I can buy it?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Certeza

A couple others are "Thrive" and "Daily Bread". As an example, I got some mushrooms from Thrive and there is no way I could've bought, dried, and sealed up that many mushrooms for that price. And freeze dried mushrooms are WAY better than dehydrated mushrooms. These organizations are also setup like 'tupperware' and the sellers host home parties. I only mention this because if you can go to an open house you'll be able to get large discounts on purchases. Also, both programs allow you to subscribe for a membership and discounted goods show up to your mailing address automatically.

OK, I'm impressed. Just looked up Thrive, and their prices do indeed look good. I'll have to compare my volumes to theirs, but it does look pretty cheap. I'll take your word for it regarding the quality. As I say, my experience with commercial dried or freeze dried products usually left me unsatisfied, but it's been a while since I've purchased any since I dry my own food. Looks like I need to give this new generation of foods a try.

Thanks.

[sparrowhawk1]

Sometimes I feel like I have so much knowledge to share and sometimes I feel like I can't be any more dumber. Off to Google thrive now...

[STG]

I just looked over the Thrive site too. I have been looking for a source for decent powdered milk, eggs, etc. for long term storage, and supply. The online reviews sound very good. Prices are great. I am going to try a variety of items. Thanks for the tips.

[Certeza]

LOL, Out here in the mountain states companies like this are pretty universal. There is a pretty intense battle between Thrive and Daily Bread. Lots of advertising. I had no idea that such products weren't universally known or I would've shared it sooner. These products are literally perfect for cruisers, but they are such good quality that we use many of them at home. The attached picture is literally one of the cabinets in my home. What you are seeing is everything from dried fruits to risotto to meats to yogurt.



The best way that I can describe the difference between these products and home dehydration is that firstly there are just many more things that can be freeze dried than can be slow dehydrated. A prime example is the yogurt. Not really any good way to slow dehydrate yogurt. The Thrive yogurt is these little crunchy nuggets similar in consistency and size to the marshmallows in Lucky Charms cereal, and they make a fun finger food snack, but if you put them in water or let them sit in your mouth for a couple seconds, they literally turn into creamy yogurt.

The other big difference is the way that you can use them. Freeze dried foods reconstitute with water MUCH better than dehydrated food. Dehydrated meat turns into chewy jerky. Freeze dried meat can be reconstituted and used like regular cooked meat. The chicken that you see in my kitchen makes a great chicken salad for sandwiches. And the sausage is wonderful for biscuits and gravy.

[Certeza]

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

Sometimes I feel like I have so much knowledge to share and sometimes I feel like I can't be any more dumber. Off to Google thrive now...

Glad I can be of some help. Usually I feel like I just leech of the members here without every making a contribution. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the both the quality and the rather extensive selection of Thrive products. We have about a years worth of Thrive storage in our basement, so if you ever need an opinion on one of the products, let me know.

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by Certeza

Glad I can be of some help. Usually I feel like I just leech of the members here without every making a contribution. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the both the quality and the rather extensive selection of Thrive products. We have about a years worth of Thrive storage in our basement, so if you ever need an opinion on one of the products, let me know.

You done good. a years supply and is that for two people? I'm jealous. For me that equals freedom. Thrive has beans and instant beans do you know what the difference is?