Dehydrated food

[SCOMAN]

I do dehydrate my pasta and bolognese sauce as one portion. I then throw it in the pot and cover it in water, just enough to cover it. I then boil it for about a min, stir for a bit then off gas and into a pot cozy and leave it there for about 10 mins when I’m doing something else, give it the odd stir and it’s done.

 

[Woody girl]

Well my kitchen smells wonderful with that sweet chilli beef dehydrating . It's almost done. About another half hour should see it finished perfectly. I've had a nibble and it tastes fantastic.
I'm going to have a play with other flavours. I think teriyaki beef would be tasty.
I'm having lots of ideas how to flavour the meat and make it interesting.
I've done dehydrated veg stew mixes , onions peas carrots potatoes and peppers. Should be able to put some good trail foods together. I find the shop bought ones expensive and limited in range and few if any ( usualy a curry which I don't realy like) are gluten free, so this is ideal.
I make a lot of fruit leather so it's fun to expand my range of dried meals...... besides there is no room left in the freezer!
I've been making dried apple chips. A realy tasty snack. I dry the apple till it snaps. A greal way to use up my foraged apples before they go bad as they are fallen apples so usualy have a bruise and don't store too well.

 

[Robson Valley]

My finest dehydrated treat is a Roma tomato, cut in half and dried to a leathery consistency.
Dreadful stuff to nibble on while building meals in the kitchen. One can lead to a dozen.

Most of them are packed in jars then filled with herbed olive oil.
Imported, one of the most expensive things that I've seen in grocery stores.

Sweet chili sauce? Going to be freezer surprise again tonight.
Something which needs sweet chili sauce and a glass of red.

 

[Woody girl]

My favourite sweet chilli sauce recipe is tai fishcakes made with fresh king prawns and laced with the sauce. Served on a bed of fresh salad leaves which must include rocket and raw baby spinach. Oh I'm hungry again!!!!! It's gone midnight here so too late to start cooking so it's gonna be a bowl of cornflakes. Very early breakfast!

 

[Robson Valley]

I'm lucky if I can buy a bag of salad that isn't already going brown.
Food age and quality is a "buy it or starve" out here.
Meat and some common veg are wonderful local produce.

I think that the main thing that I can do this winter is mince jerky.
I have a big freezer and two big fridges with freezers so dehydrating food isn't a priority.

I have a Cabela Jerky Pistol with a flat tip. Each pound of meat comes out as 17' x 3/4" wide.
Double size cake racks are perfect for the oven drying part.
Must remember to do some apple wood smoke first this time.

Smoke-dried clams and mussels are tastes you need to try.
Sewn into long chains to be hung over alderwood fires.
You have those animals. How do you preserve them?

 

[Broch]

Slightly off topic I know but as we were talking about sweet chilly sauce ….

A toasted crumpet (preferably home made)
Pour on sweet chilly sauce
Add a slice of fried black pudding
Then two butter fried scallops
Pour over more chilly sauce

Serve as a starter

 

[Woody girl]

The mince jerky has come out very well. I'm not as keen on the texture versus the sliced meat but it tastes fine. And it's a whole lot quicker and cheaper.
I'm storing mine in a ziplock bag with some of those little packets you get in bought jerky.
A while ago I bought a pack and it was underweight so contacted the company . I got sent ten extra free packets.! Nothing like free jerky!

 

[Robson Valley]

I've never weighed mince jerky. I'll bet that it lost some 75% or more as moisture in the drying process.
Mince jerky is my preference because it's easily mixed and prepared. Also easily chewed (all too easy!)
Out and about, I don't need to drag out a knife to make bite-sized pieces.