Dehydrating meals question

[Wheelie1000]

I've been dehydrating various sauces and meals to add to rice, pasta and cous cous for a month long trip I'm doing in June.

I have just dehydrated a Thai cocounut milk, chicken and lentils meal and noticed that it is quite oily

all my meals are vacuum packed and will be stored unrefrigerated for about 2 months before being used

will oil from the cocunut milk in the green curry go rancid in that time do you think?

ive used only a splash of Olive oil in all my other meals which have dried really well

thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice

 

[woodsorrel]

My thought is that fats don't dehydrate well. I would bet that the oil goes rancid.

I avoid dehydrating anything fatty, so I don't have a lot of experience with this. We'll see what others have to say.

- Woodsorrel

 

[Janne]

Dehydrations means getting rid of water, the oils and fats stay.
Coconut oil does not go rancid quickly, should be fine for many months, specially if vacuum packed.
Same applies to all vegetable oils.

We all store veg oils in a cupboard without them getting rancid.

 

[Hammock_man]

I would suggest a box of Coconut "milk paste, as used in Thai curry is stored on a shelf for longer then 2 months. Vac packed by all means but not chilled at all.

 

[Janne]

In my cooking of local receipes I use coconut milk, cream and the dried milk that comes in sachets or blocks ( sachets dissolve easier).
Those products are basically finely ground copra ( dry coconut flesh) either dry or mixed with water. Also as much Coconut oil as Olive oil in general cooking.

The oils do not go rancid within 6 months of opening of the container. Maybe longer, but that is how long before we consume it. The olive oil metal canister (5liters) and coconut oil jar ( 1 US gallon) are standing in the kitchen. 79 degrees F.

I am lucky that we can buy locally produced coconut oil.

I would worry more about the animal content going bad.

 

[Robson Valley]

Fats, biochemicals which don't dissolve in water, have long chains of carbon atoms, 12 - 20, in them.
Animal fats have mostly straight chains. They pack together like your straightened fingers and so are usually solids at room temperature.

Plant fats usually have one or more double bonds between carbon atoms in the chains.
This puts kinks in the chains, they don't pack well, so vegetable oils are commonly liqiuds at room temperature.

Rancid: Over long times, plant fats exposed to the oxygen in air will slowly have the double bonds broken. The products are foul tasting.
Plant fats cannot decompose in sealed containers. They are not exposed to the air.
The same logic applies to the oven baked olive oil finish on kitchen utensils = the oil in the wood cannot go rancid.

I buy olive oil in 3 liter tins with no concern for chemical changes.
Same for the grape-seed, coconut, corn, peanut and canola oils in closed containers in my kitchen.

 

[Hammock_man]

Plant fats cannot decompose in sealed containers.

Very helpful info, thanks

 

[Wheelie1000]

Thanks all for the info and advice. I'm guessing now my meals will be fine.

Thanks again

 

[Alan 13~7]

I would suggest a box of Coconut "milk paste, as used in Thai curry is stored on a shelf for longer then 2 months. Vac packed by all means but not chilled at all.

I think hamock man is right I just bought 1kg dehydrated coconut milk powder for adding to other dehydrated ingredients for camp cooking meals, like korma curry.

Breakfast in a ziplock bag:~ Jordens no sugar muesli, some more dried fruit, 1 teaspoon nestle Nido, 3 tea spoons coconut milk powder, 1 teaspoon fructose
Just add water this works well

(DIY dehydrated rat packs), I do have a dehydrator but find buying dehydrated ingredients is more convenient & effective much less time consuming & seems to works really well

Back pack m-44 Garlic & mushroom Pasta in a KUK just add water & cook ( unfortunately they don't seem to do Heinz squeeze & stir any more ) but you get the idea.