What are you DEHYDRATING today?

[redhen]

LOVE this thread! We got a dehydrator for Christmas. Cant wait to use it!

 

[redhen]

This is gonna sound dumb but I dehydrated 5 lbs if taters as hash browns and proudly showed my husband. So he asked how do you make them into hash browns. I said " I don't know" He said, so why do it. Somebody help me out here.

I assume they're pre-cooked, shredded, then dried...?

I just pour some very hot water over a handful in a bowl, let them soak for a minute or so (it doesn't take long), pour off any standing water, then dump them in a hot pan with oil & onions & cook for 5 minutes or so. Nom nom nom!!! Had some this morning.

So if you dry taters, we should pre-cook them first??
How..? Boil?? Bake??
Thanks!! This is a GREAT idea!

 

[westtxamber]

This is gonna sound dumb but I dehydrated 5 lbs if taters as hash browns and proudly showed my husband. So he asked how do you make them into hash browns. I said " I don't know" He said, so why do it. Somebody help me out here.

I assume they're pre-cooked, shredded, then dried...?

I just pour some very hot water over a handful in a bowl, let them soak for a minute or so (it doesn't take long), pour off any standing water, then dump them in a hot pan with oil & onions & cook for 5 minutes or so. Nom nom nom!!! Had some this morning.

So if you dry taters, we should pre-cook them first??
How..? Boil?? Bake??
Thanks!! This is a GREAT idea!

Heya guys. I'm brand new here but wanted to share. My mother in law gave me her mother's Ronco food dehydrator so yesterday morning I tried it out. I've got potatoes (both cubed and sliced) and onions going in it still. The onions are about done and the potatoes need a little longer still. I think my dehydrator is so slow because it's convection air which I assume means no fan as it doesn't have one. Not having the fan is nice in the fact you have absolutely no noise from the machine, but goodness is it slow. lol So, to let you know I found instructions online for how to do potatoes. Firstly, I want to tell you it says specifically to use white potatoes. I used Russets because it's what I had on hand and this is more of a let me get the hang of it type thing, so I only did a couple potatoes. Now I'm thinking it calls for white because some of my potato slices came out dark brown. Not too pleasing to the eye. So anyways as far as how to do it, you should blanch the potatoes for 3-5 minutes to remove some of the starch. Then dry them. Also I want to say, if it's not clear, I do not know how the results will be since I've never done this before, but I'll post once their done and I have a chance to use them (planning on using the dried foods in tonight's dinner of shepherds pie to test them out). I don't know if they are precooked, the youtube video I found (and can't link) she says to just blanch as they will fall apart if over cooked. I'm thinking you can only do flakes if you want potatoes that are cooked and dried, but I really don't know for sure. Hope the info is helpful.

PS Rewatched the youtuve vid and the dark potatoes are due to too much starch still in the potato. Note to self, blanch a little longer.

Dehydrating Potatoes for Food Storage

Edited to add link.

 

[terri9630]

I assume they're pre-cooked, shredded, then dried...?

I just pour some very hot water over a handful in a bowl, let them soak for a minute or so (it doesn't take long), pour off any standing water, then dump them in a hot pan with oil & onions & cook for 5 minutes or so. Nom nom nom!!! Had some this morning.

So if you dry taters, we should pre-cook them first??
How..? Boil?? Bake??
Thanks!! This is a GREAT idea!

Heya guys. I'm brand new here but wanted to share. My mother in law gave me her mother's Ronco food dehydrator so yesterday morning I tried it out. I've got potatoes (both cubed and sliced) and onions going in it still. The onions are about done and the potatoes need a little longer still. I think my dehydrator is so slow because it's convection air which I assume means no fan as it doesn't have one. Not having the fan is nice in the fact you have absolutely no noise from the machine, but goodness is it slow. lol So, to let you know I found instructions online for how to do potatoes. Firstly, I want to tell you it says specifically to use white potatoes. I used Russets because it's what I had on hand and this is more of a let me get the hang of it type thing, so I only did a couple potatoes. Now I'm thinking it calls for white because some of my potato slices came out dark brown. Not too pleasing to the eye. So anyways as far as how to do it, you should blanch the potatoes for 3-5 minutes to remove some of the starch. Then dry them. Also I want to say, if it's not clear, I do not know how the results will be since I've never done this before, but I'll post once their done and I have a chance to use them (planning on using the dried foods in tonight's dinner of shepherds pie to test them out). I don't know if they are precooked, the youtube video I found (and can't link) she says to just blanch as they will fall apart if over cooked. I'm thinking you can only do flakes if you want potatoes that are cooked and dried, but I really don't know for sure. Hope the info is helpful.

PS Rewatched the youtuve vid and the dark potatoes are due to too much starch still in the potato. Note to self, blanch a little longer.

Dehydrating Potatoes for Food Storage

Edited to add link.

You could use fruit fresh or lemon juice to prevent browning. I've never heard of a dehydrator with out a fan.

 

[redhen]

I assume they're pre-cooked, shredded, then dried...?

I just pour some very hot water over a handful in a bowl, let them soak for a minute or so (it doesn't take long), pour off any standing water, then dump them in a hot pan with oil & onions & cook for 5 minutes or so. Nom nom nom!!! Had some this morning.

So if you dry taters, we should pre-cook them first??
How..? Boil?? Bake??
Thanks!! This is a GREAT idea!

Heya guys. I'm brand new here but wanted to share. My mother in law gave me her mother's Ronco food dehydrator so yesterday morning I tried it out. I've got potatoes (both cubed and sliced) and onions going in it still. The onions are about done and the potatoes need a little longer still. I think my dehydrator is so slow because it's convection air which I assume means no fan as it doesn't have one. Not having the fan is nice in the fact you have absolutely no noise from the machine, but goodness is it slow. lol So, to let you know I found instructions online for how to do potatoes. Firstly, I want to tell you it says specifically to use white potatoes. I used Russets because it's what I had on hand and this is more of a let me get the hang of it type thing, so I only did a couple potatoes. Now I'm thinking it calls for white because some of my potato slices came out dark brown. Not too pleasing to the eye. So anyways as far as how to do it, you should blanch the potatoes for 3-5 minutes to remove some of the starch. Then dry them. Also I want to say, if it's not clear, I do not know how the results will be since I've never done this before, but I'll post once their done and I have a chance to use them (planning on using the dried foods in tonight's dinner of shepherds pie to test them out). I don't know if they are precooked, the youtube video I found (and can't link) she says to just blanch as they will fall apart if over cooked. I'm thinking you can only do flakes if you want potatoes that are cooked and dried, but I really don't know for sure. Hope the info is helpful.

PS Rewatched the youtuve vid and the dark potatoes are due to too much starch still in the potato. Note to self, blanch a little longer.

Dehydrating Potatoes for Food Storage

Edited to add link.

Thanks so much!! So you blanche them,.. whole?? or already cut up...
I know dumb questions,.. i just want to do it right..

 

[redhen]

I found this lady on you tube also... she seems to have a lot of good info..



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVpIHre2ao&feature=fvwrel



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSK0o2TgcEQ&feature=relmfu



http://www.youtube.com/watch?src_vi...id=annotation_437633&v=yoy-3ondVcE&feature=iv

More videos follow these..

SO are these "oxygen packs" REALLY necessary or what??
HOW do you all store your dehydrated foods??

 

[westtxamber]

I cut them up and then blanched them. Also regarding the oxygen packs, I think that they are needed for long term storage to extend the shelf life, but I doubt you need them if your not thinking long term. In another thread I was asking about storing them in soda/juice bottles but don't, bad idea. Botulism. Anyways right now I'm planning on using freezer bags to store what little I am working with now, as I planned to use them right away in a meal. Kinda wanted to check taste and texture of reconstituted veggies. But as an update the dehydrator doesn't work well. Two days of drying and still not completely dry so to avoid getting anyone sick I'm tossing what I attempted to dry and I guess I'm going to try oven drying. Anyone attempt or have luck with that?

 

[ORChick]

Oxygen absorbers aren't really necessary if you have dried the food properly. I have fruit (apples, pears, persimmons, and a few others) that I dried some years ago, and they are still fine. The apples were dried at our old house, which means they are at least 10 years old. I keep all my dried food in glass jars, in a cool, dark place. More important than getting rid of oxygen is making sure that the food can't re-absorb moisture. So a sealable jar is necessary, especially if you live in a humid climate (I have read that in very dry climates you can safely store dried food in paper bags; I probably wouldn't, just because of insects). Check your dried food periodically; if it no longer feels as dry as it should, pop it back in the dehydrator for a bit. As a general rule (but be sure to look it up for specifics) fruit should feel dry, but pliable, with no obvious moist pockets; and veggies should be crisp. And don't test for dryness until the food has cooled, as it will feel drier when warm.
Before I had a dehydrator I dried in the oven, using just the heat from the pilot light. In fact, the reason I bought my dehydrator was because we replaced that stove, and didn't have a pilot light anymore. Lacking a pilot light or dehydrator, you can use the stove, but keep the temp as low as you possibly can, and prop the door open a bit to let the moist air escape. If you are going to use the stove over the long term it might be worth your while to make some mesh trays for better airflow - just make a rectangle out of strips of wood; brace them with a couple of crosspieces of wood, or stout twine strung across from edge to edge. Tack or staple a piece of cheesecloth or thin muslin over the frame.. I put bits of cork on the corners as legs/dividers, and then could stack several on top of each other. At the time I lived in California, and could put these trays out on the patio for sun drying during the summer (bring them in at night), and use them in the oven in winter.
I've never dried potatoes, but I have frozen them. I cut them as I wanted them, and steamed them for a few minutes, and then cooled them quickly in ice water. They never turned dark, and I would imagine that that process would work for drying as well, but don't know for sure. I wouldn't use vinegar or lemon juice, just because of the flavor.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

I've been dehydrating for years and finally broke down and bought an Excalibur 3900 yesterday. Woohoo! Plus this year we have a huge garden going in.

So ... my question is: I'd like to put in pint (or quart) canning jars dehydrated fixings for soup (protein+grain+veggies), that Hubby can take to work, take off lid, add water, and microwave. Has anyone done this?

Like I'd dehydrate a bunch of cooked meats, cooked beans, cooked grains/pasta, etc and of course, veggies. Line up a bunch of jars, and add ingredients, including seasonings and herbs. No two alike. Screw on a top (either lid/ring or plastic top), mark the ingredients, and store. Put one in his lunchbox. At lunchtime, he'd add water and microwave for ??? minutes, then eat.

Thoughts?

 

[smackiesmommy]

I'm new here so I don't have a lot to add at the moment but I am loving reading what you guys post. As for what I have dehydrating right now....trying my hand at jerky for the first time. I don't have a dehydrater right now so I am using the oven.