Are DIY Dehydrated Meals Worth it?

[Clarkdale17]

Are you guys that are dehydrating your own meals seeing any cost savings to do so, or are you mostly breaking even once you factor in food costs, packaging, etc?

 

[GunsAreFun]

I already had a dehydrator for jerky. The bags are cheap. Like you can make about 50-60 portions for $25. For my jambalaya for example, I have less than $10 in ingredients and bags and can make at least 3 huge portions or 5 normal portions. MH is $8-11 per serving so I think it saves money.

If you buy a $300 dehydrator, it might take several weeks worth of trips to get there.

 

[dingleberns]

Are you guys that are dehydrating your own meals seeing any cost savings to do so, or are you mostly breaking even once you factor in food costs, packaging, etc?

I make all my own meals now. mainly spaghetti and chili as my go to meals. I'm in the $2-$4 range per meal with all ingredients. Way healthier and taste like homemade meals up there.

 

[IN_Varmntr]

If I dehydrate meals and then seal them in vacuum seal bags, is it possible for the food to develop botulism as the environment is oxygen-free?

Do some of your own research regarding this subject as there is a huge misconception about botulism. The spores that create the toxin thrive in anaerobic environments, as in low or no oxygen. The lower the amount of oxygen, the more it thrives. You've most likely ingested the bacteria and the spores at some point in time, but they probably weren't producing the toxin.

 

[MHB]

I make my own dehydrated meals because I am looking for something similar to what I eat at home on a regular basis. This keeps me in the woods longer and takes away any excuse for coming home because of trail food.

I have never had one of my meals mold on me. I tend to over dehydrate though. When making gravel (ground deer/elk) for example I usually let it dehydrate for 24 to 28 hours at 160. This removes almost all the moisture.

Another trick I learned is when making recipes with chicken I use canned chicken. Something about the canning process makes canned chicken re-hydrate better than boiled or grilled chicken. I found boiled, grilled or baked doesn't re-hydrate well. It always comes out more like jerky.

I pre-cook everything then dehydrate. I found that the noodles come out with a texture that I prefer this way.

When I am getting ready to dehydrate I always have a serving bowl for the portion size I want. I will place 1 or 2 portions on each dehydrator tray. This makes it easier for packaging. I will then cut a piece of parchment paper on my tray for really wet or foods that are really small like rice

As others have mentioned dehydrated meals take longer to re-hydrate. You can speed this up a little by making sure everything is cut small (and evenly) and there are no large chunks. I use a cozy to keep my meal hot while it re-hydrates. I bought 2 feet of reflectix from the local hardware store and make 2 pouches using tyvek tape (because its lighter than duct tape). Once I pour the boiling water into the meal I reseal and let sit in the cozy for 20 minutes. This gives me time to get water and prep my pack for the next day.

Meals:
Fajitas
Dirty rice with Chicken
Pasta with meat sauce. Noodles are brown rice or zucchini noodles.
Shepard pie
Tacos

Matt

 

[IN_Varmntr]

Started with 4lbs of chili to try making my own meals with.

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[KBC]

What’s the consensus on shelf life and where to store meals (freezer/pantry)?

A couple weeks ago I ate a dehydrated meal I made in the summer of 2018. I keep them in the deep freezer and I think they would last almost forever that way. It was a bunch of veggies and costco canned chicken.

Has anyone figured how to keep the vacuum bags from getting punctured by the dehydrated foods? Seems to happen every other time.

I've found putting the whole meal in a cheap sandwich bag and then wrapping it in a paper towel before vacuum sealing is great. You get a napkin with every meal that you can burn after and because it keeps everything contained in a small package, you can make a smaller vacuum sealer bag. Even though you are using 2 bags I thing there is less garbage than a store bought meal.

 

[*zap*]

tagged

 

[IN_Varmntr]

This was 4lbs of chili, dehydrated at 145 degrees for about 15 hours total.

Roughly 78% weight loss from water.

Probably going to make an attempt at rehydrating tomorrow to taste test.

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[IN_Varmntr]

I rehydrated 6oz back to original weight, for 20 minutes and it came out great, maybe a tad bit on the runny side. I didn't mix any homemade chili seasoning in until after we tasted it but ended up adding 1/2 tsp of seasoning and 1/2 tbsp of powdered butter and it thickened it up and is perfect.

With these results on my first attempt, I won't be buying any more Heather's Choice that's for sure.

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[Oscarhunt]

Any recommendations on bags like these mentioned earlier in this thread: GooGou Zipper Pouch Bags?

Been out of stock for a while, and the substitutes look less durable and/or with a clear plastic window I don't want.

Thanks.

 

[IN_Varmntr]

I bought these. They're thicker than others but probably a bit bigger than I needed.

(50pcs) MRE (Meal,Ready-to-Eat) Stand-up Mylar Bag with Re-sealable Zip-Top for Long Term Food Storage, 8.5”x8.5” / (Strong 7 mil/180 micron Thick) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087NSXNGW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QVDdFbQG2K454

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[Steve O]

I rehydrated 6oz back to original weight, for 20 minutes and it came out great, maybe a tad bit on the runny side. I didn't mix any homemade chili seasoning in until after we tasted it but ended up adding 1/2 tsp of seasoning and 1/2 tbsp of powdered butter and it thickened it up and is perfect.

With these results on my first attempt, I won't be buying any more Heather's Choice that's for sure.

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Bingo. Nice to have options, especially good ones like Heather’s Choice, but home made is most excellent.

 

[Oscarhunt]

I bought these. They're thicker than others but probably a bit bigger than I needed.

(50pcs) MRE (Meal,Ready-to-Eat) Stand-up Mylar Bag with Re-sealable Zip-Top for Long Term Food Storage, 8.5”x8.5” / (Strong 7 mil/180 micron Thick) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087NSXNGW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QVDdFbQG2K454

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Thanks, I'll give those a shot.

 

[Patton]

Another bag option that I think I'm going to try and will report back on:
PackFreshUSA-2 Quart Seal Top Gusset 5 Mil Stand Up Mylar® Bags Sets

Several different sizes and can be purchased w/ and w/o the oxygen absorbers

 

[MightyWhitey]

Definitely worth it. I used the standard vacuum seal bag I bought from academy for my chili and poured my hot water right in that bag like you would a mountain house, no problem. I will be looking in to those stand up zip up options these guys are talking about tho. My main advice would be to test your serving size before you go. I followed a YouTube guy’s recommendations on a “BIG ol bag of chili” and it wasn’t even close. I wanted to choke that guy. I should’ve doubled what he said and triple would’ve been more my style. When you’re 3 miles in is a bad time to realize your dinner Is a fraction the amount it should be. But I’ve also been accused of being an “eater”.

 

[TNCAN]

Really grateful for the wealth of tips here. Dehydrate veggies from the garden, and vacuum store meats and fish, but have never tried to produce dehydrated meals. Thanks for the specifics.....now to experiment!

 

[dingleberns]

Started with 4lbs of chili to try making my own meals with.

I've found that instead of seasoning my meals afterwards, it tastes better when seasoning while cooking. I season the beef with chili powder after browning it and let that cook then add all the other ingredients. I do that as well with beef for spaghetti (italian seasoning). When I did the seasoning afterwards, it would just float around in the water.

 

[IN_Varmntr]

I've found that instead of seasoning my meals afterwards, it tastes better when seasoning while cooking. I season the beef with chili powder after browning it and let that cook then add all the other ingredients. I do that as well with beef for spaghetti (italian seasoning). When I did the seasoning afterwards, it would just float around in the water.

It may taste better, but when making meals for people other than myself, I wasn't going to preseason a bunch of it to find out they don't like it or it's too strong.

I have not experienced the seasoning floating around in the water, but I made my own so it's a bit different. I know how much I like and add the seasoning in prior to re-hydration, and have added it after re-hydration with no problems.

 

[flinginarrows]

I see some folks say to get the fat out but I actually like to keep as much of it as possible. It doesn't go rancid that fast and it's all good calories. Make the meals right before you head out and make enough for the trip so you don't end up storing it for a while. Even then, vac sealed and frozen, you should be able to keep it fresh for a good long while. I made food for my last trip and they all had a real nice fat layer on top when cooked/reheated.