Combining Dehydrated Ingredients

[ndbwhunter]

I'm getting ready to start testing some new recipes for this fall, and am looking for some input on storage ideas. Most of the information on trailcooking and backpackingchef talks about storing dehydrated foods separately, and only combining right before or during the trip. I would like to combine all of my ingredients prior to freezing so I can just grab and go. Is it ok to do this, or would I be making a big mistake?

Most of my food will consist of various combinations of the following: ground beef, chicken, pasta, rice, beans and veggies. All will be pre-cooked and dehydrated. Assuming that it is ok to combine ingredients before freezing, what is the best option for a storage container? Freezer bag, vacuum sealed bag, or both (freezer bag in a vac sealed bag)? I've read a lot about rehydrating using freezer bags, but what about vacuum sealer bags?

One of the breakfast options that I've been considering is a combination of oats, granola, cinnamon, fruit, nuts, and powdered milk. Can all of these ingredients be combined and tossed in the freezer, or does the milk have to be stored separately?

How do you guys minimize the amount of trash that needs to be carried out with you (empty food storage bags)?

 

[Ceby7]

On your breakfast, I make my own granola and mix it with powdered milk and protein powder and store in individual ziploc bags in the freezer months ahead of time and have never had a problem. Just grab a bag, add some warm/hot water and it's ready.

 

[ndbwhunter]

On your breakfast, I make my own granola and mix it with powdered milk and protein powder and store in individual ziploc bags in the freezer months ahead of time and have never had a problem. Just grab a bag, add some warm/hot water and it's ready.

Are freezer bags the way to go, or could I use vacuum bags? I'd like to use vacuum bags to save space if possible.

 

[Becca]

I have not done any home dehydrating meals, but we do eat granola with powdered milk for breakfast on nearly every trip we take. I put 1.5 cups of granola and 1/4cup of powdered milk into regular ziploc bags. In the field we dump them into our mugs, and add hot or cold water. I suppose freezing might extend the life of the mixtures, but I have just stored my milk/cereal bags in a box in our gear room for up to a year at room temp and never noticed any change in taste or color.

 

[Ray]

If you are going to use dehydrated meat with a higher fat content like beef you should bulk store it in the freezer by its self. There will always be some amount of fat in there and it will turn rancid over time. For long term storage I stick to ground turkey or chicken that has been cooked with a flavor base, dehydrated, and then ground again to break into small particles to make rehydration easier/quicker. I have no concern for the asthetics of my food as long as it tastes good to me.

I freezer store all my various dehyrdated foods separately in vac bags as I make them months in advance to hunting/camping season. Winter up here is the perfect time to do these types of chores for me.

My job makes my summers tight with time, so I see what my fall plans are and then set aside a day in the spring to build meals out of the various dried foods. I keep it simple and don't have more than two or three meal types (see the freezer bag sticky up top for those) I then vac bag them for ease of use later. I do not use zip locs for storage longer than 2 months in the freezer. And make sure you are not storing your bulk foods in a frost free freezer as the constant free/thaw cycling will cut down the quality of your food and may even freezer burn it in 6 months.

I have some of the zipper top vac bags that I plan on make my next series of meals with. They were on sale a few months ago at cabelas, but other places have them as well. The thing that can happen with vac bags is punctures from sharp points of dried foods. Rice noodles will go right through a zip loc or a vac bag like needles. chopped nuts can poke through or ware through with the rubbing and movement in your pack. I have yet to figure out a good method to prevent or reduce this, but I think a parchment paper sleeve may help. I know that double bagging does not prevent the rice noodles from poking through.

I don't care about the amount of trash I carry out as its tiny compared to what I carried in. If I have fires going I will burn my trash, but that is controversial for some folks - air and land polution etc.

 

[ndbwhunter]

Thanks for the information everyone! I'm not looking at storing this food for any extended period of time. I'm only able to do one or two big hunts a year, so the all of the food would likely be prepared before (1-3 months) each hunt.

 

[larryschwartz]

The thing that can happen with vac bags is punctures from sharp points of dried foods. Rice noodles will go right through a zip loc or a vac bag like needles. chopped nuts can poke through or ware through with the rubbing and movement in your pack. I have yet to figure out a good method to prevent or reduce this, but I think a parchment paper sleeve may help. I know that double bagging does not prevent the rice noodles from poking through.

Ray,

Try putting your sharp stuff in a plain zip lock baggie but leave it open. Then wrap the baggies with a layer or two of paper towel. Put the paper towel wrapped baggie in the vacuum seal bag with the rest of the food. The paper towel should provide enough padding to protect the vac bag from the sharp edges/points.

Larry

 

[larryschwartz]

Are freezer bags the way to go, or could I use vacuum bags? I'd like to use vacuum bags to save space if possible.

ndbwhunter,

Freezer bags are recommended because they are thicker and hold up to the hot water needed for freezer bag cooking (rehydrating) better. The regular ziplock baggies can melt if you put hot or boiling water in them. Vacuum sealer bags are also more heat/cold resistant and will work just as well.

Larry

 

[ndbwhunter]

Thank you, Larry. Do you have any insight on the do's and dont's of combining ingredients prior to freezing? It just seems like duplicate work if I make all the stuff and freeze separately, only to pull it all out to combine it at some point in the near future.

 

[beachbunny]

i've decided to just cook the meal and dehydrate instead of adding dehydrated ingredients. it is just easier for me.

 

[larryschwartz]

Thank you, Larry. Do you have any insight on the do's and dont's of combining ingredients prior to freezing? It just seems like duplicate work if I make all the stuff and freeze separately, only to pull it all out to combine it at some point in the near future.

I don't think it really matters. There are lots of folks who cook one pot meals with all kinds of ingredients and then dehydrate and vacuum pack them. The idea of keeping everything separate TO ME is more about making it easy to pack different meals since everything is in individual "buckets" and to not have to worry about any meals that have fat in them like mentioned earlier.