Dehydrated vs freeze dried DIY meal shelf life

[Thomasj1107]

For those of you that have taken on making your own meals for the backcountry…

I realize there is a large price difference between the two devices. What is the difference in practical shelf life of the meals of each type? In other words if you only do dehydrated, I know it’s a much shorter shelf life, but is it still to the point where everything you made for that season (in maybe August for example) will last for the entirety of that season?

How about texture/result? Any glaring differences or Pros/cons for one vs the other?

Any advice appreciated!

 

[LCguy]

This year, I decided to dehydrate my own meals after spending a fortune on freeze-dried meals over the years. Purchased a $100 dehydrator on Amazon, and it works great. Can't speak to the shelf life but as far as texture/result,t I think it is more than adequate. It definitely takes a little longer to rehydrate dehydrated stuff vs. freeze dried but I haven't noticed any glaring differences in texture.

There are definitely tricks to get the most out of the dehydrator (eg. mixing ground beef with bread crumbs before you cook and dehydrate will make the ground beef rehydrate way better) but I definitely recommend it over spending thousands on a freeze-drier. I also don't know what it is about freeze-dried food but it always messes with my stomach, not so with dehydrated food.

I'd recommend buying a book such as "Recipes for Adventure" because they contain alot of the aforementioned tricks and tips.

 

[Thomasj1107]

How long does it take you to rehydrate the meals? How have you gone about estimating how much water (boiling I assume) to rehydrate each meal with?

 

[LCguy]

How long does it take you to rehydrate the meals? How have you gone about estimating how much water (boiling I assume) to rehydrate each meal with?

Typically 20-25 minutes. Most stuff what I'll do is let it soak for 5 minutes cold, bring it to a boil for one minute, then let it rehydrate for 15 minutes. Basically, one cup water to one cup dry, in my experience, that works out to almost the exact amount of water to cover everything. All that to say, enough water to get everything covered.

 

[EdP]

Why not use the best of both - freeze dried meat and dehydrated carbs and veggies. You can buy the meat in bulk for a much more reasonable price than the prepared foil packed meals. Dehydrated veggies will rehydrate in the time it takes to do rice or pasta so everything in one pot works out just fine.

 

[Jake Larsen]

I have done both. Found out I’m lactose intolerant, so I could no longer use Peak Refuel meals. Got a freeze dryer this last year. It’s not even close in terms of quality and function. My freeze dried meals are better than anything on the market in terms of taste and nutrition (macros). Whatever you put in, is what you get back out. Quality is about like leftovers that have been reheated in a microwave. I have 8 recipes worked out so far for the main meals, and two breakfasts. Anything with a sauce works really well. Curries, stews and soups, ect. It helps to have enough liquid for everything to be sitting in some water as it re-constitutes. Packed in MRE bags purchased on Amazon. Most rehydrate in 5 minutes, some are better at about 10 minutes. An integral part of the dehydration process is to calculate the water loss. Therefore it’s easy to know how much water to add back for a perfectly re-constituted meal. I cannot say enough good things about it. If done and packaged properly, shelf life is 25 years on freeze dried.

Dehydrated is really a guess. Very difficult to controll the process. Rehydration is also a crapshoot. I had the best luck by actually “cooking” the dehydrated meals, adding water as needed. Often took 20-30 minutes to get a decent rehydrated texture, and the flavors were really hit or miss.


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[Dos Perros]

I've eaten dehydrated meals years after I dehydrated them with no issues. I keep them in the deep freeze.

I think results are dependent on the meal. Dehydrated chicken sucks, unless it's shredded pretty fine. I've heard canned chicken rehydrates better.

Burger is good. Shredded beef is holy shit good in camp. I did some birria tacos this year and my partner and I both ate an embarrassing amount of food so we could get it all eaten and no regrets.

 

[LCguy]

I've eaten dehydrated meals years after I dehydrated them with no issues. I keep them in the deep freeze.

I think results are dependent on the meal. Dehydrated chicken sucks, unless it's shredded pretty fine. I've heard canned chicken rehydrates better.

Burger is good. Shredded beef is holy shit good in camp. I did some birria tacos this year and my partner and I both ate an embarrassing amount of food so we could get it all eaten and no regrets.

Canned or pressure-cooked is the way to go for chicken.

 

[Dos Perros]

Canned or pressure-cooked is the way to go for chicken.

Is canned as good as freeze dried? I usually just bulk buy the Mountain House chicken for that purpose.

 

[LCguy]

Is canned as good as freeze dried? I usually just bulk buy the Mountain House chicken for that purpose.

It doesn't hold its shape like freeze-dried chicken and ends up a little more shredded. I don't notice a huge difference in flavor, though but I am also not a picky eater at all.

We get the canned chicken from Costco and dehydrate a bunch at once.