# If you don't have a dehydrator, get one.



## Eazy_E (Sep 30, 2011)

Serious. If you camp, hike,bike, whatever, and you don't have a dehydrator, you're missing out. Mountain House meals are like $6-8 each, and they're full of partially hydrogenated red #5, and other hard to pronounce weird stuff. Do it yourself and save big bucks. Dehydrated strawberries and Fuji apples are the bomb. Doing jerky yourself saves so much money it isn't funny. Get a pound of 93% lean hamburger. Season it. Make thin patties, and dehydrate it. Cut it in strips if you want, but I just eat it as patties. You get way more for your money.


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## TobyGadd (Sep 9, 2009)

+1

My wife and I got one about 15 years ago for drying fruit. Didn't take long to figure out that it can dry all sorts of stuff for backpacking. One of our favorites is spaghetti sauce: it dries like fruit leather, and then re-hydrates into the best-tasting dinner!


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## intheways (Apr 19, 2004)

Perfect for any kind of backcountry adventure!


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## islander (Jan 21, 2004)

Which make/ model do you guys recommend?


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## nickgann (May 22, 2012)

I use an old Old OLD dehydrator for which right now I cannot remember the brand, its simply a heating element in the bottom and it naturally rises through the food and dries it. Fantastic device!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I have an OLD American Harvest Snackmaster. Great device. Do yourself a favor and buy one with adjustable temp. Some foods dehydrate easier at different temps.

I've done jerky by seasoning steaks and slicing super thin but I'd rather do the hamburger method in stick form. Slicing full cuts of meat is hard tedious work and takes a very sharp knife and my wife manhandles our kitchen knives. I won't sharpen them anymore until she starts taking better care of them.

I may wind up buying my own set of nice knives I keep locked up.

At any rate the dehydrator is awesome. Look up freezer bag cooking to find some recipes to help you make more out of the dehydrator


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## nepbug (Sep 3, 2004)

I have an Excalibur, Excalibur Food Dehydrator Official Website | Buy Direct & Save. It's pretty swanky, I've got a 9 trays, a timer, heat control, the works. Doesn't get much better than that.

I love making fruit leather and kale chips, I'm just starting into the jerky side of things and boy does it make it easy!


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## phirebug (Apr 20, 2012)

Definitely. Frozen veggies are $1 a pound. Beans are cheaper than the dirt they grow in. Add some bullion cubes and pasta and you can feed yourself for a week for $5. 

Sent from my PH44100 using Tapatalk 2


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## airforceteacher (May 31, 2012)

NateHawk said:


> I have an OLD American Harvest Snackmaster. Great device. Do yourself a favor and buy one with adjustable temp. Some foods dehydrate easier at different temps.
> 
> I've done jerky by seasoning steaks and slicing super thin but I'd rather do the hamburger method in stick form. Slicing full cuts of meat is hard tedious work and takes a very sharp knife and my wife manhandles our kitchen knives. I won't sharpen them anymore until she starts taking better care of them.
> 
> ...


When I make jerky, I just have the meat department slice it first. I've never had any store charge me extra for it.


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## vff24 (Jan 9, 2012)

FYI- slice and dehydrate bananas till they are crispy. Then toss them in your blendtec or vitamix blender until they turn to powder. Instant backcountry smoothies. Works great with strawberries and spinach also.

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## buckeye24 (Jun 2, 2012)

Nice smoothie post. I live on them durning the week. Now on the weekend!


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## machinetwelve (Oct 11, 2011)

For vegan jerky, I use my dehydrator to make tofu jerky. Great source of protein and sodium only it's so good I end up eating it all pretty quick.Eggplant bacon is also great in the dehydrator. flaxseed chips are good too.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

machinetwelve said:


> ...vegan jerky...
> ...Eggplant bacon...


jerky is made with meat. bacon is made with pork belly. while those things may be good, they are not jerky or bacon of any kind.

how do you season those items? both can be bland on their own. and eggplant can be bitter if not handled properly.


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## machinetwelve (Oct 11, 2011)

I usually season both of them pretty similar. Soy sauce, liquid smoke, paprika, pepper, cayenne, agave nectar, tomato sauce, secret ingredients... Most (meat) jerky can be pretty bland if not seasoned too. Flax chips are a lot more work.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

machinetwelve said:


> I usually season both of them pretty similar. Soy sauce, liquid smoke, paprika, pepper, cayenne, agave nectar, tomato sauce, secret ingredients... Most (meat) jerky can be pretty bland if not seasoned too. Flax chips are a lot more work.


I would personally skip the liquid smoke and use real smoke if possible. The stuff is too manufactured for my taste. Otherwise sounds like a good seasoning. I agree meat is bland if not seasoned but tofu is the definition of bland.

I can imagine the flax chips being a good bit of work. I generally don't go for dry and crispy stuff (crackers or chips) unless they have a fairly light texture. I don't like a heavy crunch. How do the flax chips come out?


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## machinetwelve (Oct 11, 2011)

Regarding the Flax chips. They are pretty crispy. You basically have to put them in on a teflex sheet for awhile then you can cut out circles using a biscuit cutter. I've had mixed results with these. 

Kale chips are great. I make up a batch with hemp oil, nutritional yeast, chile powder, and crushed red pepper. They go really fast. I can eat 2 bunches of kale in one sitting!

I'm gonna have to look into freezer bag cooking. I never thought it would be so easy to make whole meals in my dehydrator. I might even have to purchase a few more trays.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

machinetwelve said:


> Regarding the Flax chips. They are pretty crispy. You basically have to put them in on a teflex sheet for awhile then you can cut out circles using a biscuit cutter. I've had mixed results with these.
> 
> Kale chips are great. I make up a batch with hemp oil, nutritional yeast, chile powder, and crushed red pepper. They go really fast. I can eat 2 bunches of kale in one sitting!
> 
> I'm gonna have to look into freezer bag cooking. I never thought it would be so easy to make whole meals in my dehydrator. I might even have to purchase a few more trays.


I made some kale chips last night in the oven with just olive oil and salt. agreed those are yummy. I might do it again today. I still have more kale. and I have nutritional yeast, chile powder, and crushed red pepper in the spice cabinet.


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## nepbug (Sep 3, 2004)

I don't know why I've never thought of chili powder on kale chips, I'm definitely trying that, and I agree that nutritional yeast is good on it, it gives it a cheesy kind of taste.

I tend to dehydrate my kale, toss with oil and spices and eat. I find that if I don't finish it all in one sitting that putting it back in the dehydrator for a little bit is good and helps prevent the oil from taking out the crisp of the kale chips.

Kale is also on the "Dirty Dozen" list so I get the organic variety.
Dirty Dozen: The 12 Fruits And Vegetables With The Most Pesticides


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## machinetwelve (Oct 11, 2011)

So if anyone's interested in trying the tofu jerky I've posted the recipe here : MACHINETWELVE » Archive » Vegan Tofu Jerky


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## NEPMTBA (Apr 7, 2007)

Great recommendations...:thumbsup:

...I'm getting one, Let me go a step further. Take fruit for example, that I would like to take camping to eat. What is the best way to store this on the trip? In a plastic zip lock bag? Will heat effect it?

Thanks

Nice to see everyone "bike touring" through life


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## machinetwelve (Oct 11, 2011)

Threw some frozen okra in the dehydrator a few days ago and was planning on saving it for soups/meals but it was good enough by itself I ended up eating it all.


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## latemp (Jun 21, 2012)

Maybe this is a dumb question, but do you cook the ham urged meet before dehydrating it? I've had a dehydrator for a while, but want to get some more ideas


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## nepbug (Sep 3, 2004)

latemp said:


> ham urged meet


Not really sure what that is, but you don't cook the meat beforehand, and it cooks in the dehydrator.

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## dillondoog (Apr 5, 2013)

hey guys I'm looking for a little help before I purchase a dehydrator. I've ever dried food before or done jerky or anything but I want to get into it. I've been looking around for dehydrators and I'm leaning towards the nesco american harvest FD-37 that I found on this site How to Make Jerky and Dried Foods with a Dehydrator and i'm curious what you guys think of nesco dehydrators or if you have suggestions of other brands I should consider? Any help would be great before I make a purchase, thanks guys.


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## Matt Thyer (Apr 10, 2013)

dillondoog said:


> hey guys I'm looking for a little help before I purchase a dehydrator. I've ever dried food before or done jerky or anything but I want to get into it. I've been looking around for dehydrators and I'm leaning towards the nesco american harvest FD-37 that I found on this site How to Make Jerky and Dried Foods with a Dehydrator and i'm curious what you guys think of nesco dehydrators or if you have suggestions of other brands I should consider? Any help would be great before I make a purchase, thanks guys.


First, +1 for dehydrators.

Second, pretty much anything will get the job done including a couple of cookie sheets and some sunshine. So really what you're after is a dehydrator that can take a reasonable amount of food (think about how much you plan to dry at one time) in a reasonable amount of time (this varies on why you're trying to dry). I've got a Nesco and its two main advantages are that you can add more trays and its dishwasher safe.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Matt Thyer said:


> Second, pretty much anything will get the job including a couple of cookie sheets and some sunshine.


I kept my trap shut when this thread first came up because I thought my area might just be some climatic freak show, but I dehydrate veggies like that from time to time. Except I use those wire roasting racks (cake cooling racks?) rather than cookie sheets. In thin slices, most veggies are ready to go after a single afternoon on the back step. I haven`t tried drying fruit that way, but would be surprised it it didn`t work because even whole fruit in a dry climate is just as likely to mummify as to rot if we don`t eat it soon enough. I don`t think I`d mess around with meat by my ghetto method, though.


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## Wild Wassa (Jun 4, 2009)

Dehydrating food can smell a bit overwhelming at times. Particularly meat that has been seasoned.

Also, I spend weeks dehydrating the different foods for an extended off-road tour. I vacuum bag the portions to keep my eye on the quantities and daily caloric needs. I don't like mixing/putting the different food types, in the dehydrator at the same time either. There can be some pretty bad and overwhelming smells exuded, during dehydration. That's why I take my time not mix the food types.

6 weeks supplies plus 2 weeks of emergency supplies.










Dehydrated watermelon is brilliant ... not only is it weightless, it's the watermelon flavour on steroids.










Warren.


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## rifraf (Dec 22, 2012)

Wild Wassa said:


> Dehydrating food can smell a bit overwhelming at times. Particularly meat that has been seasoned.
> 
> Warren.


G'day Wassa,
what model dehydrator do you use?
When you talk about things like the melon, do you eat like it is or do you rehydrate somehow?
Cheers


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## Wild Wassa (Jun 4, 2009)

Rif, G'day.

I've got a very basic food dehydrator. It's a Sunbeam DT5600. I've had it for about 3 years, it is a bit noisy on high heat (now) but it still goes well and I've given it heaps. It has 5 trays and a fruit roll tray, for blended fruit rolls and straps.

With stuff like the melons, I dehydrate them on a low heat, otherwise they spoil and go black. I cut the watermelon into 2cm cubes (without the seeds) and dehydrate it on a low heat for about 16-20 hours. Water melon takes a long time to dehydrate compared to the other fruits. I dehydrate the melon until it is leathery and then eat it as is. Pineapple, I buy the unsweetened Golden Circle pineapple pieces and dehydrate them. With the pineapple and the melons the sugars/flavours are released to an overwhelming level. 

Fruits like bananas and apples and apricots, I process on a medium heat until they're leathery. I dip the bananas and apples in lemon juice, then I dehydrate them.

Vegetables like, onions, tomatoes and olives (are very smelly to dehydrate, so be warned) and carrots and peas I re-hydrate. I de-skin the tomatoes before I dehydrate them, otherwise tomatoes will take days to do.

The vacuum sealer that I have is a Sunbeam Foodsaver VS4400. The same appliances are more expensive now, than when I bought them. I bought them in a Good Guys mid-year sale and saved a quite a few bob.

I'm doing a stack of stuff at the moment for a tour along the BNT from Nowendoc to Canberra, starting in about 2 weeks time, weather permitting. I see the BOM's predicting heavier than normal rains for the next 16 weeks on the Great Divide in Mid-NSW Coast. Just my luck, doing another rain cycle.

Cheers. 

Warren.


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