Dehydrating problem

[Moorland Prepper]

Last year we had a go at dehydrating vegetables – carrots, broccoli, parsnips, and the like. After dehydrating we vacuum packed the food. We have just opened a packet and are somewhat disappointed that the vegetables haven’t got back to anything like their former self – nothing like the stuff that you see on YouTube.

We have a Biochef dehydrator and are sure that we did everything correctly. They taste OK and have just gone into a stew which means I can’t include a picture!

Is this anyone else’s experience of dehydrating vegetables?

[GeeGee]

Yes I did the same and vacuum packed ..had exactly the same outcome ..and like you looked at all the videos and cant see what has gone wrong ..
Ended up buying some already dehydrated veg and kept that in store instead and was great when I used it .

[jennyjj01]

Last year we had a go at dehydrating vegetables – carrots, broccoli, parsnips, and the like. After dehydrating we vacuum packed the food. We have just opened a packet and are somewhat disappointed that the vegetables haven’t got back to anything like their former self – nothing like the stuff that you see on YouTube.

We have a Biochef dehydrator and are sure that we did everything correctly. They taste OK and have just gone into a stew which means I can’t include a picture!

Is this anyone else’s experience of dehydrating vegetables?

Oh deary me.....
Sorry to hear that you are disappointed, but that's the warning that goes with dehydrating. Most stuff really doesn't reconstitute to its former structure or texture. You are preserving flavour and nutrients. You may recall the fun I had trying to use dehydrated spuds. Everybody lies about spuds.
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What you get with dehydrating is reduced volume and no more need to freeze, or indeed to vac pac.

Things that do reconstitute well...
Peas, sweetcorn, onions, leeks, sliced mushrooms, carrots*, pasta.

Things that are pretty good to augment a sauce
The above Plus sliced peppers, julienned carrots, sliced tomatoes.

Things that will need blitzing or having in a casserole
Root veg especially parsnips, swedes and spuds.

Some veg is best taken through the dehydration stage straight to the grinder to make potent powders...
Onions, garlic, tomatoes, chillies, breadcrumbs, beetroot

I should post pictures of my dehydrated celery which is hysterically funny. 95 % water.

For fruit, you often create hard chewy 'leathers' which are massively flavoursome but hard as bullets.
Or you may be shrinking them down to one day make jam or pies.

I can't speak for other greens.

Carrots and root veg and leeks, you MUST blanche. most other things not.

So.... Tell us, MP. what were your disappointments, and in what way? How did you vac pack them?

Vac BAGGING dehydrated veg can disastrously crush them or burst the bags.

[rik_uk3]

Some of the best results I've had over the years is dehydrating frozen veg; they are peeled, diced and blanched, just thaw and dry.

Best veg I found:

Peas
Sliced beans
Carrots
Sweetcorn

You can pick up a kilo bag for about a quid.

[jennyjj01]

Some of the best results I've had over the years is dehydrating frozen veg; they are peeled, diced and blanched, just thaw and dry.

Best veg I found:

Peas
Sliced beans
Carrots
Sweetcorn

You can pick up a kilo bag for about a quid.

I've never done it, but do you really need to thaw separately?
No need to blanch the ready frozen veg, is there?

Just store in jars, maybe with a silica gel bag. How do you store yours rik?

[Moorland Prepper]

Hi jennyjj01

Most stuff really doesn't reconstitute to its former structure or texture. You are preserving flavour and nutrients.

I think that you are correct.

It's just those YouTube videos where everything seems to revert to the norm.

I should know better after spending two years growing veg. They always do it so much better growing veg. on YouTube and the like.

[jennyjj01]

Hi jennyjj01

Most stuff really doesn't reconstitute to its former structure or texture. You are preserving flavour and nutrients.

It's just those YouTube videos where everything seems to revert to the norm.

The spuds youtube vids were the worst. They look impressive. So called preppers creating home made spud flakes by the tonne. But none ever honestly showed them trying to use them afterwards. Come the apocalypse there are going to be some disappointed survivalists who copied those vids.

If in doubt, try it out.

My favourite dehydrates have to be carrots onions and peas. More than half of all I've ever done.
Carrots don't rehydrate perfectly, but I use an awful lot in augmenting sauces.

[rik_uk3]

Some of the best results I've had over the years is dehydrating frozen veg; they are peeled, diced and blanched, just thaw and dry.

Best veg I found:

Peas
Sliced beans
Carrots
Sweetcorn

You can pick up a kilo bag for about a quid.

I've never done it, but do you really need to thaw separately?
No need to blanch the ready frozen veg, is there?

Just store in jars, maybe with a silica gel bag. How do you store yours rik?

I let them thaw before drying, uses less electricity that way. I tend to vacuum seal them and I've used some seven or eight years old.

[jennyjj01]

Some of the best results I've had over the years is dehydrating frozen veg; they are peeled, diced and blanched, just thaw and dry.

Best veg I found:

Peas
Sliced beans
Carrots
Sweetcorn

You can pick up a kilo bag for about a quid.

I've never done it, but do you really need to thaw separately?
No need to blanch the ready frozen veg, is there?

Just store in jars, maybe with a silica gel bag. How do you store yours rik?

I let them thaw before drying, uses less electricity that way. I tend to vacuum seal them and I've used some seven or eight years old.

Sounds like a good idea, except maybe that they are out longer.
Do you bag them or jar them? How have you prevented them puncturing the bag or getting crushed, especially onions and diced veg?
I've had a few bits not dried enough and remaining a bit 'plastic'. Not exactly spoiled, but not ideal.

We must, of course, rotate these dried veg into our daily diet unless we are taking a store it and forget it approach that ends in wastage.