What are you dehydrating?

[Quill]

Is grating the potatoes with a coarse grater to get flakes then blanching that worth trying? You'd have a lot of surface area and because they'd be so thin they'd be quick to blanch. Sorry if this just prattle, the great potato saga is currently my favourite thing to read on this site lol.

[jennyjj01]

Is grating the potatoes with a coarse grater to get flakes then blanching that worth trying? You'd have a lot of surface area and because they'd be so thin they'd be quick to blanch. Sorry if this just prattle, the great potato saga is currently my favourite thing to read on this site lol.

Thanks,
We need to get out more

That is in my plan, too. Previous attempts to grate were abandoned partly because the spuds went grey almost as quickly as i could grate them ( carelessness and surface area ) and partly because my mandolin grater is rubbish and I got lazy.
Another thing i will need to vary is the spud type. I've mostly tried Maris Piper and general purpose, un-named white potatoes. Some sites and documentation mention russet and red potatoes as more suitable.

For now, I'm convinced I need big surface area and that the end product won't be instant. I am considering using a spiralizer to give the surface area, while getting more spuds on each tray. I also thought of rolling through a pasta maker, but I don't have one of those.
I will master this.

[jennyjj01]

That's one I'll be revisiting over the weekend. I plan on 20mm dice, Some chip shaped sticks and some julienne/french fry sticks, just blanched 2 to 4 minutes

Maximum compaction into jars is what I'm now after, coupled with long shelf life.

The saga continues. And you won't see this one on youtube!

So. I had some dehydrated chip shaped pieces of blanched spud. Shelf life, forever. Originally made that shape to later make mash....

But what about..... Chips?

Surely a dream too far?

I took a portion of these rock hard pieces and rehydrated overnight. They still did not inflate, but they had a passing resemblance to unfried chips. So, I fried some in half an inch of oil. Bear in mind they had already been blanched. And what did i get? CHIPS!

Distinctly third rate chips, which somehow reminded me of Towyn*, but they were edible chips. Still with sunken in sides and a bit chewy. These would be acceptable in a post potato, post apocalypse world. I will retain some of the dried chip shapes in the deep stockpile.

If there was ever any doubt. Yes. I'm nuts!

* Sorry Welsh friends, I meant Blackpool.

[jennyjj01]

For now, I'm convinced I need big surface area and that the end product won't be instant. I am considering using a spiralizer to give the surface area, while getting more spuds on each tray. I also thought of rolling through a pasta maker, but I don't have one of those.
I will master this.

I'm going to call BullSpit!
So many youtube vids show how brilliantly we can dehydrate and rehydrate spuds.

Well. I SAY YOU CANNOT. I defy anyone to demonstrate how to 'make your own instant mash'
I'll go further and say rehydrated spuds will never be spuds again! Not beyond 5/10 quality.

For info, I've tried blanching or fully cooking spuds in multiple ways. My latest way should have been the one. I spiralized some spuds on the thin noodle setting. I cooked 12 minutes till they started falling apart. Dehydrated, crumbled up easily, rehydrated various ways and SMASHED THE LIVING 5h17 out of them. Result gritty mashed potatoes! FAIL.

Until someone shows me the true way, I concede! I don't concede easily at anything!
Home made instant dried mash is a myth! A pipe dream.
Just buy 6l00dy sachets.

JJ

[pseudonym]

Jenny thankyou and your Family for your service.

You have suffered so other may not

[jennyjj01]

Jenny thankyou and your Family for your service.

You have suffered so other may not

Thanks,
I'll leave you all with this
https://youtu.be/fMH_aPUsdTc?t=422

That is exactly as far as I got. Best efforts to rehydrate into mash gave a bitty, gritty product. It might be acceptable, post apocalypse just as my dehydrated chips might be, but so distinctly 5/10, while even cheap comercial mash at 29p per sachet was 8/10 and morrisons mash 10/10
We just don't have the equipment to simulate the industrial process ( layer 3 cells thick)

It was a fun set of 'speriments. No shame in the conclusion.

[ForgeCorvus]

Jenny: You might not of made mash, but you did make potato flour...... So not a total waste

My stomach thanks you for eating gritty sub par spud products on my behalf.

Most of your experiments pay off though.


So, whats the next one?

[jennyjj01]

Jenny: You might not of made mash, but you did make potato flour...... So not a total waste

My stomach thanks you for eating gritty sub par spud products on my behalf.

Most of your experiments pay off though.


So, whats the next one?

Hi, thanks for the support FC. I don't like this kind of failure, so I will need to come back from it.

My attempts at making re-hydrated french fries reminded me of a previous inspiration of mine: The drizzle chip. It was something I invented while doing the ration challenge a few years ago. Basically, I just made a flour and water batter, which I fried once into a sort of skinny pancake. Slice up the pancake into pretend french fries and refry. That made a passable chip substitute without potatoes..... Now, I could revisit that with some potato flower.

Anyway, If you want to de-hydrate spuds to grind up, I recommend my last attempt. Spiralize into thin noodles and blanch and dehydrate and ultimately grind that. Far easier to grind than slices or dices.

So. Currently working on two things: My rudimentary gardening 'speriments. Exploring and sharing my ignorance and prising some great tips out of our resident experts ..
And definitely thinking of revisiting my 'From Ration List to Meal Plan' thread with more silly improv recipes.

I MIGHT. develop a Youtube channel. Seems to be plenty of fun to be had doing that.

[ForgeCorvus]

I MIGHT. develop a Youtube channel. Seems to be plenty of fun to be had doing that.

Jenny's Experiments
* Jenny exits shed and delivers to the camera at a dull roar*
"This week I are mostly bin eating potato flour drizzle chips"




ETA
You know, I'd watch that....... In fact, I'd be keen to watch that

[jennyjj01]

Just had cause to open and use some dehydrated onions, March 2019. Hmmmmf spoiled???

The vac bag had leaked in air and they were slightly moist, as in leathery, and had discoloured to a bit darker than straw coloured. Smelled and tasted OK and no sign of mould. So I'm currently using them. I don't blanch onions.

Another of the same batch had been double bagged and was still sealed. Even those onions looked a bit darker than was reassuring.

A batch of commercially fried onions was fine.
So. I'm going to concede that three years is pushing it on home dehydrated onions and will be doing a fresh couple of sacks. The existing batch will be used up ASAP, in preference to using fresh ones.

While checking over stock, I noted that my jar of dehydrated leaks had discoloured, too. No greenness and some straw colour. The few leeks will be discarded. Those were only a year old and had neither been vac sealed, nor deoxygenated