Foods NOT to dehydrate
Feb 1, 2015 21:18:04 GMT 10
You Must Enter A Name, StepfordRenegade, and 2 more like this
Post by SA Hunter on Feb 1, 2015 21:18:04 GMT 10
momwithaprep.com/what-foods-to-not-dehydrate/
Foods to NOT Dehydrate
Avocados – sure you can, but you don’t really want to. Foods super high in fat don’t dehydrate well at all, and they go rancid very quickly. So just eat it
Olives – another of those “sure you can do it, but ICK!” This may be completely personal, but I’ve tried it and I really DO NOT like it, nor did my family, and you can’t keep it for long-term storage anyway, so just don’t do it.
Store-bought condiments – There is a technique of taking whatever you can dehydrate and reducing it to its simplest terms to make it easier to store. I can see the appeal in dehydrating a bottle of ketchup, powdering the leather, and having ready-to-serve ketchup available at the drop of a hat in one large container as opposed to 15 bottles sitting on your shelf. I admit the desire to run out and do that now! However, you really need to look at what is IN the store-bought condiments that will make them not so great to have (sugar, chemicals, fats from oils) that might make them risky to store on the shelf. So these are just good to stay away from. But I’m curious…have any of you tried dehydrating mayo?
Juices, water, soda - you wouldn’t believe how often “can you dehydrate water” comes up in a google search, or how many times the dehydrated water in a can meme shows up on Facebook groups and forums. But generally, liquid drinks are best canned or jellied for food preservation. Besides being really messy, even if you had a great tray container, the amount of time and effort in dehydrating even the most reduced down to it’s minimum orange juice is best done if made into jams, jellies, fruit leathers, frozen or canned.
Non-lean meats – They take a long time because fat doesn’t like to be dehydrated, and they can’t be stored for more than a week or two.
Butter – Butter is largely fat. And with fat comes a whole mess of issues with dehydrating. While some people do dehydrate butter on their own, the safest and fastest method for the home PREPared pantry is to invest in commercially preserved powdered butter. Or learn to use beans as a fat replacement in your baking and cooking.
Cheese – Yes, you can dehydrate cheese. BUT, and there’s a big but about it. It’s a high fat content food, that tends to go rancid much more quickly, and shouldn’t be used for long-term storage. Better to buy commercially dried cheese to make sure you’re safe.
Milk – I’m just going to type – read above about dehydrating milk. While you’ll see tutorials out there about doing it, unless you’re doing it with 1% or non-fat milk (which at that point, why bother as there is little to no nutritional value in it any longer, anyway between the ultra-pasturization and removal of the good fats) why bother. Here’s a powdered whole milk option for you.
Foods You Shouldn’t Dehydrate*
*This food list comes with a BIG caveat. Don’t try this at home unless you have studied the proper procedure and storage techniques of these foods. Most of the foods here can be dehydrated, but are not recommended for long-term storage.
Meats – Yes, you can take lean meats and make beef jerky from them. But home dehydrated jerky is tricky to make safely, does not store for long-term, and ther are better options like canning and smoking. The key is to use VERY lean meats. Fats go rancid quickly, and tend not to dehydrate well, so remove all fat from lean cuts of meat before attempting.
Eggs – In general, eggs dehydrate well when you creat a slurry. They can be rehydrated for scrambled eggs, but not to replace in most baking/cooking needs. And forget trying to create a sunny-side up egg or omelet from your home dehydrated eggs. A better option is to purchase commercially dehydrated eggs and store them.
Nuts – You can dehydrate nuts and store them, but the fat content still makes them a short-term shelf item. You can store nuts long-term for food storage, but simply soaking them to help with their nutritional content, drying them, and then sticking them on shelf for a few years isn’t going to work. There’s a process to follow after the fact.
Fruit Leathers – Fruit leathers are not for long-term storage. And you should never make them using regular white sugar as it can crystallize in the process.
Foods That Need Special Care to Dehydrate
Leafy Greens – While I don’t follow what I’m about to say here, many consider steaming/blanching dark leafy greens before dehydrating to be more beneficial to getting all of the nutrients from the greens.
Apples, Bananas and Pears – it’s a great practice to spray a little lemon juice on these before dehydrating to make sure they retain their color before coming fully dehydrated.
Mushrooms – If you care about having light colored mushrooms as your final product, make sure your mushrooms are dry before dehydrating them. I rinse my mushrooms in water to remove residual growing medium from them, and they tend to be dark upon dehydrating, but we’re okay with that because most of our dehydrated mushrooms end up within a dish or as a mushroom powder, so we don’t care that the final product isn’t a lighter color.
Blueberries – While many might poke holes in all of the blueberries on their trays, Angela @ Foodstorageandsurvival.com has a better method to dehydrate blueberries without poking every.single.blueberry.
Low-acid fruits and vegetables – some common knowledge says that these foods should be steamed before dehydrating. Because honestly…do you want a raw, dehydrated beet? I think not. Check out the full list from Dehydrate2Store.
Everything Else.
This list is huge and is completely up to your comfort and taste level. I’ve not met many things that I wouldn’t dehydrate.
Foods to NOT Dehydrate
Avocados – sure you can, but you don’t really want to. Foods super high in fat don’t dehydrate well at all, and they go rancid very quickly. So just eat it
Olives – another of those “sure you can do it, but ICK!” This may be completely personal, but I’ve tried it and I really DO NOT like it, nor did my family, and you can’t keep it for long-term storage anyway, so just don’t do it.
Store-bought condiments – There is a technique of taking whatever you can dehydrate and reducing it to its simplest terms to make it easier to store. I can see the appeal in dehydrating a bottle of ketchup, powdering the leather, and having ready-to-serve ketchup available at the drop of a hat in one large container as opposed to 15 bottles sitting on your shelf. I admit the desire to run out and do that now! However, you really need to look at what is IN the store-bought condiments that will make them not so great to have (sugar, chemicals, fats from oils) that might make them risky to store on the shelf. So these are just good to stay away from. But I’m curious…have any of you tried dehydrating mayo?
Juices, water, soda - you wouldn’t believe how often “can you dehydrate water” comes up in a google search, or how many times the dehydrated water in a can meme shows up on Facebook groups and forums. But generally, liquid drinks are best canned or jellied for food preservation. Besides being really messy, even if you had a great tray container, the amount of time and effort in dehydrating even the most reduced down to it’s minimum orange juice is best done if made into jams, jellies, fruit leathers, frozen or canned.
Non-lean meats – They take a long time because fat doesn’t like to be dehydrated, and they can’t be stored for more than a week or two.
Butter – Butter is largely fat. And with fat comes a whole mess of issues with dehydrating. While some people do dehydrate butter on their own, the safest and fastest method for the home PREPared pantry is to invest in commercially preserved powdered butter. Or learn to use beans as a fat replacement in your baking and cooking.
Cheese – Yes, you can dehydrate cheese. BUT, and there’s a big but about it. It’s a high fat content food, that tends to go rancid much more quickly, and shouldn’t be used for long-term storage. Better to buy commercially dried cheese to make sure you’re safe.
Milk – I’m just going to type – read above about dehydrating milk. While you’ll see tutorials out there about doing it, unless you’re doing it with 1% or non-fat milk (which at that point, why bother as there is little to no nutritional value in it any longer, anyway between the ultra-pasturization and removal of the good fats) why bother. Here’s a powdered whole milk option for you.
Foods You Shouldn’t Dehydrate*
*This food list comes with a BIG caveat. Don’t try this at home unless you have studied the proper procedure and storage techniques of these foods. Most of the foods here can be dehydrated, but are not recommended for long-term storage.
Meats – Yes, you can take lean meats and make beef jerky from them. But home dehydrated jerky is tricky to make safely, does not store for long-term, and ther are better options like canning and smoking. The key is to use VERY lean meats. Fats go rancid quickly, and tend not to dehydrate well, so remove all fat from lean cuts of meat before attempting.
Eggs – In general, eggs dehydrate well when you creat a slurry. They can be rehydrated for scrambled eggs, but not to replace in most baking/cooking needs. And forget trying to create a sunny-side up egg or omelet from your home dehydrated eggs. A better option is to purchase commercially dehydrated eggs and store them.
Nuts – You can dehydrate nuts and store them, but the fat content still makes them a short-term shelf item. You can store nuts long-term for food storage, but simply soaking them to help with their nutritional content, drying them, and then sticking them on shelf for a few years isn’t going to work. There’s a process to follow after the fact.
Fruit Leathers – Fruit leathers are not for long-term storage. And you should never make them using regular white sugar as it can crystallize in the process.
Foods That Need Special Care to Dehydrate
Leafy Greens – While I don’t follow what I’m about to say here, many consider steaming/blanching dark leafy greens before dehydrating to be more beneficial to getting all of the nutrients from the greens.
Apples, Bananas and Pears – it’s a great practice to spray a little lemon juice on these before dehydrating to make sure they retain their color before coming fully dehydrated.
Mushrooms – If you care about having light colored mushrooms as your final product, make sure your mushrooms are dry before dehydrating them. I rinse my mushrooms in water to remove residual growing medium from them, and they tend to be dark upon dehydrating, but we’re okay with that because most of our dehydrated mushrooms end up within a dish or as a mushroom powder, so we don’t care that the final product isn’t a lighter color.
Blueberries – While many might poke holes in all of the blueberries on their trays, Angela @ Foodstorageandsurvival.com has a better method to dehydrate blueberries without poking every.single.blueberry.
Low-acid fruits and vegetables – some common knowledge says that these foods should be steamed before dehydrating. Because honestly…do you want a raw, dehydrated beet? I think not. Check out the full list from Dehydrate2Store.
Everything Else.
This list is huge and is completely up to your comfort and taste level. I’ve not met many things that I wouldn’t dehydrate.
