Dehydrated Food
With several food preservation methods available, why go for dehydrated food? This method, often accomplished with a food dehydrator, reduces moisture inside the food to limit microbial growth and rot, reduces its weight, and eliminates the need for refrigeration. If you grow vegetables and fruits in a garden, dehydrating your crops is one method to keep your harvest lasting long term.
Dehydrated food is often available commercially. You’ve probably seen it through bags of dried food, instant soups, and camping meals. Nevertheless, several methods are used to make dehydrated food at the commercial level. Batch dehydrators - similar to using a food dehydrator at home - dry out large quantities of fruits, vegetables, and meat; spray drying or "rapid flash evaporation" is a method used often for liquids; and freeze drying retains the most nutritional value. For the latter of these three, the method results in minimal thermal damage, the highest flavor and vitamin retention, minimal shrinkage, and longer storage life.
Those producing commercially-available dehydrated food, particularly on farms, are subject to the same standards as organic food production. Mandated by the USDA National Organic Program, standards for dehydrated food include such procedures as not preserving with sulfites.
On an individual level, creating dehydrated food is economical, particularly when a food dehydrator, such as one by Excalibur, is involved. Once the food is dehydrated, however, storage is particularly important. As soon as any dried vegetables, fruits, or meats are taken out of the dehydrator, they should equilibrate for five to ten days before being placed in storage. Any dehydrated food needs to be placed in a container and, once fully dried, it can be stored.
Any dehydrated food produced at home should be kept in a clean, dry, and insect-proof container, such as a plastic bag or glass jar. At the bottom should be desiccant or silica gel to keep the food dry in the long term. Both of these substances absorb moisture over time.
When it comes time to cook your dehydrated food, most should be soaked for two hours beforehand. The food should plump up to its original size - or close to it - during this time. For every cup of dehydrated food you rehydrate, 1.5 to two cups of water should be added. However, dehydrated greens, cabbage, and tomatoes do not need to be soaked prior to cooking.
