Are dehydrated meals normally chewy?

[larryschwartz]

I am trying out some dehydrated food from a vendor my friend recommended. The stuff is tasty, but when I follow the directions for preparing it the stuff comes out kind of chewy, like the food or especially the pasta/rice wasn't fully re-hydrated or something.

Is it normal for dehydrated food to have this texture once it is re-hydrated, or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks,

Larry

 

[Owenst7]

Sounds like it's not rehydrating properly. Try keeping it hotter or letting it soak longer.

 

[larryschwartz]

Sounds like it's not rehydrating properly. Try keeping it hotter or letting it soak longer.

Owenst7, so in your experience dehydrated foods normally/should come out tender and easy to chew, yes?

 

[Kevin Dill]

Hi Larry,

The majority of dehydrated and/or freeze-dried foods I've eaten DO hydrate properly and eat rather normally. There are exceptions and it's not unusual to find a crunchy or tough 'something' amidst the meal. If it's more than a rare or occasional thing, I'd say there's a problem with getting it hydrated properly. The potential causes of that can be many, such as cold food temp before adding water, insufficient hydration time, not stirring the meal once or twice during hydration, higher altitude, etc. Sometimes I think certain food types are just resistant to rehydrating. Certain pastas like macaroni and rigatoni can be slow to soften. Sometimes meat can take a while to fully hydrate.

My main advice would be to use fully boiling water. Stir the heck out of the food immediately and once or twice more. Keep the packet or pan sealed during hydration. Give it enough time, and more time if necessary. If the meal seems thick or gummy...along with some under-hydrated chunks...add some extra water and stir again.

 

[larryschwartz]

TTT

So, based on only two responses, it sounds like I just need to soak it longer or at a higher temperature.

Does that also mean that dehydrated meals should NOT be chewy or "al dente" as the pasta lovers like to say? I normally like my pasta softer, more tender.

Larry

 

[Ryan Avery]

Larry, I had that same issue last week on a scouting trip with some dehydrated meals that are coming out soon. I let it sit an additional 3-4 minutes and the 'chewiness' went away.

 

[Brendan]

My experience is it takes longer to re-hydrate than the directions say. Make sure it's hot water, fully mixed so there's no dry spots, and let it sit. Longer the better. If I'm in a rush or just don't want to wait - al dente...

 

[Kevin Dill]

And stir more frequently as meals rehydrate.

 

[Trial153]

What these guys said...and dont have too high an expectation.

 

[Ryan Avery]

What these guys said...and dont have too high an expectation.

Ain't that the truth! I really need to start dehydrating my own. So much better IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Elkslayer67]

Dehydrated and freeze dried are two totally different methods and do not rehydrate the same.

Dehydration uses heat too dry the food shrinking the cells if the food. In my experience dehydrated food requires more than pouring hot water into a bag of dehydrated food. Simmering it in a pot rehydrates it better. This results in food like that you would get from a slow cooker i.e. chilies and stews.

Freeze drying uses sublimation retaining most of the cell structure of the food. And requires contact with moisture to rehydrate. Freeze dried food rehydrates easily by pouring water into a bag of freeze dried food. Warmer water absorbs faster than cold. This results in more of the original texture and flavor of the food i.e. a freeze dried steak rehydrate is a steak.

I know I have gotten off topic a bit . What I am saying is dehydrated food is different than Mountain House i.e. freeze dried food. And doesn’t rehydrate the same. And you shouldn’t expect the same results.