Re: [Paddlewise] Dehydrating Complete Meals

Anything that is vaguely stew-like dehydrates and rehydrates
wonderfully.  In Fall of 2003 I provided all the food for a two week
Queen Charlottes trip for three people.  The only meals that I didn't
cook at home and dehydrate was the breakfasts, which were powdered egg
omelettes, pancakes and hot cereals.

The hit of the trip was lasagna.  I baked a regular lasagna using the
no-boil (just bake) pasta that is available at most large grocers.  I
cut the lasagna into squares about four inches on a side and dehydrated
the squares overnight.  I used ground beef and didn't so anything
special to it before cooking.  The lasagna did not look anything like it
usually does after rehydration, but it tasted great.  Served with garlic
toast crackers it was a delight.

Chili is another stew that de and re-hydrates well.  I don't use beans
but prefer corn.  Corn does not rehydrate easily, so I've learned to
pack it separately.

Do an Internet search for "backpacker recipes" and you'll get enough to
last you a lifetime.  Chicken tetrazini, potato-leek soup (which
dehydrates into a cookie that looks like a hairy cowpie but is a good
cold-weather meal), the list is endless.

Just think stew, cassarole, thick soup and the sky's the limit.

To make packing more reliable, I also bit the bullet (I'm very cheap)
and bought a Food Saver thing that vacuum bags stuff.  Great for food
and anything else that shouldn't ever get wet, like spare batteries,
matches and so on.

Cheers,

Jim Tibensky
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