FOOD Rehydrating

[nehimama]

I've tried several brands of dehydrated vegetables, and they NEVER rehydrate to an acceptable consistency.

So, how do you do it?

 

[WalknTrot]

To me, dehydrated are not much good for anything but soup or flavoring (i.e., peppers, garlic and onions). Freeze dried might be a different story, but not had much experience with them.

 

[summerthyme]

I'm with WalknTrot... I'm not sure what you mean by "acceptable"... for what?... but if you mean you want to be able to serve buttered peas or corn as a side dish... no, it's not going to be anything like frozen or canned. However, adding them to soups, stews or casseroles work well.

Summerthyme

 

[Kathy in FL]

If you need the veggies well cooked, dehydrated will do. If you are looking for "steamed" texture forget it.

I rehydrate my veggies with whatever I am cooking them with, including a rice or pasta dish. I just add enough water or broth or whatever to make up the difference.

Freeze drying will get your closer to a "steamed" texture on the veggies but still not the same as from fresh.

 

[nehimama]

I'm going to try grinding some down to a powder to add to soups and other dishes.

 

[Kathy in FL]

If anyone runs into needing baby food (and not necessarily for babies and no, I'm not gonna admit to anything), take your dehydrated or freeze-dried veggies or fruit and grind them/pulverize them ... and bada bing, bada boom. Depending on how fine you you need the texture is how fine you grind the plant matter.

Also, you can made bodacious smoothies with ground dehydrated veggies/fruits.

 

[Pinecone]

I like putting dehydrated onions and mushrooms in my rice dishes. Dehydrated onions have a wonderful, special flavor you can't get fresh or sautéed. Peppers are good, too. Quick, easy and really spices up the rice dishes. I also mix brown, white and wild rices with quinoa to get a more flavorful and nutritious dish, with the above dried veggies.

 

[genrim]

For most of my dehydrated veggies, I put them in a wide-mouth thermos, fill it with boiling water and let them "cook" overnight. There are a few - like spinach - that I just throw into soups or stews and they rehydrate very quickly.

 

[Johnny Twoguns]

Anyone tried rehydrating in an instapot to put some water pressure on the veggies?

 

[summerthyme]

Anyone tried rehydrating in an instapot to put some water pressure on the veggies?

It would make them even mushier. The problem isn't that they don't soften.

When I rehydrate sweet peppers to add to Spanish rice, I put a couple tablespoons in a small cup and pour a cup of hot water over them. Soak for 10 minutes, drain, then add to the browning hamburger just before adding the sauce and rice. The texture is very acceptable.

Summerthyme

 

[bracketquant]

I just pray that I never need to use dehydrated or freeze dried veggies. And, I rarely use canned. It's fresh if possible, frozen if fresh not available.

 

[Tristan]

I've tried several brands of dehydrated vegetables, and they NEVER rehydrate to an acceptable consistency.

So, how do you do it?

Made a few vegetable beef/chicken/pork stews with dehydrated veggies.

After, I adjusted my expectations.

But, looong simmering was the best overall, otherwise.