# Meal Test From Preps



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Tonight I decided that it was time to do a meal from my stores and decided to open one of the "instant meals" that I had put together. Thought a rice and bean dish would be good so I took a vacuum sealed packet containing about 2 cups each of dehydrated cooked rice and dehydrated cooked navy beans with onion, bell pepper, celery, carrots and some chicken bullion mixed in. I added 4 cups of boiling water covered the bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes. When I uncovered the bowl to stir it, I mixed in a few tablespoons of canned butter from the shelf and let it sit for about another 5 minutes.

It exceeded my expectations, tasted like it just came off the stove and the taste was great. We ate every last bite and could have eaten more if I would have made it.

Test completed with overwhelming success. With a little time and a dehydrator you CAN create what I thought was a professional quality instant meals that will keep "forever" on the shelf and taste great.


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## JustCliff (May 21, 2011)

Good Job!

_Test completed with overwhelming success. With a little time and a dehydrator you CAN create what I thought was a professional quality instant meals that will keep "forever" on the shelf and taste great._

Very true. And a lot cheaper then "store bought".


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Awesome! Your food storage activities/experiments are always so helpful and encouraging - thanks for sharing them! :wave:


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## Zanazaz (Feb 14, 2012)

*Never knew that!*

I did not know you could dehydrate cooked rice. Can you use a cheapo Wal Mart dehydrater, or do you need to use a high-end model?

Sounds like a very inexpensive way to create some long term food storage.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

:2thumb: it's like *Minute Rice* :lolsmash:

FYI brown rice actually lasts longer if you cook it and then dehydrate it because most of the oils that go rancid get cooked out.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Zanazaz said:


> I did not know you could dehydrate cooked rice. Can you use a cheapo Wal Mart dehydrater, or do you need to use a high-end model?
> 
> Sounds like a very inexpensive way to create some long term food storage.


I now use an American Harvester, Garden Master, It has 30 square feet of drying space but before I had it, I did us an older "cheapo" Oster model. The newer ones(Oster) tend to be unreliable but will work ok for rice.

The end product of drying rice is something like "Minute Rice" you get at any grocery store.

Blob, I refuse to eat brown rice for the simple reason that I am a stubborn bonehead. My oldest daughter nags and nags me about white rice, always says that brown is "soooooo much better for you", if I started eating brown, she would just find some other food to nag me about. She IS the family "Guru" on nutrition and its her job to keep an eye(nutritionally) on what gets put in the "larder".


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Davarm said:


> Blob, I refuse to eat brown rice for the simple reason that I am a stubborn bonehead. My oldest daughter nags and nags me about white rice, always says that brown is "soooooo much better for you", if I started eating brown, she would just find some other food to nag me about. She IS the family "Guru" on nutrition and its her job to keep an eye(nutritionally) on what gets put in the "larder".


meh, I usually eat *what's cheapest*   :nuts:

I'm so very glad I have no food allergies, I've been experimenting with making my own *seitan* or "*wheat meat*", not because I'm philosophically opposed to animal products, but because I think it's easier to make and store, has a longer shelf-life, is cheaper (except for chicken), and has a MUCH higher protein content (as high as 76%!). I have not been able to make 'faux fish fillets' with it (yet).


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

Davarm said:


> Tonight I decided that it was time to do a meal from my stores and decided to open one of the "instant meals" that I had put together. Thought a rice and bean dish would be good so I took a vacuum sealed packet containing about 2 cups each of dehydrated cooked rice and dehydrated cooked navy beans with onion, bell pepper, celery, carrots and some chicken bullion mixed in. I added 4 cups of boiling water covered the bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes. When I uncovered the bowl to stir it, I mixed in a few tablespoons of canned butter from the shelf and let it sit for about another 5 minutes.
> 
> It exceeded my expectations, tasted like it just came off the stove and the taste was great. We ate every last bite and could have eaten more if I would have made it.
> 
> Test completed with overwhelming success. With a little time and a dehydrator you CAN create what I thought was a professional quality instant meals that will keep "forever" on the shelf and taste great.


It's me again, I must have really been asleep at the wheel to have missed this much info. You cook beans and rice and then dehydrate them?
Do you put these up in small amts? That would really make a bean dish fast wouldn't it? So, you had beans, rice, veggies, etc, in individual bags and then just mixed it up to cook? Don't you want to come and stay in Wa. state for a bit and help me get my act together!!:gaah:


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Would love to come to Washington ,again. Something I always wondered before I went there was " wonder where all the telephone poles come from", when I got got off the plane, question answered.

Anyway, I cook separate pots of beans and rice, dehydrate them and generally pack them into 5 gallon buckets. I do put some individual meals together and vacuum seal them. Some of my favorites are Dirty Rice, Spanish Rice with Pinto Beans, Basic Beans and Rice, your imagination is your only limit. 

When I'm caught up on everything, lately that has been uncommon, I will cook a pot of beans or rice and throw it in the dehydrator and build quantities for either individual storage or to mix together with other ingredients for instant meals.

I like having instants around that dont cost a weeks pay to put on the shelf.


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## Dixie (Sep 20, 2010)

*So I'm getting that you dehydrate each food (beans, rice, veg), one at a time then make your mix? 
How do you dehydrate rice without it falling through? I only have the one plastic fruit tray (for fruit leather). Give me blow by blow instructions for your mix, I would love to vacuum seal some for quick dinners.
BTW...come to Georgia first! I need help! lol*


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> I'm so very glad I have no food allergies,


I have developed some severe food allergies over the past several years, it seems that just about everything that I eat makes me fat. I am told that an allergy like that could be fatal.:nuts:


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

Davarm said:


> Would love to come to Washington ,again. Something I always wondered before I went there was " wonder where all the telephone poles come from", when I got got off the plane, question answered.
> 
> Anyway, I cook separate pots of beans and rice, dehydrate them and generally pack them into 5 gallon buckets. I do put some individual meals together and vacuum seal them. Some of my favorites are Dirty Rice, Spanish Rice with Pinto Beans, Basic Beans and Rice, your imagination is your only limit.
> 
> ...


I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of the knowledge you share with us. Thanks for your patience too! Anytime, anytime! You ever head this way, I'll take ya!:wave:
Now, I'm going to cook some beans and do this myself, I've never cooked any beans except white beans with ham so this will open up a new world. I need more people to live with us so I can cook more!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

neldarez said:


> I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of the knowledge you share with us. Thanks for your patience too! Anytime, anytime! You ever head this way, I'll take ya!:wave:
> Now, I'm going to cook some beans and do this myself, I've never cooked any beans except white beans with ham so this will open up a new world. I need more people to live with us so I can cook more!


Thank you for the kind words, I well may come up your way in the future, my brother is buried in Sand Point, Idaho, I have been meaning to get up there to visit him but have not had the chance.

Any way, am glad to be able to help anyone who will listen.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

I've been making my own "minute rice" and "instant" dry beans for years.

I spread cooked rice or beans on cookie sheets and set them in my oven. The pilot light dries them nicely. I stir them with my finger a few times a day to rearrange them. 

In our dry climate I can just set them around on the counters and they'll dry. Back east (or any humid place) that might not work. I did rice in an electric dehydrator once and had it set too hot and had brown, hard rice...from white rice! So be careful on the temperature.

To use, the cooked, dried rice uses equal measures of rice and water, unlike when cooking 'raw' (?) rice. The dehydrated cooked pinto beans make exellent refried beans, by the way. 

For what it's worth, you can do this with macaroni and other pasta, too. We "precooked" a bunch of macaroni and dried it, and now we can make "instant" mac & cheese, usually while backpacking or bicycle touring.

I love the way Davarm puts his meals together, and he tests these things! Thanks for sharing, Davarm! I've learned a LOT from you over the months!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

gypsysue said:


> I've been making my own "minute rice" and "instant" dry beans for years.
> 
> I spread cooked rice or beans on cookie sheets and set them in my oven. The pilot light dries them nicely. I stir them with my finger a few times a day to rearrange them.
> 
> ...


"I love the way Davarm puts his meals together, and he tests these things! Thanks for sharing, Davarm! I've learned a LOT from you over the months! "

Aaaah shucks, little lady, now your embarrassing me.....(Quote from John Wayne...)

Ive been wondering if their would be any advantage to dehydrating macaroni or other pasta. I have made a quantity of dehydrated cheddar cheese and the thought of instant Mac and Cheese, the just add hot water stuff, may be good to have around. Well, guess I know what I'm going to be doing tonight.

I have made Mac and Cheese using Velveeta that I have canned. Came out pretty good, my oldest daughter claims to hate the processed cheeses but I had a serving bowl of the Velveeta Mac(doctored up with some other ingredients) sitting on the counter and I walked into the kitchen and saw her eating a bowl of it saying it was good. When I told her what it was, wish I'd had a camera.

I have learned quite a lot from you and your experiences also, We love tortillas(corn and flour) but have never gotten the hang of making good ones. I think that you said that you make them in a cast iron skillet? May have to get a lesson from you to figure out how/where I am messing up, mine come out like Frisbees - taste pretty good, but they crack and break when you try to wrap something in them.

Thank you, Sue.


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