The Dehydrator Bible

Once upon a time (back when I was in medical school), my friends and I choreographed a group dance for Mr. WVSOM, otherwise known as the annual male pageant between 4 1st + 4 2nd-year medical students, complete with a dance segment, interview segment, and an individual talent segment. (The proceeds went to help local EMS.)

As a thank you for us putting up with their craziness, they got us all cards and gift certificates and I used it to buy myself a dehydrator! Thus far, I’ve only really made apple chips, banana chips/taffy, and Tropical Walnut Cookies, so it’s high time I broke it out again!

The Dehydrator Bible

By Jennifer MacKenzie, Jay Nutt + Don Mercer

Genre: Food/Cooking
Pages: 384

The Dehydrator Bible is split into 3 parts:

Dehydrating Foods

This goes into everything you need to know about dehydrating foods (e.g. fresh produce, beans, tofu, grains, even dairy[?!], meat/poultry/fish), making fruit/vegetable leathers, dehydrated snacks, dehydrated treats for your pet (Muffin will love me! :O!), and even using your dehydrator for crafts!

For each type of food, it has instructions on how to prepare it, tips on pre-treatment (e.g. for plantains, dipping them in lemon juice or an ascorbibc acid solution as you slice them to prevent browning), drying, the amount of time needed to dry them, the “doneness test” (aka how you know when it’s done), and other tips (e.g. how to use them, how long they’ll keep for, etc.).

For recipes, it includes a short introduction, the equipment needed, serving size, ingredient list, and of course, instructions.

Cooking at Home with Dehydrated Foods

This section has a bunch of tips on using dehydrated foods in everyday cooking. It’s divided into several different chapters–breakfast, soups, one-dish meals, side dishes, salad dressings/sauces/fillings, baked goods, desserts, and gifts from the kitchen.

The recipes here have been adapted from classics that are traditionally made with fresh ingredients–the plus side to cooking with both fresh and dried foods is that you don’t have to rely on the season as much!

I especially like the “Gifts from the Kitchen” section since these would be awesome for care packages! It teaches you how to make different fruit + herb tea blends (e.g. ginger lemon, strawberry mint, savory herb and lemon tea, lavender lemon tea…), “just add water” chili mix, scone/muffin/cookie mixes…

Cooking on the Trail with Dehydrated Foods

This is divided into 5 chapters:

“Everything You Need To Know About Camp Food” includes practical advice on things to consider when meal planning for camping/backpacking, as well as sample menus for light vs. heavy camping.

“Breakfast” includes things like Scrambled Huevos Rancheros, Campfire Hashbrowns, Sweet Cornmeal Pancakes, Jerky, Cheese and Dried Tomato Biscuits, Cinnamon Apple Multigrain Porridge…

“Main Courses” include Fisherman’s Chowder, Tofu Chili, Viking Stew, Curried Chicken with Apples, Veggie Burger on a Stick, Almost-Instant Mac and Cheese, One-Pot Simple Spaghetti, Beef and Veggie Fried Rice, Catch of the Day Foil-Packet Fish…

“Side Dishes and Accompaniments” includes Citrus-Marinated Chickpea Salad, Stovetop Scalloped Potatoes, Ramen-Style Noodles with Beans, Carrots and Onions, Chili Cornmeal Cakes…

“Snacks, Baked Goods and Desserts” includes GORP (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts) with a Twist, Tomato Herb Popcorn Seasoning, Pumpkin Pie Pudding, No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecakes, Warm Peaches with Ginger, Berry Sauce…

There’s an appendix on dorm room cuisine, which I found amusing, but this basically includes all the recipes that can be prepared with nothing more than  boiling water on a saucepan on a hotplate, so they can be made in single-serving portions and used whenever needed! (I need to make this for the super long/crazy days! Thus far, I’ve only really ventured as far as just making my own instant oatmeal!)

There are over 400(!!) recipes in this book, so there’s something for everyone in here! I’ll have to keep you all posted on which recipes I try to make for future camping trips! :]

• Do you have a dehydrator?
• What’s your favorite “camping” food? I’ve been wanting to try making my own dehydrated meals for backpacking/camping trips because the store-bought ones are so expensive, so this will definitely come into handy! I’ve only gone as far as making campfire donuts so far!

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