Dehydrating123: How To Dehydrate Whole Grains For Backpacking Meals
The whole grains are an essential part of a hiker’s diet. They are a good source of complex carbohydrates, proteins, minerals (magnesium, iron, selenium, potassium) and fiber. Moreover, whole grains have some valuable antioxidants not found in fruits and vegetables, as well as vitamins (B, E).
What are whole grains?
These are unrefined grains that haven’t had their bran and germ removed by milling. Whole grains include grains like wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, quinoa, sorghum, spelt, rye.
Whole grains, not the ones that are quick or instant, have important nutrients but they must be cooked slowly. In order to save yourself time and fuel, it’s best to dehydrate them before you take them with you on the trail.
How to dehydrate cooked grains
- Place grains in a colander, rinsing well with warm water.
- Fold grains into boiling water you’ve salted. Stirring well. Bring the heat down to low and simmer for 10-30 minutes or until ready.
- Take off the heat, drain excess water and allow to cool.
- Put the cooked grains on the parchment paper covered dehydrator trays in an even, thin layer.
- Allow them to dry for up to 6 hours until they are brittle. The temperature should be set for 130F/55C.
- Place dried cooked grains in zip lock bags, jars or vacuum-sealed containers.
- Store in a dark, cool place.
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How long can they stay in vacuum sealed bags before going bad?
If dehydrated and packed properly it can last years
Hiya, I’ve heard there can be a significant nutrient loss during the drying process (in comparison to say freeze-drying), do you know if that’s true? Thanks!
Yes, that’s true. Freeze-dried foods retain all of taste, smell, texture, and nutritional value they has in their original form
If you don’t have any dehydrator trays can you use stainless steel cooling racks covered with parchment paper instead?
Hi David! Never tried to use metal sheets or cooling racks. But if they fit your dehydrator, why not? Probably, you’ll need also some mesh sheets to cover your food to prevent scattering of small pieces throughout the dehydrator.
Curious about why you would dehydrate cooked rice? What’s the relative weight advantage to uncooked rice? Or is it just quicker to cook on the go?
Curious about why you would dehydrate cooked rice? What’s the relative weight advantage to uncooked rice? Or is it just quicker to cook on the go?
What kind of rice is best for this? I eat sticky rice and can’t imagine being able to spread it out in a nice layer without getting mad.
Hi Mark! Brown rice is the best option in terms of nutrition. You can also dry basmati or wild rice. They are quite easy to spread and dehydrate quickly.
Hi Tanya, I suspect this is such a basic question, but what are the ratios for rehydrating rice and quinoa? Thanks a million for all GREAT ideas and instruction! we are madly prepping for an epic family hiking adventure and it has been awesome dehydrating our goodies.
Hi Mary! I usually use 1 to 1 ratio. You always can add more water later to get consistency you desire.
How long will the rice keep once it’s dehydrated?
Up to year. It can be kept quite a long time.
Hi Tanya,
Just a heads up- you have a typo in the last bullet point. Thanks for the great info!!
Thank you!