We get quite a few questions regarding cooking technique, ingredient options and other outdoor food prep quandaries. Our resident Camp Chef and the brains behind all of Packit Gourmet meals answers a few of those questions here.   Have a question you’d love to ask our Camp Chef? Submit it to AskTheChef@packitgourmet.com and she’ll do her best to get back to you. Please keep in mid that we get a LOT of questions, so we may not get back to them all – but we’ll do our best!

Substituting Dried for Fresh

I have a particular backcountry recipe (lentil tortilla soup) that calls for fresh veggies, for which I’m substituting dehydrated and freeze-dried. If the recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of fresh diced jalapenos, how would that translate to the dehydrated jalapenos? Equal?

You will use much less than the what the recipe calls for when using dehydrated veggies to replace fresh.  As an example – in a single serving soup where we would like a little spicy kick – we would use only 1/4 teaspoon of dehydrated jalapeno peppers in a recipe calling for a quarter of standard sized fresh pepper.

One great resource for learning how fresh ingredients translate to their dried counterparts, is our Fresh/Dry Equivalencies Chart. This lists every dried ingredient on our site in both a dried measure and its (former) fresh measurement.

I have a recipe that I’d like to make while camping that calls for onions to be sauteed until caramelized. Will dehydrated and freeze-dried onions be able to produce the desired results?

You could probably recreate this process two ways on the trail.  Rehydrate the veggies with just a small amount of water – – then saute in oil as you would with fresh veggies.   Be careful to add just enough water to “kiss” the veggies with moisture – – not enough to cause them to be soggy or puddled in water.    

The other option would be to place a small amount of water and oil in the pan;  add the veggies and allow the veggies to cook down until caramelizing occurs.  Of course this is not going to be exactly like caramelizing a fresh onion . . but it will do the trick.

Rehydrating Dried Foods

A question on rehydrating: I have two 2 oz packages of Freeze Dried Ground Beef that I am planning on adding to a chili mix. The suggested rehydration ratio is three parts ground beef to one part water – so ¼ cup of water per package. Should I add ½ cup of water plus both packages of beef to the chili mix to get the proper water ratio?

I’m not familiar with the chili mix that you’re using . . . but if it were me, I would probably just throw the beef directly into the pot with the amount of water specified on the chili mix label.  Allow it to simmer for a few minutes then see how things are looking.

If the chili seems overly thick – then add additional water – allowing it a little “head room” to cook down but not so much that it becomes soupy. Start with ¼ cup then stir in a bit more if needed.

Also – consider using a heat diffuser to sit under the pot so that as the chili thickens – you won’t risk the dreaded scorched beans.  You’ll look very professional and you won’t have to keep as close an eye on it!     If you don’t have an “official” heat diffuser – adding a double layered fold of foil between the pot and flame should help.

I have a Backcountry Thanksgiving recipe that involves cooking a packet of Stove-Top Stuffing and tossing in chicken and craisins. I’m planning to use freeze-dried chicken and also throw in some freeze-dried corn and peas for added nutrition. Would it be best to rehydrate the chicken and veggies separately from the other ingredients prior to combining them into one pot? I’m guessing that if I just throw it in with the stuffing, it’s going to soak up too much of the water that was intended for the stuffing.

I see no reason to keep the ingredients separate.  if you add additional ingredients beyond what the recipe calls for – just compensate by adding an additional tablespoon or so of water.  Since your add-ons will bring extra flavor to the mixture; you won’t be “watering down” flavor when adding just a small amount of extra water.  

All this being said . . . all dehydrated and freeze dried veggies are not the same.  Some take more moisture and a bit more time than others to reach their full potential.  Freeze dried chicken, corn and peas are all quick to rehydrate . . so no worries there.

To learn more about how much water a particular ingredient may need to ‘come back’, you may want to check out our Rehydration Ratios Chart. This lists the water to food ratio along with the approximate rehydration time needed for every dried ingredient on our site.

I’ve purchased four of your 2 oz packages of Freeze-Dried Ground Beef and have a question on how long you can cook it. I am planning on adding it to a chili mix (Bear Creek Chili Mix – 8 Ounces) which takes about 20 minutes or so to cook.  I have done this in the past with TVP and beef bouillon cubes, but the flavor just is not there and I am looking forward to using the Freeze Dried Ground Beef. Do you have a suggestion on when the best time it would be to add the beef to the chili mix in the pot?

I would suggest that you go ahead and add the Freeze Dried Ground Beef to the mix at the beginning of your prep – – just as you would freshly sauteed beef. This will give it a little more time to reconstitute and add a richer beefy flavor to the mixture. I haven’t tasted the Bear Creek mix . . but if you’ve found it missing just that “extra something” in the past, I would probably be inclined to also add just a sprinkle of beef boullion or powdered beef stock as well to help round out the flavor if you happen to have some on hand.

Shelf-Life of Dried Foods

I have a few leftover dried ingredients from my summer trip. How long will they last? Should I save them for next summer or toss them out?

We advise that meals and ingredients are best if used within one year of purchase; however that does not mean that they actually spoil in one year. For most items this means that they will begin to lose their flavor. If properly stored in a cool, dry place, dehydrated and freeze-dried ingredients will last much longer. In fact, dehydrated and freeze-dried ingredients are by design intended to be “endurance foods” that can be stored for long periods of time.

Storage aside, if you are lucky enough to have some extra dried ingredients on hand, don’t be afraid to use them in your home kitchen! Not only is it fantastic to have some dehydrated bell peppers on hand when you’ve run out of fresh or a few scoops of tomato powder available to thicken a sauce, but dried ingredients often add a delicious and intense flavor to a dish that you just can’t get with fresh. Because the moisture has been removed, the flavors brought to a meal by dried ingredients are oftentimes more hightened and robust than their fresh counterpart.

So, my suggestion would be to enjoy the flavors of your dried ingredients over the intervening months  by liberally adding to soups, sauces and stews at home – then restock with a fresh batch in time for next season.