I give classes at church on Preparedness and have been asked not only by them, but from friends that haven’t done any food dehydrating. How do you reconstitute the food you dry and does it taste and look good.” Some of them have never tasted any of their freeze dried food they have in storage, so that is why we encourage them to buy small packages of freeze-dried food and try it. Not only to see if you like the taste but how to fix it when an emergency arises.
Here is a list of items and what they yield after reconstitution. Of course, this list is not complete, but once you try some of these you can experiment with your own product. Prepping is not easy and no one (not even my husband) will ever know everything they need to know. Each situation and place is different. So your best bit is to practice and practice some more.
- Dried food Amount Water Yields
- Apple slices 1 cup 11/2 cups 3 cups
- Apricot slices 1cup 2 cups 11/2 cups
- Beets 1 cup 3 cups 21/2 cups
- Bell Peppers 1 cup 11/2 cups 2 cups
- Buttermilk 1 cup 11/2 cups 21/2 cups
- Cabbage 1 cup 21/2 cups 2 cups
- Carrots 1 cup 2 cups 2 cups
- Celery 1 cup 1 cup 2 cups
- Cheese 1 cup 1/3 cup 2/3 cup
- Corn (Sweet) 1 cup 3 cups 2 cups
- Dates 1 cup 1 cups 11/3 cup
- Fruit Blend 1 cup 11/2 cups 11/2 cups
- Gelatin 1 cup 4 cups 4 cups
- Green Beans 1 cup 2 cups 2 cups
- Green onions ½ cup 1 cup 1 cup
- Margarine 1 cut 2 tbsp ¾ cup
- Milk 1 cup 4 cups 4 cups
- Onions 1 cup 1 cup 11/2 cups
- Onions (Minced) 1 cup 11/2 cups 2 cups
- Peach Slices 1 cup 2 cups 2 cups
- Peanut Butter 5 tbsp. 4 t. oil+1/3 t. salt ½ cup
- Peas 1 cup 11/2 cups 21/2 cups
- Potato Dices 1 cup 3 cups 2 cups
- Potato Granules 1 cup 5 cups 5 cups
- Potato Sliced 1 cup 2 cups 1 cup
- Sour Cream 1 cup 6 tbsp ¾ cups
- Spinach Flakes 1 cup 11/2 cups 1 cup
- Tomato Powder 1 cup 11/2 cups 13/4 cups
It has been my experience that vegetables rehydrate better with boiling water and fruit warm water. Don’t rush it give it a chance to soak.
As always, we welcome your questions and comments
Preparedness Mom
Thanks! This is nice to have handy not only in my kitchen but in my storage pantry, on the end of a shelving unit.
I’m a 62 year old, disabled grandmother. I have been a country cook all my life, but have never done any canning and preserving. I have become addicted to the “PREPPING” thing. Because I am on a very small income, I know that there is no way I will ever have a huge larder of survival foods and items. But I can at least start. I bought a nice dehydrator and have been busy, busy, busy drying veggies and making up meals in a jar. In 3 months I have put up 12 complete meals in a jar and 4 jars of veggies. (Zucchini/Yellow Squash, bell peppers, spring onions/onion green tops, and mixed veggies) Today I did tomatoes. I made 8 quarts of tomato sauce and 12 trays of dehydrated tomato slices. I will be chopping some of them and putting them in a jar and the rest I will grind for tomato powder. Thanks for the list on re-hydrating. I’m still learning and every little bit of information is greatly appreciated.
Just call me the Flower Child Granny…. {:0)
I just turned 64. I am from the country too. I did a little canning in my younger years, but since I am older and on disability, I am “prepping” too in order to make my food last longer. I prefer to dehydrate my food. It takes up less space. And I will soon have to move to a smaller place. Presently I have started a small garden of the vegetables that I like…hoping they do well. Thank you for your comment. It edged me into relying to you. Have a good day.
We have been practicing w/ dehydrated foods in soups , casseroles, one pot meal ect,, however we find the flavors to be extra sweet, as opposed to fresh. any tips or hints to offset this
HN, in order to answer your question, I have to know the brand of food you are using and what types of food it is? I have not found it to be sweet but some are salty. Let us know so we can help you figure it out.
How can I add dehydrated bananas and strawberries to my home made oatmeal packets and re-hydrate them?
LOVE the list! thank you, thank you! would other powders (beet, sweet potato, etc,) give about the same yield as the tomato powder? how much tomato powder and water would be needed to replace/make a 6oz. can of tomato paste? thank you!
I saw a chart once for this and I think it’s 1/4 cup tomato powder+ 1/2 cup water.
Makes 6oz or 3/4 cup tomato paste. You may have to experiment with this. Let us know what happens. Thanks
This is such amazing information! Do you know if these foods would rehydrate alright by soaking in cold water for some hours? I am going to backpack for 6 weeks without a stove and hoping to find some healthy solutions. Thank you for reading!
I don’t use microwaves and in an emergency they probably won’t be available. For the majority of your dinner entrees I would need to use boiling water? Are there directions on every packet of preparedness foods? Thanks