It actually took 57 hours for this load. I probably had a little too much in there and with the a/c not doing a super job of cooling, that could have made it take longer. Everything turned out perfect!
This is the stuffed pepper casserole:
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
This is the Crack Chicken:
Crack Chicken
This is the meatloaf:
Meatloaf
This is the scalloped potatoes:
Scalloped Potatoes
This is the weird thing. As it is, not rehydrated, it tastes pretty darned good! I handed Vince a piece of the potatoes. He thought it was great. I handed him a piece of meatloaf. He thought it was great. I asked him “If we were without power and had no way to rehydrate and heat this, would you be ok eating it just as it is?” He said yes! I would too. You would need to drink lots more water than normal if you were eating a lot of dehydrated food but it’s amazingly tasty!
Then I asked him . . if we were on a road trip, would you rather munch on this in the car or stop and eat at a restaurant. He said “Probably munch on this in the car!” Can you see us driving down the road, munching on our meatloaf and scalloped potatoes?
Next post will be about rehydrating some of this . . the real test!
Judy says
LOL – YES, I can see ya’ll driving down the road snacking on dried meatloaf! I bet Rita would like a nibble, too!
Lisa Boyer says
This reminds me of astronaut food–all you need is the foil pouch! But they should be so lucky as to get your cooking at the Space Station…
April R says
I wonder if the duration in freeze dried state makes a difference in taste/quality? What is the shelf life suppose to be? I googled for a few minutes but mainly found information about professionally nitrogen sealed food.
Judy Laquidara says
Shelf life is “up to” 25 years, if properly packaged. Different foods seem to last less years than others (and I’m not sure which ones they are yet. I mostly do it for convenience and doubt I ever have anything that we don’t use within a year or two.
Rebecca in SoCal says
That’s quite a picture, snacking on meatloaf and scalloped potatoes in the car! LOL Sounds like you won’t have to leave that good home cooking at all!
Susan says
Oh, yes, I can see that clearly. =) You are having way too much fun with this freeze drying! BTW, I know they didn’t come to Brownsville, but Zaycon is “suspending business” and didn’t say exactly why.
Terri says
I had no idea you could do any of this! I just love your blog and adventures because I learn SO much.
Can’t wait to see how it rehydrates.
Nelle Coursey says
If it tastes as good as the mango and yogurt, it will be wonderful!