Sad to get an email today from the excellent website outdoorsgrub, saying they're packing it in to move to France.

Have used them a fair bit over the past few years for backpacking trips. Always a fast and friendly service.

Had a quick look around and can't see any other uk distributor of the excellent (though expensive) Real Turmat range of dried food. They'll be sorely missed.

Away to stockpile some of the superb cod casserole before it's too late.

Make your own dehydrated food. Easy if your oven has a 50c setting.

Make curry/chilli/casserole chopping the ingredients abut smaller than usual.

Put 'some' in an oven tray. Weigh it in the tray. Put it in a low oven for several hours until it's dust. Weigh it again in the tray. The difference is the amount of boiling water you'll need to add.

I keep mine in portion sizes in the freezer to be on the safe side.

I've always fancied trying it. The only advantage of the bought bags is the ease of not having to wash my pot at the end of the meal - am very sensitive to overtones of curry in my morning coffee

This might be the prompt I need to give it a go though.

feepole wrote:I've always fancied trying it. The only advantage of the bought bags is the ease of not having to wash my pot at the end of the meal - am very sensitive to overtones of curry in my morning coffee

This might be the prompt I need to give it a go though.

Do it the other way round - boil water then pour in to bag - no need to wash your pot. Use the "pour and store" style bags though presumably any that don't fall apart when filled with boiling water will do.

feepole wrote:I've always fancied trying it. The only advantage of the bought bags is the ease of not having to wash my pot at the end of the meal - am very sensitive to overtones of curry in my morning coffee

This might be the prompt I need to give it a go though.

Pour and store bags are heat proof. Put your dehydrated did in that. Add water. Put in insulated thing. Pot cosy. Hat. Pocket.

Wait. Eat.

Ye we even have a dehidrator at home its dead good , parents bought it like 20 years ago as they are very outdoorsy and my mum used it for backpacking and climbin trips. its like weird round thing with shelves , works well though I have de hydrated everything from curry with rice , to baked beans , corned beef hash , beef jerky etc etc

Didn't realise those pour and store bags were heat resistant. Excellent!

Had wondered before about buying a dehydrator, but wasn't sure if there was much advantage over dehydrating food in the oven. Either way there's an obvious massive cost saving over the bought bags......time to start experimenting. Most of what I put in the oven comes out dehydrated anyway!

feepole wrote:Didn't realise those pour and store bags were heat resistant. Excellent!

Had wondered before about buying a dehydrator, but wasn't sure if there was much advantage over dehydrating food in the oven. Either way there's an obvious massive cost saving over the bought bags......time to start experimenting. Most of what I put in the oven comes out dehydrated anyway!

They are heat resistant in that they won't melt but you may want to make a caddy to put the bag in depending on the heat resistance of your fingers. You could just wear a glove but a small holster made of gaffer tape works well.

I use a paddded envelope, with the top cut off. Pour n Store bags slide right in
Im also lucky in that my workmated sometimes get sent the non papery, plasticy ones so I have a ready supply

Mart wrote:I use a paddded envelope, with the top cut off. Pour n Store bags slide right in
Im also lucky in that my workmated sometimes get sent the non papery, plasticy ones so I have a ready supply

Never seen the plasticky Jiffy bags until turned to open my mail after reading this and what should be there? A natty looking red plasticky Jiffy bag!

Good stuff.

I guess the other advantage of homemade in a pour and store bag is that they'll pack a lot better. Have always found that vacuum packed foil bags of food tend not to lie neatly together when carrying enough for several days, while my muesli and trail mix - while heavy - take up much less space. I always carry a very geekish sealskinz insulated, waterproof hat. It'll be perfect for eating my dinner out of.