Dehydrating cooked noodles

Geoffrey S. Mendelson

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Mar 1, 2006, 8:41:04 AM3/1/06

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I have recently bought a food dehydrator. I would like to dehydrate
cooked noodles to make instant meals with. I want to make up little
packages of dried food, such as noodles, some dried vegetables and
soup powder and put them in little bags.

Then I can dump a bag in a bowl, add hot water and have an instant meal
without the high fat content of fried noodles, the high salt and MSG
content of commercial products and at a lower cost.

I can also tailor them to exactly what each person likes, there are four
of us in the family and we all have different tastes. :-)

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

BTW, what are they called in the U.S.? In Israel they are called "mana hama"
(hot meals, but with a biblical connotation). When I lived in the U.S. they
were called "ramen noodles", but ramen were only noodles and soup in plastic
wrap, they did not include vegetables or come in a container.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel g...@mendelson.com N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

Bob (this one)

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Mar 1, 2006, 5:39:54 PM3/1/06

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Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:

> I have recently bought a food dehydrator. I would like to dehydrate
> cooked noodles to make instant meals with. I want to make up little
> packages of dried food, such as noodles, some dried vegetables and
> soup powder and put them in little bags.
>
> Then I can dump a bag in a bowl, add hot water and have an instant meal
> without the high fat content of fried noodles, the high salt and MSG
> content of commercial products and at a lower cost.

Unfortunately, it won't work that way. The noodles in instant soup
packages aren't just regular noodles that have been cooked and run
through a dehydrator. Dehydrated veggies won't reconstitute instantly;
some require a period of either simmering or soaking in hot water.

I'm afraid this won't happen as you would wish.

Pastorio

Geoffrey S. Mendelson

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Mar 2, 2006, 1:11:03 AM3/2/06

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Bob (this one) wrote:
> Unfortunately, it won't work that way. The noodles in instant soup
> packages aren't just regular noodles that have been cooked and run
> through a dehydrator. Dehydrated veggies won't reconstitute instantly;
> some require a period of either simmering or soaking in hot water.
>
> I'm afraid this won't happen as you would wish.

Thanks, geoff.

Buddah Stalin

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Mar 15, 2006, 2:39:26 PM3/15/06

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Bob (this one) wrote...

> Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
>
>> I have recently bought a food dehydrator. I would like to dehydrate
>> cooked noodles to make instant meals with. I want to make up little
>> packages of dried food, such as noodles, some dried vegetables and
>> soup powder and put them in little bags.
>> Then I can dump a bag in a bowl, add hot water and have an instant meal
>> without the high fat content of fried noodles, the high salt and MSG
>> content of commercial products and at a lower cost.
>
>
> Unfortunately, it won't work that way. The noodles in instant soup
> packages aren't just regular noodles that have been cooked and run
> through a dehydrator. Dehydrated veggies won't reconstitute instantly;
> some require a period of either simmering or soaking in hot water.
>
> I'm afraid this won't happen as you would wish.

Yeah, I noticed the high fat content and assume it's part of the
noodle-manufacturing process. I'm guessing that the ramen noodles
have been fried before being dehydrated, creating bubbles or
something within that allows them to quickly absorb water later.

Geoffrey S. Mendelson

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Mar 15, 2006, 3:51:02 PM3/15/06

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Buddah Stalin wrote:

> Yeah, I noticed the high fat content and assume it's part of the
> noodle-manufacturing process. I'm guessing that the ramen noodles
> have been fried before being dehydrated, creating bubbles or
> something within that allows them to quickly absorb water later.

I would have thought so too. However there is one brand of quick noodles
that advertises it self as "diet" and low fat. They claim the noodles are
baked, not fried.

Buddah Stalin

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Mar 16, 2006, 7:55:33 PM3/16/06

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Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote...

> Buddah Stalin wrote:
>
>
>>Yeah, I noticed the high fat content and assume it's part of the
>>noodle-manufacturing process. I'm guessing that the ramen noodles
>>have been fried before being dehydrated, creating bubbles or
>>something within that allows them to quickly absorb water later.
>
>
> I would have thought so too. However there is one brand of quick noodles
> that advertises it self as "diet" and low fat. They claim the noodles are
> baked, not fried.

I wonder how much sodium they contain; I'm thinking they might add baking
soda to create the bubbles as they bake. High-fat vs. high-sodium?