# Reconstituting Dehydrated Veggies



## maddy (Oct 30, 2010)

What method do you use for reconstituting dehydrated veggies, and how well does it work?

I dehydrated quite a few things this summer but have been disappointed with how they reconstitute. For example, the yellow squash, which was originally cut into 1/4-inch slices, gets semi-soft but does not plump up to even close to the original size, and it remains chewy. Ditto for the green peppers.

The instructions I've been following have simply called for soaking 15 minutes in hot water. Do you know of any better method?


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## stamphappy (Jul 29, 2010)

I use boiling water. Pour over and wait 20 to 30 minutes. I've always had trouble with the squash family's skin---those are always chewy for me no matter how long I soak.


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## Pam in KY (Jul 26, 2011)

Did you blanch your veggies before you dehydrated them? Blanching is supposed to help keep the outer part of veggies softer.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I chop again before putting in boiling water, sometimes even boiling several minutes. Some vegetables make a skin that is harder for the water to penetrate. Each vegetable is different....James


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I tend to treat them differently anyway- using different recipes to take advantage of the different taste and texture. Somethings are ground to make "flavoring" and some I use dry to add crunch. One of my favorite things is dried fruit (my own dried crispy) over yogurt or oatmeal or ice cream. But then I dry mine with that idea- a lot of my dried fruit is cut smaller or broken up, which you can do if you go crispy.
Dried is just another flavor to add variety.


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## Kristinemomof3 (Sep 17, 2012)

I usually add them to pasta sauce. I've never known anything to reconstitute like it's fresh.


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## maddy (Oct 30, 2010)

Yeah, maybe my expectations were a bit off. I did blanch first, and was expecting to get something a bit more like what I had before dehydrating. For soups, I agree that it doesn't matter, but my idea of being able to use dehydrated veggies for stir fries, etc., may have been wrong-headed.


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

I never get super plumped up veggies either unless I cook in a pressure cooker. I guess the pressure sort of forces the water into the food. Doing soups that way does give very soft plumped veggies.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

maddy said:


> Yeah, maybe my expectations were a bit off. I did blanch first, and was expecting to get something a bit more like what I had before dehydrating. For soups, I agree that it doesn't matter, but my idea of being able to use dehydrated veggies for stir fries, etc., may have been wrong-headed.


I use them in stir fries, especially things like bell pepper, onion, etc- things that do not neccessarily form the mass of the dish but are more the flavoring. This means I might use one fresh veggie for crunch but add lots of flavor, fiber, etc with the dried.


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