I make a mean mac n' cheese. Actually, several different mean mac n' cheese's. I specialize in recipes that utilize the 'white sauce' or 'bechamel' method, and do not require oven time. I also like to add in tons of veggies, broccoli and peas being the favorites depending on the cheese used.
As such, I'd like to be able to replicate some of my recipes in the backcountry… I just ordered a dehydrator and a few recipe books (including some authors that post here regularly), and am channeling my spring fever energy into mastering Freezer Bag Cooking. From research here, other forums and the general interwebs search I think dehydrating elements in pasta dishes separately then packaging together is the way to go.
Now the question – has anyone, at all, found any success in dehydrating cheese sauces? I did a thorough search here and elsewhere, and everyone's a Negative Nelly about dehydrating dairy in general. I believe because of the high fat content, but I also wonder if the lack of stabilizer might play a role? The glimmers that give me hope are mentions of how dairy is ok when it's a component of a recipe. I'm probably taking that hope too far since the only non-dairy component in a cheese sauce is the flour, but am hoping that someone has at least tried it and can give me some specific notes as to results. Perhaps from there I can try to mitigate the issues that everyoneâs come across.
At the end of the day, Iâm open to attempting a one-pot non-FBC treat meal. I imagine this could involve ghee, flour, butter & milk powders and real cheese I bring on the trail. Maybe a separate fry pan for the cheese sauce and boil pot for the pasta. But it sure would be nice to develop a FBC-friendly m&c.
Iâm also interested in why the general wisdom is that things like eggs, milk, butter, etc arenât good candidates for home drying. If youâve tried it what were the actual results? I am aware that items with fat in them should be stored in the freezer, but other than that, whatâs the issue?
Thanks all!
Shannon
BTW, this is my very first post here, and in fact Iâm a new member @ BPL, but a long-time lurker. It was this very forum and this very question that prompted me to FINALLY subscribe. I did attempt to search for several hours on the topic in this post, and if my search skills are horrible and this has been covered extensively in the past, I apologize in advance.
And, my second post is going to be on transport of cheese â blocks and shredding at dinner vs. shredding before.
