I'm more likely to buy bags frozen veggies when they are "on special," cook to doneness in the microwave, cool slightly, and dehydrate. Most foods will never be the same as before dehydrating, but acceptable for a cooked food, especially on the trail, and especially in someting like a stew or sauce.

Cooked and dehydrated mashed potatoes and squashes, any variety, and greens such as cabbage, and bok choy, protein sources, such as canned (= pressure cooked)fish or meat, and thawed surimi come back very close to freshly cooked, in my experience. Ground cooked meats usually work pretty well, as might shredded meat preparations like BBQ pork. (Hubby actually liked some that I brought along for a long trip. He is my "acid test.")

You can use a hairdryer pointed into a vented box of some sort to try your hand at dehydrating foods, and sometimes a microwave on very low power, but if you can acquire a dehydrator with variable heat and very good airflow, you may have better results. The quality of all of my efforts improved greatly once I invested in an Excalibur dehydrator. There are a few others that are recommended. Check the archives here or at or food-preserving@yahoogroups.com.

Good Luck,

CamperMom