Dehydrated Rice

My newest experiment for my food storage is dehydrating rice. Also know as instant rice.  I cooked one pound of brown rice according to the package directions.  Then I placed the rice on the dehydrator.  It was still warm.  I was busy and didn't want to wait for it to cool.  I don't know if being cool matters like it does for the hash brown potatoes (which is on reapitkeepit.blogspot.com).

This is one pound of brown rice in a container.  I dried it at 115 degrees for 4 to 6 hours.  I did not make this single layer.  I just scooped it onto the trays with the mesh liners and leveled it with my hand. After it was dry I scooped it off with my hands and put it into the bucket.  It is stuck together, but as you pick it up it goes back into individual grains.  It fell through the mesh liners and was quite messy.  Last night I cooked a lot of white rice for dinner and will dry the extra.  Maybe cheese cloth on the trays will be better.  I'll let you know in a few days.

I think that to rehydrate this you add 1 cup of rice to 1cup of boiling water.  Turn off heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.  I looked on-line to find this.  I don't think I have ever fixed instant rice.

After the rice I want to find a good beans and rice recipe and turn it into instant beans and rice.  Let me know if you have a good recipe.

Update:  I cooked white long grain rice a few days later and placed 2 layers of cheesecloth on top of the dryer tray liners before adding the rice.  WHAT A MISTAKE!  I took me three days to get the three trays of rice emptied.  The rice suck to the cheese cloth and was very difficult get off.  The cheesecloth pulled apart and threads came out of it easier than the rice came off.  A week later I tried it again with the cheesecloth between the trays and the tray liners.  This was better, but still a mess around the outside and inner edges.  I don't need anymore rice for now, but the next try will be putting the rice on the  fruit leather liners and drying it that way.

I didn't seem to make a difference if the rice was warm or cold when I put it on the dryer trays for how it looked when dried like it did with the hash brown potatoes.  It did stick to my hands when cold and that part was messier.

I cooked 4 cups of rice the last time and used 4 trays to dry it.