Dehydrate Frozen Corn
Dehydrate frozen corn to get a head start on your dehydrated pantry. It’s so easy to do, and is worth having shelf-stable vegetables that are easy to integrate into all of your family’s meals!
Why dehydrate frozen corn?
Because it’s so quick and easy! The prep work has been done for you. No shucking, no removing the kernels from the cob, no picking away at the silks. Just open a bag, throw it on a tray, and dry!
How to Dehydrate Frozen Corn
Step 1: Cut open a bag
Really – it is that simple!
Step 2: Place frozen kernels on your dehydrator tray
You may need to use a mesh sheet if your tray has very open grates. Dehydrate your corn kernels frozen or thawed. The only thing affected is the time it takes.
Step 3: Dry at 125F/52C
Time could take anywhere from 6-12 hours depending on how densely you packed the trays, your home’s humidity, your machine, etc.
Step 4: Dryness test
Kernels should be translucent, hard, and plink when dropped on a hard surface
Step 5: Condition
Condition by placing corn in a large, airtight container. Shake it once a day for 5-7 days.
Conditioning helps ensure that the corn has equalized the little moisture that is left (no clumps of under dried corn), and allows you to check for moisture buildup or mold before storage.
What is Conditioning?
Conditioning is the ‘double-check’ phase of drying. Put your final product into a jar with a little space, shaking the jar once a day for 5-7 days (more for fruits, less for herbs), to make sure you see no signs of moisture buildup.
- No food sticking to the sides of jar or each other that don’t easily shake off
- No condensation
- No signs of mold after a few days (in which case you should toss all of the contents of the jar).
If you find any of these issues (other than mold), put food back into your dehydrator to dry more.
You do not have to condition those things meant as snacks in the next few days.
Step 6: Store
Corn is best stored in an airtight container that is approximately the same volume as your dried corn. You can store dried corn for up to five years.
YIELD: 1 cup of frozen corn is approximately 1/2 cup dried corn.
To rehydrate dried corn
There are quite a few ways to rehydrate dehydrated foods. Remember, all dehydrated foods need some time to rehydrate, plus cook if they weren’t fully cooked before drying.
Corn is one of the easiest foods to rehydrate. It doesn’t need much prep at all.
- Tossing into a soup or stew that is simmering for 20-30 minutes
- Letting corn sit in a hot water soak for 20+ minutes
- Soaking overnight in the fridge in water
Uses for Dehydrated Corn
- Throw into soups, stews, casseroles. Corn rehydrates fairly easily when given 20-30 minutes to simmer.
- Grind to make quick cornmeal in a pinch (most cornmeal is made from a white or yellow dent corn – different than the sweet corn you might find in the frozen aisle, this can work in a recipe emergency).
- Eat dried – it’s not hard like corn nuts, and is a sweet treat
Recipes using Dehydrated Corn:
Watch as I dehydrate frozen corn and make it into taco soup and cornmeal!
Dehydrate Frozen Corn
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place frozen corn onto dehydrator trays
- Dry at 125F / 52C for 6-10 hours
- Corn done when slightly transluscent, hard, and plinks when dropped on hard surface.
- Condition
- Store in an airtight container for up to five years.
Darcy’s Tips
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only. Nutrient information for dehydrated foods is based on fresh. Use 1/4 of the servicing size for the same nutrient information. Thus 1 Cup of fresh fruit has the same sugars as 1/4 dried.
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Hi Darcy! If you grind up the corn to make cornmeal how long does it last? Would it be better to keep them whole (dehydrated) corn and THEN grind it up when you need it? Would that last longer? Is there a difference in the shelf life of either one…whole or ground? Thank you!
As with all things – the more you process, the less storage time you have, so keep whole and grind for as much as you need a few months at a time.
Thank you!
Do you have to re-vacuum seal it every time you open the jar to use some, or can you just screw the jar shut again?
I rarely vacuum seal anything – but if you want to keep it vacuum sealed, then yes, you do it again every time you open the jar.
Hi, Darcy; if I’m just going to powder it, do I NEED to pre cook/blanch the corn before dehydrating?
It’s your choice. But I will always recommend it.