Rehydrating yeast?

My extract kits don't say to rehydrate the yeast prior to mixing it in to the wort? Which way is better?

Hydrated is better. Follow the instructions on packet or the manufacturer's website to a T.

Pitching dry is said to kill up to 50% of the yeast cells. I've never counted them or verified that statement.

Your kit may also tell you to rack to a secondary, or to bottle after 7 days. Ignore those too.

Rehydrating can be better. Good results have also been had by brewers not rehydrating.
What we try to achieve in our brewing is the best beer we can produce. Rehydrating yeast will give us a better chance at producing a better beer.
Use the yeast manufacturers site for instructions on how to rehydrate their yeast.

Best advice I can give is to follow the advice of the experienced brewers on this forum vs. the relatively generic instructions that come with the kits. The techniques that most apply here are current, tried & true.

I vote rehydrating. In case you want someone else's opinion on how to do it: I get about 1-2 cups of water in a microwave safe container that will give enough surface area to evenly spread the yeast. Ex, not a coffee mug.

Then I heat in the microwave until it hits about 100* F and then sprinkle the yeast ontop of it evenly and avoid clumps. Then cover it with aluminum foil. Wait 15 mins then stir the yeast. Then pitch to beer. So you'll want to time this so that after you stir you're ready to pitch. I usually start the process while my wort is chilling.

Thank you all so much. I will definitely take y'all's advice!