Dehydrating is the process of removing water from food.Food can be dehydrated if it has water in it.This increases the food's shelf life and can prevent decay.Dehydration is a great way to make your supply last throughout the year.You can follow the steps for dehydrating your food.
Step 1: If you are only drying a small amount of food, invest in a vertical dehydrator.
The heat travels from top to bottom in a vertical dehydrator.They are cheaper and tend to be smaller.The best heat distribution is provided by vertical dehydrators that have a fan on the bottom.The drippings from fruits, vegetables, and meats can get into the fan and become difficult to clean.It can cause the dehydrator to fail.The problem of dry foods on the top is eliminated by having a fan on top.Certain foods have different drying times, so this may not be a problem.The apples can be placed on the bottom of the tray with less water content.The disadvantage is that the foods can't be compared with each other's tastes.American Harvest/Nesco Food Dehydrators have a wide range of affordable dehydrators.
Step 2: If you are drying a lot of food, use a horizontal dehydrator.
Multiple foods can be dried at once with this model of dehydrator.It has the most even heat distribution.There is a fan in the back of the dehydrator.The air doesn't pass directly from one tray to the next.This means that your beef jerky won't taste the same as your apple chips.Horizontal dehydrators are more expensive.Excalibur Dehydrators are a popular brand among drying enthusiasts.
Step 3: If you are making bark or fruit leather, choose a food dehydrator.
Some dehydrators use other heating mechanisms to dry food, which results in poor fruit results.When using a dehydrator without a fan it can cause banana slices to dry unevenly, sometimes making it feel moist and other times like poker chips.drying fruit becomes an unpredictable and inefficient process.
Step 4: You can buy a dehydrator with temperature settings.
One temperature is not a good strategy for drying food.Look for a range of 35–68 C.Fruits and vegetables can be found in the 125–135 F range.When it comes to dehydrating food, temperature is important.Too low a temperature can cause food to be spoiled while too high can prevent the surface of the food from being dry.Lower priced dehydrators may not offer different temperature settings.
Step 5: Depending on the foods you're drying, purchase the right trays and accessories.
There are other features to consider when drying different sizes of food.Unless you want to dry large quantities of food, the tray size isn't that important.If you have purchased a quality dehydrator, your food should dry at a predictable and consistent rate.Vegetables like peas and corn can be dried with mesh sheets.It's easier to pop off fruit like bananas that stick to plastic when they're dried.These sheets are needed for certain tray structures.There are gaps in meat trays where fruit can fall through.For mashed potatoes, tomato sauce, and fruit purees, buy non-stick sheets or fruit leather trays.Non-stick sheets can be used again and again.You can use wax paper to melt in the dehydrator.The feature of stacked trays makes it difficult to check the food you are drying.The monitoring process is much easier with sliding trays.
Step 6: Take your meat and slice it into smaller slices.
Dehydration occurs consistently throughout your meat if you don't cut your slices uniformly.Cut ham into 1-inch wide strips.They should look like thicker slices of bacon.If you are making beef jerky, cut the beef into strips.Chicken can be pulled apart into small pieces.It should look similar to pulled pork.If you plan on consuming ham and chicken after they have been dried, you should eat dehydrated beef as it will turn into beef jerky.When raw or under-cooked pork is eaten, it can cause an illness called trichinosis.Eating raw chicken can cause food poisoning.
Step 7: Place the meat on a tray and put it in the dehydrator.
Place slices into neat rows so that they don't overlap.There are no large clumps if the pulled chicken is spread into an even layer.
Step 8: The meat needs to be dry for 6 hours.
The temperatures and times may vary for different meats, but the result should be the same.If you make beef jerky, make sure your slices are not brittle.They should bend without breaking.
Step 9: ham and beef slices should be dried with paper towels.
Oil and fat from the meat is what comes to the surface.Smaller molecule like water can evaporate as easily as oils and fats.You need to wipe it away in order to dry it.Chicken is leaner and contains less fat, so you don't have to wipe it.
Step 10: Once it is completely dry, take the meat out of the dehydrator.
You can test the meat by touching it with your fingers.Drying is not a precise procedure like baking and requires a lot of monitoring.If you want to observe the progress of the meat, open the dehydrator and check it every few hours.
Step 11: You can store your dehydrated meats in plastic bags.
The enemy of dried foods are the air and water.If you're storing meat for less than a month, store it in a dark place.You should put dried meats in your kitchen cupboard.Remove the water from the meat and it won't rot.Meat can be placed in the freezer or refrigerator for long term storage.
Step 12: You should check your dried meats every couple of weeks.
Even though water has been pulled from the meat, air may still be able to get in.Since air tends to carry organisms, sealed meats can still become spoiled.Contamination from insects can occur when storing dried food.This isn't common among properly sealed meats.It is most likely a result of the meats containing the eggs.After drying meat, pasteurize it.You can either store the meat in the fridge for 48 hours or the oven for 30 minutes.It is possible to store dried foods for one year.This shelf-life can be doubled or tripled by vacuum packing and refrigerating.
Step 13: You should wash and dry your produce.
Even though most of the germs will be killed during the drying process, you still want to reduce the amount ofbacteria.
Step 14: Blanch all vegetables.
Blanching preserves the taste and texture of crunchier vegetables.
Step 15: Cut your fruits and vegetables into slices.
Before dehydrating, be sure to peel and core fruits like peaches, apricots, apples, pineapples, and pears.Cut the corn off of it's cob instead of drying it.After slicing the peppers, remove the seeds from them.If you want, you can leave mushrooms whole.
Step 16: Place your sliced fruits or vegetables on the tray in a single layer.
Pick a tray for each type of fruit or vegetable you are drying.You should limit the number of fruits and vegetables you dry.If you have too many items, the drying times can be thrown off.
Step 17: The larger fruits and vegetables should be dried at 130–135 F.
For smaller vegetables like corn, broccoli, mushrooms, and peas, drying for 10 hours is sufficient.The times are dependent on the water content of the food.Some vegetables have different drying times than fruits, which are the same temperature and amount of time.Corn, broccoli, mushrooms, and peas all have different drying times.Since they are small and have less water, they tend to dry out quicker than other vegetables.
Step 18: As you dry your fruits and vegetables, check for texture.
It is important to read the dryness texture for each fruit and vegetable.Green beans, carrots, corn, peas, mushrooms, and zucchini should be brittle.Fruits should feel leathery.It should feel good to have onions, potatoes, and tomatoes.Bananas and strawberries should be very crisp.There are apples, apricots, peaches, and strawberries.It will feel dry and hard to eat broccoli and cauliflower.
Step 19: Store dried fruits the same way as you would store meats.
Store in vacuum sealed containers in dark areas for a short time.Store in fridges and freezers.Fruits and vegetables should be kept away from direct light.During the drying process, vitamins A and A are retained.Fruits like carrots, bell peppers, and mangoes can degrade in the sun.Fruits and vegetables should be replaced every year.