How to Make a Simple Food Dehydrator

You can preserve fruit and vegetables by dehydrating them.

Whether you want beef jerky and dried fruits and vegetables because you enjoy the taste, or because you want to be able to preserve food for emergency situations, a food dehydrator is essential. It is not, however, essential that you buy one at the store and spend a lot of money. A do-it-yourself food dehydrator can be made with parts and items you may already have lying around the house. You can make one that runs on electricity, or one that is completely solar powered.

Things You'll Need

• 4 clean cellulose filters
• Fan
• 2 Bungee cords
• Plastic or glass container.
• 1 medium-sized cardboard box (books box)
• 1 large, narrow box (garment box)
• Clear plastic wrap
• Tape
• Scissors
• Stool

Instructions

Electrically Powered Simple Food Dehydrator

1. Remove as much moisture as you can with paper towels off of the strips of spiced meat you will be dehydrating.

2. Lay out the strips into the grooves of three of your cellulose filters. Fill each groove with as much as you can and stack them on each other.

3. Place the fourth empty filter on top of the three.

4. Lay the fan down and place the stack on the front of the fan. Stretch the bungee cord across the middle of the stack and hook each end of the bungee cord onto the front of the fan. Depending on the size of bungee cords you have available, you may need two.

5. Plug the fan in and set it up in the window or upright in a warm room. Turn on the fan and wait at least eight hours before checking the progress of the dehydration. In this type of dehydrator, it is the movement of the air that removes the moisture, not the heat.

6. Check to see that all moisture has been removed from the meat strips, if the meat cracks when you roll it between your fingers, the moisture is gone. Place the meat strips in an open-air container and store for up to one year.

Simple Solar Food Dehydrator

1. Remove the top of the large garment-sized box and paint the inside of the bottom section black. Let the paint dry in the hot sun for 24 to 48 hours. If you don't have paint, fold a black plastic garbage bag to fit inside the garment box and tape it to the bottom and sides.

2. Cut four 1-inch holes into the top and bottom of the narrow end flaps of the garment box.

3. Cut four 1-inch holes into the bottom of the medium-sized books box. Remove the left and right hand side flaps from the medium sized books box.

4. Set the books box on a stool or table top. The table should not be higher than the garment box is when set on its narrow end.

5. Align the holes in the top of the garment box with the hole in the bottom of the books box and tape the flaps you removed over the gaps between the lower and upper boxes. Place a piece of hardware cloth over the upper box. The heat will travel up the vents in the lower garment box and into the upper drying box, and out the hardware cloth venting on the top. This movement of air will dehydrate the fruits, vegetables and meats, and anything placed in the upper box.

References

• Simple Food Dehydrator
• J. R. Whipple: Solar Dehydrate
• Build it Solar: Projects; Cooking; Drying