How to Dehydrate Fruits and Meats
Dehydrated food is a great way to increase its longevity. If you are planning a backpacking trip or just love to munch on dried fruits and veggies as a snack, dehydrating is the way to go. There are a few ways to go about this, with the most popular being use of an electric food dehydrator. You can also use your own oven, as explained in Step 5. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Select your favorite foods. Some fruits and vegetables that dehydrate well are apples, bananas, tomatoes, berries, cucumbers, peas, and peppers. Before dehydrating, make sure to cut into appropriate sizes. This can vary with preference, however, it's best to keep the pieces bite-sized.
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2
Electric dehydrators can be obtained at a home and garden store or purchased used--just make sure to test it before you buy it from a private party. If you plan to dehydrate foods only for yourself and your family, a small, five- to six-tier dehydrator should work perfectly.
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3
Take out the shelves and fill with your fruits and veggies. Don't worry about mixing different foods, as their taste will not be affected. Do not overlap pieces of food, and place each one evenly on the tray. When you've filled all the trays, place them back on their racks and plug in. Most dehydrators have a constant setting (around 150 degrees) so you won't need to adjust it.
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4
Rotate the trays every 24 hours, moving the tray on the lowest shelf to the highest shelf, the highest tray to the second highest shelf, and so on. This will evenly expose each tray to the heating coils at the bottom of the dehydrator. Depending on the food, it should take about four to eight days to fully dry all foods. Remove foods to taste.
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5
Try using the oven if you don't have a dehydrator. Set the oven to a similar temperature (150 degrees), and remember to keep the oven door cracked. Place foods on a cookie sheet and rotate on the oven racks to ensure even drying.
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