How to Use an 8 Tray Dehydrator

Use an 8 tray dehydrator to make your own healthy snacks.

Dehydrating your food can be a great way to preserve it or to eat healthier. Food dehydrators heat the food at a low temperature, which removes the water in the food. The machine has different trays so you can dry many foods at the same time. You can make dried fruits for snacking, dried vegetables for soups, jerky and fruit leathers. Experiment with your foods and dehydrator to find the recipes that you like best.

Things You'll Need

• Dehydrator
• Fruits, vegetables or meats
• Wax paper

Instructions

1. Prepare your foods. You should cut food into thin slices so that it will dry easily. If you're making fruit leather, you should puree the fruits into a thick liquid. If you are making jerky, you should slice it thin, then marinate it to get the flavor that you want.

2. Lay wax paper on the trays. Typically, food dehydrators have holes throughout the tray to allow the air to flow more freely. If you are making fruit leather or are using small pieces--such as blueberries or diced carrots for soups--this will fall through the holes. Your dehydrator may come with a special sheet to line the trays with or you can use wax paper.

3. Place the foods on the trays. Fill up all eight trays to avoid wasted energy.

4. Turn the machine on. You may be able to adjust the temperature settings. If this is the case, refer to the manual to determine the correct temperature for the food that you're dehydrating.

5. Check the food after four hours. The time for dehydrating foods varies based on the foods. It's a good general rule to check after four hours. You can also check the manufacturer recommendation for timing for different foods.

6. Flip foods to dry both sides. You'll find that some foods, such as fruit leathers, will work better when you turn them half way through the cooking time.

References

• The Raw Foods Witch: Raw Food Dehydrators--What is a Dehydrator and How to Use It
• Hiking Gear and Equipment Used for Camping: Quick Food Dehydrator Guide and a Review