Electric Food Dehydrator Instructions

An electric dehydrator takes the work out of drying vegetables and fruits.

Electric food dehydrators take the work out of drying and preserving the summer harvest of fruits and vegetables. Dehydrators are also able to make fruit leathers and jerky. The amount of food that can be dried in the dehydrator is limited only by the size and style of your particular model. Some models come with stacking trays, allowing you to dry a single or multiple trays at a time, while others have a limited number of trays inside a predetermined-size drying box.

Instructions

1. Wash the dehydrator trays with hot, soapy water and rinse. This will remove any leftover food bits or dust from the last use.

2. Arrange food on the trays in single layers. The food can overlap slightly at the edges, but care should be taken not to allow food pieces to be stacked on top of each other.

3. Slide the trays into the rack slots over the dryer if your dehydrator is a box-type machine and close the door. If the dehydrator is a stacking-style machine, stack the trays, one on top of the other, and place the lid on top.

4. Set the temperature in the dehydrator to 125 degrees Fahrenheit if your dehydrator has this feature. Some models have a preset temperature and do not have temperature controls.

5. Plug the machine into an electrical outlet and allow the machine to run until the food is done. Most vegetables are dried until they are brittle. Fruits should be dried until they are leathery yet still pliable, meaning they can be bent in the middle but will not break. Meat should be dried until it is pliable yet completely dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Dried foods should be stored in airtight containers.

• To ensure safety, cook meat strips for jerky in the oven until they reach a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit before drying.

• Rehydrate vegetables by allowing them to soak, covered in water, until they reach their original size.

• Rehydrate dried fruits by covering them in water and boiling for five minutes.

References

• University of Missouri Extension: Quality for Keeps - Drying Foods
• University of Illinois Extension: Drying Food
• New Mexico State University Extension: Food Drying Chart
• National Center for Home Preservation: Drying - Food Dehydrators
• National Center for Home Preservation:Drying
• Colorado State University Extension: Drying Vegetables