Tips on Dehydrating Different Foods Together
Food dehydration has been used a form of preserving excess harvested meats, fruits and vegetables by people for several millennium. Foods were originally dried in the sun and stored in leather pouches or pottery jugs until needed. Today, there are a number of options available for dehydrating foods from using the sun method to specialized dehydrator appliances. Many fruits and vegetables can be dried at the same time, provided they are separated on the tray and have the same approximate drying times.
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In The Sun
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Lay the foods in single layers on solar drying trays. The foods with the longest drying times should be placed on the tray that will form the top layer of the solar dryer. If using a single tray, keep the foods separate on the tray. Check the trays after the minimum drying time and remove the foods that are at the proper state of dehydration. Shift the remaining foods to the upper trays and continue to dry until done.
In the Oven
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Place each type food on a single cookie sheets in an even layer. Place the oven racks as close to the center of the oven as possible. Place the cookie sheets on the racks and set the oven temperature to 170 degrees F, or as low as your oven will go. If using a gas oven, the heat from the pilot light will be enough heat to dry food. Determine the correct drying time for each type of food by consulting the PDF booklet listed in resources below. Turn the food over on each cookie sheet half way through the dehydrating process. Remove the individual trays when the food has reached the proper dehydrated state.
In a Dehydrator
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A dehydrator works opposite of how the sun works in that the heat, or drying, source is probably located on the bottom of the dryer. Some electric dehydrators have a side or back source of heat and a fan to distribute the heat evenly. Consult your manual for drying times for your dehydrator. In most cases, thicker or dense food is placed on the lower drying racks while the higher moisture foods are placed in the upper trays.
Other Tips for Drying Foods
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Always slice foods to no more than 1/4 inch. Keep all foods in a single layer on the tray, no matter which method of dehydrating you plan to use. A simple solar dryer can be made by building two wooden squares using 2 X 4 lumber and covering the squares with aluminum screening. Place the food to be dried on one of the squares and use the second as a cover to keep bugs off the food. Set the driers in a hot, sunny area to dehydrate the food.
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