Taking Food Dehydrators to the Limit!

If this is your first time experimenting with a food dehydrator, you’ll soon ask yourself how you ever lived without one before. Owning a food dehydrator is a great way to watch your budget and your health at the same time! Dehydrating food is the least damaging form of food preservation, locking in vitamins, minerals, and fiber that would otherwise be lost if the food was frozen or canned. Furthermore, buying fruits and vegetables in season or growing your own, will save you valuable money. You can even make your own snacks that the whole family will enjoy such as dried fruit, fruit leathers, beef jerky, and crackers, saving fortunes on monthly grocery bills.

Drying fruit and vegetables is easy and fun. Here are some basic tips to get you started:

When drying fruit, it’s important to choose fresh, firm fruits for the highest sugar and nutritional content. Make sure fruits are clean and free of blemishes. The first thing to do is to cut the fruit into small, equal-sized pieces. With fruits like apples and bananas that turn brown when exposed to air, some people recommend dipping the apples into a safe solution of water and sodium bisulfate or ascorbic acid for a few minutes before drying. Since this is purely aesthetic and has no effect on the taste or nutritional value of the food, it’s entirely up to you.

Once the fruit is cut, spread it out in a single layer on the dehydrator trays and turn on the dehydrator to between 125°-145°. It can take anywhere from 6-36 hours to completely dry fruit, depending on the water and sugar content and size of the fruit as well as the humidity. There are different types of food dehydrators on the market, but many people recommend Excalibur Food Dehydrators. Excalibur Dehydrators are said to cut drying times down substantially.

Dehydrating vegetables is essentially the same idea, however it usually requires less time than fruits, between 6-10 hours. It’s also possible to add salt or spices to peas, onions, and mushrooms for instant seasoning when added to a dish. Dried carrots or tomatoes can be eaten on their own as a snack. You can also make crackers or chips in your dehydrator. Just grind up nuts, flax seeds, or corn and add salt and spices. Fruit rollups or fruit leathers are a favorite snack for kids. Simply blend up combinations of fruits and pour onto non-stick sheets and dry for 4-8 hours at 135°. Once dry, simply roll up and store.

Since food dehydrators removing water from food, they inhibit the growth of microorganisms and bacteria. That’s why dried food can last up to a year without spoiling. It is therefore essential to keep food in your Excalibur Food Dehydrator consistently from beginning to end of the drying process so that there is no chance for mold or bacteria to enter. We wish you all happy drying!