Recipes

Dehydrating Food
While most food types can be dehydrated at
a temperature of approximately 55ºC/131ºF,
when dehydrating meats, poultry and sh
(making jerky, biltong etc) the temperature
needs to be raised to guard against
pathogens such as Salmonella and E. Coli.
WARNING: It is recommended that meat
and poultry is dehydrated at the 70ºC/158ºF
setting on your dehydrator. Fish should be
steamed or baked to at least 93ºC/200ºF
until aky before dehydrating at the
70°C/158°F setting on your dehydrator.
Choosing food to dehydrate
For best results only use the highest quality
foods.
Produce in peak season has more avour
and more nutrients.
Meats, sh and poultry should be lean and
fresh.
Do not use food with bruises and
blemishes. Bad produce can spoil the
entire batch.
Remove as much fat as possible from
meats prior to dehydrating. You can use a
paper towel under meat when dehydrating
to absorb fat.
Tips for pre-treatment of foods
With most types of cooking, preparation is
important for the best results. Foods that are
prepared correctly prior to dehydration will
taste better and have a better appearance.
Cut, shred or dice the food uniformly. Slices
should be between 6mm and 20mm thick.
Meats should not be thicker than 5mm.
To avoid browning of fruits soak, cut fruit in
lemon or pineapple juice for 2-3 minutes,
then place in the dehydrator. Alternatively
soak in an ascorbic acid solution (made
as per manufacturer’s instruction) for 2-3
minutes, then place in the dehydrator.
Waxy fruits, (such as peaches, grapes,
blueberries, etc.) should be dipped in
boiling water to remove the wax. This allows
moisture to escape easily during dehydration.
Blanching can also be used to pretreat foods
for dehydration.
Preparation of Foods
For best results, select the freshest foods
available to dehydrate. Note that immature
fruits and vegetables do not have as much
colour and avour as those that are fully
matured. Foods should be dehydrated as
soon after purchase as possible. Foods high
in sugar such as apples, pears, peaches
and bananas are prone to darkening due to
oxidation of the sugars.
Below are some pre-treatments that will help
to reduce this eect:
Lemon and pineapple juice are natural
antioxidants. Place the sliced produce in
fresh lemon or pineapple juice for a few
minutes, remove, drain and place on the
dehydrator shelf. For extra avour, try
sprinkling on cinnamon or other spices.
Ascorbic acid mix (a form of vitamin C) is
available at most health food stores and it
can be used in tablet or powder form.
Use about 2-3 tablespoons of powder
or ground tablets per litre of water; stir
to completely dissolve the powder and
place fruit into the solution for 2-3 minutes.
Remove, drain and place on the dehydrator
shelf.
Blanching is used primarily to prepare
fruits and vegetables for dehydrating that
have skins that will toughen during drying.
This process helps lock in the colour and
avour as well as soften the skin of grapes,
cherries. prunes and plums.
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dehydrator preparation + usage tips

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