Use and Care Manual

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seem to have a lot of moisture remaining, recheck every 1 to 2 hours. If vegetables appear
to be almost done, check again in 30 minutes. Always check vegetables from each tray.
Follow “Packaging and Storing Dried Foods” information on page 17.
Vegetable Drying Guide
Dry vegetables at 125°F or 52°C.
Drying times are highly variable and dependant on the type and amount of food, thickness,
evenness of food pieces, humidity, air temperature, personal preference, and age of the plant at the
time of harvesting.
Vegetable Preparation
Pretreatment
(blanching)
Average Drying
Time
Asparagus Cut into 1˝ pieces. Water 3½–4½ minutes
Steam 4–5 minutes
6–8 hours
Beans,
green or wax
Remove ends and strings. Cut into
1˝ pieces.
Water 2 minutes
Steam 2–2½ minutes
6–11 hours
Beets Cook until tender. Cool and peel.
Cut into shoestring strips ⅛˝ thick.
None—Already cooked 4–7 hours
Broccoli Cut into serving pieces. Water 2 minutes
Steam 3–3½ minutes
4–7 hours
Carrots Peel and cut off ends. Cut into ⅛˝
to ¼˝ slices.
Water 3 minutes
Steam 3–3½ minutes
4–10 hours
Cauliower Cut into serving pieces. Water 3–4 minutes
Steam 4–5 minutes
5–8 hours
Celery Trim ends. Cut into ¼˝ slices. Water 2 minutes
Steam 2 minutes
2–4 hours
Corn, cut Husk and remove silk. Blanch and
cut corn from cob.
Water 1½ minutes
Steam 2–2½ minutes
6–10 hours
Mushrooms Wash and slice ⅜˝ thick. None 2–6 hours
Onions Remove outer skin. Cut off top and
root ends. Cut into ¼˝ slices.
None 3–7 hours
Peas Shell. Water 2 minutes
Steam 3 minutes
5–9 hours
Peppers and
pimientos
Remove stem, core, and inner
partitions. Cut into ¼˝ strips.
None 5–10 hours
Potatoes,
white or sweet
Peel and cut into ¼˝ slices. Water 5–6 minutes
Steam 6–8 minutes
5–9 hours
Summer
squash and
zucchini
Trim ends. Cut into ¼˝ slices. Water 1½ minutes
Steam 2½–3 minutes
4–6 hours
Tomatoes Peel, if desired. Cut into sections
¾˝ wide.
None 6–11 hours
Uses
Dried vegetables have a unique avor and texture and are best used as ingredients for
soups, stews, casseroles, and sauces rather than stand-alone side dishes. When using in
soups, dried vegetables can be added without soaking. Dried vegetables used for other
purposes need to be soaked before cooking. To soak, start with 1½ to 2 cups of boiling
water for every 1 cup of dried vegetables. Soak for 1 to 2 hours or until vegetables have
returned to nearly the same size they were before dehydrating. Additional water should be
added as needed during the soaking process. After soaking, simmer the vegetables in the
soaking water until tender, allowing excess water to evaporate.
Drying Herbs
Drying fresh herbs allows you to have a ready supply of economical herbs that are
available to use all through the year. To retain the best avor of your herbs, it is
recommended that you dry them at the lowest temperature setting, 95°F or 35°C.
Selection and Preparation
Pick herbs for drying just before the owers rst open. These herbs will be the most
avorful. The best time to pick herbs is in the early morning just after the dew has
evaporated. Rinse leaves and stems in cool water to remove any dust or insects and then
gently shake to remove excess water. Remove dead and bruised leaves or stems. Large
leafed herbs, such as basil, sage, and mint, should be removed from their stems for faster
drying. Smaller leafed herbs can be left on their stem and removed after drying. Placing
the herbs on a mesh screen will help prevent them from falling through the grates in the
tray during dehydration.
Determining Dryness
Herbs are acceptably dry when they are crispy and crumble easily. Refer to the Herb
Drying Guide on page 14 and begin checking the herbs at the beginning of the average
drying time range. Remove a few herbs from each dehydrator tray and allow to cool to
room temperature. If the herbs do not crumble easily, recheck every hour.
Packaging and Storage
Dried leaves are best stored whole and then crumbled when needed. Follow “Packaging
and Storing Dried Foods” information on page 17.
Uses
Most dried herbs are 3 to 4 times stronger than the fresh herbs; therefore, when using
dried herbs in a recipe that calls for fresh herbs, use ¼ to ⅓ of the amount called for in
the recipe.