VICTORIO Food DEHYDRATOR VKP1006 Instruction Manual
Table of Contents Parts Diagram............................................................................................1 Important Safety Instructions.................................................................2 Operating Precautions..............................................................................2 Product Overview.....................................................................................3 Care Instructions......................................................................
Victorio Food Dehydrator Model VKP1006 Parts Diagram: Your complete Food Dehydrator includes everything shown below: (1) (2) (3) (4) Parts List: (1) (2) (3) (4) Lid - (Not Sold Separately) VKP1008 - Fruit Leather Tray (1 Included) VKP1007 - Drying Trays (5 Included) Heating Base - (Not Sold Separately) All replacement parts are available on our website, www.Victorio.info.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS WARNING! - Failure to follow these safety instructions correctly will lead to a risk of fire, electric shock or personal injury. SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS When using electric appliances, basic precautions should always be followed, including the following: • Read and follow all instructions before operating the motor. • Do not use electrical outlet adapters with this appliance.
• • • • • • Always make sure the Food Dehydrator heating base is placed on a sturdy, flat surface before using. Do not use on carpeted areas or rugs Do not use for drying anything other than food items. Do not turn on the heating base until the drying trays are securely in place. Use caution when near the working dehydrator, as it can get very hot and could cause a serious burn injury. Do not put the heating base in a dishwasher.
Product Specifications: The drying trays and fruit leather tray and heating base are made with BPA free plastic. The motor specifications are as follows: • 120V • 60Hz • 250W Assembly & Use Instructions: Once you have washed your Food Dehydrator as directed, follow the steps below: 1. Place the heating base on a flat surface, such as a table or counter top. It is important that the ventilation holes in the bottom of the unit do not get covered. 2. Do not set the dehydrator on a carpeted surface or rug.
. Place the lid on top of the stacked drying trays. 8. Plug in the heating base and turn the switch to the ‘On’ position. Air will begin to circulate throughout the dehydrator. 9. For best results, rotate the bottom tray to the top of the stack once during each hour of drying time. This will help food dry more evenly. 10. When drying wet foods like meat, moisture can drip down through the trays and collect on the heating base.
Directions for Use - Mix 1 teaspoon of powdered ascorbic acid (or 3000 mg of ascorbic acid tablets, crushed) in 2 cups water. Place the fruit in the solution for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove fruit, drain well and place on dryer trays. After this solution is used twice, add more acid. • Ascorbic Acid Mixtures - Ascorbic acid mixtures are a mixture of ascorbic acid and sugar sold for use on fresh fruits and in canning or freezing. It is more expensive and not as effective as using pure ascorbic acid.
Determining Dryness of Fruits Since dried fruits are generally eaten without being rehydrated, they should not be dehydrated to the point of brittleness. Most fruits should have about 20 percent moisture content when dried. To test for dryness, cut several cooled pieces in half. There should be no visible moisture and you should not be able to squeeze any moisture from the fruit. Some fruits may remain pliable, but are not sticky or tacky. If a piece is folded in half, it should not stick to itself.
Pretreating Vegetables Blanching is a necessary step in preparing vegetables for drying. Blanching is the process of heating vegetables to a temperature high enough to destroy enzymes present in tissue. Blanching stops the enzyme action which could cause loss of color and flavor during drying and storage. It also shortens the drying and rehydration time by relaxing the tissue walls so moisture can escape and later re-enter more rapidly. Vegetables can be water blanched or steam blanched.
Drying Herbs: The following information was taken from the University of Georgia’s So Easy to Preserve, pp. 347-348. The best time to harvest most herbs for drying is just before the flowers first open when they are in the bursting bud stage. Gather the herbs in the early morning after the dew has evaporated to minimize wilting. Avoid bruising the leaves. They should not lie in the sun or unattended after harvesting. Rinse herbs in cool water and gently shake to remove excess moisture.
Slice across the grain if a more tender, brittle jerky is preferred. The meat can be marinated for flavor and tenderness. Marinade recipes may include oil, salt, spices and acid ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, teriyaki, soy sauce or wine. Place strips of meat in a shallow pan and cover with marinade. Cover pan and refrigerate 1-2 hours or overnight. Products marinated for several hours may be more salty than some people prefer.
Dry until a test piece cracks but does not break when it is bent (10 to 24 hours for samples not heated in marinade). Samples heated in marinade will dry faster. Begin checking samples after 3 hours. Once drying is completed, pat off any beads of oil with clean, absorbent towels and cool. If the strips were not heated in marinade prior to drying, they can be heated in an oven after drying as an added safety measure. Place strips on a baking sheet, close together, but not touching or overlapping.
• Optional: To sweeten, add corn syrup, honey or sugar. Corn syrup or honey is best for longer storage because it prevents crystals. Sugar is fine for immediate use or short storage. Use ¼ to ½ cup sugar, corn syrup or honey for each 2 cups of fruit. Leathers From Canned or Frozen Fruit • Home preserved or store-bought canned or frozen fruit can be used. • Drain fruit, save liquid. • Use 1 pint of fruit per tray. • Puree fruit until smooth. If thick, add liquid.
Helpful Tips: • • • • When dehydrating fruits or fruit leathers, spray the drying trays or fruit leather trays with non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking. For more information regarding specific fruit and vegetable preparation and estimated drying times, visit the USDA’s website, nchfp.uga.edu. To make sure all dried fruit pieces have the same moisture content you can condition the fruit before storage. See p. 7 for more information.
Recipes: Mango Leather (Yields about 2 dryer trays or 8 fruit rolls) 4 cups mango puree (from about 4 large, unripe mangoes) 1 cup clover honey ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cloves Directions 1. Wash and peel mangoes, chop roughly into chunks. Puree in blender until smooth. Pass puree through a food mill or sieve; discard any coarse fiber extracted in food mill. Add honey and spices to the puree and mix thoroughly. 2.
Pumpkin Leather 2 cups canned pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pumpkin, cooked and pureed 1/2 cup honey 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon powdered cloves Blend ingredients well. Lightly spray two fruit roll trays with vegetable oil cooking spray. Spread puree mixture evenly to ¼-inch thickness on the trays. Follow steps 3-5 on the previous page for drying instructions. Taken from the USDA’s website, nchfp.uga.edu.
Home-Dried Raisins You will need 5 pounds of seedless grapes. Wash the fruit thoroughly and remove from stems. Leave the grapes whole. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Dip one pound of grapes at a time into the boiling water for 30-60 seconds to ‘check’ the skins (see p. 5 for more information about ‘checking fruit skins’). Then, place the grapes in cold water to keep them from cooking. Repeat this process for each pound of grapes.
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Product Warranty Model VKP1006 - Food Dehydrator Warranty: 2 years We are confident in the quality of our products and back each one with a limited warranty for the length of time specified above. Should you experience any problems with your product, please contact our Customer Service Department. All warranty claims must be accompanied by a proof of purchase and are only valid if the appliance has been operated within the U.S. or Canada and used for its intended purposes.
