Any dehydrators out there?

[DRB]

Lookingfor tips and advice on dehydrating food for my Perjo and myself.

Got a Nesco Professional dehydrator for Xmas, I read up on dehydrating a little befroe hand but not enough it seems. Apparently there is a ton of preperation required before you dehydrate, seems almost silly...like washing a dish before putting it in the dishwasher.

I've got lots of questions, I'll wait to see who chimes in before I fire away.

 

[KozmoKramer]

I use my dehydrator quite a bit. I get most of my specifics (how long for certain types of fruit/vegs) from Google, but I may be able to answer some questions. Let me know....

 

[Kiwibird]

I do a lot of dehydrating in a commercial-quality dehydrator. I do all kinds of things- fruits, veggies, beans, greens, even more complex raw foods alternatives for breads, crackers etc... on occasion. I've never found prep to be that difficult for straightforward dehydrating, just time intensive when you have to chop up a bunch of produce or cook up several pends of beans etc... Some fruits will require a quick dip in a bowl of water+citric acid to prevent browning but it's not a big deal. Canning (which I also do) is a much more PITA process than dehydrating IMO.

*I do not eat, therefore do not dehydrate meats or other animal products. These may require more intensive prep and clean up than I know of because of the potential for cross contamination and higher presence of dangerous bacteria.

 

[DRB]

Ok so my first question is what should dried veggies end up like regarding texture? Say zucchini squash (green or yellow)? Should it be brittle like a potato chip or a tiny bit leathery?

Is the texture the same for everything that gets dehydrated or does it differ depending on the veggie?

 

[Kiwibird]

Most veggies do end up having a slightly pliable texture after dehydration if you dehydrate them raw. For a crunchier texture, you'll need to blanche them and then submerge in ice water first before dehydrating. You will never be able to get the same "crunch" from dehydrated veggies as freeze dried ones (if I was rich, I would love to have a freeze dryer to make something analogous to those "just veggies" snacks they charge an arm and a leg for in heath for stores!).

 

[DRB]

Do you feel comfortable leaving your dehyrdrator on while not present, like a slow cooker? Dehydrating takes anywhere from 3-12 hours depending on the food type, seems kind of silly to be stuck home just b/c you want to dehydrate some food.

 

[KozmoKramer]

I've found that the texture of the veggies also depends on the thickness of the slice. The thinner the slice, the more "chip like" the veggie (zucchini for example). When I'm dehydrating, I usually leave the house to run some errands (usually not more than 2 hours). I tend to check the fruits or veggies in the dehydrator at 4 hours for "doneness" (I'm not the most consistent cutter), then again at 6 hours. If you're going to dehydrate berries, expect a long day.....I did blueberries and raspberries, they took 16-18 hours!! They turned out great, but I didn't expect it to take that long!! (The sound of the dehydrator gets on my nerves around hour 3).

 

[Kiwibird]

I would have no safety concerns running my dehydrator while not at home. I generally run my dehydrator overnight though, once electricity is half price

Because mine is designed to pull in air through the back, I can put it on a dish drying mat to help muffle the sound it makes when running a bit, but I think the stacking tray kind (which I believe are the only kind Nesco makes) need to be on a hard surface for proper airflow and can be a bit noisy.

 

[Aquila]

I just got a dehydrator myself, and even though I intended on doing stuff just for the fids, dehydrated bananas are really good, trying not to eat them all myself!

I also have a mandolin that I use to slice my fruits and veggies, which allows me to get uniform pieces that dry evenly. I can also make them pretty darn thin. I'm still not exactly sure what my plan is but I'm having fun with it right now!

 

[Kentuckienne]

I have an Excaliber, and the first time I used to dry a bunch of green and red peppers, cut in little bits. They got pretty dry. I put them in glass jars, and they got moldy! So I dried another batch, and put them in the freezer. I don't know why they molded, they were absolutely dry. Maybe the dehydrator doesn't get them hot enough to sterilize. You guys never get that?

 

[Aquila]

I have an Excaliber, and the first time I used to dry a bunch of green and red peppers, cut in little bits. They got pretty dry. I put them in glass jars, and they got moldy! So I dried another batch, and put them in the freezer. I don't know why they molded, they were absolutely dry. Maybe the dehydrator doesn't get them hot enough to sterilize. You guys never get that?

What temp are you setting them at and how long are you drying them for? And how long before they got moldy? Sometimes relative humidity can affect things, as well as making sure your containers are cleaned and air tight. You can also get the silica packets to put inside the jars to keep things a bit longer.

 

[KozmoKramer]

I've never gotten mold, but I keep my dried foods in the refrigerator...though I did have some pears get a little weird on me after a few weeks (I ended up throwing them in the garbage....I think they were a little too moist when I put them in the fridge).