Food dehydration is a very ingenious way of preserving food for longer without the use of chemicals. It is also a cheap and do-it-yourself activity that ought to be adopted by just about every other household. It basically entails the removal of excess moisture from foods by use of a dehydrator.
This removal of moisture discourages the growth of microorganisms that are chiefly responsible for decomposition. If you have some food dehydrator recipes in your hand, it is much more easy to follow & dehydrate some food.
In the following discussions, we are going to learn about several food dehydrator recipes that may grant the much-needed starting point to would-be food dehydrators and general households.
Dehydrated Vegetable Recipe
Vegetables such as kales, cabbages, spinach, and broccoli may be dehydrated to enable them last longer and be utilized far away from home.
To get started, you may need to select a preferred vegetable. For the sake of this discussion, we will settle on cabbages.You will require 1 cabbage & 1 knife.
Dehydration Method
- Cut out the hard outer covering of the cabbage
- Wash the remaining cabbage thoroughly
- Slice the cabbage into thin strips, typically 1/8 inches wide
- Arrange the strips onto the food dehydrator tray
- Turn on the food dehydrator, and set the right temperature. (A good temperature should be somewhere between 125 degrees Fahrenheit and 135 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Set the timer to between 7 hours and 11 hours.: Remember to rotate the dehydrator tray once in a while to ensure uniform and consistent drying.
- Remove the dehydrated cabbages and store in a cool dry place, typically in a refrigerator till when needed.
Fruits may also be dehydrated to lengthen their overall lifespan and to enable them to be consumed farther away from their point of origin.
You will have to select a fruit of your choice, to get started. For this discussion, we shall settle on a mango.Take a knife & 5 mangoes.
Dehydration Method
- Place the mango in the upside down position.
- Cut the mango from top to bottom.
- Rotate the mango 90 degrees clockwise and make further cuts from top to bottom.
- Peel off the cut sections.
- Remove the skin and chop the remaining flesh into tiny particles.
- Spread the tiny particles onto a single layer on the dehydrator tray
- Set the right temperature (typically at 135 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Set the timer to around 8-12 hours,You may have to rotate the tray from time to time to ensure even drying.
- Once the dehydration process is complete, store the final products in a cool dry place such as a refrigerator.
For a start, jerky is simply meat that has been cut into long and narrow strips. You may select the meat of your choice. For the sake of this illustration, we shall settle on beef.
Ingredients:1 kg of beef,1 Knife & chopping board
Dehydration Method
- Wash the beef thoroughly under running water until the blood is completely washed out. In case the meat is too dry or stiff, you may have to marinate it on still water for some time, in some instances, this may have to happen overnight.
- Get rid of all the fat, membranes, gristle, and connecting tissue at this stage.
- Cut the beef into long and thin strips of lean meat. The strips should measure ¼ inches to 3/8 inches thick and 5 inches to 6 inches long.
- Disinfect the oven by heating it at a minimum temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit for around 30 minutes. This is to ward off the risks of Salmonella.
- Place the strips of meat onto the dehydrator trays. Take great caution to ensure that they do not overlap at all. This is to ensure maximum heat penetration and avoid uneven cooking.
- Set the dehydration temperature and the timer at this stage. The right temperature should be around 130 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit whereas the total time taken should be between 4 hours to 15 hours.
- Remove the jerky from the dehydrator and the place them in a container. Keep them in a refrigerator or some other cool dry place.
Apples are famed for their succulence. However, they are prone to decomposition when exposed to hot and humid conditions for longer. That’s why they may need to dehydrate to extend their overall lifespan.
Ingredients:5 pounds of apples,3 tablespoons of cinnamon,1/4 cup of lemon juice
Dehydration Method
- Wash the apples thoroughly
- Peel and core the apples
- Slice the apple into thin strips using a mandolin
- To avoid browning, soak the slices in 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 1 quart of water
- Shake off excess water or lemon juice and place the rings on the dehydrator tray
- Sprinkle the lemon slices with light cinnamon dusting
- Set the dehydration temperature and timing. The ideal temperature should be 135°F (57°C) whereas the best dehydration duration should be between 6 hours and 8 hours.
- Check the moisture levels from time to time and rotate the trays if need be for consistent and even results.
- Once the dehydration is complete, remove the apples and store in an air tight bag.
- Let the bag cool and then store in a cool dry place till you need it again.
There indeed exist so many other recipes which, owing to time-constraints, could not be all conclusively discussed. The onus is upon each household to ascertain its own needs and carry out further research to identify those recipes that closely mirror their precise needs.