Food dehydrators dry fruits, vegetables, and meats by heating and blowing air throughout the food drying area. They are useful for avid gardeners and hikers, but buying dried produce is more cost-effective for large food processors. Food to be dried should be thinly sliced and arranged in single layers on vented trays. Food dehydrators use very little electricity.
Food dehydrators are small appliances for drying fresh foods on their own. They come in a variety of sizes and capacities and can dry fruits, vegetables and meats. They work by gently heating the air and blowing it throughout the food drying area. It can take a few hours or even days to properly dry and store juicier items.
If you are an avid gardener and always grow more produce than you can consume over the summer, a food dehydrator could be a good investment. You can stock up on dry greens and secure a home-grown vegetable soup during the winter months. If you enjoy camping and hiking, creating your own mix of trails is certainly appealing. But be warned: Buying dried produce will likely cost you more than buying a similar amount of dried fruits and vegetables. Large food processors can purchase and dry products much more cost-effectively than an individual consumer.
Food dehydrators blow air from the bottom heating element or horizontally from a stove placed to one side. The horizontal flow has the advantage that you can dry a mixed batch of things without worrying about blending flavours; your dried apples take on the flavor of the jerky drying underneath them, for example. If that’s not a problem, bottom heat dehydrators should serve you well.
Food to be dried in a dehydrator is thinly sliced for faster drying and arranged in single layers on thin stacking trays, which are vented to allow air to flow through them. The trays are loaded into the unit and then left to dry. Some items will dry faster than others and should be removed or they will become brittle. Very juicy foods like oranges and tomatoes can take quite some time in the food dehydrator and shouldn’t be mixed with quicker drying foods like carrots and potatoes.
If you want to make your own meatballs, look for a good drying recipe. Most food dehydrators will come with a recipe book which should include marinades for the meats. Make sure the unit you use heats the meat to a high enough temperature to kill e-coli and other harmful bugs.
Food dehydrators use very little electricity; much less than an oven, for example. One utility company estimates the cost of running a dehydrator continuously for 24 hours at $0.49. Compared to the cost of running a coffee maker ($1.63 for 24 hours), this is a steal. So don’t let the fear of high electric bills keep you from drying as much harvest as you like.
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