5 Basic Rules To Remember When Dehydrating

1. Make sure you have the right temperature: Dehydrating Time's

The temperature and time required to adequately dehydrate will vary depending on the type of dehydrator you buy, as well as the food you want to dehydrate. General time and temperature guidelines will be printed on the dehydrator label or included in the instruction manual along with suggested times needed.

2. Make sure foods are completly dehydrated:

In order to be stored properly, foods need to be at least 95 percent dehydrated. If your items feel soft, spongy or sticky, put them back in the dehydrator for additional time. Hard and crunchy or breakable pieces are done. High indoor humidity, air conditioning or breezes may alter the time needed to dehydrate foods. Ideally, find a dry, warm place away from air vents and windows to set up your dehydrator.

3. Don’t try to dry foods on a higher then recomended Temp:

Do not worry about over-drying your foods. You can dry them longer if necessary, but it’s not wise to turn the temperature settings up in an attempt to dry the foods quicker. This will seal the outside, leaving moisture within, which will ultimately lead to the food spoiling before you have a chance to eat it.

4. Preparation is key:

Before you add dehydrate anything, make sure you thoroughly wash all foods. Steam all low-acid vegetables for 10 minutes prior to dehydrating. After they have been steamed, pat them dry before placing them in the food dehydrator. Spritz bananas and apples with lemon juice to avoid browning.

5. Become more efficient

Just like you’re using an oven, it is wise to turn on the dehydrator prior to use to allow it to warm up to the required temperature before adding food. Prepare items that require the same temperature, and dehydrate at the same time. For best results, slice all items to equal thickness and size.

Dehydrating Fruits and Vegetable

Drying fruits and veggies is an easy process with a dehydrator, drying time takes around 8 - 12 hours.

You Need

1. Dehydrator
2. Knife
3. Cutting board
4. Pot for blanching vegetables   (Fruits & Vegetables Prep)

Now let's gt started

Start with fresh fruits and vegetables of the very best quality. Overripe, bruised, and otherwise deteriorated produce will not yield good results when dehydrated. Clean, hull, and slice all fruits and vegetables, taking care to maintain consistency in the thickness of the slices. This ensures that everything dries at an even rate. Treat apples, pears, and other fruits prone to oxidation with citrus juice or ascorbic acid, if desired. This helps to retain the color of the fruit before, during, and after the drying process. Blanche broccoli, cauliflower, celery, carrots, corn, peas, and potatoes to speed drying time and to help maintain color. Three to five minutes in boiling water should be adequate. Add salt, sugar or spices to flavor, as desired. Load your fruit and vegetable slices onto the dehydrator trays; be careful not to overlap them because it will slow the drying time. Turn your dehydrator on immediately after loading to start the dehydration process. Check the owner's manual for recommended drying times but expect the process to take between eight and 12 hours on average. Check your fruits and vegetables frequently for dryness as you reach the end of the drying time. To do so, simply remove a slice from the dehydrator, allow it to cool, and then feel it with your fingers. If the slice feels dry to the touch, it should be adequately dried. To further evaluate the dryness of fruit, cut several fruit slices in half and check the cut edges for moisture beads. If any are present, the fruit is not yet dry enough and needs to be returned to the dehydrator.

Allow your fruit and vegetable slices to cool for 30 to 60 minutes or until completely cool to the touch before packing. Place dried fruits in loosely packed jars and shake once a day for seven to 10 days to make sure the remaining moisture is evenly distributed among the dried pieces. If condensation appears on the jar, the fruit needs to be returned to the dehydrator for further drying. (Only fruits need this extra step.) Place all dried foods in air-tight containers or freezer bags and store in a cool, dry, and dark place until you are ready to use them.

Here are a few tips

Process fruits and vegetables as soon after harvest as possible.
Do not add fresh produce to a partially dried load.
Drying times vary based on the thickness of the slices, the amount of water in the food, temperature, humidity, and altitude. Start a journal to track and record your own drying times for various foods so you'll have
that information handy for the next time. When stored properly, dehydrated foods are usually good for a year.
You can buy ascorbic acid at grocery and drugstores, and it is available in powder and tablet form.

Oven drying Fruits and Vegetables

• Dry food in an oven that can be maintained at 140°F. Leave door 2 inches to 3 inches ajar. Place a fan in front of the oven to blow air across the open door.
• Spread the food in a single layer on racks or cookie sheets. Check food often and turn pieces every few hours to dry more evenly.
• Drying time will vary (Tables 2 and 3). Do not leave oven on when no one is in the house.
• Oven drying is not recommended in households where children are present.

When food is dehydrated, 80 percent of the moisture is removed from fruits and up to 90 percent of the moisture is removed from vegetables, making the dried weight of foods much less than the fresh weight

Making Jerky

Jerky can be made from almost any lean meat, including pork, venison, and smoked turkey. Jerky made from meat is of particular concern because dehydrators rarely reach temperatures beyond 140°F. This temperature is not high enough to kill harmful microorganisms that may be present on meat. Before dehydration, precook meat to 160°F, and precook poultry to 165°F. For best results, precook meat by roasting in marinade (Great Jerky Recipes).

Meat preparation

To prepare meat for jerky, make sure that safe meat handling procedures are followed.

• Clean: Wash hands with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat. Use clean utensils.
• Chill: Store meat or poultry refrigerated at 40°F or below prior to use. It is important to thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator. Never thaw meat on counter tops.

Slice partially frozen meat into strips no thicker than ¼ inch. Trim and discard any fat. Meat can be marinated for flavor and tenderness. Many marinade recipes can be used

Drying meats

Drain strips on a clean, absorbent towel. Place strips in a single layer, making sure they don’t touch or overlap. Dehydrate at 140°F until a test piece will crack, but not snap, when bent. Remove dried strips from rack and cool.

If the meat strips were not heated to 160°F in marinade prior to drying, you may want to do this in an oven after drying. Place the dried strips on a baking sheet and cook at for 275°F, or until meat reaches 160°F. This process adds an additional safety step to the process.

Storing meat jerky

Meat strips should be packaged in glass jars or heavy plastic storage bags. Jerky can be stored at room temperature for 2 weeks in a sealed container. For the longest shelf life, flavor, and quality jerky, store in the refrigerator or freezer.

To Dehydrate Ground Beef:

• Choose extra-lean ground beef, venison, bison or turkey.
• Cook plain ground beef (with no added fat or seasonings) until completely cooked.
• Rinse all fat off with boiling water by placing cooked beef in a colander lined with cheesecloth. This may take several rinses to make sure all fat is removed. *Removing all fat is key to safely dehydrating and storing ground beef. Pat dry to remove excess moisture, or you could use a salad spinner, or place the rinsed meat back into the pan, cleaned out of course, and cook until dry to remove any remaining moisture.
• Pre-heat dehydrator to 155-160 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Place cooked and rinsed ground beef on dehydrator trays. It is easiest to use the fruit leather sheets or parchments to avoid the small particles falling through the dehydrator screens.
• Dehydrate until completely dried, inside and out. They will resemble small pebbles. This may take 8-12 hours, depending on your dehydrator and the humidity in your home.
• Let the Hamburger Rocks cool.
• Place Hamburger Rocks into sterilized and dried canning jars to 2 inches below the rim.
• Place oxygen absorbers into the filled jars and place sterilized and dried canning jar lids and tighten, OR vacuum seal the jars with jar lid attachment. Write the date on the jar or lid.
• Store jars in a dark, cool, dry place, away from heat, extreme cold, moisture or light.

1 cup of Hamburger Rocks dehydrated equal one POUND of ground beef rehydrated

To Rehydrate Hamburger Rocks:

• Remove Hamburger Rocks from jar and place into a bowl.”
• Cover Hamburger Rocks with boiling beef broth or water.
• Cover bowl with a lid to retain steam.
• Allow Hamburger Rocks to sit until tender. Strain, season and use like cooked ground beef.
• Or, you can simply add the Hamburger Rocks to soups, stews, casseroles (with liquid), chili, sauces or broths and allow Hamburger Rocks to rehydrate while simmering.