For people who have tried eating home made dehydrated food, they will surely keep asking for more. Most first timers have shared a positive reaction about tasting dehydrated food, and a lot of them have converted from buying factory processed foods to buying fresh, raw fruits and vegetables and processing them on their own at home.
Dehydrating your own food is a much healthier choice. You can finally have a full meal without chemicals and preservatives. And the best part is, it is absolutely affordable! Processed junk foods will no longer be a part of your diet but healthy, wholesome foods that you made with your own hands will be on your plate.
If you want your food to taste really good and not to lose its nutrients, you have to know the basics of dehydrating food. The secret to effective and even dehydrating is good air flow. So before you start with your dehydrating process, do not stack up trays that you will not be using. This way, you can clear the path within the dehydrator allowing the warm air to flow evenly through your food, making the process a lot quicker.
If you are planning to dry fruits such as apples, pears, and strawberries it is better to cut them ahead in bite sizes. Portion the fruits into small, manageable sizes so that it will be easier for them to cook while keeping the flavor intact at the same time. Dehydrating fruits require utmost attention as they easily get gummy. When after dehydrating the fruits are a little gummy, most likely you sliced them too thick or too chunky.
Proper organization also plays a huge role in food dehydration. Whether you are working on meats, fruits, or vegetables, it is essential that you keep them neatly arranged in the tray to ensure proper drying. Foods that have high water density should be grouped together so that checking will be more convenient. When working on juicy food items, place them on the bottom of the trays so as to avoid getting its drippings all over the place.
For dehydrating a large batch of food, the quickest way to go about it is to group together the food of the same drying times. Since different food items have different drying times, dehydrating together those that dry at about the same time will save you time. Start with the ones that usually take a long time to dry.
When drying meat, always keep the food’s safety in mind. The National Center of Home Preserving strongly advice that meats should be dehydrated at 140 degrees. Also, do not forget the basics of food processing such as washing your hands before touching the food as well as ensuring that proper storage is available once you are done with your food dehydration.
You must read more about best food dehydrators before you decide to buy the excalibur food dehydrator.