delicious foods to the pantry while saving space at the same time. And for those who have never done it, it can
be a little intimidating. Some have tight finances and especially don’t want to waste money on an appliance
that might not get used or work the way you want it to. Today’s post will review various options for
dehydrating food that do not involve using a dedicated food dehydrator.
My love affair with dehydrated food
began nearly 50 years ago when my grandmother made fruit rolls and beef jerky
for us. (We always called it beef jerky,
because that’s what she called it. I
think it was to distinguish it from the goat jerky that she grew up with.) I inherited her dehydrators when she passed
away, and I began putting them to use right away. I will freely admit right here that I vastly
preferred using the 4-tray Excalibur. It’s
just more convenient.
But there are times when a regular
dehydrator is not an option. For me, it
happened when I took my children to visit their grandparents in the summer
while I preserved the fruits that grew so abundantly there. There wasn’t room to bring the dehydrator,
and yet, I still wanted to make some fruit rolls. I turned to using the dashboard of my
truck. The choices you have will depend
on your climate and resources, but there ought to be at least one option you
can employ to dabble in dehydrating and decide if it’s something you want to
pursue.
Car.
The dashboard of your vehicle makes an
excellent impromptu dehydrator. On a
sunny day, temperatures can reach 110°F inside when the air is 70°F outside,
and nearly 150°F inside when it’s 100°F outside. It has the advantage of using the sun and
incurring no additional expenses. Of
course, the disadvantages are that the car has to be positioned to take
advantage of the sun, and the dashboard must be level if dehydrating liquids
like fruit rolls. It’s also not so
convenient to have to run out to the car to rotate or check the progress of
dehydration.
Oven. Some ovens can be set to the lower
temperatures needed for dehydrating. The
oven in my previous house had drying and dough raising options, and I really
miss that now. Gas ovens with a pilot
light work very well. Some find using
the oven light sufficient. Otherwise, if
your oven setting minimum is something high, like the 170°F that I
currently have, the door would have to be propped open. This will make the energy cost per batch the
highest of all options. But it gives you
the opportunity to start drying right away and see if you like the process and
the product.
Toaster
oven. Some toaster ovens have lower
temperature settings ideal for dehydrating.
Unfortunately, they are pretty small so not a lot of food can be
dehydrated in the batch, but it does provide the opportunity to experiment
before committing to a large purchase.
Sun. Obviously, the sun was the first method used
for dehydrating food. This method is best
used in dry, hot environments. Set the
prepared food outdoors in the direct sun on cookie sheets covered with netting
or window screen, or invest in hanging mesh drying racks.
Fireplace
or wood stove. Next to the fireplace
or a wood stove is how colonials and pioneers dried apples and meat, especially
in the fall and winter. Apples were
sliced in rings, threaded on string, and hung near the fire. Strips
of meat were draped over the strings.
Other foods were placed on trays nearby.
Solar
oven. Solar ovens are an excellent
option for dehydrating food, especially if you already have one. There’s no
expense for the energy. The challenge
comes in propping the lid open just enough to maintain the right temperature
inside.
Air
fryers and Instapots. With the exception of the toaster oven, I’ve
used all of the preceding options.
However, I have zero experience with air fryers and Instapots. I came across several articles on blogs that
seemed to be written by people for whom English was not the first language and
loaded with affiliate links. From what I
can gather, I think an air fryer might work, depending on temperature settings,
but I’m not entirely sure about an Instapot.
I’d love input if you have any experience.
DIY
solar dehydrator. There are numerous sites all over the internet
with directions for building your own.
The primary drawback of all of these
methods of dehydrating is that it’s a bit of a challenge to control the
temperature. If the temperature is too
low, there is the risk of molding and spoilage.
If it is too high, you risk case hardening (the outside dries too
quickly, and moisture can’t escape from the interior of the food) and ultimate
spoilage as well.
As a general guideline, herbs are
dehydrated at 100-110°. Fruits are
optimally dehydrated at 135-145°. Vegetables
are dehydrated at 125-135°. Beef is about
150°. Those are the standard recommendations. And there is a lot of discussion
about the safe temperatures for beef as well as other meats. You’ll have to research the matter yourself
and decide what you are comfortable with.
Personally, I think people have been dehydrating for thousands of years
without electricity and really high temperatures. If push comes to shove, high temperatures in
summer or near the fireplace will work for my family.
If you decide that you love
dehydrating, you may wish to invest in a dedicated dehydrator. There are two basic types:
·
The units with stacking trays like Nesco and
Ronco can often be found very inexpensively at garage sales and thrift
stores. The trays have to be rotated for
even drying, but there is the advantage of being able to use just what you
need, anywhere from one tray to twelve.
·
The shelf dehydrators have trays that slide in
and out. They are generally more expensive,
but also come with thermostats for controlling the temperature and fans that
circulate air better. Some even have
timers.
Dehydrating food is an excellent, inexpensive method of food
preservation and supplementing your basic food storage staples. There are several books on the market as well
as internet resources if you wish to pursue this further. There are also several articles on more
unique items or approaches to dehydrating on this blog. Links are provided below.
Links to related posts:
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