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Forum: Dehydrator Questions and Answers II

02 September 2006

Bronco Bill – at 14:57

Dehydrator questions continued from here


amak – at 23:44

Oh - this is horrible! Trying a second batch of apples… I thought I saw somewhere to put them in lemon juice first so they don’t turn brown. Oh, they don’t even taste like apples - even DH, who eats EVERYTHING, spit it out.

I’m workin on it - I think I asked that before somewhere too. can you dry something too much? I have tended to try to get as much out, figuring the less moisture, the better - no mold can grow?? And just how do you know at what point “leathery” is okay to stop? Seems to me leathery is a wide range. But, then again, I made some broccoli rocks the other day…. need to rehydrate them I guess to see if they come back!

Saddletramp - never heard of that one, but I am new to this. I got the American Harvester by Nesco - have seen good & bad on it, but mine does have temp controls so just learning this dehydrating stuff, I am happy with it so far.


cactus – at 14:26

I finally did some HB last night. Only took about 3 hours, seems to have turned out great. Will have to do more as Safeway has HB on sale for $.99/lb this week.

Bronco Bill – at 15:03

amak – at 23:44 --- Here’s something for you to check out: Dehydrating Apples

Each of the following pretreatments perform a useful part of the dehydrating process and each has merit. Personal preference should be your guide.

Sodium Bisulfite:
Dissolve 2 teaspoons of sodium bisulfite in one quart of water and add cut fruit. Slices of fruit should be soaked for no more than 10 minutes. Drain and dehydrate. (CAUTION: Sodium Bisulfite can affect anyone with asthma, allergies or other respiratory problems.)

Ascorbic Acid:
Dissolve one tablespoon of pure crystalline ascorbic acid in one quart of cold water. Add cut fruit and soak for a few minutes; remove with a slotted spoon; drain well and dehydrate.

Lemon Juice:
Use one cup lemon juice to one quart water. Soak the fruit for no more than ten minutes. Drain and dehydrate. (Lemon juice is only one-sixth as effective as ascorbic acid.)

NOTE: After pretreating, the apple slices may be sprinkled with cinnamon or flavored gelatin crystals.

silversage – at 17:55

Since I can’t find the deydrated food thread I’ld like to ask a question here. I ordered a small can of chicken flavored TVP and I was going to try and use it tonight but it doesn’t have directions on it. Is it a one to one rehydrating ratio? One cup of hot water to one cup TVP??

Oh, and I also ordered a small can of diced onions and green leaks but I got a big one instead of the small one ‘cause the little one was out of stock, oh goodie. I just opened it and can’t believe how wonderful it smells! Maybe I’m just hungry but I think I could use that in all my cooking! Fried rice here we come!

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 22:06

I found this for you from Survival Acres (this was on the TVP beef listing):

Directions: Completely cover with water and simmer about 10 minutes to reconstitute. Use as cooked meat or add to wet dishes that require further cooking. Each 1 oz. servings is equivalent to 3 oz. cooked meat. Add beef bouillon for flavor if desired. Use in casseroles, barbecues, soups, stews, etc.

03 September 2006

Kathy in FL – at 08:25

As far as drying apples … the flavor does intensify a bit when you dry them. The sugar in the fruit becomes concentrated.

You don’t need to use full strength lemon juice to prevent darkening … just a capful to a bowl of water … and you don’t leave them in there long. Just long enough to slice them and then lay them out on the drying trays. You should work in batches. If you leave the fruit in the water too long the sugars are leached out of the fruit and they turn out really bland.

Not everyone likes dried fruit straight up. The texture is quite a bit different and for some it is an acquired taste. Try using them in cooked dishes to start off … dried apple pie, mixing a little bit of dried fruit into a rice pilaf, etc.

12 September 2006

amak – at 11:42

I know someone was tlaking about dehydrating frozen bags of veggies. ANy tricks of the trade with this? Say broccoli for instance - do you thaw it first or just staright from the bag frozen onto your trays? Found any differences in drying time when doing this way? ANd what other veggies have you done this way? Thanks.

Carrey in VA – at 13:11

I dried some broccoli, it looked like it dried nice and worked well. Then I cooked with it! Blech, nasty scorched flavor. I suppose I dried it too long. I might try another batch and take it out earlier. Or I might just break down and buy a couple of cans of freeze dried broccoli.

anonymous – at 13:23

amak – at 11:42

I dehydrate frozen veggies right out of the bag but I know that alot of people prefer to thaw and blot any excess moisture before they begin drying.

There are trade-offs either way.

1. drying from frozen lets me have better control of getting the veggie/fruit on the tray and I know that I’m not washing away any of the taste. However, it does take longer to dry and with some items you aren’t maximizing your tray space.

2. drying from thawed means less drying time and you can usually just kind of pile stuff around … but making it neat is more difficult, especially with the smaller pieces like peas and whole kernel corn.

Try it both ways and see which one you prefer.

EnoughAlreadyat 15:17

I love broccoli just about anyway its fixed… with the exception of probably rehydrated like I would eat it if it was normal. I plan to use this dehydrated broccoli I am putting up as a supplement nutritionally that I may not be able to get any other way. It will more than likely go into a soup or rice dish.

Some foods are more difficult to get an even spread on the drying tray frozen. Those foods I definitely defrost… at least somewhat. If I know I am going to be dehydrating a lot over several days, it is definitely beneficial for me to defrost and pat-dry. Broccoli is one of those things that dehydrates better if cut into smaller pieces. It is easier to cut if frozen. I have tried dehydrating everything I can think of, and berries are the most difficult IMHO.

Tomato paste: I dehydrated that a couple of days ago for tomato powder. I think I must have smeared it on to thick. It is a rubbery ring. The edges are crispy. I am just going to cut it into strips or squares. I have another giant can of tomato paste that I am going to try, but I think I am going to sspread it thinner. Anybody dehydrated tomato paste?

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 16:33

I read to spread it rather thin in the middle and sorta thicker along the edges, then dry until you can handle it well enough to turn it over like a pancake and dry the other side so it gets more even air flow. Hope that helps.

amak – at 16:47

Thanks for the tips!

EnoughAlreadyat 19:58

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 16:33

I did turn it over, not that I knew to do that… it just seemed right. And, I did just the opposite… thicker in the middle, thin on edges. I really think I put it on too thick. Thank you. I’ll let ya know if I figure it out!

Libby in Atlanta – at 20:06

After reading about dehydrating foods I went out to some stores and started checkig prices.Then the light bulb in my head went off. I have a built in convection oven above my conventional oven that I can dehydrate in . I wanted to just mention this in case anyone has one or just didn’t think about it.

Jefiner – at 20:12

Just wondering—do you dehydrator experts blanch peppers and tomatos prior to dehydration?

13 September 2006

BUMP – at 10:27

08 October 2006

amak – at 14:25

For those who’ve done hamburger - after it’s dehydrated & you are going to use it in a recipe, what do you do when measuring it out for a recipe? Say something calls for 1 pound of ground beef in the recipe - any rule of thumb for knowing how much of the dehydrated stuff to use?

Prepping Gal – at 17:12

Question 1- Thanks Libby in Atlanta for the idea about the convection oven; I have a combination Panasonic Microwave, Convection and Conventional oven and I have debated with myself whether I should do some dehydrating. Have you tried yours and any advice?

Question 2- One thing that keeps me from buying a dehydrator is that you need electricity which makes me think I’ll can items left in the freezer using alternative fuel. Has anyone tried canning using alternative fuel (other than natural gas or propane)?

Question 3 - Is there any way to dehydrate without electricity?

Prepping Gal – at 17:54

Followup on Question 1 - does this make sense? I have a special wire rack for the convection oven and I was thinking about ensuring good air circulation that I should use parchment paper to place food upon; for you pros how does that sound?

I saw somewhere that you should dehydrate meat at 165 deg, fruit at 135 deg and vegetables at 125 deg- would you agree? How about brown rice, white rice, cooked beans, etc?

Kathy in FL – at 19:05

The first dehydrator was the sun. US Pioneers did it all the time by stringing items and hanging them to dry. solaroven.com (or maybe it is .org) has plans for a solar dehydrator that is on the fancy side. I believe the directions can also be found in one of the Foxfire books.

Meat was smoked or “jerky’ed” so you’ll need to look for directions for that. Some Native American cookbooks may have the directions for doing this.

Calandriel – at 19:16

Amak - depending on the % of fat in the meat, results can vary slightly. However, I took 1 lb of ground beef, cooked & dehydrated it. It turned out to be roughly 1–1/4 cups of dried beef. If anyone else has remarkably different results, please advise…

Kim – at 19:20

According to my Excalibur dehydrator… meats, fish and jerky 145 deg. F; fruits and fruit rolls 135 deg F; vegetables 125 deg. F; making yogurt 115 deg. F; raising bread 110 deg. F; and herbs from 95 to 125 deg. F.

As for what quantity of dried hamburger equals what quantity of fresh hamburger… I keep telling myself that one day I’m going to brown and then dry exactly one lb (raw uncooked weight) of hamburger and see how much it is when dried. Well, I never do, it just seems easier to brown a whole bunch at one time and be done with it. However, when I make something like Hamburger Helper with the dehydrated hamburger I generally add about 1/3 to 1/2 of a quart jar. DH won’t eat the stuff unless it has LOTS more meat in it than noodles or whatever, so this amount makes a dish with way more meat than noodles (I’d GUESS it’s probably the equivalent of about 2 to 2 1/2 lbs precooked weight). Hope this helps.

cactus – at 19:29

To do potatoes, I guess you have to dip in ascorbic acid, but then do you have to parboil ? Like for hash browns.

I love dehydrating. It`s so neat that 3 big stalks of celery will fit in a mason jar.Or several pounds of apples. I was really skeptical about hamburger, until I tried it.This is all much less work than canning, IMHO. And takes up less room. ( Something that I`m rapidly running out of.)

09 October 2006

EnoughAlreadyat 02:02

I just dehydrated 32 oz plain yogurt. I want to have yogurt starter. I saw “powdered” yogurt starter on the internet, so I figure if they did it… so could I. Anybody done this? This looks like parchment paper.

EnoughAlreadyat 02:02

I just dehydrated 32 oz plain yogurt. I want to have yogurt starter. I saw “powdered” yogurt starter on the internet, so I figure if they did it… so could I. Anybody done this? This looks like parchment paper.

EnoughAlreadyat 02:03

oopps, sorry!

11 October 2006

BUMP – at 13:13

17 October 2006

amak – at 13:09

Can anyone give me some estimates on how long it takes you to dehydrate your ground turkey? (or hamburger). With all the different size chunks, does it matter that some maybe overdried?

Kim – at 16:25

amak, I’ve never dehydrated ground turkey by itself (have mixed and cooked it with ground beef for dehydrating, tho). It will all depend on the amount of heat you’re using, what type of dehydrator, the relative humidty in your house, but I’d give it a peek after 4 hours. You want it to be completely dry, but not any browner (as in burnt) than when it went in. Even if some of the smaller pieces get kind of burned-looking it shouldn’t make too much difference in the taste. Now if you let it REALLY go too long and it all comes out looking really almost black, you’ve let it go too long and the overall taste won’t be good at all. Try to get it to where none of the chunks is larger than about one inch before dehydrating. Take one of the larger chunks out when you suspect it’s close to being sufficiently dry and squish it between your fingers to check the insides of it.

PBQ – at 21:19

Jefiner, no I don’t blanch anything, might be worth a try for you though. I’ve dryed lots of veggies and fruits. I’ve also dryed sour cream but I keep it in the freezer in a mason jar. Great for soups. I keep all my dehydrated stuff in Mason jars with a couple of oxy packs thrown in. Easy and conveinent. Yes, I have a food saver vacum sealer but I prefer the jars and later -after PF- if I have to use the jars for canning anything from the garden I have them! Never dried any meat, too afraid of botulism and other nasties.

18 October 2006

amak – at 18:29

I thought botulism was from canning - not dehydrating (in the meat area). Anyone know for sure?

19 October 2006

Pookey – at 17:11

Not sure about botulism, but I am adding curing salt to my dehydrated hamburger meat, same as if I were making jerky. Curing salt is supposed to inhibit the growth of bacteria.

21 October 2006

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 22:48

bump

Kim – at 22:58

amak, I’m not a food scientist or anything, but I think that normal cooking (ie, browning the meat) should kill any botulism that might be present.

22 October 2006

Edna Mode – at 18:16

There are directions for dehydrating in the Ball Blue Book. Usually used as a resource for canning, but it has a lot of good dehydrating info. I also just bought a book on dehydrating at a local cooking store. It’s called the Dehydrator Cookbook by Joanna White. It’s very simple with basic directions and recipes. Have’t tried anything out of it yet, but the recipes look good. Even if you’re not dehydrating your own stuff, it may help you learn how to use your purchased preps.

I have another cookbook with modern instructions for historic recipes. One is for drying apples by hanging on a string. Has anyone tried this? If so, how’d it go? (I just hung mine. We’ll see how it goes.) I have an electric convection oven, but I’m not chomping at the bit to up my electric bill, which is already through the roof despite concerted conservation efforts.

As for convection dehydrating, my manual says to use cheesecloth to spread food on for drying.

Cinda – at 18:25

Silversage , don’t know how much you found out about TVP but this is pretty good info

~Textured Vegetable Protein~ What is it? Textured Vegetable Protein or TVP is a registered trademark of the Arthur Daniels Midland Company. They have been making it for over 30 years. The generic name for this product is Textured Soy Protein, or TSP. However, the way tissues are often called Kleenex, TSP is usually referred to as TVP, because this is the most commonly familiar name. It’s most common use is as a meat substitute.

Where does it come from? TVP is a natural byproduct obtained from manufacturing soybean oil. It is made from the part of the soybean that is leftover after all the oil is squeezed out of the soy bean. This means it has almost zero fat in it, which is a good thing in this day and age of fat fears. It is also very high in protein, potassium and fiber, making it chock full of nutrients as well. What is it for? Because of it’s texture and protein content, TVP’s best use is as a meat substitute. It is vegetarian or vegan, for folks who are concerned about such matters. This means it contains no dairy, or other animal products. Some vegetarians won’t eat it though, because it tastes too much like meat to them. Many believe TVP is best used by meat-eaters, either to extend meat, or to replace it in cooking.

What Types are there? TVP is available in several forms, with smallgranules and larger chunks being the most common. The granules simulate ground beef, while the chunks simulate beef or chicken cut into pieces for stews or stir-fries. TVP is available preflavored, or unflavored, and colored or uncolored. It’s natural color is light tan, or about the same color as soybeans. It is often available with a dark brown caramel color, to help it simulate beef. The coloring doesn’t affect it’s flavor at all, it just makes it pretty to look at.

What does it taste like? It’s natural flavor is very bland, almost non-existent, with a minor undertone of fresh cardboard. This makes it the perfect foil for highly seasoned concoctions, like chili and spicy stews. This same quality allows manufacturers to create different flavors, like beef, bacon, chicken, sausage, ham, pepperoni, barbecue, taco, and sloppy-joe.

If you have ever eaten bacon bits, then you’ve eaten TVP and lived to tell the tale. I’ll bet if you looked, you could probably find a jar of them in your cupboard right now. Bacon Bits are colored red to look like bacon, and flavored with artificial smoke to give them a bacon-like taste.

TVP does not taste exactly like meat. It has a meat-like texture, and can be flavored by the cook or the factory to make it taste similar to meat. It will never taste exactly like meat though, and expecting it to, will only lead to disappointment. This doesn’t diminish it’s value however. Turkey Bacon doesn’t taste exactly like Pork Bacon, but lots of people eat it anyway. Instant Coffee doesn’t taste exactly like freshly ground coffee, but it still tastes good, and is a lot more convenient to prepare. TVP is like that. It tastes like meat, stores beautifully without much special treatment, and easily replaces meat in a lot of recipes. It isn’t meat though, it is a vegetarian, soy based, meat replacement.

How do I rehydrate it? Since it’s natural state is dry, TVP must be reconstituted before using. Specifically 1 level cup of TVP needs 7/8 cup of liquid (or water) to rehydrate; 7/8 of a cup is the same as a cup of liquid with 2 tablespoons removed. I find this amount of measuring tedious, so I do it a little differently. I measure a cup of water and a rounded cup of TVP. This is equivalent to about 1–1/8 to 1–1/4 cups of TVP. It isn’t a heaping cup, it is just a bit rounded on top. This ratio seems to work perfectly for me, and I don’t have to be so careful with the measuring. The water or liquid must be boiled first, and then added to the TVP. Granulated TVP will absorb the water in a few minutes. TVP chunks will need to simmer in the liquid for about 20 minutes to rehydrate fully. Once reconstituted, a rounded cup of TVP makes about the equivalent of a pound of meat. It won’t weigh exactly a pound, but it will be the same volume, feed the same amount of people, require the same amount of seasonings, and replace the same amount of meat in recipes. Where Do I buy it, & how much does it cost? Plain, or unflavored TVP is usually the easiest to find, and the cheapest. My local Natural Foods Store has it for about $2 a pound. Each pound of dry TVP measure between 4 and 5 cups. Once rehydrated, this makes the equivalent of about 4 pounds of meat. It won’t weigh the same as this amount of meat, but it’s volume will amount to this much in terms of meals. This makes it cost about 50˘ a meal, which is about half the price of the cheapest hamburger I am able to buy. Internet Sources have it available even cheaper, making it more of a bargain

23 October 2006

EnoughAlreadyat 11:36

Foodborne illness will be directly related to foodhandling sanitation, hygiene and preparation methods/practices. In other words, if food is cooked properly and dehydrated properly it decreases potential for problems. Equally important are containment of cross-contamination factors: hands washed often during the process, utensils frequently cleaned, surfaces continually cleaned. So, if I am going to prepare 15#’s of ground meat… I am washing my hands along each step, cleaning everything thoroughly during the cooking process of this 15#’s. Each time I brown a batch I am cleaning up in a sanitary manner (hot soap and water, weak bleach solution to counter tops). Each batch in the skillet is treated as a “fresh start.”

Then, make sure every thing is done correctly while dehydrating… temperature, time and again sanitation. When putting up into containers, ensure the containers are clean… as well as work surface and utensils and your hands.

Finally, temperature, oxygen, and moisture will determine the safety of the food being “held.”

Search: food safety knowledge and practices of home cooking (or of temporary food establisments/temporary food service.) This will give you information on the importancee of proper food handling and storage. (Another search- food safety knowledge and practice of food storage.) It will also make you sit up and think about eating food from those on the side of the road taco trucks, shrimp trucks, etc.

Information may be found on the Journal of Food Protection website:

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iafp/jfp

Love Texas – at 12:00

Cinda—thanks for your post on TVP, I know what it is but I learned a few things. Thanks for taking the time to post.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 12:02

Aren’t I remembering correctly that you can take fresh frozen veggies (like broccoli) out of the package, thaw a bit, spread out and dehydrate? You don’t have to blanche first because that’s already been done when it was frozen, right? Or am I crazy??

EnoughAlreadyat 12:12

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 12:02

Yep. That’s why I use frozen stuff, and because I don’t have a garden bounty. Some stuff can be plunked in the dehydrater frozen… it just takes a little longer. Other stuff, like spinach, it helps to have it where it is more pliable so it doesn’t dry in big hunks that might not get evenly dehydrated. Broccoli is another thing I thaw first… because the heads are so big. I chop or slice them into more managable sizes so that it dehydrates more evenly.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 13:08

Don’t you wish that you could dehydrate lettuce — can’t freeze the stuff, can’t can it (and have it lettuce-like) can’t dry it — man, makes you humble.

Thanks EnoughAlready, for confirming that for me — I’m heading to the grocery (if I can get my head above water long enough to) and wanted to start a few trays, but I was scratchin’ my head, thinkin’ I could be wrong.

EnoughAlreadyat 13:15

I think you are suppose to eat dandelions or other yard stuff… substitute for lettuce. ~snicker~ Or… make lettuce juice. I don’t think that’s been recalled yet… ecoli.

I’m-workin’-on-it – at 13:19

LOL! I needed cheering up today — you’ve done it! Thanks! It’s not only our anniversary (happy) but it’s been 1 month to the day that we had to put our 10 year old cat to sleep (sad) after having lost 2 others (age 22 and 16) within the last year to old age. Emotional day — I’d rather be happy than sad & you’ve helped!

08 November 2006

Malachi – at 22:07

anyone have any experience with dehydrating fish?lmk Thanks

25 November 2006

anonymous – at 19:38

HOW DO YOU DEHYDRATE APPLES IN THE MICROWAVE OR OVEN?

Nimbus – at 19:41

anonymous – at 19:38

I have not done this myself, but here’s a link to one method of drying apples in an oven.

http://www.seasonalchef.com/appledehyd.htm

side scroll?05 December 2006, 11:31

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I’m-workin’-on-it29 December 2006, 11:05

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malachi29 December 2006, 11:45

I did try dehydrating some cooked salmon and let me tell you that turned into some rock hard chunks of stuff.I guess if it comes down to it I will be happy that I can add some salmon to my potatoe soup

I’m-workin’-on-it29 December 2006, 21:56

I learned that you can ‘COOK’ raw salmon in lemon juice if the power goes out. The acid in the lemon juice reacts with the fish & in a 24 hour period will cook it so that it’s eatible. Only lemon juice will work, not OJ because it’s too sweet. Saw it done on a survival/power’s out show on Discovery.

I’m-workin’-on-it30 December 2006, 23:46

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I’m-workin’-on-it03 January 2007, 10:03

I’m doing celery today!

newname03 January 2007, 16:15

I’ve been reading all about using a dehydrator but I haven’t yet seen anywhere about how long the dehydrated foods lasted. Is there a time limit for each type of food? Or can all foods keep for 6 months,one year or how long? Thanks eveyone for help.

Bronco Bill03 January 2007, 16:31

newname — 03 January 2007, 16:15 ---

It all depends on the food. Most WELL-dehydrated food, if it’s stored properly, should last about a year.

Bronco Bill03 January 2007, 16:36

malachi — 29 December 2006, 11:45 --- You’ll find that with almost any fish. Dehydrating doesn’t work well. If you can learn how, the best way to dry fish it to smoke it (NO!! Not that way, either!!) It still comes out a bit tough, but it’s edible after smoking. And it takes some time to do it right.

malachi03 January 2007, 21:56

Bronco Bill….I really love smoked fish and I was hoping that the dehydrator would give me a similar outcome.No such luck.I passed up one of the metal can type at goodwill last summer and now wished I had got it.I ended up canning most of my salmon harvest.

Bump - Bronco Bill?04 January 2007, 08:56

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