Food Drying Basics

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Anyone can dry food at home at low cost. Dried fruits, vegetables and meats retain vitamins and minerals, take up comparatively little space, and should be part of your Y2K food storage program. Also, the cost of home-dried foods is a fraction of the cost of store-bought, and is usually healthier because you control what goes into it (preservatives, etc.).

Dehydrators

There are a lot of them out there, and prices range up to $300 and more for deluxe models. Some dry food better than others, but they'll all get the job done with more or less effort on your part. For the past several years, I've been drying food with a pair of inexpensive dehydrators purchased at Kmart. These are round, about a foot-and-a-half in diameter, have four circular shelves and are priced at about $25.00 each. They have a single heating element in the bottom, and no fan. Definitely near the bottom end as far as features go, but they work.

Foods To Dry

Almost any food can be dehydrated, but certain steps have to be followed. Whole fruit and vegetables must be sliced reasonably thin (1/4" or less) to ensure rapid drying, as should meat. Additionally, meat must be extremely lean if it's to be dried, since fat cannot be dried and will turn rancid in storage. Additives such as sugar and salt are not necessary for successful drying, but can be added as desired. As with canning, select fruit and vegetables that are free from bruises and soft spots, or that are overripe. Meat should have as little fat marbling as possible, and ideally should be cooked before drying to render out the fat, as well as kill any parasites.

The Drying Process

Place the slices of food on the racks, being sure to leave small space sin between the pieces to allow for air circulation - this aids in the drying process. Put the racks on the heating unit, and place the cover on. Note the time - after a few hours, rotate the racks, placing the bottom rack at the top. This will help equalize the drying in units without a fan. Check the food after 12 hours or so to test for dryness. Some books on the subject say that if the food can bend a little, it's dry enough. I disagree, and prefer the food to actually break when bent. This means its moisture content is well below 10%, and can be safely stored for a long time.

Storage

Any airtight food-grade container is suitable for storing dried food. Mason Jars with bands and lids, Tupperware, even ziploc bags one inside the other can be used. The main enemies of dried food are light, heat and moisture. Store it out of the light, in a cool, dry palce, and it will last a long time. As I sit here typing this, I have a #10 can of dried apples sitting in the storage closet that I put up in 1995. They are as edible today as they were the day I dried them, with no trace of mold or other deterioration.

Reconstituting Dried Foods

Depending on the food, you can simply let the food soak covered in a small amount of water overnight, but I prefer to place food and water on the stove and heat at a low simmer - it tends to help the food's texture to shorten the soaking period. Once rehydrated, use them as you normally would in recipes.

I hope this has been helpful.

-- sparks (wireless@home.com), March 22, 1999

Answers

Sparks, Many Thanks.

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), March 22, 1999.

Any special hints on drying ham?

-- RD. ->H (drherr@erols.com), March 22, 1999.

--RD hey keep the ham on the hog. It will last longer that way. and gain in size over the next few months...My suggestion or question would be How about Honey Baked Hams ??? spiral cut and dried ??? Sounds good to me !!! Furie...

-- Furie (furieart@dnet.net), March 22, 1999.

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