Food Dehydrators

What is a food dehydrator? As its name implies, this is a machine capable of dehydrating a variety of foods. Fruit and vegetables are some of the most popular. They can be mashed together to create fruit leather, or dried separately for toppings in soup or cereal. There are many benefits to dehydrating, not the least of which is health.

How Do Food Dehydrators Work?

So, how do electric food dehydrators work? Simply put, a stainless steel food dehydrator serves to remove moisture from food. The dehydrator operates through the use of a heating element, a fan, food trays, and air vents. Each of these parts serves an important purpose. 

The food dehydrator eating element, for instance, heats the food just enough for the moisture to leave. From there, the sunbeam food lab fans blow the moisture out through the food dehydrator air vents. Over time, this creates food that is perfectly dry.

The food dehydrator is mainly used for the purpose of vacuum sealers preservation. Indeed, the primary aim of food dehydration is to hinder the growth of microorganisms, such as yeast, mold, and bacteria. The result? A longer, fresher shelf-life.

There are also plenty of other great benefits of dehydrating your food, as listed below.

Why Dehydrate? 

Retain Nutrients 

Unfortunately, fresh produce can lose a lot of nutrients -especially vitamin C- shortly after harvest. In fact, according to studies done at the University of California, vegetables can lose 15-50% of their vitamin C. Some types of spinach were even shown to lose a full 90% of vitamin C, within just 24 hours after harvest. What is a smart way to combat this? Popping your produce in the dehydrator. This effectively locks in some of the nutrients and healthy enzymes. 

In this modern world, we are surrounded by processed, preservative-filled foods, with very little nutritive value. A stainless steel electric food dehydrator is an excellent, smart alternative.

Avoid Pesticides 

Pesticides and GMOs are very common. Choosing your own produce and dehydrating your own food is a smart, sure way to avoid these.

Availability

In many places, there is not as much fresh produce available in the winter. Most noticeably missing are strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and the like. When produce is in season, you can stock up on your favorites, and dry them in your very own stainless steel food dehydrator. Store them properly during the season of air conditioners, and they can last into the cold months for you to later enjoy.

Reduce Waste

Oftentimes, our stomachs are bigger than our eyes when it comes to buying produce. As a consequence, fruits, veggies, and greens expire before we get a chance to consume them. The Australian Government cost estimates roughly $20 billion a year in food waste. (https://www.ozharvest.org/what-we-do/environment-facts/).

Dehydrating a portion of your food will solve this problem neatly. You will not have to throw out as much rotten or excess food, thanks to the extended shelf-life. An electric food dehydrator Kmart is an eco-friendly means of reducing waste, as well as a smart and thrifty way to get the most out of your payment.

Save Space

Most fruits and veggies are anywhere from 80-96% water. Meat and other foods are also full of moisture. This means that, when they are put in a food dehydrator, they shrink. 

Should you plan to dehydrate some food, it is smart to buy in bulk! Keep the extra in your fridges freezers. Once dehydrated, food becomes much smaller and easier to store.

Variety

An electric food dehydrator will introduce you to a world of possibility. Indeed, kitchen appliances food dehydrators are some of the best kitchen appliances for enjoying food. With a quality electric food dehydrator, you can turn simple fruit slices into a crisp, sweet snack. Or, create some crackers on the sheets that are super-nutritious and raw. 

What Can You Dehydrate?

• Strawberries. Dried strawberries are a crisp and tart fruit, and make a great addition to cereal and trail mix. A hint of strawberry flavor here and there can really make a snack.
• Apricots. Dehydrate any spare apricots before they become overripe. These are tasty dry or can be plumped up with water, or rehydrated, to enjoy.
• Bananas. You may have noticed that, among fruit, bananas have an especially short shelf-life. Dehydrating your extra bananas can solve this problem nicely. Dried bananas, AKA banana chips, are a healthy, fibrous, sweet and crunchy fruit snack.
• Tomatoes. Technically a fruit, right? Use dried tomatoes on pizza or in sandwiches, or go crazy and use the powder to make ketchup, homemade.
• Apples. Dried apples and other fruit, and a bit of cinnamon, go wonderfully in oatmeal. They are good to snack on plain, to garnish tea, or even to put in a pie. 
• Potatoes. Potatoes tend to become hard when dried. This makes them rather unsuitable plain. They are however great in soups, where slices or chunks can rehydrate in the broth. Potatoes absorb flavor especially well.
• Carrots. Should you wish to give dehydrated carrots a try, it is recommended to first steam or boil them before drying. This will cause them to shrink a bit more, but will also allow them to retain more color and flavor. Keep in mind that carrots shrink a lot; opt for big carrots rather than baby ones to keep the dried bits a palatable size.
• Peppers. Dried peppers are an extremely popular dried food item. You can even find them in most restaurants, readily available on the table. Dried pepper can add a dash of color, black spice, and flavor to pizza, burritos, casseroles, and more.
• Mushrooms. For dehydrating purposes, go for small white or Baby Bella. These are about the optimum size. Like potatoes, mushrooms are highly absorbant of flavor. You can put food dehydrator dried mushrooms in hot soup -they are particularly good in hot Miso soup-, on pizzas, and so on.

Meat Jerky

A stainless steel food dehydrator is also an ideal way to make your own beef jerky, etc. The dehydrator in question must simply be able to reach at least 160 and have a fan. Lean meat works best after you have removed any fat or sinew. From here, cut into steps that are 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches wide by 4 to 8 inches long, roughly.

Before drying, you must give the meat a vinegar soak. Then marinate the meat as you desire. Dehydrate the strips at 160F, for 4-6 hours. After 2 hours, check on your beef jerky. Adjust the jerky as needs be.

Seed Crackers

Food dehydrators are actually a lovely way to make crackers from seeds. This is simple to do. All that is needed are the seeds of your choice, and/or black flax, nut flour, or the like. There are many recipes to choose from out there. Whatever ingredients you pick, don’t forget the seasoning; salt and pepper are a must-have.

Food Dehydrating Tips

Proper Temperature and Time

When it comes to dehydrating food correctly, there is always a proper temperature and time. First and foremost, this varies depending on the dehydrator that you have. Most have general sunbeam food lab dehydrator guidelines for temperature and time. Go for 95% dehydration.

Prepare Your Produce

For dehydrating, clean your produce as well as you would if you were eating it fresh. Clearly, dehydrating does not remove dirt, pesticides, or the like. For this, you will need your sinks taps.

To prepare low-acid vegetables, steam them for 10 minutes before you dehydrate. Pat them dry and place them on the dehydrator accordingly. To help keep them from browning, give apples and bananas a lemon juice spritz.

Use a Top Quality and Trusted Brand Like Biochef

According to the Dehydrator Blog, an official website that consolidated the detailed and genuine reviews of customer buyers, Biochef is a trusted brand of food dehydrator you can rely on.

The state-of-the-art food dehydrator at Biochef is suitable for both personal and commercial use.

So, why is the food dehydrator so great? With a food dehydrator, you can preserve fresh food for a very long time. This means that you can enjoy your favorite seasonal fruits, out of season. Food dehydrating is an excellent way to get more fruits and veggies in your diet, in the fun form of a treat or a snack. Dried food is space-efficient, and dried fruit is super-healthy. With its versatility, a food dehydrator will bring a world of possibility into your home.