Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Basic Do's and Don'ts during Food Dehydration

By Katherine Thompson


Having a healthy lifestyle has been a trend among many people today to avoid suffering different health issues and diseases that one may get from eating unhealthy foods. Many have converted themselves into vegans who strictly follow a no-meat meal. Organic farming was established to cater the needs of health conscious individuals by providing them organic foods without the use of artificial fertilizer, insecticides, and other chemicals that may alter the nutritional content of the plants.

For those who can't give up their meat-diet resorted to a healthier way of preparing their food such as grilling and dehydrating to keep the nutrients intact. Food dehydrator became famous among households as it prepares almost all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and even meat. This unit features the easy process of taking the water of foods, all you have to do is place them on the dehydrating trays and you're good to go. Moreover, they process your foods without losing all its nutrients that may take off in frying.

For those who want to have a healthy lifestyle, you may start by eating healthy. And if your still want to have meats like beef jerky, then you can use a food dehydrator. However, for you to have best results by using this system, you might want to consider following the following do's and don'ts in food dehydrating.

Prior to dehydrating, DO start with slicing your food into 1/4 of an inch strips. This maximizes the amount of the food surface to be exposed to the heat and air flow system of the dehydrator. Then, spread the strips evenly and thoroughly on the dehydrator trays. Do remember to check the status of the food during the drying process because the slices nearest to the unit fan tend to dry more quickly than the rest. Also, do rotate the trays to even out the process.

After dehydrating, allow your food to dry and cool at room temperature to avoid "sweating" when put in an air-tight container. Also, do clean the unit, especially the bottom part, with warm water after use to prevent molds to develop.

Meanwhile, don't try to speed up your dehydrating process by setting the thermostat above the normal dehydrating temperature as this can make your food hard on the outside yet moist on the interior. In keeping your food, don't forget to label the containers for you to monitor its shelf life.

Remember: don't be afraid on experimenting with different kinds of recipes for food dehydration and to explore more foods to prepare. However, don't dehydrate different food categories at the same time, such as onions and fruits, to avoid altering their natural smell and flavour.




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