Any FReepers use a food dehydrator??

[djf]

I wuz at a yard sale and bought a couple do-it-yourself type handbooks.

Gal had a Ronco food dehydrator but I didn't get it then... after driving around a bit I went back and got it.

Hitting it with bleach and all the cleaning stuff now.

So! Any FReepers use a dehydrator? Experiences? Good things to dehydrate or not-so-good?

Manual says you can use it to make jerky. Anybody tried that?

All ideas welcome!

[JRandomFreeper]

I believe they were blanched before freezing to preserve their color.

You are correct. I speak as a culinary school graduate on that.

/johnny

[SatinDoll]

Thanks for the info.

[TEXOKIE]

“cucumbers (yes, you can)”

I have no doubt you can dry cucumbers, but could you tell me your favorite way to use them once they are dried?

Thanks!

[samiam1972]

I got a dehydrator for Christmas so I’m still new at this. We’ve dehydrated apples, bananas and lemon slices. The kids eat the apples and bananas so quickly! I use the lemon slices in marinade, my ice water and for lemonade. They also look pretty in my glass jars. :0)

I’m growing pumpkins again this year and am planning on attempting to dehydrate cooked pumpkin for baking all winter.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Ping to Ladysmith! I saw this thread and thought of you (hope all is well—miss ya on the Q/R thread!)

[samiam1972]

I forgot to add that we tried very lightly salted super this sliced squash and zucchini chips, too. They were a wonderful snack! I think I’ll make more this week. I had forgotten about those. So glad you started this thread!

[knarf]

just crispy snacks for us.

I've learned we don't have to season anything because apparently something happens when you dehydrate ... I don't know what, but tomatoes are a little spicy and bananas come out sweeter than what they taste when a banana and the cuke (almost disappears) is just a nice cucumber crisp.

[reformedliberal]

How do you use the dehydrated cukes?

[reformedliberal]

I dehydrate liver for dog treats.

. Start w/frozen liver. Defrost about halfway. Quickly slice through the usual 4 slices cutting across the slices, then cut each long strip into 3 pieces. Toss w/a scant 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Arrange on the mesh-like plastic tray liners used for fruit. I have a Nesco and run it 2 hours at 160 degrees, turning the pieces over after an hour. If it is still soft, turn to 120 and run until the liver pieces are firm, yet can be broken and are no longer pink inside.

The blood makes the cleanup difficult. I soak the mesh tray liner in a laundry tub and use Dawn Power dissolver on the tray and (carefully) on the base that contains the motor/fan. Then, wash the tray and wipe the dried blood off the base, which cannot be immersed.

Great for the dog. He loves it and a pound of liver lasts about 3 weeks and costs under $3 for beef and less for pork plus the cost of electricity. A pound of commercial treats costs around $10, so there is a cost savings, too.

[djf]

OK!!

Dehydrator is sweatin away. Went to the local supermarket because they had had bell peppers on sale, the orange, red, yellow ones, but I guess the sale expired.

So wandered around produce, saw something, figured why not, they were already sliced, might as well try it....

My first experiment with food dehydration is: MUSHROOMS

[knarf]

just like chips

[knarf]

just like chips

[Arrowhead1952]

I have a dehydrator and use it all summer long. Anything from the garden that is not eaten gets sliced up and dehydrated. I then put them in zip lock baggies and freeze them. They last forever and are great for whatever you need, soups, etc. If you want to just eat the veggie just add water and rehydrate them.

There is your answer. We use our dehydrator many times, and have had good luck with veggies or fruit.

[greeneyes]

Yes, I have a dehydrator. It’s great. I use it for fruits and veggies. I have made jerky before, but used the oven because that was before I bought the dehydrator.

I really like making the homemade strawberry fruit rolls, since the kids liked them so much.

Most companies have instructions for dehydrators that you can download as well as websites to order additional supplies that you might need.

Plus there are all sorts of recipes-all you need to do is a recipe search and you’ll get more recipes than you can shake a stick at.

[greeneyes]

I ran some strawberries through my juicer and used the liquid to make strawberry syrup.

Then I took the strawberry fiber, combined it with a little honey, and dried it. Made a good fruit leather and no problem with too much liquid.LOL

[ccmay]

I personally detest morels, and I cooked hundreds of pounds of them for some fine-dining restaurants.

I can take them or leave them. Fresh porcini, Boletus edulis, that's my thing. I would rather eat those than almost anything.

One thing I noticed from reading stuff from the 1700s was something called 'mushroom condiment'. I chased that down, and besides mushroom catsups, dried ground mushroom powder was used as a flavoring agent, much like salt or pepper is. So I made some. It's very good. I don't know why that went out of style.

You can still get it in England. I have wanted to try making it, and if I find myself with a surfeit of porcini or agaricus mushrooms this season, I certainly will.

-ccm

[djf]

For those with experience, have you ever successfully done any citrus?

I’m wondering about tangerines. Seems like a definite maybe!

[sneakers]

Ping!

[reformedliberal]

Do you peel them first and how thin are they sliced?

My husband likes Veggie Chips. If he would eat these, they would be healthier. You can only make so many pickles.

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks! How very interesting. The flavors are enhanced probably because of the concentration of the tissues caused by drying.

We have a dehydrator, but have not gotten our round-tuit in gear to use it. Since my Darlin has caused us to have not only two store boughten cucumber plants, but also provided with me with seeds, if all goes well, we may be having a lot of cucumbers to deal with. I love the idea of dehydrating them!