Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2014 2:09:25 GMT -7
A copy of a thread I made on a forum I am a member of that is based over seas...so pardon anything that may seem odd.
Not sure if this has been done here, or not, but I thought I would hand out what knowledge I have on this subject....this is lengthy, but worth knowing.
I am going to make a few threads with different recipes and directions on dehydrating foods. Maybe some of these have already been covered & maybe not. The way I understand it, canning foods on your side of the pond is a bit on the expensive side. So....the next best thing would be to dehydrate foods. If you can get a vacuum sealer and mylar bags for storage, that would be the best way to keep them. I will at some point vac seal some of my pre-made meals, kits and goods I have &am drying, and post either a video or pics as I do it...just have to figure out a way to run my cell phone video recorder while working.
Anyways...I hope some of this is information you or someone you know can use. PLEASE keep in mind, even if you cannot grow a garden for whatever reason, you can still get gods from a market and dry them yourself. Catch goods on sale, and work them up. This will give you a better chance. If you cannot afford an electric dehydrator, there are good plans for solar dehydrators...I have several plans I will share in another thread. So...Here we go.
REMEMBER, you will always make mistakes!! And it is ALWAYS better to over dry something than to under dry it!! Not drying enough will cause mold & rot = loss of goods. And your home goods will NEVER be like that of commercial companies, they add preservatives, sugars, etc..your home dried foods will be healthier and better for you!!
EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED OR FIND HELPFUL:
~ Electric or solar dehydrator, drying racks, drying screens, some method to control the rate of hydration of goods to prevent bacteria growth.
~Containers, jars, bags...some way to store your finished products, preferably something that is air tight. Many vacuum sealers will have attachments that enable you to reuse regular mouth jars from food you get from the store...an attachment that fits over the lid and removes the air when the jar is filled.
~ Heatproof colander (stainless steel, enameled steel, silicone, etc) for draining blanched foods or checking berries and such.
~ Mesh liners or cut fine screen sections for the dehydrator trays for foods & grains that shrink to very small sizes when drying...this keeps them from falling through the trays. It also helps with fruits like watermelon, kiwi, apples, etc that are high in sugar and tend to stick between the brackets on the trays.
~ Heat proof, sturdy metal hand ladle strainer for dipping foods out of blanching water. This allows you to reuse the blanching water for more than one batch. After removing from the water, place in ice water to stop the food from cooking further, then place in colander to drain completely.
~ Parchment paper to line dehydrator trays. This is a cheaper alternative to the specialized leather or silicone sheets. The parchment paper protects the trays, etc from sticking foods when cooking or seperating prior to drying.
~ Metal, washable ruler with the 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch marks highlighted with a permanent marker. The foods need to be uniform in size when drying them, and these are the most used sizes...or mark whatever sizes are best indicated for your use.
~ Good quality sharp knives for assorted uses...the investment in a GOOD knife will save you a lot of headache and hand pain. And they will last many years. Be sure you invest in as high of quality of steel as possible, and knives that will not only hold a good cutting edge, but will also sharpen easily when needed.
~ A top quality sharpening stone or stick for your knives, as well as a top quality honing stick....I use the rods/sticks that are on large wooden handles. I simply added a couple pieces of protective thick leather to the base of each one where they enter the handle, this protects my hands from any slips of the knife while sharpening or honing. The best quality sticks will last a lifetime if cared for properly.
~ Timers...you will need some sort of timer that will let you set it for up to 24 hours. I keep a battery operated digital timer that goes up to 72 hours and can be set by the minute, I also keep an old fashioned wind up clanging clock handy just in case my timer decides to quit. This clock can be set for any time in a 24 hour period. ALWAYS have back up!! My dehydrator also has a timer built into it. It cost about $10 extra, but to me it was well worth the investment.
~ I like to have a couple of things on hand to make it all a bit easier....vegetable peeler, citrus zester, garlic mincer, potato ricer, mandolin, kitchen shears, food processor, electric mini chopper & hand operated mini chopper, jerky gun and attachments, salad spinner, several clean hand towels, citric acid powder & lemon juice (helps prevent browning of certain foods when exposed to air and during blanching process), reusable cheesecloth, flour sack towels, vacuum bags of assorted sizes, silica packets for moisture & oxygen control in dried food packages, non-acidic sticker labels for marking packages with contents & dates, permanent markers with fine points for labeling, measuring cups & spoons, coffee bean grinder (great for pulverizing dried goods to a powder if wanted), reusable herb containers, cutting board, fruit & sauce sleeves for the dehydrator trays, and depending on what I am doing at the time will determine what kind of container I put the finished products in once they are packaged....50 gallon metal barrels with locking lids or 5 gallon metal buckets with sealing lids (both to keep packed foods safe from light and possible pests.
***Keep in mind, foods that are high in fats, or have any fat at all do not store well when dehydrated. You can make things like jerky and biltong, fish, etc, and store it in a very cool, dry place, but be very aware that it will go rancid quickly. If you have the option of being able to pressure can then you should take advantage of it. You can also preserve things like fish & pork in layers of salt. If you are able to build a small smoke house, this is another alternative for preserving some meats. Dehydrating is mainly for no fat/low fat foods, PLEASE keep this in mind when drying your foods. You do not want to get sick from bacteria or go hungry because your food goes rancid. Meats, poultry & fish should be cooked prior to dehydrating to kill bacteria and parasites, this will also give it a slightly longer shelf life, although it will not last lang.
***Some foods benefit from blanching & checking versus a full cooking before dehydrating. Blanch times will vary according to the item being processed. The same goes for the length of time it is dehydrated and at what temperature and the preferred air speed circulating. Of course, if you are resorting to using a solar dehydrator, or even racks in the open on hit summer days, you will need to have some way to watch the temperature to be sure it at least gets hot enough to kill bacteria as the food dries.
***Things that will impact the shelf life of your dried goods include exposure to sunlight, heat, air, moisture and time. Before drying your goods, be sure you have the proper area to store the goods to best protect them. The better your storage plan, the longer the shelf life and the better the food will retain nutritional value. It is best to keep light away from food even while it is drying. If you are using a solar dehydrator, care must be taken to protect the food from light. Light will destroy the much needed vitamins and nutrition in the foods. Simple window tinting can be used to block sunlight in solar dehydrators.
***After drying foods, no matter what the method used, keep in mind, the food is hot. You must let the food cool completely before being packaged or moisture will build in the packaging. This will defeat the purpose of drying and cause your food to mold and spoil very fast.
***Some foods are good eaten dry or as a leathers (like fruit), others must be rehydrated to be eaten. This can be done individually, or combined together to make strews, soups, etc. Each item will require different amounts of liquid and length of time to fully hydrate. You can use water, stock, broth, fruit juice or any liquid you prefer for this. Some rehydrate best in warmed liquid, others in room temperature or cold liquid. No food will ever hydrate to the exact texture and look that it had before drying, but once fully hydrated it will be tender, good to eat and have flavor.
I hope you find some of this helpful...next will be suggestions for time, temperatures, definitions, and such. Then I will move on to recipes. This is something you can easily do as a family, making full meals everyone enjoys, not just bland individual foods. There is a HUGE world out there of possibilities, I plan to introduce you to it as best as I can. Good luck and happy processing!!
Not sure if this has been done here, or not, but I thought I would hand out what knowledge I have on this subject....this is lengthy, but worth knowing.
I am going to make a few threads with different recipes and directions on dehydrating foods. Maybe some of these have already been covered & maybe not. The way I understand it, canning foods on your side of the pond is a bit on the expensive side. So....the next best thing would be to dehydrate foods. If you can get a vacuum sealer and mylar bags for storage, that would be the best way to keep them. I will at some point vac seal some of my pre-made meals, kits and goods I have &am drying, and post either a video or pics as I do it...just have to figure out a way to run my cell phone video recorder while working.
Anyways...I hope some of this is information you or someone you know can use. PLEASE keep in mind, even if you cannot grow a garden for whatever reason, you can still get gods from a market and dry them yourself. Catch goods on sale, and work them up. This will give you a better chance. If you cannot afford an electric dehydrator, there are good plans for solar dehydrators...I have several plans I will share in another thread. So...Here we go.
REMEMBER, you will always make mistakes!! And it is ALWAYS better to over dry something than to under dry it!! Not drying enough will cause mold & rot = loss of goods. And your home goods will NEVER be like that of commercial companies, they add preservatives, sugars, etc..your home dried foods will be healthier and better for you!!
EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED OR FIND HELPFUL:
~ Electric or solar dehydrator, drying racks, drying screens, some method to control the rate of hydration of goods to prevent bacteria growth.
~Containers, jars, bags...some way to store your finished products, preferably something that is air tight. Many vacuum sealers will have attachments that enable you to reuse regular mouth jars from food you get from the store...an attachment that fits over the lid and removes the air when the jar is filled.
~ Heatproof colander (stainless steel, enameled steel, silicone, etc) for draining blanched foods or checking berries and such.
~ Mesh liners or cut fine screen sections for the dehydrator trays for foods & grains that shrink to very small sizes when drying...this keeps them from falling through the trays. It also helps with fruits like watermelon, kiwi, apples, etc that are high in sugar and tend to stick between the brackets on the trays.
~ Heat proof, sturdy metal hand ladle strainer for dipping foods out of blanching water. This allows you to reuse the blanching water for more than one batch. After removing from the water, place in ice water to stop the food from cooking further, then place in colander to drain completely.
~ Parchment paper to line dehydrator trays. This is a cheaper alternative to the specialized leather or silicone sheets. The parchment paper protects the trays, etc from sticking foods when cooking or seperating prior to drying.
~ Metal, washable ruler with the 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch marks highlighted with a permanent marker. The foods need to be uniform in size when drying them, and these are the most used sizes...or mark whatever sizes are best indicated for your use.
~ Good quality sharp knives for assorted uses...the investment in a GOOD knife will save you a lot of headache and hand pain. And they will last many years. Be sure you invest in as high of quality of steel as possible, and knives that will not only hold a good cutting edge, but will also sharpen easily when needed.
~ A top quality sharpening stone or stick for your knives, as well as a top quality honing stick....I use the rods/sticks that are on large wooden handles. I simply added a couple pieces of protective thick leather to the base of each one where they enter the handle, this protects my hands from any slips of the knife while sharpening or honing. The best quality sticks will last a lifetime if cared for properly.
~ Timers...you will need some sort of timer that will let you set it for up to 24 hours. I keep a battery operated digital timer that goes up to 72 hours and can be set by the minute, I also keep an old fashioned wind up clanging clock handy just in case my timer decides to quit. This clock can be set for any time in a 24 hour period. ALWAYS have back up!! My dehydrator also has a timer built into it. It cost about $10 extra, but to me it was well worth the investment.
~ I like to have a couple of things on hand to make it all a bit easier....vegetable peeler, citrus zester, garlic mincer, potato ricer, mandolin, kitchen shears, food processor, electric mini chopper & hand operated mini chopper, jerky gun and attachments, salad spinner, several clean hand towels, citric acid powder & lemon juice (helps prevent browning of certain foods when exposed to air and during blanching process), reusable cheesecloth, flour sack towels, vacuum bags of assorted sizes, silica packets for moisture & oxygen control in dried food packages, non-acidic sticker labels for marking packages with contents & dates, permanent markers with fine points for labeling, measuring cups & spoons, coffee bean grinder (great for pulverizing dried goods to a powder if wanted), reusable herb containers, cutting board, fruit & sauce sleeves for the dehydrator trays, and depending on what I am doing at the time will determine what kind of container I put the finished products in once they are packaged....50 gallon metal barrels with locking lids or 5 gallon metal buckets with sealing lids (both to keep packed foods safe from light and possible pests.
***Keep in mind, foods that are high in fats, or have any fat at all do not store well when dehydrated. You can make things like jerky and biltong, fish, etc, and store it in a very cool, dry place, but be very aware that it will go rancid quickly. If you have the option of being able to pressure can then you should take advantage of it. You can also preserve things like fish & pork in layers of salt. If you are able to build a small smoke house, this is another alternative for preserving some meats. Dehydrating is mainly for no fat/low fat foods, PLEASE keep this in mind when drying your foods. You do not want to get sick from bacteria or go hungry because your food goes rancid. Meats, poultry & fish should be cooked prior to dehydrating to kill bacteria and parasites, this will also give it a slightly longer shelf life, although it will not last lang.
***Some foods benefit from blanching & checking versus a full cooking before dehydrating. Blanch times will vary according to the item being processed. The same goes for the length of time it is dehydrated and at what temperature and the preferred air speed circulating. Of course, if you are resorting to using a solar dehydrator, or even racks in the open on hit summer days, you will need to have some way to watch the temperature to be sure it at least gets hot enough to kill bacteria as the food dries.
***Things that will impact the shelf life of your dried goods include exposure to sunlight, heat, air, moisture and time. Before drying your goods, be sure you have the proper area to store the goods to best protect them. The better your storage plan, the longer the shelf life and the better the food will retain nutritional value. It is best to keep light away from food even while it is drying. If you are using a solar dehydrator, care must be taken to protect the food from light. Light will destroy the much needed vitamins and nutrition in the foods. Simple window tinting can be used to block sunlight in solar dehydrators.
***After drying foods, no matter what the method used, keep in mind, the food is hot. You must let the food cool completely before being packaged or moisture will build in the packaging. This will defeat the purpose of drying and cause your food to mold and spoil very fast.
***Some foods are good eaten dry or as a leathers (like fruit), others must be rehydrated to be eaten. This can be done individually, or combined together to make strews, soups, etc. Each item will require different amounts of liquid and length of time to fully hydrate. You can use water, stock, broth, fruit juice or any liquid you prefer for this. Some rehydrate best in warmed liquid, others in room temperature or cold liquid. No food will ever hydrate to the exact texture and look that it had before drying, but once fully hydrated it will be tender, good to eat and have flavor.
I hope you find some of this helpful...next will be suggestions for time, temperatures, definitions, and such. Then I will move on to recipes. This is something you can easily do as a family, making full meals everyone enjoys, not just bland individual foods. There is a HUGE world out there of possibilities, I plan to introduce you to it as best as I can. Good luck and happy processing!!