13 Things You Should Know Before Dehydrating Food (2024)

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13 Things You Should Know Before Dehydrating Food (2)

Dehydration is a fantastic way to preserve food for the future. There are many reasons why I like dehydrating food: it's safe, it's easy, and it's cheaper than buying dehydrated food. Better yet, the food itself is more nutritious, it's lightweight, it doesn't take up much space, and some of it is absolutely delicious (like banana chips).

Of course, if you want to dehydrate your own food, you'll need a good dehydrator. This one–which I've used a lot–is about $60. It's not one of the high-end dehydrators like the Excalibur, but it definitely gets the job done.

Before you jump in and start throwing everything you can find into your dehydrator, there are a few things you should know. Here are 13 things I've learned along the way.

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1. Start by learning your dehydrator and reading the instructions.

Dehydrators can be split into three categories: bottom fan, top fan, and back fan. Most people would recommend a back fan dehydrator since it encourages even drying. However, even with a back fan you will need to move trays around to ensure even and consistent drying.

2. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can use your oven or air dry.

Any leafy green–mint, lemon balm, sage, oregano, lettuce, or even carrot tops–can be air dried. Herbs are particularly easy to dry. All you have to do is hang them up in a dry room. If you try this method, make sure direct sunlight does not strike the herbs.

Depending on the size of the herb bunch, it can take anywhere from a few days to a week to fully dry. Herbs should be crisply dried and should crumble easily.

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3. Some vegetables should be blanched before you dehydrate them.

It's not required, but doing so will keep the colors brighter, help retain the vitamins, and make your dehydrated food taste fresher after you rehydrate it. All you have to do is lower your food into boiling water for a few minutes, then put it in ice-cold water to stop it from cooking. Here's a guide to blanching vegetables.

4. Dehydrate only one family of foods at a time.

If you are dehydrating tomatoes, you can also do hot peppers, but be aware that the tomatoes will end up being spicy. Any brassica should be dehydrated on its own, otherwise the sulfur taste will permeate into the other foods. Fruits can be mixed together, but mixing them with strong tasting or smelling vegetables is not recommended.

5. While drying in the same family of food, there are a few tricks to make sure the drying process is even.

Always aim to have fruits and veggies sliced to the same thickness. And never overlap fruit or veggie pieces, as it will block airflow and prevent the food from drying. The exception is greens, as they are loose and dry easily even with a few light layers on the tray.

6. You can dehydrate any fruit or vegetable, regardless of quality or ripeness.

If something is too ripe and soft, you can always puree it and dry the puree. Although using the best quality fruits and veggies will result in the best quality dried goods, remember that the goal here is preservation, not perfection.

So don’t be afraid to dehydrate the bruised, overripe, and slightly damaged goods. Just make sure not to put mold in the dehydrator as it can spread and infect the rest of the foods.

7. Fruit purees are an awesome way to store and eat overripe, funny shaped, or otherwise damaged fruits.

Small apples are awesome turned into fruit leather, and overripe plums, peaches, and berries also work amazing in fruit leather. You can combine most other fruits with apples to make a flexible leather that is perfect for snacks and keeping on hand for emergency energy.

If you do not have a dedicated puree tray as an accessory with your dehydrator, it is very easy to cover the normal tray with some cello wrap and dry on that. However, if you are using cello wrap, always make sure to flip the leather once the top is dry so that it dries completely on both sides.

8. If you intend to dry hot peppers or onions, keep your dehydrator outside in a well-ventilated area.

And be prepared to scrub the dehydrator trays with soap and water afterward. With peppers, the oils will become airborne in the first part of the dehydrating process and can be an eye irritant. The oils will also remain on the trays, so take care when cleaning them and packing the dried peppers away.

Onions are more airborne than peppers, so make sure there is plenty of ventilation around the dehydrator when working with them.

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9. Berries, like blueberries or grapes, can be a challenge on the dehydrating front.

They are small, but a contained unit. Most berries are small enough to be dried whole, but large grapes should be cut in half. If you want to dry seeded grapes, you can cut them in half to remove the seeds and then dry them. Berries can easily over-dry, so you want to watch and make sure that they remain slightly supple, and not too crispy.

10. Different foods will require different dehydration temperatures.

Check your dehydrator thermostat and make sure it is accurate before beginning to dry meat or fish. Also, always remember to clean your dehydrator between families of items, or between doing meat or fish and any fruit or veggie.

11. You can also use your dehydrator to make special foods, like kale chips, for snacks or storage.

If you are making something like kale chips, which have oil and spices on them, you will want to ensure the trays get washed before drying fruit or something that doesn’t go well with garlic.

12. With a dehydrator, you don’t have to waste much of anything.

One fun way to get the most out of your summer harvest, and your dehydrator, is to dry and powder items you’d normally get rid of. Have an over-abundance of late-season lettuce, chard, beet greens, or carrot tops? Dry them all and powder them in a food processor–it makes an easy to store vitamin powder for late winter soups and stews.

If you’re making tomato sauce, take the skins you’d normally throw away and dehydrate them. Then powder the skins and you have your own tomato powder that is perfect for mixing into sauces or breads. You can dry tomato skins and hot peppers at the same time if you want a spicy tomato powder.

13. Storage is very important for any preserved food, and dehydrated foods are no exception.

Store either in heavy-duty zippered bags in a metal container, or store in dry, sterile, glass jars. If you choose to store in plastic bags within a larger can, keep food families separate.

For example, don’t try to store the broccoli in the same can as peaches. If you do, each will pick up hints of flavor from the other, which wouldn't taste very good. For long-term storage, I recommend using Mylar bags.

To learn more about dehydrating, watch this video series by Dehydrate2Store. If you're looking for ideas, check out these dehydrating recipes.

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13 Things You Should Know Before Dehydrating Food (2024)

FAQs

What not to do when dehydrating food? ›

Therefore, avoid drying foods like peanut butter or avocados and be sure to trim meat to remove any fat before dehydrating. While nonfat dairy products can technically be dehydrated, it's not recommended and may be associated with a higher risk of foodborne illness.

How long will dehydrated food last? ›

However, do-it-yourself home dehydrators may only remove 80% of the water in food, leaving it with a shorter shelf life. However, most top end dehydrated food will still maintain a shelf life of up to 15 years, and depending on the type of food, in some cases up to 25 years.

How should you prepare food before dehydrating? ›

To blanch or not to blanch

Blanching refers to pre-heating your vegetables, fruits, and meats before placing them in your dehydrator. People usually blanch vegetables—particularly those that take longer to cook—because it helps prevent flavor loss before drying.

What are the dangers of dehydrating food? ›

Dehydrated foods have a higher calorie content by weight and can be high in sodium and sugars, depending on the food. In excess, these nutrients can cause weight gain and increase your risk of obesity, heart problems, and diabetes.

What foods do not dehydrate well? ›

While a lot of food can be dehydrated, there are a few that should be avoided entirely for food safety or effectiveness reasons, such as:
  • Fats – The dehydration process relies on the evaporation of moisture and unfortunately, fats do not evaporate.
  • Nut butter – Too high in fat to dehydrate.
  • Avocados – Too high in fat.

Can I run a food dehydrator overnight? ›

Provided that you have it on a heat resistant surface, everything flammable away from it, and don't have children or pets running about that could mess with it, yes.

Can I store dehydrated food in Ziploc bags? ›

Seal your dehydrated food in airtight containers.

Exposing dehydrated foods to air begins the oxidation process. Prevent premature oxidation by keeping your food in airtight storage containers like glass jars, plastic bags, or vacuum-sealed bags.

Can you get sick from dehydrated food? ›

They are commonly misconstrued to be inherently safe from food borne pathogenic bacteria. However, there are many reported cases where many food borne illnesses were caused by the consumption of dried foods contaminated with Salmonella spp., Cronobacter spp., Staphylococcus spp. and E. coli.

What is the best meat to dehydrate? ›

Loin – A cut that's lean and full of flavor, making it perfect for dehydration. It's a prime cut that results in excellent jerky. Roasts – These are larger cuts, like the shoulder or haunch, that can be sliced thin and dehydrated to make jerky. They're lean and flavorful, making them great for dehydration.

Do you leave the oven door open when dehydrating? ›

If your oven operates only in conventional, static mode, open the oven door to let the air circulate. You can also dehydrate food in a gas oven, but since it is unprovided with low temperatures, the oven lights and fan must be switched on only.

Do you need to flip food in dehydrator? ›

You will probably need to rotate trays at least once from bottom to top during the drying process. Doing so will ensure more even and consistent drying regardless of the type of dehydrator you own.

Can you over dehydrate food? ›

The nuanced answer is this; You cannot overdry foods you plan on putting into storage. The drier it is, the better it will store. You might over dry fruit leather or jerky a little more than your taste preference is, but you cannot overdry food meant for food storage.

How long will dehydrated food last in vacuum sealed bags? ›

Now back to how long dehydrated food will last if vacuumed-sealed. Vacuum-sealed dehydrated products can last for up to 10 years. This is because the vacuum seal bag prevents oxygen from entering. Bacteria and mold cannot develop or destroy dehydrated food without oxygen.

Can I use my air fryer as a dehydrator? ›

Air fryers are capable of dehydrating food as they function quite similarly to dehydrators. But you must check your own individual air fryer to see what settings you need to use to dehydrate your own food. Your air fryer needs to be on a low heat to be able to dehydrate food, and it must be at a temperature below 45℃.

What not to do when dehydrated? ›

Avoid alcohol and caffeine, as they can make dehydration worse.

What are some important safety protocols when dehydrating food? ›

Maintain the temperature at 140° F. Watch the temperature even more carefully toward the end of the drying process. To prevent scorching, lower temperature to 120° F if possible. Examine the food often and turn trays frequently, removing foods as they dry.

What is removed from food when it is dehydrated? ›

In drying or dehydration, water is removed from the food by hot air or heated surface driers. Examples of the former include cabinet, tunnel, conveyor, and fluidized bed driers, and the latter include drum and vacuum shelf driers.

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