Questions tagged [dehydrating]

The tag has no usage guidance.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
4 votes
4 answers
185 views

What additional uses are there for a food dehydrator?

Recently browsing a certain online website I've discovered the cost of food dehydrators has fallen considerably since they first came to market. Realising that I may incur the wrath of my other half ...
  • 4,279
0 votes
1 answer
69 views

Drying sweet potatoes sticks

I am trying to dry sweet potatoe sticks (look like French fries). I’m drying them in a food dehydrator. When they are finished drying they come out looking like they have mold on them even though they ...
1 vote
1 answer
122 views

Why are the tops of my sponge cakes tough and cracking?

My sponge cake has a layer on the top of the cake that is cracking and can be peeled off the cake. I have tried beating the mixture for a longer period.
  • 119
2 votes
2 answers
225 views

What's the optimal temperature to dry cheese using oven or dehydrator?

I want to make a dried cheese powder to use as seasoning and, if possible, extend shelf life and reduce weight. I don't have a freeze dryer so I'll need to use air for that. Problem with using ...
  • 1,602
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

How do I make even layers of puree for dehydrator?

"Fruit" leathers are useful to store all the goodness of orchard - and garden! - produce. But, uneven layers of puree result in uneven dehydration. In particular, the edges of the puree ...
3 votes
3 answers
225 views

Can flavoured syrups be dried to powder, and if so how?

I've made some rather good ginger syrup by simmering chopped ginger root in equal parts sugar and water, then straining. I made rather a lot, nearly half a litre, and used less than planned. Most is ...
  • 41.5k
3 votes
1 answer
655 views

Does blanching cause loss of mass/weight in the vegetable?

Let's say I am water-blanching 100g of green beans. After the blanching process will the resulting weight be less than 100g? I aim to dehydrate the blanched 100 g of green beans. Will dehydrating ...
  • 181
11 votes
2 answers
583 views

What is the science of drying/dehydrating meat? Biltong, jerky, etc

What is the science of drying meat? This is a cross-topic question, but I think it's best suited here. Let me know if it should be elsewhere... I am South African and one of our traditional snacks is '...
-1 votes
1 answer
129 views

What determines if something is easy to chew? A lot of liquid or totally dehydrated?

On one hand, we have foods like jelly or melted cheese which are primarily liquid and seem very easy to eat and swallow. On the other hand, we have astronaut food or some pastries (or cotton candy?) ...
0 votes
2 answers
282 views

How to maximize shelf-life of freeze-dried food beyond 25 years? How far can this be exceeded?

Many manufacturers will sell and advertise emergency preparedness food packs to still taste "great" 25-30 years into the future (or at least maintain a consistent taste over this period). ...
  • 117
1 vote
1 answer
143 views

Is it possible (and easy) to dehydrate meat in oven?

I'm looking to buy a stovetop oven since I don't have a regular oven, but the temperature slider of most ovens seem to go from 100C to 230C while dehydrating meat should occur at 70C. Is it viable to ...
1 vote
1 answer
381 views

Eating dehydrated uncooked red potato

I sliced some red potatoes and put them, without any prior processing (no cooking, no frying etc.), in a dehydrator at 45 celsius. Several hours later, they came out crispy and tasty. However, when I ...
2 votes
1 answer
191 views

after re-hydrating and desalinating a salted cod it became slightly brown

I bought a dried and salted cod (aka Bacalhau) and cut it into pieces, used some of those and left about half of it in a dry, dark area in the kitchen cabinet for a month. Salted cod should last much ...
  • 923
2 votes
2 answers
4k views

Can I dehydrate homemade sausage with a dehydrator?

Is it safe to dry homemade sausages that have been cured with Cure #1 in a dehydrator instead of hanging them out to slowly dry? The dehydrator I have goes from 90F to 190F.
0 votes
1 answer
641 views

How to dehydrate nuts using an oven for a short time?

The websites say after soaking nuts, I can dehydrate them using oven on low heat for 12 hours. But can I do it using higher heat for 1 hr only? and what would happen if I store nuts when they are ...
3 votes
3 answers
189 views

Is there a way to incorporate air into a gel made from starch and will the pockets of air stay when dehydrated?

I'm experimenting with creating puff cereal at home. I was wondering if creating a gel, dehydrating it and then puffing it in an oven with high pressure is the only way. I actually had an successfull ...
2 votes
0 answers
149 views

Dehydrate Jaggery

I want to use jaggery powder in a recipe which is meant to be long stored. I am unable to find how to dehydrate jaggery block and then form powder to remove moisture content from jaggery. Any ideas?
2 votes
1 answer
415 views

Preserve peppers before smoking -- freeze or dehydrate?

I would like to make some chipotle (smoked red jalapeno peppers) at home. Currently I am building a smoker in my garden, where I also I grow a few jalapeno plants. My problem is that the peppers are ...
4 votes
1 answer
338 views

Instant Hummus Pre-cooking without Dehydrating

I would like to prepare my own instant hummus (dried, only add water) for backpacking. A commercial product is available, but I would prefer to start from scratch. Normally, chickpea flour has to be ...
  • 43
1 vote
1 answer
325 views

How are commercially dried cranberries dried?

I'm trying to clarify how exactly commercially available dried cranberries, like craisins, are dried. I'm specifically trying to research the topic to understand the processes involved, in order to ...
  • 111
1 vote
2 answers
353 views

Is it possible to make "finely ground corn flour"?

https://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/crunchy-cheese-puffs I'm a beginner DIY-er homecook who would like to make everything I eat without setting foot in a supermarket.
1 vote
2 answers
3k views

What would happen if I dehydrated fresh sausages for a couple hours?

I want to make sausages, likely following a fresh sausage chorizo recipe. I can't dry and cure them in the traditional way since I lack the equipment, so my plan is to make regular fresh sausages ...
  • 1,812
3 votes
1 answer
171 views

Does it help to allow veggies to lose moisture before frying?

Frying gets rid of the water in food, and salt is added to remove water from onions while frying. Since getting rid of water is the objective, if one has sufficient time, will it help reduce frying ...
  • 1,209
1 vote
1 answer
686 views

What is the quickest way to evenly slice chicken breasts for jerky?

I am using a dehydrator to make jerky from boneless skinless chicken breasts. Cutting these by hand is too time-consuming and produces uneven pieces which finish dehydrating at various times. What ...
  • 205
4 votes
1 answer
131 views

Crisping Butternut Squash Chips

My goal is to make a crispy butternut squash chip without deep frying, but from all my various trials, the chips keep coming out chewy, with a texture similar to fruit leather. My main method has ...
2 votes
2 answers
187 views

Which method to use when making fruit powders?

Searching online I found a lot of videos/ articles about making fruit powders, some of them dried the fruit itself then ground it. While other juiced the fruit, then ground it. I am wondering which ...
1 vote
2 answers
140 views

Dehydrating fruit/veg, temperature, and safety

I have a food dehydrator, which I've used in the past for chillies, apples and herbs. I intend to dry some tomatoes with it soon, a process that apparently takes about 8 hours at 60°C (140°F) ...
  • 41.5k
2 votes
0 answers
231 views

Why are some dried (dehydrated) lime fruits black and others tan brown?

Whole dried limes (Limoo, Omani) come in either black or a tan brown colour. Black has a stronger flavour but what the reason for the difference? Some say that black coloured dried limes are smoked ...
  • 151
1 vote
0 answers
60 views

Air dehydrating ambient air temperature?

I would like to dehydrate fruits with an outdoor air drying rack in an arid climate: What ambient air temperature is ideal for this? I've heard anything below 118°F is good for dehydrating. Is 100°F ...
  • 1,044
1 vote
1 answer
240 views

How to dehydrate chili at home?

Chilies have different temperatures for dehydration. Does anyone knows what temperature to use for Tabasco and Habanero? And the duration of the process?
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Dehydrating Strawberries - Wax Paper or Parchment?

I just tried dehydrating strawberries in our oven (it has a dehydrator setting), and used parchment paper to line the metal trays. The results were quite good, but the parchment absorbed a lot of ...
  • 111
2 votes
3 answers
699 views

Can I use an oven instead of a dehydrator to prepare lentils for milling at home

Can I use an oven instead of a dehydrator for grains and pulses? Dehydrators are not so common in my neck of the woods.
  • 325
3 votes
1 answer
3k views

Drying fatty meat in food dehydrator - is it okay for short time consumption?

Well, I bought a food dehydrator. Every site told me to dry only lean meat, and so I did until now. However I was thinking of drying some ham in larger chunks to hopefully get sort of prosciutto ...
4 votes
1 answer
139 views

How do I reconstitute vacuum sealed Tibetan Barley Wine?

Last month I stayed in a homestay in Sichuan Province that was owned and run by a Tibetan family. At dinner they served an amazing barley wine made from Tibetan barley that they called "qingke" barley....
1 vote
1 answer
4k views

Effecient way to dab grease from dehydrating meat without paper towels

I have read the question here but that question doesn't help me, since the options available in that situation, are not applicable in this situation (see "Limiting factors"). Problem I love ...
  • 111
2 votes
1 answer
787 views

How do I make my fruit leather soft?

We recently bought a food dehydrator, and have spent many hours experimenting with it. However, we have failed in our attempts to make fruit leather that resembles the stuff you buy, meaning that ...
1 vote
1 answer
282 views

Fixing oily dukkah

We just made some dukkah by blitzing a mixture of baked nuts/seeds: almonds, pistachio, fennel, coriander, sesame, caraway, cumin (and raw chia at the very end). It smelled and tasted amazing, but ...
  • 731
4 votes
1 answer
3k views

Can I use oil in marinades for dehydrated mushrooms?

I have a new dehydrator that I'm looking to use to replace some of my unhealthy quick snacks with better alternatives. To that end, I think I've found a great base for alternative-snacking in ...
  • 201
4 votes
1 answer
697 views

Starch Content of Dehydrated Potatoes

Good day! I've been wondering this for years. I'm from Nova Scotia and we cook a Traditional meal called Rapure. The way it's made is by taking about 15 lbs of potatoes and processing them to ...
  • 43
2 votes
1 answer
842 views

How can I test if a dehydrator is getting to the proper temperature?

I'm trying to sell an Aroma 5 tray dehydrator and want to make sure it's working correctly. What temperature should it be getting to and how do I test for it?
  • 21
4 votes
5 answers
3k views

How do you remove strong garlic odor from enclosed space (garage)?

I dehydrated garlic in my garage a couple of days ago and now I need to remove the strong garlic odor in the garage -- any ideas? I have left the garage door open for hours and have run the ...
  • 41
3 votes
1 answer
434 views

Dehydrating eggs

I have seen a few examples of dehydrating scrambled eggs, and reconstituting them later. It got me wondering if there is a way to dehydrate raw eggs in a way that lets them still work for baking. I ...
  • 133
4 votes
2 answers
9k views

dehydrating food with a vacuum chamber

I've been considering buying a food dehydrator, mostly for fruit, maybe some jerky. I know that a conventional food dehydrator can take a while, 12-24 hours. I'm curious, can I use a vacuum chamber to ...
  • 141
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

How to dry out rehydrated dried mangos?

I have been making spiced dried mangoes lately by purchasing a package of dried mangoes, placing them into a bowl, splashing some lime juice on them, and then adding paprika, cayenne, ancho, and ...
  • 388
2 votes
1 answer
939 views

Sweet potatoes: to cook or not to cook?

I would like to dehydrate some sweet potatoes. Here I found a recipe for dehydrating fresh sweet potatoes in low temperatures without cooking them first. But here they say that fresh sweet potatoes ...
4 votes
2 answers
610 views

Dehydrating herbs - leaves vs. stems

I use my dehydrator to dehydrate herbs such as parsley and dill. I use low temperature (95 F = 35 C) to preserve the taste. The dark-green leaves are usually completely dry after several hours, but ...
3 votes
4 answers
7k views

What to do with dehydrated potatoes tainted black?

I had many potatoes I wanted to preserve for a long time. Usually the potatoes I keep in my kitchen get rotten after a month or two (and I don't have a cellar to keep them cool), I decided to ...
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

What is the most cost effective way at home to dehydrate nuts?

I have recently been looking to make some nut butters and one of the main things everyone talks about is soaking the nuts then dehydrating them. After googling all I can find out about is using the ...
  • 123
0 votes
2 answers
2k views

dehydrating puree food

Can I dehydrate chicken cooked in water, purreed and mixed with purreed vegetables and mashed potatoes. Like a stew. Something that would be crisp like a chips then dissolve easily when eaten. All ...
  • 1
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

Do alcohol and salt help in preservation of dehydrated vegetables?

I dehydrate vegetables and keep them in glass jars for a long time. Is it a good idea to put a small amount of alcohol 70% in the jar before I insert the vegetables, in order to kill the bacterias? Is ...