Talk to me about dehydrators...

[mmmgoats]

Quite fancy one, but how do you store food properly afterwards - does it last long?

And is it easy to cook with dehydrated meat?

Anyone got a brand/model that's reasonably priced that you can recommend?:)

@bellinisurge - could you tell me if it's possible to make fruit leather in the Callow dehydrator? I'm thinking of buying one, but I want one that does jerky, veg/fruit peieces & leather. I don't want to pay a fortune if possible & this one seems a possibility but I can't see if it's possible to do leather in it.

Yep - I've made fruit leather a few times. My fussy dd loves them. I've had them go more crispy (pilot error ) and she still likes them.
I use a tray as a template to make a baking parchment liner and spread out the puréed fruit on that on the tray. Most benefit from a bit of puréed apple stirred in before tipping the whole lot onto the lined tray.
I'm looking at that baking parchment that is renewable- from Lakeland so I'm not making a fresh one every time. But until then what I'm doing works fine for anything that benefits from a liner.
Hope that helps.

@bellinisurge - I got the Callow dehydrator, & made fruit leather earlier this week. Thanks for the recommendation. I am, however, now on permanent alert for reduced pineapples every time I go the supermarket, as is DH, as DD has decided that dried pineapple is the most delicious thing in the world... I had to hide the jar!

I did make some reusable liners out of silicone baking sheets, it worked really well. I only made 4 sheets though, & left the bottom tier free for the air to come up. I think I'll have to plan a bit better next time & put something on the bottom tier that doesn't need a sheet.

Excellent- half price close to use by date fruit that still looks good is ace. As long as you dehydrate immediately

Mind blown- I have been putting oxygen absorbers in with moisture absorbers. This is wrong. Oxygen absorbers need moisture to work.
Love learning new stuff!

I found an idea on Pinterest for making citrus peel powder. It's actually pretty easy. But, you do definitely need a liner to place on the rack (as the rinds will react with the plastic grid, & they shrink quite a lot as they dry, & tend to fall through).

I just got some lemons - unwaxed, organic if possible (although mine weren't organic). Give them a good wash with some vegetable wash or whatever you usually clean your vegetables with, & a scrub with a brush. I left them to soak for a while to really get any invisible particles of muck off.
Then dry, & thinly peel the zest off, with a potato peeler. Be careful to only get the zest & not the white pith. Place in the dehydrator - I dried mine at about 40° for about 8 hours I think. They should be very dry & brittle. Then whizz them up in a blender, & store in a small jar - I just about managed to fit the zest of 16 lemons, plus a moisture absorbent sachet, in a 110ml jar. I think 5 lemons or 3-4 larger fruit would fill 1 tray, I'm going to try other citrus fruits, next time I use any.

With the citrus powder you can actually just peel the fruit. As long as most of the pith is off it is fine.

Good cheap way to get a liner is to use a small piece of cheap voile fabric

I just use baking paper as a liner. Works every time.

I used baking paper to line it but then spotted some baking sheets at a good price so got them. I'm lazy & hate cutting out liners each time... I even buy the pre-made loaf tin liners for when I make a cake.

The slight benefit to the voile is that the air moves through the fabric so you get faster drying times. No good for fruit leathers but good for tiny things like bits of peel and then you can also put the voile through the wash and reuse it over and over

I like the idea of voile for fiddly little ones. And the reusable aspect.

Hmm, good point. Maybe muslin cloth, cheesecloth or something would work.

I'm sorry that I have nothing of value to add but am beyond excited to say that my dehydrator has arrived! ... have been following this thread and decided to take the plunge and buy one. Have beef jerky in mind as first project although have just ordered pineapple in the weekly shop as that seems to be very popular on here... watch this space.

@Shouldbeworkingnotreadingtalk great stuff!

beef jerky as a first food is ambitious!

Dehydrate pineapple is the food of the Gods.

Definitely pineapple. It's the only thing DD likes so far - she keeps trying to get the jar so I've had to put it on a higher shelf!

Oh and take my advice - do not, under any circumstances, put citrus fruits or peels directly onto the plastic trays of your dehydrator. Or let them touch the sides.

@bellinisurge @AwdBovril - I've dehydrated!! @NoSpend19 I tried fruit first ... so, apples were delicious and looked just like dried apple rings you buy in health food shops. (No need to core either, but I did peel them) .. tried a random banana, looked awful, tasted surprisingly good! ... very enhanced flavour, bit caramel like ... did oranges and lemons )with the idea of using on a Christmas wreath if I get my act together). They were very successful. And today I made beef jerky! It was easy peasy... marinated it overnight in worster sauce, Tabasco, chilli, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper kinda combo. Dried it today for 5 ish hours. Not bad at all.

Well done!

They look good Shouldbeworkingnotreadingtalk. So far I've done:

Pineapple - definitely the biggest success.
Kiwi fruit - also popular.
Spiced apple slices - DH & I like them but not DD. They are crispy, not chewy though.
Pear slices (skin on) - DD likes these more than the apple. They're softer than the apple.
Melon - DD not keen but I love them. Slightly earthy taste, but still very sweet.
Lemon zest powder. Need baking sheet liners & a food processor or mortar & pestle & lots of muscle! Will use in baking.
Fruit leather. Good for using any soft fruit with bruises on.
Peppers - my current experiment, not sure I've got it quite right. May try roasting or brining them first next time - they are delicious but they've taken absolutely ages to dehydrate. And still not quite there...

I've had to hide the jars in a cupboard as DD and DH kept begging for pineapple.