A few thoughts on dehydrated food
The last few weeks Ive been trying out a food dehydrator, and the results to date have been better than I expected
Using frozen vegetables
Frozen peas, sliced green beans, and corn have all worked very well. Remember, frozen vegetables like these are blanched then fast frozen; it saves you the job of blanching at home. Also, frozen vegetables often retain vitamin content better than fresh veg that's been on a supermarket shelf for a few days and this helps compensate for vitamin loss in the drying process.
Fresh vegetables
Ive had great success with carrots, they shrink to nothing, but really grow when soaked in water. Celery and leeks work well, but needs thin slices as does red cabbage. With these, I blanch for a couple of minutes to kill bacteria etc, and dry.
Mushrooms, get the freshest you can and slice non to thinly, they dry well and give an intense flavour to the water they re-hydrate in, a very good base for soups and stews (as does celery)
Although I have dried minced (ground) beef well, Im still yet to try beef slices as in jerky. With the minced beef, I fry in a dry pan until cooked, then rinse under boiling water to remove the fat before drying. This mince is a good base for a stew or spag bol etc. I will try the same with home minced lean lamb, probably leg of lamb, as this is lower in fat than other cuts.
Drying times and cooking times
To date, drying times and the weights of food have been unrecorded, starting next week, Ill keep better notes.
As with commercially sold dried vegetables, its better to soak the veg in cold water for a few hours before cooking. When fully soaked, cooking times for veg is on a par with fresh.
Ill get round to trying out fruit leathers when Ive become comfortable with the veg and meat.
The last few weeks Ive been trying out a food dehydrator, and the results to date have been better than I expected
Using frozen vegetables
Frozen peas, sliced green beans, and corn have all worked very well. Remember, frozen vegetables like these are blanched then fast frozen; it saves you the job of blanching at home. Also, frozen vegetables often retain vitamin content better than fresh veg that's been on a supermarket shelf for a few days and this helps compensate for vitamin loss in the drying process.
Fresh vegetables
Ive had great success with carrots, they shrink to nothing, but really grow when soaked in water. Celery and leeks work well, but needs thin slices as does red cabbage. With these, I blanch for a couple of minutes to kill bacteria etc, and dry.
Mushrooms, get the freshest you can and slice non to thinly, they dry well and give an intense flavour to the water they re-hydrate in, a very good base for soups and stews (as does celery)
Although I have dried minced (ground) beef well, Im still yet to try beef slices as in jerky. With the minced beef, I fry in a dry pan until cooked, then rinse under boiling water to remove the fat before drying. This mince is a good base for a stew or spag bol etc. I will try the same with home minced lean lamb, probably leg of lamb, as this is lower in fat than other cuts.
Drying times and cooking times
To date, drying times and the weights of food have been unrecorded, starting next week, Ill keep better notes.
As with commercially sold dried vegetables, its better to soak the veg in cold water for a few hours before cooking. When fully soaked, cooking times for veg is on a par with fresh.
Ill get round to trying out fruit leathers when Ive become comfortable with the veg and meat.