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Food Dehydration - Step 2 - Drying
Food Dehydration - Step 2 - Drying
Dry your own fruits, vegetables and other foods
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During Drying
- Spread the foods on the trays
Fruits contain sugar and are sticky, but if you spray (lightly!) the drying trays with
nonstick cooking spray before putting the fruit on the trays it will greatly reduce the fruit sticking to the trays.
Put the fruit or
vegetable slices in a single layer on the drying trays. The pieces should not touch or overlap
After the fruit dries for one to two hours,
lift each piece gently with a spatula and turn.
- Maintain 130F to 140F with
circulating air:
Remove enough moisture as quickly as possible to
prevent spoilage. A drying temperature of 130 degrees F to 140 degrees F
allows moisture to be removed quickly without adversely affecting food's
texture, color, flavor and nutritive value. If the initial temperature
is lower, or air circulation is insufficient, foods may undergo
undesirable microbiological changes before drying adequately. If the
temperature is higher, or humidity too low, nutrients can be lost or
moisture may be removed too quickly from the product's outer surface.
This causes the outer surface to harden and prevents moisture in the
inner tissues from escaping. When testing for sufficient dryness, cool
foods before testing.
- Tips if you are using an oven
- Check the settings to see if your oven can be set as low as 140°F. Look for a "warm" setting button. If your oven does not go this low,
then your food will cook instead of dry.
Use a thermometer to check the temperature at the "warm" setting.
- If your oven is not a Convection oven (with a built-in fan), leave the oven door propped open two to six inches for air circulation.
Circulation can also be improved by placing a fan outside the oven near the door.
CAUTION: This is not a safe practice for a home with
small children.
- Keep in mind, because the door is left open, the temperature will vary. You will need to put an oven thermometer near the food and
check it frequently to adjust the temperature dial to achieve the needed 140°F.
- The food's drying trays should be narrow enough to clear the sides of the oven and should be 3 to 4 inches shorter than the oven from
front to back. Cake cooling racks placed on top of cookie sheets work well for some foods.
- The oven racks, holding the trays, should be two to three inches apart for air circulation.
- Know when your food is dry: Some foods are more pliable when cool than warm. Foods should be pliable
and leathery, or hard and brittle when sufficiently dried.
Some vegetables actually shatter if hit with a hammer. At this
stage, they should contain about 10 percent moisture. Because they are
so dry, vegetables do not need conditioning like fruits. Drying times are shorter for slices and other cuts of fruit than whole fruit.
Fruit |
Typical drying time in hours |
Apples |
6 to 12 |
Apricot |
24 to 36 |
Bananas |
8 to 10 |
Blueberries, cranberries, currants, gooseberries, huckleberries |
24 to 36 |
Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, Tayberries, loganberries, boysenberries, Marionberries |
24 to 36 |
Cherries |
8 to 12 |
Figs |
6 to 12 |
Grapes (seedless) |
12 to 20 |
Grapes (with seeds) |
12 to 20 |
Peaches and Nectarines |
36 to 48 |
Pears |
24 to 36 |
Persimmons |
12 to 15 |
Pineapple |
24 to 26 |
Plums and prunes |
24 to 36 |
Vegetables |
Dehydrator
approximate drying time |
Beans, green |
8 to 14 hours |
Beets |
10 to 12 hours |
Broccoli |
12 to 15 hours |
Cabbage |
10 to 12 hours |
Carrots |
10 to 12 hours |
Cauliflower |
12 to 15 hours |
Celery |
10 to 16 hours |
Corn, cut |
6 to 8 hours |
Eggplant |
12 to 14 hours |
Horseradish |
6 to 8 hours |
Mushrooms (obviously, stick to known
edible varieties only!) |
8 to 10 hours |
Okra |
8 to 10 hours |
Onions |
3 to 9 hours |
Parsley |
1 to 2 hours |
Peas |
8 to 10 hours |
Peppers and pimientos |
8 to 12 hours |
Potatoes |
8 to 12 hours |
Spinach and other greens (kale, chard,
mustard) |
8 to 10 hours |
Hubbard squash |
10 to 16 hours |
Summer squash |
10 to 12 hours |
Tomatoes, for stewing |
10 to 18 hours |
Tomatoes, sliced |
6 to 12 hours |
*Drying times depend on initial moisture content of the product and the particular dehydrator being used. Drying times in a conventional oven could
be up to twice as long, depending on air circulation.