Saturday, January 31, 2009

How to Dry Foods


How to Dry Foods. Deanna DeLong. Recommended.

A food dehydrator was on my Christmas list this year, and as luck would have it, one appeared under the tree. A fairly comprehensive instruction manual accompanied the dehydrator, but I thought I would look for more guidance. This book seems to be a complete guide for home food drying. All major foods are covered: fruits, vegetables, meats, herbs, spices, nuts, and seeds. Not only does the text list foods that are great for drying, but it cautions against others that are only marginal. This will save countless hours of fruitless trial and error.

The recipe section has many jerky marinade formulations and fruit leather mixtures. Also included are many recipes that use the dried products, so you know what to do with all the things you have preserved.

I would highly recommend this if you are interested in food dehydration. Thus far I have made some pretty decent beef jerky and dried pineapple. Perhaps as I gain more skill I will post some of my favorite recipes.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

One of the best ways to preserve fruit from going bad, especially when you don't have the time to eat what you purchased in the supermarket. I always dry mine
and they make great snacks to take on the go.
Why waste good food?

dboisen said...

In keeping with a past topic(e.g. In defense of Food), deer (venison) jerky is a very tasty, healthy and worthwhile endeavor for the fledgling dehydrater. While deer is free of unnatural additives, I believe bison jerky would also provide a similar foundation flavor. Nothing like a little jerky to satisfy your carnivorous cravings. Not to mention, the Josie Wells-ish persona associated with the dried meat, that is, if you decide to chomp it in public.