Like my melon colored kitchen in the photo above? I LOVE it!
I also love dehydrated foods. Drying foods is a great way to preserve local and seasonal foods and make it available for the remainder of the year. In fact I much prefer dehydration to canning because not only are you preserving the food, you are leaving it structurally and nutritionally in tact. When you cook a food you are changing the composition of it AND you are destroying as much as 50-80% of the nutritional value it once held. If you want hard data on exactly why raw and unprocessed is MUCH healthier than cooked read, The Live Food Factor. This book documents nearly 70 scientific studies done on the raw versus cooked debate. Most of them are listed alphabetically in an appendix so you can browse the scientific proof in the raw pudding one tantalizing detail at a time. Most raw food books are short on the science but not this one!
Canning food may preserve it but the food loses something in the translation. Dehydration preserves the food AND the nutritional content with one caveat… it must be dried at low temperatures. Most of the dehydrators you see in stores do not have temperature controls or air flow so I knew I would need one that did. I also selected a brand that many raw foodists have used and endorsed. I chose a 5 tray Excalibur dehydrator to use in my home. For larger families and dehydration requirements there is a nine tray model too.
This is the only dehydrator I have used so I cannot make comparisons but this smaller Nesco one is cheaper and it does have air flow and temperature controls… so if you are on a strict budget you may want to look into it.
Primarily we use our dehydrator to make dried fruit and veggie snacks, fruit leathers, dried nuts, nut flours, raw cookies, and more. Now that apple season is upon us it is time to get busy making bunches of dried apple slices… just as it was for peaches a few weeks back. Local food goes further to nourish your family with a dehydrator. Healthy snacks and lunches are MUCH easier to pack when you have dehydrated goodies on hand. Camping and hiking trips are easier to plan to.
I like the fact that the temperature controls allow me to get the food super crispy if I want or slightly moist if I want… aka crispy banana chips but slightly moist apricot slices.
Even if you don’t eat raw, a dehydrator can still be wonderfully useful. I recently read Backpack Gourmet by Linda Frederick Yaffe and it has tons of great recipes for dehydrated foods. It also has some clever complete meal ideas. They are light weight, fast, full meals that will keep your energy up. Instead of packing in heavy foods that you have to prepare at camp you can make the meal at home and then dehydrate. Then when you are on your trip all you have to do is add water and voila!
It has recipes for casseroles, pastas, soups, chilis, stews, chowders, cereals, and much more. Imagine making a tasty bean and vegetable stew at home and then just spreading it out on your dehydrator sheet to dry overnight. The reduced water content makes it light weight and it retains the flavor and nutrition it had at home. Because it is pre-cooked you are only heating. This book is genius… lasagna while camping? Very cool. The recipes would be great for taking on vacation too. If you have a teeny hotel kitchen you can make a delicious meal in minutes and a small box of dehydrated dishes could easily equal a week or more of quality meals.
You can also use this nifty machine to dry leaves, fruit, herbs, and spices for homemade potpourri. Maybe now is the time to make some homemade holiday potpourri?
Do you have a dehydrator? Do you use it?
I grew up dehydrating food with my mom and have such great memories of it. We didnt know it was healthier than canning, but it just tasted so good! Since I’ve been getting into raw food I’ve wanted to get back to that with my kids. The good dehydrators are so expensive though. I know you get what you pay for, but is there a more economical model that you’d recommend?
Excalibur are very good dehydrators but are the top of the line price wise (> 200). Entry level dehydrators can be bought for around $40 but they typically don’t have good air flow or an adjustable thermostat. Here is a comparison of Nesco food dehydrators. Nesco makes a number of good dehydrators that are priced between about $60 to $120. Good luck.
Great photos, mouthwatering! I never thought of dehydrating food for some reason. Canning crossed my mind but I nver seem to get around to it. Thanks for the great article!
I used to have one, though it didn’t have a temperature control. When we moved out of my father’s place it some how ended up in the toss pile (my husband remembers see it, and thinking “I should move that when I’m done with…” and we all know how that goes).
Thank you for the brand suggestion, when we’re in the financial place to buy a dehydrator I’ll keep it in mind.
How long do you cook banana chips/apple chips to get them crunchy? I just purchased a 5 tray excalibur. I dehydrated banana chips at 135 for over 18 hours and they were still chewy. Good — but they really stick to your teeth. Worried that my healthy snack will result in cavities down the road!!
Also, do you pre-treat at all or just slice and put in the dehydrator? I’m wondering if my pre-treatment is increasing drying time.
Karen, some times I pre-treat with agave nectar or lemon to ward off discoloration but usually I don’t pre-treat. I have left stuff in for 36 hours though to get it REALLY dry though. ;)
I’ve been doing some dehydrating lately. Mostly tomatoes and fruit leather. I’m looking for more ideas, though. I think I want to try soup.
I just have a cheap dehydrator (no temp control) that I found on Craigs List for $10. It would be nice to have a nicer one, but this works for us.
Also- I dry herbs from my garden: oregano, dill, basil. i just leave the lid of the dehydrator so it doesn’t get too hot. And it takes less than an hour.
Great post! I am a dehydrator-lover, too! You can tell its apple season here in Ohio because I just posted my dehydrator apples too :) We dry alot of fruit and veggies and lots of raw desserts and treats. I love my Excalibur!
Your pics are lovely and your kitchen color is so nice!
Tiffany, I love the look of your blog! And you’re right, your ads blend right in! Great job!
THe potpourri idea is the BEST!
Those pictures make me want to dehydrate some food! I LOVE dried fruit! Maybe I should ask for one for Christmas? Thanks for the great post!
Great post, I’ve just started getting into dehydrating too–very exciting!
Would it be okay to share my Eco Friendly Halloween Costume Giveaway with your readers? http://ecomamasguidetolivinggreen.blogspot.com/2009/10/fabulous-fairy-finery-wizard-costume.html
I’m not sure where to put it, but hope it’s okay! Hope you do more raw foods posts!
xo
Eco Mama
I actually just ordered one from amazon a couple of days ago. I wish I would have read your blog first, though, as it wasn’t tne nesco you recommended. I wasn’t in the financial place to order the Excalibur so I got a nesco.
I’m greatly looking forward to using it. I hope it becomes an easier way to get my kids (and myself) to eat and enjoy veggies and healthier treats.
I’m also looking into a breadmaker… do you have a recommendation? I’d like to make homemade breads, but I need to find recipes for healthier options besides your typical white flour… do you have a book you can recommend for using some of the other “stranger- non main stream” flours etc?
Nell
So quick question from someone who has only ever dehydrated apples etc in a cheap machine way back when. I see your pics of the fruit in jars afterward – is that how you typically store or do you ever vaccum seal or use other option to store larger quantities? We have apples everywhere in MN and I am so tired of slicing and freezing! My fingers are brown! ;-)
Sarah, they can certainly be vaccumed sealed. I plan to dry a bunch and then take over to my moms house, since she has a sealer. The ones I keep in jars are usually gone (eaten) within a week.
Hi.
I have the 9 tray Excalibur and wish I hadn’t spent the money on it. I think dehydrating is not for everyone. I loved the idea of it but the reality of it is much different. I have tried cookies and they were awful, I should have just ate the apples and nuts with out dehydrating them. I have dehydrated fruits, nuts and veggies and always regret it when they are done. Not sure why it isn’t working out so great for me. I might invest the money in the book you recommended just to see if it can get me going in the right direction, cause none of the raw recipes or just plain dehydrations are cutting it here. I would suggest your readers buy a cheapie from the thrift store and make sure they like the way dehydrated food tastes and its textures before dropping a lot of cash on an expensive model. Sorry to be the downer on this one, but its been on my mind a while…the regret of my purchase that is.
I just purchased an Exc. 5 draw. I’ve done fruit roll ups and my kids didn’t like it. I dried apples and my kids didn’t like it, I dried bananas and they did not like them. I eat them because I don’t like the waste. I feel I need to buy a good book.
Hi! We loved your post over at KiwiLog and decided to feature it as part of our weekly mom blog round-up. Thanks!
We do use our dehydrator and love it…..apples/bananas/pineapples……yum-o-rama!!! Makes a great side to put in my boy’s laptop lunchboxes!!
I bought a 5 tray (a little too big sometimes) Excalibur on eBay for about $150. It was refurbished. Works great.
Oh fab; I just found this story on Twitter; thanks for sharing your experiences Tiffany. I’ve written a post about dehydrating food on my own blog today :) I did apples, pears and bananas but I’d never thought of doing a complete meal! I’m going to check out the site you recommend now. I was on a budget when I bought my dehydrator and even though you can’t control anything on it, it does a great job – I’d certainly recommend a cheapie if you’re unsure whether you would get the use from it. When this one dies I’ll upgrade it as I’ve found a dehydrator to be invaluable…
That is a great read on dehydrating. I am going to do this with my family now too!!
Awesome pictures!!
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They are not exactly food, but herbs are another easy thing to preserve by drying. I found this collection of tips for drying herbs using a laundry drying rack! It seems like a good primer on how to get started.
can I use my dehydrator to dry nuts? walnuts, fresh from the tree.
Penny, yes you can.
thank you, I have been told 2 different ways,neither way with a dehydrator.
pick, throw into a brown bag, leave till xmas, READY.
2nd way- wash, dry, place on racks so they have good circulation. keep in a warm place. READY in 2 weeks.
So if I was to use my one heat , inexspensive dehydrator?
I have washed,dried for aprox.3 hours. Now I am setting them aside in a crate, each layer divided by paper towels, trying to keep the walnuts away from each other. am I over doing it?
My sister and I do beef jerky on our dehydrator. I am thinking about buying one for doing other things because of the smell of the beef jerky is something I can’t clean off.
How come my apple slice still pliable and not crispy or crunchy after dehydrated them for 12 hours at 155F? how to make it crispy?
I just purchased my 1st dehydrator & getting ready to use it for the first time. [Pears, cantaloupe & pineapple] Then the pre-treatment question popped up & stop me cold. Good to see it’s not an absolute necessity and seem to be required for colorization appeal than vitamin loss.
I use my dehydrator at least once a year to make venison jerky. I like mine. My husband bought it at a garage sale 2 years ago. This year I made two batches of BBQ & one of Teriyaki. My husband loves it!