It is not all surprising if you have spent long hours for preparing dehydrated foods in your kitchen. Reason is the adverse effect of oven temperatures, climate situations etc. Whatsoever if you have your own vegetable garden close to the residing area and you feel like using herbs for dried food preparation then it can be worth spending long hours. But if you can arrange some mechanical ways to dehydrate the vegetables or fruits it can save your time, energy and also money. There are new techniques available to expedite the drying process. It requires Practice, endurance and determination to develop the right food product and avoid bacterial damages.

Instructions:

·         Food should be dried slowly .otherwise it can become contaminated with bacterial infection. If you are using living food dehydrators then follow the guidelines printed with the machine. You need to know how to employ dehydrator machine, temperatures and food drying periods as it varies from food to food.

·         If you are dehydrating under sun then you need consistent temperature of 100 degrees for 3-5 days and low clamminess. Oven temperatures are also not a wise choice because temperature varies and you need continuous 200 degrees for several hours. This is not time or energy saving tool. Food dehydration is best done through a good dehydrator only.

·         Choose the food items carefully because stuffs with high moisture content will not dry itself very well. For example lettuce, cucumbers and melons are hard to get dried. Correct and hygienic Food selection is another prerequisite. Good quality foods with no staleness or rotten should be used generally. It is ideal to use just picked harvests if possible.

·         If this is the first time you are learning how to dehydrate food then attempting with less amount of food is good as there will be less wastage during learning period. Knowledge on proper timing and temperature is so crucial. While preparing the veggies and fruits you should continue following the steps as cleaning, pitting, piecing, dicing, and blanching them. Maintain smaller and uniform sizes for faster cooking.

·         Do not forget to marinate the foods before dehydration. Use lemon juice to avoid browning. The marinating time may differ according to the recipe.

·         Once done arrange the prepared foods in a tray. Airtight containers, jars or plastic storage bags should be used to Store food properly.

About the Author: Liam Plowman is a guest author and has the vast knowledge in food dehydration. For more information on living food dehydrators he suggests you to visit:  http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com