Blanching
is used primarily to prepare fruits and vegetables for dehydrating that
have skins that will toughen during drying. This process helps lock in the colour and
flavour as well as soften the skin of grapes, cherries. prunes and plums. There are two
blanching methods: Water and Steam.
Water Blanching
- Fill a large saucepan about half full of water. Bring the water to a
boil and use tongs to place food directly into the water, cover the saucepan and let
it simmer for approximately 3 minutes. Remove, drain and place on the dehydrator
shelf.
Steam Blanching
- Using a steamer pot such as one used in Chinese cooking, put
5-8 centimetres of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Place the food into the
steamer basket, place over the saucepan and cover. Steam food for approximately 5
minutes, then remove and place on the dehydrator shell.
PLEASE NOTE
:
There are no exact rules that apply to food dehydration, as results can
be affected by room temperature, relative humidity and moisture levels in the food
that you are drying. To become proficient it will be necessary to experiment with your
drying techniques. If you use too much heat, food may harden on the outside while
being moist inside; however, with too little heat your drying times will be very long.
With a little practice you will be creating tasty, ready to eat snacks in no time.
Dehydrating Tips
• Do not overlap foods. Make sure foods are flat when placing on dehydrating trays.
Overlapped foods can greatly increase drying time.
• Make sure foods are completely dry before removing. If you are not sure, cut a
sample down the middle to check for internal dryness.
• Make sure to label containers when you store your dehydrated food.
• Proper storage helps maintain quality food. Package the food when cool. Foods can
be kept longer if stored in a cool, dark and dry place. The ideal storage temperature
is 16°C or lower.
• Vacuum sealing is a great way to keep dehydrated foods.
• Food will shrink approximately ¼ to ½ their original size and weight during
dehydration. Make sure not to cut pieces of food to be dehydrated too small.
Food Storage
Dried foods should be allowed to condition before being placed into a storage
container. Generally, let stand for approximately one week in a dry, well ventilated and
protected area. The conditioning time allows for further drying and removes most of
the remaining moisture.
