7
General Dehydrating Guidelines
Certain varieties of produce, the humidity in the air, and even methods of food handling make quite a
difference in the drying time and quality of the dried product.
Experiment with different drying temperatures, thickness of produce, pre-treatment versus no pre-
treatment and different re-hydration methods. You will determine what works best for your particular needs
and preferences.
Loading Trays and Selecting Produce
To save nutrients and produce a quality product, it is necessary to work fast preparing foods to dry. When
placed in your dehydrator, they need to dry continuously at the recommended temperatures and times. Do
not turn off your dehydrator or leave partially dried food on the trays as it may spoil or develop bacterial
growth.
Spread all foods evenly to dry in single layers. If slices overlap, the areas that are covert will not dry properly.
Do not add fresh produce to a partially dried batch. It will slow the rate of drying for both products. It is
possible, however, to combine partially dried foods.
Select the best fresh produce at the peak of ripeness and flavour. Wash carefully to remove debris, dust and
insects. Cut away bruised or damaged sections.
Lay food pieces evenly on trays. Do not overlap food pieces, as this will inhibit drying time. As each tray is
loaded, place it on the dehydrator to begin drying. Please change the position of the trays during drying
process if you find that certain trays are dried unevenly.
Because of the unique design of your electriQ vortex system dehydrator, you will be surprised at how quick
is the drying process.
Drying Times
Drying times indicated in this user instructions are for reference only and they may vary a lot, depending on
the type and amount of food, thickness and evenness of the slices, percentage of water in the food,
humidity, temperature of air, altitude. Drying times may also vary greatly from one area to another and from
day to day, depending on the climatic conditions. Keep records to help you predict drying times for specific
foods.
Drying Temperature
Fruits, fruit rolls (fruit leather) and vegetables should be dried at 40 - 60
℃
. By drying foods in this
temperature range you will minimize the loss of heat-sensitive vitamins A and C. All foods sweat when they
begin to dry, the temperature may be set higher at 60
℃
or 70
℃
during the first couple of hours of drying.
The actual temperature of the food will remain to around 5o to 6o
℃
, lower than the air temperature for the
first couple of hours.