PRETREATING
In order to best maintain the colour and flavour of the food when drying, it may be necessary to pretreat before
adding to the Dehydrator. Please note that pretreating is not a necessity of using the Dehydrator. Experiment
with pretreated and non-pretreated foods to see what works best for you. Pretreating the foods will vary
depending on food type:
FRUITS
Naturally acidic solutions like pineapple or lemon
juice can be used to reduce browning of soft fruits
like apples, peaches, apricots and pears that occurs
due to oxidation when their flesh is exposed to the air.
Simply slice the fruit directly into the juice for around
2 minutes
before placing on the Dehydrator Trays.
TIP: Try experimenting with different juices, spices,
honey, coconut or other flavours to create your own
personalised dip.
Fruit dipped for
2 minutes
in food-safe USP grade
bisulfite in water (1 teaspoon/litre of water) will help
prevent loss of vitamin C and will preserve a bright
colour when dried.
VEGETABLES
For vegetables to retain a clean, crisp taste when
dried, it is first necessary to blanch them to destroy
any enzymes that will cause the food to retain bitter
flavours. There are 3 different methods you can use to
blanch vegetables:
1.
Steam blanching is the preferred method if
available. Steam the sliced pieces for
2-3 minutes
until heated through, but not cooked enough to eat.
2.
Microwave blanching in a covered microwaveable
container with a small amount of water - refer to your
oven’s cooking chart for times.
3.
Boiled blanching for 3-5 minutes can be used if the
above methods are not available.
IMPORTANT:
Ensure that the slices are transferred
to the Dehydrator Trays as quickly as possible after
blanching.
MEAT, FISH AND POULTRY
CAUTION: As previously mentioned, it is very
important to take extra precautions when preparing
meat to ensure no bacteria is present prior to drying.
MEAT - Slice meat evenly into ¼ slices across the
grain to increase tenderness. Remove any excess
marbled fat which will spoil during storage.
Place meat slices into a sealable container and season
each layer with at least 1 teaspoon of salt per pound
of meat.
Ascorbic acid (powdered vitamin C) can further boost
the nutritional content of the dried fruit. Dissolve
3 tablespoons per litre of water, then dip the fruit
into this solution for
2 minutes
before draining and
placing into the Dehydrator Trays.
Some fruits like figs, grapes, prunes, blueberries, and
cranberries have a natural protective wax coating that
will cause them to dry out very slowly and thereby
lose a lot of their natural nutrition. For these fruits,
it is necessary to dip them into boiling water for
1-2
minutes
before placing in the Dehydrator. This will
make the skin more porous, speeding up the drying
time.
Refrigerate this salt mixture for
6-12 hours,
stirring
occasionally. Place meat on paper towels to dry off
excess oil before drying in the Dehydrator.
FISH - It is recommended to boil or bake on a stove
before drying. Bake for around
20 minutes
at a
temperature of around 204°C and dry for
2-8 hours
until all the moisture has gone.
POULTRY - Before drying, chicken should be fried or
boiled. Drying takes
2-8 hours.
6
