HOW TO USE
Drying Fruit:
1. You can dehydrate any fruit that you enjoy. Let your own taste buds determine
what you choose to dry.
2. It is important to wash fruits thoroughly to make sure all dirt is removed.
3. You can halve, chop or slice your fruit. It is up to you whether you want to peel
your fruit.
4. You may want to pretreat your fruit before drying it. Doing so will help prevent
it from discoloring due to natural oxidation. To pretreat, simply use lemon or
pineapple juice and mix with water at a 1:1 ratio. Let fruit sit in mixture for a
minimum of 15 minutes. Then remove the fruit and let dry for at least one hour
prior to drying. There are commercial products also available for pretreating.
5. Place fruit on the dehydrator trays in a single layer making sure that the fruit is
not touching or overlapping.
6. Please reference the fruit drying guidelines chart on page 10 for recommended
drying times. The duration of drying depends on the temperature and humidity
of the room, the level of moisture in the products, thickness of the pieces, etc.
7. Once the fruit is dried to your liking, let sit for at least 30 minutes to cool. Store
in a covered or sealed container in a cool, dry place away from direct light.
• Avoid opening the dehydrator excessively during use. Doing so will add time to
the drying process.
• Once your food is dried to the desired level, store it in a sealed container in a
cool dry place so that it does not reabsorb moisture. The dehydrated food will
naturally have less moisture in it than the air around it and will absorb moisture if
left out for an extended period. Note: storing in a freezer is acceptable and will
prolong the life of the food.
• It is best to select the freshest, highest quality foods available to dehydrate. That
is the beauty of dehydration—preserving the best!
• Immature fruits and vegetables will not have the great flavor of fully ripened
foods.
• Foods high in sugar like certain fruits will darken during the dehydration process,
and that is normal. If desired, you can soak foods to be dried in lemon or
pineapple juice to help lessen this effect, and add flavor.
• You can also sprinkle with spices or Jell-O powder for enhanced flavors.
• Other hints are available through books and other resources.
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