8
Filling the Drying Trays
When loading the food into the trays you can use all of the tray’s surface, but
some airflow must be maintained. Try to place the food in a single layer whenever
possible. This is particularly important with foods like banana slices and pineapple
rings and not quite as important with beans. If some of the pieces come out with
too much moisture when you are finished, one of the reasons is that it might have
been covered by other pieces of food.
Dehydration removes the moisture and will cause the food to shrink as it dries. This
allows you to store the same amount of food in a smaller space. Chopped food
should not be spread thicker than 3/8 inch.
It may be necessary to stir the finely chopped food once or twice during
dehydration to ensure even drying of all the pieces. To do so, turn the machine off,
unplug it, remove the trays, stir, then reassemble and restart the machine according
to the instructions.
Prevent Dripping
Some foods such as very ripe tomatoes and citrus or sugared fruits may drip.
Dripping from a tray above can change the flavour of different foods on lower
trays. To help lessen dripping after placing food on drying trays and before placing
them on the dehydrator base, tap the tray firmly downward on a towel laid on the
counter top a few times to remove excess moisture.
