DIY Food Dehydration – The Safest Way To Preserve Food

In ancient times, the process of food dehydration required you to simply place your food out in the sun for several days until it dried. Well, things have evolved quite a bit since then and now people use their oven or a special piece of equipment called a food dehydrator to do the job.

Food dehydration as a method for preserving food is one of the safest when compared to pickling, smoking, canning or freezing. It prevents contamination and the growth of mold or other bacteria. And, you can dehydrate almost any food you wish including fruits, vegetables and meats.

There are basically three methods for dehydrating food. The first is using the sunshine but there are obvious downsides to this method including losing your food to the animals or having it washed away by a sudden rainfall. The second is using your oven to dry your food but that’s a huge waste of electricity. And, the third and most effective method by far is to use a proper food dehydrator:

You should know that you will still need several hours to dehydrate food using this last method. However, the machines that are on the market today make it really easy for you. To start, make sure that your food is washed, peeled and cut into thin slices – the thinner the better because you’ll be able to reduce your drying time considerably. But, it depends on what you’re looking to achieve. For example, are you looking to make crispy banana chips or chewy apricot treats? If the later then you’ll want thicker slices.

Once you’ve got your prep work done, you simply place your food inside the machine on one or on several of the drying trays and then set the timer and walk away. You may need to experiment a few times to determine the ideal drying time for each type of food but you can begin by following the recipe guide that comes with the machine itself.

What about jerky? If you’re planning on making jerky in your dehydrator, make sure you get the right spices so that you can get the result you’re looking for. If you don’t find the jerky spices in your local grocery store, you can try a specialty shop or buy them off the internet. The Nesco Food Dehydrators are very effective and popular among consumers. You can learn more when you visit How to Dehydrate Food.