How to Dehydrate Food Without a Dehydrator « Food Hacks Daily. How to Dehydrate Food Without a Dehydrator. I grew up in a rural town, and that meant that we dehydrated a lot of food. Even with a hungry family of five, there was no way that we could eat all of the season's tomatoes before they molded, or all of the orchard's apples before they grew soft, or all of the wild mushrooms that we picked. And so our dehydrator was always getting a good workout. But dehydrating food is a lot more than just a good way to handle an excess of any number of fresh ingredients while retaining much of their nutritional value. It makes many fruits and veggies perfect for snacking (or adding later to oatmeal, muffins, or soups), and it's ideal for campers. It's also a great way to bring out the strongest flavors in herbs, while also keeping them around out of season. But dehydrators are big and clunky and cost a lot for an appliance you rarely get to use.. Learn how to dehydrate food for a raw food diet from chef Ron Russell in this Howcast video. So, those are some of the tips on dehydrating and raw food. And you can get some great textures especially out of dehydrated. Explore More From Howcast How to. Instead, I dehydrate my foods using a few alternate methods, all of which I highly recommend. Use Your Oven. It's remarkably easy to dehydrate fruits and veggies in the oven. Just turn it to the lowest setting, cut your fruit and veg into . Toaster ovens vary from machine to machine, so the timing will change in each house. Just put the toaster oven on its lowest setting and leave the door slightly open to avoid condensation. Keep your eye on the food you're dehydrating, and you'll eventually end up with a pretty perfect dried snack. You can also make perfect jerky in the toaster oven! Sun Dry Them. This is my favorite option, though I've found that it works better on certain foods than others. I highly recommend drying herbs and tomatoes with this method, which develop an extra level of sweetness when dried in the sun. For tomatoes (or any other fruit or veggie you wish to sun dry), simply slice them thin, place them on a baking sheet, and leave them in a very sunny spot until they're perfect, which could take a few days. Be sure to put some kind of mesh material over the food, to keep the flies from getting to it. Sun- drying herbs is especially easy: you can make an herb- drying box, or you can simply tie the herbs together with a twist- tie (so you can adjust as the herbs invariably shrink), and then wrap the herbs in cheesecloth and hang in the sun, as shown in the pictures below. Nuke Them in the Microwave. It may sound adventurous, but you can have great success dehydrating with a microwave. I recommend sticking to foods that dehydrate quickly, namely apples and herbs. It can also take a little bit of trial and error, as microwaves vary greatly in strength and heat. Or Build Your Own Dehydrator! If you're really feeling adventurous, you can make your own dehydrator, and it won't even cost you much money. There's one caveat, however: if you do this, you have to tell me how it goes. Photos by Brady Klopfer/Food Hacks (unless otherwise specified). Raw foods and food dehydrators. Why raw food. Raw food, as part of a raw food diet, is typically unprocessed vegan food that has not been heated above 1. F. The core idea of a raw food diet is that foods heated above this temperature lose important enzymes and nutritional value. In addition, a raw food diet typically contains a lot less calories. People who eat mostly raw foods consume about half the calories they would get eating cooked foods. What is raw food. Raw food hasn’t been cooked or processed, and is generally organic and in a whole natural state. Typical raw foods include nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, berries, roots, sprouts, herbs, and spices. How are raw foods prepared. Raw food can be prepared in a variety of different ways, however the focus is to prepare the food in a way that does not heat the food above 1. F. The classic appliances used by people following a raw food die at are the blender, juicer, and food processor. At the least, you'll probably want a blender and food processor. However, a dehydrator can be an important and interesting addition to these tools. Role of a dehydrator in a raw food diet. A dehydrator is a great way to preserve fruits and vegetables at low temperatures. A good dehydrator has an adjustable thermostat, and can easily maintain a stable temperature between 1.
F. In contrast, canning, for example requires that foods be heated to temperatures over 2. F so that they can be stored safely. So, a dehydrator provides a new and interesting way to make raw foods that are healthy and convenient when on the run, and also have a good shelf life. What kind of raw foods can be made with a dehydrator. With respect to fruits and vegetables, the list is almost endless. Of course, you can use a dehydrator to dry raw grapes, peaches, kiwi, cantaloupe, watermelon, apples, oranges, and a whole list of other fruits and vegetables. However, in addition, a food dehydrator can also be used to make raw crackers, breads, granolas, and cookies. Common Sense Advice on the Raw Food Diet Since 1998 I've been sharing my passion about raw foods and health. If you are looking for tips, ideas and recipes to increase your energy, then you are in the right place!You can even use a dehydrator to heat sauces at low temperatures. What kind of dehydrator is best for a raw food diet. At minimum, you'll want a dehydrator with an accurate adjustable thermometer. If you plan to do a lot of dehydrating, you should get a dehydrator with at least 1. The Excalibur 3. 90. It seems like a lot, but you'll be surprised at how fast you can fill up the trays. If you plan to leave your dehydrator on the counter in your kitchen like other appliances, you may want to consider the Sedona SD 9.
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