Our ancestors needed food preservation to survive. The ability to preserve food for later consumption provided protection against unsuccessful hunts and less-than-abundant harvests. In addition, they could move into areas where access to fresh food depended on the time of year.
Drying food has many benefits compared to other food preservation methods. Dehydrated food does not require refrigeration, which makes it efficient in terms of space and energy. This product is perfect for people who want to make healthy, portable snacks and meals to eat at a later time.
Dehydrating is a great way for people who like to do things themselves to get started with home-preserving. This text is saying that pickling is simpler than canning or fermenting. Here are the basics to help you get started.
What is Food Dehydration?
Food dehydration is a process of reducing moisture in food, which concentrates flavors and allows for longer shelf life. It is believed that the oldest method of food preservation is drying. The history might go something like this: One Tuesday, around 14,000 years ago, Ugg and Una left a piece of fruit on a rock on a breezy, sunny day, and returned on Friday to find that it had dried out instead of growing mold. Although they had only eaten a small amount of the fruit, by the following Monday, they could tell that it was going to be really useful.
Dehydration has been used throughout history by many cultures as a way to preserve large amounts of food. Stockpiling dried food in the summer can help prevent starvation during winter when food is scarce.
Dehydrating food is still useful even in the modern world where food can be shipped globally and you can find strawberries in Toronto in January and tomatoes in Buenos Aires in July. Freezing is a good way to keep food fresh for a long time. Drying food concentrates its flavors and can create chewy textures in plant-based foods that can mimic the mouthfeel of meat. This makes food both lighter and more economically transportable. A dehydrator is not required for the drying process, but it can make it easier.
Why Dehydrate Your Food?
Dehydrating food has several benefits that make it a worthwhile consideration.
1. Save money
For one, you can save money. Dehydrating zucchinis (or tomatoes, or okra, or corn, or berries, or apples, etc.) is a way of putting extra calories, nutrients, and deliciousness into a bank that can be used later.
2. Cut down on food waste
A secondary benefit of dehydration is that it reduces food waste. If you’re careful not to let food go to waste, you can either use it yourself or compost it instead of throwing it away. Dehydrating your produce is a great way to preserve your food.
3. Save space
Dehydrating foods also saves space. Dehydrating fruits and vegetables reduces their size by removing the water content. Depending on the original water content, the size may be reduced by half or more.
4. Provide non-perishable options
Finally, dehydrated foods are essentially non-perishable. Canned foods are a good option to have on hand as part of your emergency preparedness plan. They do not need electricity or refrigeration to remain safe and edible, and can last for a long time.
Methods of Dehydrating Food
The most effective way to dry food is by using a countertop dehydrator. Dehydrators use a combination of low heat and air circulation to remove moisture. You can spend as little as 40 dollars on a dehydrator, or up to 400 dollars on a top-tier model.
If you don’t want to invest in yet another kitchen appliance, however, you have options:
- Sun is nature’s food dehydrator. This is what our ancestors used, after all. Sun drying works best in hot climates with low humidity. Food safety experts only recommend sun drying for fruit and herbs. Vegetables don’t have enough naturally occurring acid or sugar, both of which help resist molding and spoiling.
- A related method is air drying, which doesn’t involve direct sunlight. Think bundles of herbs or hot peppers hanging from the rafters to dry. This method also requires low humidity and good airflow. Air drying is the preferred method for some types of dried meat like biltong.
- Use your oven. This isn’t the best method because most ovens don’t have a low enough heat setting. The recommended temperature for dehydrating food is 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius), but a typical oven won’t go below 170 degrees. Ovens also don’t circulate air unless they have a convection setting. Still, you can make it work in a pinch, but you have to pay attention to avoid cooking your food instead of drying it.
Choosing a Food Dehydrator
Dehydrators will give you the most consistent results and can be used for all types of food. If you’re considering making your own snacks or backpacking meals, it may be worthwhile to invest in one.
Size and materials are two things you’ll want to consider in addition to price. While many dehydrators use plastic trays, you can opt to pay more for a dehydrator with stainless steel trays. You can buy silicone mats or use parchment paper to stop your food from touching the plastic trays, if that’s something that you’re worried about.
A model with different temperature settings may cost more, but could be worth the investment. Although you can dehydrate pretty much anything by setting your oven to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, you may find that you get better results if you dehydrate herbs and vegetables at slightly cooler temperatures, and dehydrate meat and seafood at warmer temperatures.
What Are the Best Foods to Dehydrate? Anything You Can’t Dehydrate?
Almost anything can be dehydrated, but the most common items people dehydrate at home are fruits, vegetables, herbs, and meat. Although legumes and grains can be dried, this is not a desirable trait for people who follow the Primal lifestyle. Dried legumes are already readily available, anyway.
Foods that don’t dehydrate well are those that contain a lot of fat:
- Fatty meats
- Avocados
- Dairy products*
- Nut butters
- Olives (When you see dried olives, they’re usually salt-cured and/or preserved in oil, not just dried in the traditional sense.)
You should buy commercially dried and pasteurized milk, cream, buttermilk, butter, and cheese powders for backpacking meals or stocking your pantry. If you don’t eat dairy, try using dried coconut milk powder.
Although you can dehydrate eggs at home, you may be worried about salmonella. Another suggestion for a camping food that is easy to find is egg powder. You can buy it online or at stores that specialize in camping gear.
You can also dehydrate dairy-free, egg-free, low-fat sauces. Some good news for those of you who like to backpack and also put ketchup on your scrambled eggs! You can pack “ketchup leather” to take with you on your travels.
How to Store Dehydrated Food
Once your food is dried and cooled, you can store it. The main objective is to keep air and moisture out. You can keep food fresh using food-safe silicone bags, mason jars, metal cans, vacuum sealers, and so on.
The National Center for Home Food Preservation states that dried foods should be used within four months to a year, but some people store them for much longer. If food is prepared correctly and stored properly in airtight containers at either cold or moderate temperatures, it is probably safe to consume. The researchers say that dried apples can last 15-30 years if they are stored in airtight cans or foil pouches with an oxygen absorber.
Do your own research on this topic, but whatever you do, don’t mess around with meat. It can be dangerous and is not worth the risk. The USDA says that homemade jerky will only last for one or two months, while commercially made jerkies can last up to a year and canned meats can last even longer.
You can increase the shelf life of your dried food by storing it in the freezer. To avoid freezer burn, make sure all your frozen foods are tightly sealed in freezer-proof wrapping or containers.
Desiccant packs are a great way to keep your food dry for long term storage. These packs contain silica gel that absorbs moisture, keeping your food fresh. Preppers and survivalists store food in mylar bags with desiccants for many years, and there have been no reports of problems with this method. What we’re discussing today doesn’t cover that, but desiccants can be helpful for making your dried food last longer, even if you’re not storing food for an emergency.
Recipes for Dehydrated Foods
Try one of the recipes below if you’re new to dehydrating foods! We think you will really enjoy this method of preserving food and creating delicious meals. We hope that the following text inspires you if you are already enthusiastic about dehydrating!
This Mushroom Bacon is a great way to add some flavor to your food. It’s tasty on salads, in grain bowls, or as a topping on a plant-based burger. These “Cheesy” Chickpea Croutons are so good you won’t be able to stop eating them, and they also make soups and salads more enjoyable with their delicious flavor and crunch. Instead of eating fried potato chips, try Lemon Garlic Dill Squash Chips. You can create numerous combinations of fruit leather by using Mixed Berry and Banana Fruit Leather as inspiration. You can make granola bars healthier and more convenient by dehydrating them. This way, they make for a perfect on-the-go snack that the whole family can enjoy. We would love to hear about your experience dehydrating food.
1. Mushroom Bacon
Besides being healthier than traditional bacon, mushroom bacon has the advantage of being able to be made from any mushroom. We chose button mushrooms, but you could make this recipe with shiitake, portobello, or cremini mushrooms instead. They’ll all be savory and scrumptious!
2. Cheesy Chickpea Croutons
Dehydrating chickpeas changes the texture from soft to crunchy, making them a unique and novel snack! Roasted chickpeas with cheese is a tasty and healthy snack that can be added to any salad or soup.
3. Lemon Garlic Dill Squash Chips
Are you a crunchy snack lover? Friendly reminder that you can turn almost any veggie into chips by thinly slicing it, combining with your fave spice blend, and then dehydrating. If you’re looking for a bright and refreshing snack that is packed with fiber, carotenes and vitamin C, try the lemon garlic dill chip!
4. Mixed Berry and Banana Fruit Leather
Fruit snacks that you buy from the store can contain processed sugar, which can be more than the amount of sugar in the fruit itself! You can have lots of fun making your own fruit leather at home, and it’s also healthier! Not only does this give you an opportunity to use fruit that may go bad, but it is also a way to preserve it. Some fun fruit snack combinations include pineapple mango, apple kiwi, and berry banana. This recipe is a guide for making fruit leather creations!
5. Pumpkin Pecan Granola Bars
Do you need a snack that you can eat quickly, or something healthy and energizing for your kids to take to school? The Pumpkin Pecan Granola Bars from our store are made with 100% whole food ingredients. They use dates for sweetness, healing spices, and whole pumpkin and pecan. You can make these granola bars your own by adding your favorite flavors, like vegan chocolate chips, dried apricot, or apples.
Give Dehydrating a Try
Dehydrating food has many benefits including saving money, space, and reducing food waste. It is also a convenient method of food preservation that is great for hiking and emergency preparedness.
There are many ways to dehydrate food. You can do it for free by using the sun or air, or you can use an electric dehydrator, which is more convenient but costs a bit more.
You can dehydrate different kinds of foods by removing water from them, including some of the healthiest foods on the planet like fruits, vegetables, soaked nuts and seeds, and even pre-cooked legumes.
As long as you consume dehydrated foods in moderation, drink plenty of water, and keep eating plenty of fresh produce as well, this method of preserving food is a great way to keep a variety of plant-based foods for long periods of time while retaining much of their nutrient density, and sometimes, even enhancing their flavor.
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