So... Anyone into dehydrating foods?

For years I've always associated dehydrated foods with MRE's. Then again 10 years of ground pounding for Uncle Sam could do that to someone :rolleye2: LOL. That has all changed as of recent. A pal of mine just loves to dehydrate, can, etc and he had us over for dinner one night. Yup, you guessed it, the entire meal was made from dehydrated items he prepared himself. I must admit, I was blown away. I could not tell the difference and there is something to be said about preparing this stuff yourself vs eating an MRE. :D I'm going to research and hope I can dehydrate and prepare foods as good as he did. Man, it was yummy! :gj:


What say you?

I own a dehydrater I make Banana chips, apple, and beef jerky that's about it. I would defintley try more if offered to me as long it isnt fish or anything crazy.

I was blown away by what my bud had actually dehydrated. He keeps his wife's spice rack full and we even had some fruit roll ups he made. Just crazy. And ditto on the fish :fishslap:.

We live next to an apple orchard and my wife will bring home bags of seconds that she cuts up into rings that she dehydrates. The problem is that they don't last very long because we end up eating them as fast as she can dry them out.

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Originally Posted by MarkS

We live next to an apple orchard and my wife will bring home bags of seconds that she cuts up into rings that she dehydrates. The problem is that they don't last very long because we end up eating them as fast as she can dry them out.

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That's a good problem if you ask me lol. :D

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Originally Posted by Diamond Serpents

I own a dehydrater I make Banana chips, apple, and beef jerky that's about it. I would defintley try more if offered to me as long it isnt fish or anything crazy.

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X2 on this plus we make natural fruit roll ups for the kids. We will also dehydrate our own herbs and spices.

We have a dehydrator and have used it a little bit. My husband has made a variety of dehydrated fruit, and also jerky. He has yet to perfect his jerky though... so far it's come out overcooked. I want to make fruit roll-ups, just haven't gotten around to it yet.

I think that's pretty awesome. I'm going to pick me up a unit and take a stab at it. It's seems like its the simple things that are most often overlooked. ;)

I couldn't live without my dehydrator. I use it for everything. Herbs, fruits, mushrooms, jerky, fruit leather, lots of stuff!!

American Harvest makes great dehydrators in lots of sizes and price ranges. Do yourself a favor and get a model that includes a fan. Some of the cheapest do not, but you must rotate trays regularly when drying if it doesn't. I prefer one that includes a temperature control as well. Delicate things like herbs and mushrooms need lower temps than things like jerky. You can get them round, square and rectangular, it's just a matter of space preference. Surprisingly enough, sporting goods stores like Bass Pro can sometimes have great prices, especially now because of hunting season.

Lots of dehydrators come with a basic guide and cookbook, but the Ball Blue Book of Preserving goes much more in depth, and gives ideas and recipes that go way beyond the starter guide that will come with your dehydrator. The book also covers canning, freezing and lots of other things.

I wish you all the best with your experiments, you'll be hooked in no time!!

Gale

I used to make dehydrated yam dog chews in mine :) Unfortunately, mine crapped out on me. This definitely inspired me to pick up another! !

I tried once............ problem is I eat everything faster than I can dry it:oops:

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Originally Posted by angllady2

Ball Blue Book of Preserving

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On the hunt. Thanks! :D

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

I tried once............ problem is I eat everything faster than I can dry it:oops:

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Haha This^^^

I have one and love it!! Haven't tried anything too crazy. Fruit and jerky. Plums are one of my favorites. My daughter loves strawberries, peaches and pears too. I like to do apples sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, yummo. But yeah, we eat it way faster than it can dry. My daughter sneaks in and steals pieces as they dry. I just have a cheapo model from Walmart. But one of these days want a nice one...

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Originally Posted by ARamos8

On the hunt. Thanks! :D

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I got one of these from my local co-op/ cenex.

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Originally Posted by DooLittle

Haha This^^^

I have one and love it!! Haven't tried anything too crazy. Fruit and jerky. Plums are one of my favorites. My daughter loves strawberries, peaches and pears too. I like to do apples sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, yummo. But yeah, we eat it way faster than it can dry. My daughter sneaks in and steals pieces as they dry. I just have a cheapo model from Walmart. But one of these days want a nice one...

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I saw this thread and thought oh yeah Doolittle does this

Three words: Dehydrated Fresh Pineapple

Better than candy!

I also soak apple and pear slices in lemon water before dehydrating as it helps stop them from browning.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Three words: Dehydrated Fresh Pineapple

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On the "to do" list for sure!!! :gj: Thanks for the tip as well!

I figured out which one I'm going to order - its the Nesco FD-75PR Snackmaster. Sounds beast! Oh, and the jerky kit they have, consider that bought as well. :D

Oh yeah! Bulk apples are on sale at the store, so I'll be making dehydrated cinnamon apple rings this weekend.