Learn to Dehydrate:

See this page as an introduction to the world of dehydrated foods. The online courses will give you more deep learning. /Eric

  • Fruit & Berries

  • Fruit rolls & Dehydrated snacks

  • Vegetables

  • Meat, Poultry & Fish

  • Beef Jerky

  • Dehydrated Powders

  • Mushrooms

  • Spices & Herbs

  • Dairy Products

  • And more!

Dehydrate Fruit

Most fruit is easy to dehydrate and so tasty! My favorites are apples, pears, and pineapples, but all fruits are good to dry. Unlike regular sweets, dried fruit tastes so much more and contains nutrients and fibers. Apples can be dried at room temperature, which takes a couple of days.

How to dehydrate fruit:

  1. Wash the fruit, peel if necessary.
  2. Cut into slices 3–5 mm.
  3. Dip fruit that turns brown in a solution with ascorbic acid and water (1 teaspoon/ liter of water).
  4. Put on a drying frame with a distance between all pieces and set the dehydrator at 50°C / 120°F.
  5. Fruit dehydrates in 5-10 hours, depending on the water content and thickness of the slices.


See courses with fruit


Dehydrate Berries

Store the sweetness and taste of sun ripe berries in your dehydrator! You can dry them in three different ways: As they are, mashed, or as fruit-rolls. The first (whole) is not recommended as they become very hard. When mashed or sliced if larger berries as cherries, they are easier to chew.

How to dehydrate berries:

  1. Clean berries.
  2. Mix and dehydrate as fruit-rolls (see below) or mash them with a fork.
  3. Spread on drying silicone/teflon sheets or parchment paper with a 1 mm distance between each berry.
  4. Dehydrate until chewy 6-10 hours. Dry them brittle if you want to make a powder.

 

Courses with Berries



Fruit Rolls

It’s probably the best candy there is; a batch does not last long! They are easy to make in a dehydrator with horizontal airflow. There are drying sheets for dehydrators where the hot air blows from the bottom or top (vertical airflow). Banana is perfect as it adds sweetness and makes the fruit roll more leathery, not brittle.

How to dehydrate fruit-rolls:

  1. Clean the fruit and berries.
  2. Mix them in a blender until smooth.
  3. Spread on drying silicone/Teflon sheets, a bit thicker in the edges.
  4. Dehydrate in 50°C / 120°F for 6-8 hours until leathery.

 

See courses with Fruit rolls



Dehydrated Powders

This is a taste bomb in stews and soups and a nice decoration on ice cream and other desserts. Use a bullet mixer or a blender to turn brittle vegetables, fruit, or berries dehydrated to powder. A food processor won’t work. Decide how grained you want it: the finer, the quicker it will give taste in a stew and will add a thicker consistency.

How to mix powders:

  1. Dehydrate vegetables, fruit, or berries until brittle.
  2. Put a small batch in a bullet mixer or a blender.
  3. Mix for a few minutes until you get a powder.


Courses with dehydrated powders



Dehydrate Vegetables

For all kinds of cooking, vegetables are a great base that adds taste, color, and nutrition. They are easy to dehydrate and can be stored for years if they are steamed or blanched. The heat preserves flavor and color. All vegetables are possible to dehydrate; avocado is the only exception since a high amount of fat. Carrots are a good start if you are new to dehydration; you can even try to dehydrate at room temperature to see how water evaporates in a few days.

How to dehydrate vegetables:

  1. Wash the vegetables, peel if necessary.
  2. Slice thin or grate coarsely.
  3. Steam or blanch a few minutes.
  4. Place on trays and dehydrate in 50°C / 120°F until you can break pieces of food.


See courses with vegetables



Dehydrate Meat, Poultry & Fish

It's perhaps not the first thing you dehydrate, the fruit is easier, but still, meat is safe when you keep good hygiene and use fresh meat. 70°C / 170°F is recommended to prevent bacteria from growing. When you get the basic principles of dehydrating meat, you can experiment and dehydrate with different thicknesses and add spices.

How to dehydrate Meat, Poultry & Fish:

  1. Use fresh meat from beef, poultry, or fish.
  2. Use plastic gloves to prevent bacteria in food.
  3. Slice 2-3 mm thin.
  4. Fry in oven 100°C / 210° for 15 minutes.
  5. Place on a tray in the dehydrator at 70°C / 170°F until meat is hard without juice in the center.


See courses with meat



Beef Jerky

Beef jerky is meat-candy! The flavor from meat blends with spices, chewy and wonderful. The meat is not cooked or fried – only dehydrated at 70°C / 170°F. You can dry the meat in lower temperatures, but it’s not as safe. What meat to use? There is not only one answer to this question but most lean and boneless beef works. Top round, bottom round, and flank steak are popular.

How to dehydrate jerky:

  1. Clean the meat from fat (1 1/2 pounds lean boneless beef).
  2. Cut thin slices (about 3 mm) across the meat fibers (if you cut them along the fibers, they become too tough).
  3. With basic dry rub: 2 tbsp. Brown sugar, 1 tbsp. Salt, 2 tsp. Garlic powder, 2 tsp. Dried thyme, 1 tsp. Freshly ground pepper.
  4. With basic marinade: 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
  5. Put in fridge for at least 12 hours.
  6. Place in a dehydrator and dry for 8 hours at 70°C / 170°F until chewy. Meat should be dry in the middle. Cut a piece in the middle and press it hard between your fingers, and test.

 

See course with Jerky



Dehydrate Spices & Herbs

Perhaps the easiest to dehydrate, you can hang bouquets on o string and let dry for a week. It has been done this way for centuries and is an excellent method if the air is dry enough. You can dry herbs and spices with a dehydrator even when the air is humid; it reduces drying time to a few hours.

How to dehydrate Spices & Herbs on a string:

  1. Remove dirt and cut in bouquets, hang on a string and let dry for a few days until brittle. Avoid sunlight.
  2. Store as they are to keep the taste, crumble when you want to use them.

How to dehydrate Spices & Herbs in a dehydrator:

  1. Remove dirt and cut into small bouquets.
  2. Steam or dip in hot water if you plan to store for more than a few months.
  3. Place on trays and dehydrate in 30°C / 90°F for a few hours until brittle.
  4. Store as they are to keep the taste, crumble when you want to use them.

 

Courses with herbs & spices


Dehydrate Mushrooms

Let’s say you find lots of eatable mushrooms in the forest or if there is a good discount on them in the store – then dehydrate them! It’s so easy, and the concentrated taste you get is amazing. Add them in stews, risotto, or where you use mushrooms.

How to dehydrate mushrooms:

  1. Clean and cut in 3 mm slices, small forest picked mushrooms can be dehydrated as they are.
  2. Put on a tray and dehydrate at 40°C /105°F for about 6 hours until brittle.
  3. Store as they are and crumble when you want to use them.

 

Courses with mushrooms



Dehydrate egg

These ingredients take some extra care to dehydrate; please see the courses with egg.



Dehydrate Dairy Products

These ingredients take some extra care to dehydrate; please see the courses with Dairy products.