tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Apr 26, 2017 19:21:35 GMT 10
I'm considering trying dehydrating veggies, although at this point I only have a cheap dehydrator (not from Aldi - I can't remember where I got it, but about as good as an Aldi one might be).
There is a bag of prechopped veg in the supermarket this time time of yr that I really like for soups. Can I just use that?
I'd love to hear specifics from anyone who dries veg. How long do you dry for? How can you tell when they're done? How do you store them? How long do they stay good for?
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Post by SA Hunter on Apr 26, 2017 22:08:44 GMT 10
Hi.
I've experimented a little with dehydrating vegetables, but I'm a Learner only.
I went to the supermarket, bought packets of frozen mixed veggies when on special (Buy Australian), whacked them in the dehydrator, and waited till they were well and truly dehydrated.
I store them in jars or zip close plastic bags.
Over 1 yr, and they are still good to use - as long as you really get the moisture out when dehydrating or mould will destroy the whole lot.
I haven't tried to add them to boiling water yet - just eat them dried.
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Post by Peter on Apr 26, 2017 23:27:53 GMT 10
Suck it and see.
Seriously - stick them in the dehydrator and see how they turn out. I like using carrot, onion, and celery as they combine to form mirepoix; the basis for many French soups and stocks. I also use a peeler to make carrot strips which I then dehydrate - it concentrates the sweetness and the kids love them dried. It's surely better than lollies.
I've learned about 5% of what I know about dehydrating from books and forums. I've learned 95% from trial and error.
My one piece of solid advice is this: follow strict safety procedures when using meat and poultry.
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paranoia
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Post by paranoia on Apr 26, 2017 23:39:16 GMT 10
How long do you dry for? How can you tell when they're done? How do you store them? How long do they stay good for?
None of these can be answered without knowing what you're dehydrating. The dry time varies depending on your ambient humidity so is not a thing you can 'read up on'. When they're done depends on what you're doing with them. They'll keep longer the more moisture you remove from them. I keep mine in ball jars with the white plastic lids and zip lock bags.
You can pretty much dry anything so get experimenting. Frozen veg is fine.
If it's one of those stacking ones you may need to rotate the trays halfway through the process, but you'll find out pretty quick if that's the case.
Also... kale chips with a little oil and salt.
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Post by Peter on Apr 27, 2017 0:57:23 GMT 10
Has anyone else tried putting a pinch of rice grains into the storage container? I've found it to greatly reduce the moisture absorption of dried goods.
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shinester
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Post by shinester on Apr 27, 2017 3:01:43 GMT 10
I'm not particularly experienced in it, worked every time I tried. Have a dehydrator and have used the stove. Family prepper does great jerky [meat dehydrated]. Still got some dehydrated 'frozen' veggies in the cupboard for a while back, no issues.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Apr 27, 2017 7:27:41 GMT 10
Thanks for the replies. I'll grab an extra bag of veg this week and try it.
Now I am wondering about brands of dehydrators - I'll start looking second hand and at sales.
Does anyone have a sunbeam dehydrator? What brands do you have? What do you like/dislike about yours?
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Post by SA Hunter on Apr 27, 2017 10:21:29 GMT 10
Thanks for the replies. I'll grab an extra bag of veg this week and try it. Now I am wondering about brands of dehydrators - I'll start looking second hand and at sales. Does anyone have a sunbeam dehydrator? What brands do you have? What do you like/dislike about yours? My dehydrator was bought of Ebay (Eurolab) for $25.00. That was 5 yrs ago, and it still works really well. I have a 2nd one also, bought from HomeArt (Cookwell) - reduced from $99.00 to $29.99. The Eurolab works really well, the trays are not solid, so for soft items I just cut out baking paper to fit. I know you can also buy solid trays - have seen them at Beta Electrical ($9.99). |
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Apr 27, 2017 10:26:35 GMT 10
My dehydrator was bought of Ebay (Eurolab) for $25.00. That was 5 yrs ago, and it still works really well. I have a 2nd one also, bought from HomeArt (Cookwell) - reduced from $99.00 to $29.99. The Eurolab works really well, the trays are not solid, so for soft items I just cut out baking paper to fit. I know you can also buy solid trays - have seen them at Beta Electrical ($9.99). I think mine is the same one actually, bought at about the same time - eurolab from eBay. I was wondering about using baking paper or something. Good to know yours is still working as I've only used mine a couple of times - used for dried apples and to speed up drying of pasta when I make a double batch. I'll dig it out and have a go with the veg. |
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Apr 27, 2017 10:26:40 GMT 10
I've got an excalibur. Large unit with 7 trays from memory, only had it 16 months and used it perhaps a dozen times on tomato, apple, banana, chillies. Works well.
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paranoia
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Post by paranoia on Apr 27, 2017 19:06:25 GMT 10
I have the large 9 tray Excalibur (they come in 5, 9 & 10 so I'm pretty sure yours is a 9 too frost the digital ones are 10) I got it a little over 5 years ago and has been a solid performer. You can set the temp very specifically (dial like an oven) which is nice... has also been useful for proofing bread (you can take all the trays out and it works as a very low temp oven.
I also have the sunbeam DT5600 which is reasonable but only has 3 temperatures/fan speeds. I have only used it for drying rifle/handgun cases after they've been wet tumbled but I imagine it would do the job for food.
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Post by Peter on Apr 27, 2017 20:07:08 GMT 10
I have the Ezidri Snackmaker 500 which I bought on the cheap at a Boxing Day sale some years ago. I've since bough additional composnents from ozfarmer.com. The dehydrator works very well. The big benefit I see in this is the adaptability; I use up to 15 trays at a time, plus I have mesh screens and spacers (to allow higher items to fit on each tray). I use it for all manner of veg, fruit, herbs, and also jerky. The only negative I've found is that its round shape isn't as efficient to store in my cupboard as a rectangular one, but that's not a big deal in the greater scheme of things. I prefer having the add-on capacity that this model provides. www.eziconcepts.com.au/Products/EzidriFoodDehydrators/Snackmaker.aspx |
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Apr 27, 2017 22:13:21 GMT 10
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cookieoz
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Post by cookieoz on Apr 29, 2017 13:06:52 GMT 10
Hi tomatoes.
I have the sunbeam food lab dehydrator and it's amazing. I run 2 of them all through The cooler months.
I love the ease of it all and if you go to red dot you can buy mesh plastic place mats....cut them to size and line your
Trays with them. That way the smaller veggies won't fall through. same as the cheap cutting up mats from red dot.
They make brilliant mats for dehydrating pastes.
I like dehydrating tomato paste. When it's dry I use my bean grinder to turn it into a powder. Brilliant for soups and stews.😊 .
Once again store in a zip lock bag and vacuum seal.
I love it. The veggies bag your talking about
I reccomend you steam the veggies a little first then dehydrate them. It makes it easier to rehydrate them same as frozen veggies. Put them in a zip lock bag and zap them in the microwave for a couple of minutes then dehydrate them. They re-absorb moisture easier that way.
You need to make sure there is no moisture left in them beforeBagging.
Depending on the inside Temp of your home if it's really cold it takes a little longer. If it's warm it will take up to 12 hours.
Just set it going and leave it. Then store in a zip lock bag and vacuum seal with a vacuuming system. My first lot I didn't dry properly and wow
What a mistake that was. But have learnt so much since then. Doing a trip to spuds he'd Morley today. Want more capsicums to dehydrate.
Hope this has helped.😊
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Post by Peter on Apr 29, 2017 19:43:54 GMT 10
I like dehydrating tomato paste. I like drying ketchup. Used as a sheet (kind of like a fruit leather) it's awesome in a burger. Put it on the lower half of the bun and it prevents other juices from making the bun soggy. |
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Apr 29, 2017 23:54:21 GMT 10
Thanks cookieoz for the review of the Sunbeam and all the other info re dehydrating
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on May 1, 2017 19:55:40 GMT 10
Sunbeam dt6000 is currently on special at Myer, and I think also has free delivery.
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Post by Pasta Deefa on May 2, 2017 11:52:42 GMT 10
On a whim we bought a dehydrator from Aldi and it has proven to be excellent. Nighty nine percent of what we do is drying fruit as we tend to buy apples and whatnot by the bag so there is always excess. Six hours or so and it's done.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on May 5, 2017 16:27:32 GMT 10
Ok, I have my first lot of veg in the dehydrator now. I used a chopped fresh veg mix which I lightly steamed first and frozen corn on separate trays.
As the fresh veg are for soups and will have grains/legumes cooked with them (so will require a long cooking time anyway), is there any benefit to steaming the veg first or can I just dehydrate them raw? I'll experiment but was wondering what others had success with.
It sounds like a lot of people dehydrate frozen veg. Do you just let them defrost first?
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Post by Peter on May 5, 2017 19:37:03 GMT 10
When I've dehydrated frozen veg I've put them straight from the bag into the dehydrator without thawing first. Just make sure they're separated so pieces aren't touching each other.
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