What is Food Dehydrating?

This is a very common question here in the Raw Blend office so I thought why not blog all about Food Dehydrating? It’s becoming more and more popular in the mainstream health market so it’s best to clear up some common misconceptions.

So just what is Food Dehydrating? Drying (dehydrating) food is one of the oldest and easiest methods of food preservation. Dehydration is the process of removing water or moisture from a food product. Removing moisture from foods makes them smaller and lighter. For a good quality food dehydrator look no further than our website! 

I’ve also found that when dehydrating food, it really brings out the flavour so makes any mundane fruit or veggie super tasty! Not that fruits and veggies are mundane…

Is dehydrating food difficult?

Personally I think it is super easy! The most difficult part about dehydrating food would be the chopping process.

Will dehydrating damage the nutritional value of food?

There is a difference in air temperature and food temperature.

Most of the time moist food is around 20 degrees cooler than the air temperature in your dehydrator and it’s the evaporation process that makes the food cooler than the temperature at which you have set your dehydrator.

The thermostat in your food dehydrator regulates the air temperature and not your food temperature. This is to ensure that the dehydration process temperature stays at the desired setting.

This is also why we recommend not to keep opening and closing the dehydrator door whilst your food is drying.

Remember that enzymes are only going to be damaged when the food is wet and the actual food temperature, not air temperature, is raised to the point of destroying the enzymes. Your food will always be susceptible to being destroyed by heat when it is wet and once it is 100% dried, the enzymes can withstand much higher temperatures.

Compared with canning and freezing, both of which involve extreme temperatures, food drying is the least damaging form of food preservation.

Here are some handy specifics:

• Vitamin A is retained during the drying process. Because vitamin A is light sensitive, foods that contain it-like carrots, bell peppers, mangoes-should be stored in a dark place.
• Some vitamin C is lost during the drying process because vitamin C is an air-soluble nutrient and food drying is an air-based process. When a food is sliced and its cells are cut, the surfaces that are exposed to air lose some vitamin C content.
• The caloric value of a fresh food stays the same when it is dried, although some dried foods, fruits for example, taste sweeter because the water has been removed and the sugar is concentrated.
• Dried fruits and vegetables are high in fiber and carbohydrates, neither of which is affected by drying.
• Dried fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat. Minerals available in certain fresh fruits-such as potassium, sodium, magnesium, and so on-are also not altered when the fruit is dried.
  (Source: http://www.drystore.com/FoodDehydrationFAQ.html)

How long will it take to dehydrate foods?

Types of Dehydrators:

Some food dehydrators have a fan placed at the bottom of the machine that allows heat to rise through the trays of the food. The downside of this style of dehydrator is that they generally take twice as long to dry foods. People who live in an area notorious for high humidity can expect these food dehydrators to take even longer to dry food. Another problem with this design is that the foods on the bottom trays dry a lot quicker than the foods situated on the top trays.

The food dehydrators that we stock in our online store, The Sedona, The Excalibur 5 Tray, and The Excalibur 9 Tray  use a drying technique where the fan is at the back of the unit to blow warm air over the foods. The hot air blows across the food evaporating the water they contain. This process ensures a more even and quicker dehydration as all trays are exposed to the fan evenly.

Can I mix sweet with Savoury?

In my experience this hasn’t been a problem although I wouldn’t dehydrate Garlic or Onions with mango… that could result in a rather unpleasant flavour…

How do I tell if my food has finished drying?

How do I store my dried food?

Firstly, wait until it has completely cooled down! You don’t want to store it away and have any condensation forming.

Moisture is a dried food’s worst enemy and when exposed to the air they absorb the moisture in the air and become limp. Make sure you store all dried foods in airtight containers and pack them away in a dark spot away from moisture and direct light.

Hello cupboard!

Shop for Food Dehydrator products HERE!

Peruse our Dehydrator recipes HERE!

Now… go forth & preserve!