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Selection of food
• Use the highest quality food. Fruit and vegetables in high season have more
nutrients and a better taste. Meat, fish and poultry should be lean and fresh.
• Do not use food with bruises or impurities. Bad fruit and vegetables can spoil the
entire batch.
• Always use lean meat. Remove as much fat as possible before drying. NOTE:
When dehydrating, use a paper towel under the meat to collect fat.
Food Pretreatment
As with most cooking methods, proper preparation is critical to successful results.
Adhering to some basic guidelines will greatly improve the quality of your dried food
and shorten the time required for drying.
Pre-treated foods often taste better and look better than untreated foods. There are
several ways to prepare food to prevent oxidation that discolors apples, pears, peaches
and bananas during drying:
• Remove all seeds, shells or branches.
• Crush, slice or dice the food evenly. The slices should be between 0.6 cm and 1.9
cm thick. The meat should not be cut thicker than 0.5 cm.
• Steam or fry meat at 71°C and poultry at 74°C, where the temperature can be
measured with a food thermometer before dehydration.
• The temperature of the drying machine must be maintained at 55-60°C throughout
the drying process.
• Drying fish into dried meat requires a lot of attention. This must be thoroughly
cleaned and deboned and thoroughly rinsed to ensure that all blood is washed out.
Steam or bake the fish at 93°C until it is leafy before drying.
• Soak the chopped fruit in lemon or pineapple juice for a few minutes and then
place on the trays.
• Use an ascorbic acid mixture that is available in most health food stores or
pharmacies. It can be available in both powder and tablet form. Dissolve about
2-3 tablespoons in 1 litre of water. Soak the slices of fruit in the solution for 2-3
minutes, then place them on the slots of the dehydrating device.
• Fruits with wax coating (figs, peaches, grapes, blueberries, plums, etc.) should be
dipped in boiling water to remove the wax. This makes it very easy for moisture to
escape during drying.