Food Dehydrator

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KetoneKaren
KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I love my food dehydrator! I have owned it for years and never used it. Then we had some chicken we weren't going to eat before going out of town, so I dehydrated the chicken and refrigerated it for the pet sitter to give the dogs in case they wouldn't eat their dry food while we were gone (they tend to pout). It was a hit! It keeps a long time in the refrigerator.

I made kale chips today and they are awesome...and not burned! Yea! I have also used it on apples, pears, cherries, and cherry tomatoes. I don't care for sundried tomatoes in oil, but these are great! The flavor of the dried tomato is so intense, a little goes a long way. And one or two slices of dried fruit is such a treat, so sweet...I am tickled with my new/old dehydrator!

Does anyone else use a dehydrator? Feel free to share your recipes and experiences, I'm all ears!

Karen in Virginia
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Replies

  • PDReader
    PDReader Posts: 24 Member
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    Where are you in VA? I am in Richmond. I do a lot of raw cuisine and use the dehydrator quite a lot. The last time I fired it up I used all nine trays and made a pile of flaxseed crackers and raw cheeze-its.
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
    edited May 2016
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    we dry peppers in the fall and lots of apples too
    EDT to add dried strawberries are the bomb
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
    edited May 2016
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    PDReader wrote: »
    Where are you in VA? I am in Richmond. I do a lot of raw cuisine and use the dehydrator quite a lot. The last time I fired it up I used all nine trays and made a pile of flaxseed crackers and raw cheeze-its.

    @PDReader Yep! Richmond suburb! (North Chesterfield) Howdy neighbor!

    Would you be willing to share the recipes?

    Karen in VIrginia
  • withoutasaddle
    withoutasaddle Posts: 191 Member
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    LOVE mine. While I've true lots, the only successful thing I've made are zuccini chips, cauliflower popcorn, and fruits. Maybe I'll get a nice batch going tomorrow!
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    withoutasaddle wrote: »
    LOVE mine. While I've true lots, the only successful thing I've made are zuccini chips, cauliflower popcorn, and fruits. Maybe I'll get a nice batch going tomorrow!

    How do you do the chips and the popcorn?

    Karen in Virginia
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    I ADORE my dehydrator. I got a professional grade Cabela dehydrator for Christmas several years ago. I pretty much use mine for jerky only, but I have been thinking about trying some zucchini chips.
  • Strawblackcat
    Strawblackcat Posts: 944 Member
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    I have a cheap Nesco, but I still love mine! I make kale chips in it (you're right -- no burnt chips here!), slice-able cashew cheese, kombucha SCOBY fruit leather, beef jerky, and dehydrated fruit in it. I want to get an Excalibur someday, but they're expensive!
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    @Strawblackcat

    Recipes or directions, please? Especially the cashew cheese and the kombucha SCOBY fruit leather, thanks!
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,596 Member
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    I usually buy Trader Joe's turkey jerky but it's gotten pretty darn expensive. I've been toying with the idea of making my own. Do you think the pre sliced reduced sodium packaged turkey by Columbus they sell would work?
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    glassyo wrote: »
    I usually buy Trader Joe's turkey jerky but it's gotten pretty darn expensive. I've been toying with the idea of making my own. Do you think the pre sliced reduced sodium packaged turkey by Columbus they sell would work?

    Would like to hear experiences with making jerky, also. The chicken I dry for the dogs is pretty low fat. There must be something in the commercial jerky that makes it pliable. The chicken I dry for dog treats is already cooked, but I know you can use raw meat, right? And the dehydrator "cures" it? Am I mistaken on this? Thanks, everyone.

  • Sassie_Lassie
    Sassie_Lassie Posts: 140 Member
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    We have one. We don't use it that often but I've made dried fruits and my husband has made jerky. We also dried some super hot peppers that we grew and ground them up.
  • Strawblackcat
    Strawblackcat Posts: 944 Member
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    KetoneKaren wrote: »
    @Strawblackcat

    Recipes or directions, please? Especially the cashew cheese and the kombucha SCOBY fruit leather, thanks!

    For the SCOBY fruit leather, I just put a few SCOBIES, some fruit (any is fine -- I like strawberries) and whatever spices/extracts/sweeteners that you want to add into a blender and blend it until it's a smooth paste. Then, I lay it out in fruit leather sheets and dehydrate it at 100 degrees (so that's it's technically still "raw") for about 24 hours, or until it's a fruit-leather-like consistency. Then, I peel it off the sheet and slice it with a knife before wrapping the sheets in wax paper. I keep them in the fridge until I'm ready to eat them.

    For the cashew cheese wheel, I soak about 100 grams of cashews in warm, salted water for 4-6 hours, and then drain and rinse them off. I then add them to a blender with 2-4 tablespoons of fresh tap water and blend them until they form a smooth paste (add more or less water as needed to achieve a smooth consistency). Then, I take the paste and stir the contents of an opened probiotic capsule into it. Any kind is fine; no need to use an expensive one. You could also use a tablespoon of non-dairy yogurt or kefir. I then gather up the paste and place it into a cheesecloth that I set into a strainer that's propped on top of a bowl. Place a small jar of whatever ontop of the cashew-paste, and let it drain into the bowl for 2-4 days. The probiotics will culture the paste and make it taste tart. After it's drained, stir salt, garlic powder, nutritional yeast (this is what makes it really "cheesey"!), or whatever other seasonings you want. Then, form the thickened paste into a ring mold set on top of a small plate and freeze it until you can cleanly pop the disk of cashew paste out of the ring mold. Place the frozen dish onto a dehydrator rack and dehydrate at 100 degrees for 12-24 hours, or until it has formed a thick "rind". You could also dehydrate it at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time if you want, but the probiotics would die off.
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    Thanks!
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    bump
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    Drying herbs today. Did peaches and mangoes the other day. All good.
  • PDReader
    PDReader Posts: 24 Member
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    OMG! I am in North Chesterfield, too. Where do you live? I can totally share recipes. Maybe we can get together for a raw food meal sometime.
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    PDReader wrote: »
    OMG! I am in North Chesterfield, too. Where do you live? I can totally share recipes. Maybe we can get together for a raw food meal sometime.

    Bexley West. You?

  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    bump
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
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    i havent used mine in soooo long. like years, but i was on a beef jerky kick for a long time
  • KetoneKaren
    KetoneKaren Posts: 6,411 Member
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    @fishshark was the jerky too crunchy? I want to know how to make it pliable or chewy.

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