How To Dry

For centuries, drying food has been one of the most common forms of food preservation. Not only that this will help you store food for a very long time, but it is one of the most convenient and economical ways to preserve food. This is because there is no special equipment needed. You can dry food outdoors in the sun and air, or indoors with a commercial dehydrator.

When you dry food, 80 to 90 percent of its moisture is removed. By removing moisture, you are actually keeping the food from spoiling. Another benefit of drying food is that you are actually maintaining the naturally sweetness and sugars of the food that you dry, which include its natural vitamins.

If you want to learn how to dry food, then here are the steps on how to do it properly.

When you dry food outdoors, you really need to live in a dry climate and in a place where it has plenty of sunshine. If you live in a place where the growing season is long, then outdoor drying can prove to be very convenient. In fact, you can dry vegetables right in the garden where they are growing.

You can dry peas, beans, and even onions if you want.

Before you attempt to dry other fruits or vegetables, always keep in mind that they must be prepared first. Usually, you don't have to remove the skins. To prepare fruits and vegetables for drying, you first need to immerse them in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. After this time, you have to immediately rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process. During this point, you can easily remove the skins.

Then you have to lay them on screen trays outdoors to dry. In fact, if you know that you are going to have a very dry and warm weather, you can place the fruits and vegetables you plan on drying on your rooftop or on the stone pavement. At night, you may want to cover the vegetables or fruits you are drying with plastic in order to prevent moisture from seeping in.

Drying outdoors is easy to do and is very convenient. The only problem is that too much exposure to the sun and air will cause greater vitamin loss.

If you live in areas where the weather is unpredictable and inconsistent, which makes it virtually impossible for you to dry food outdoors, then you will want to try indoor drying. Its faster to do and because food is not exposed to the sun and air, it will be able to retain more vitamins.

For this, you need to get food dehydrators, which can be purchased in most department stores. Each will have its own instructions and this is definitely an investment that you will surely pay off. However, they do require more physical and household energy.

You can also try drying food indoors in your oven. All you need to do is preheat the oven to 145 degrees and place your fruits and vegetables on baking sheets with no pieces touching. Leave the oven door slightly open and reduce the temperature to 120 degrees. Then, slowly increase it to 140 degrees. You also need to shift or turn the food often in order to dry it evenly.

Each type of food will vary when it comes to the time required for drying. Some food may contain more moisture than others, which means that it will take longer to dry. Apples take around 8 to 12 hours while tomatoes can take 10 to 18 hours to dry.

After drying your food, the next step is to store them. Keep the dried food in commercial plastic storage bags and keep them in a cool and dark place.

Dried fruit can be eaten as is but you have to remember that when you need to eat vegetables, you will need to rehydrate them. You can do this by pouring 1 or 2 cups of boiling water over a cup of dried vegetables. Let the vegetables sit until the water has been soaked up.

Drying food will take some time to master in order to achieve the perfect dried food. You may need to experiment a little but after a while, you will be able to start enjoying your harvest all year long.
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