Drying Foods at Home (2176)

When you dry food, you must expose it to heated air for a long enough time to remove moisture from the food. Eventually, the food becomes too dry to allow microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts or molds to grow.

Note: Pathogenic bacteria may not grow when dehydrated but they can survive the dehydration process and still cause disease!!

In humid weather the most practical way to dry foods is to use an electric dehydrator. Sun-drying doesn't work well because the air is too humid during the hotter summer weather when temperatures are high enough to dry foods more rapidly. You can use a regular oven to dry small amounts of food, but it's hard to get good air circulation and control the temperature at the 120 to 150 degree range needed.

Jerkies are the only type of meat products recommended for home drying.

However, be careful to follow safe temperatures and times. The USDA recommends that meat be heated to an internal temperature of 160°F with a properly calibrated meat thermometer before the dehydrating process in order to destroy pathogenic microorganisms. After the meat has been brought to 160°F, the drying process can begin. A dehydrator temperature of at least 145°F is recommended (to prevent the growth of bacteria). A minimum drying time of 145°F for at least 7 hours, or 4 hours at 155°F, is recommended for jerky.

You can dry many fruits and vegetables. Fruit leathers, made by drying thin layers of fruit purees, are popular and easy to make.

Prepare the fruit or vegetable by washing and cutting into uniform thin slices, strips, or pieces. Blanch most vegetables, except for tomatoes and green peppers, briefly in steam or boiling water to inactivate enzymes before drying. If you skip this step, the dried vegetables may develop a hay-like flavor and will have a less attractive color.

Dip fruits in an antioxidant such as ascorbic acid, citric acid, lemon juice or pineapple juice before drying. Blanching or using an antioxidant also helps reduce nutrient losses, which tend to be higher with dehydration than with other preservation methods.

Use the electric dehydrator's instruction book as a guide to drying time. Most fruits or vegetables take between 6 and 12 hours to dry, depending on the size and thickness of pieces and the original moisture level.

To test the products for dryness, cool a few pieces of food. Most vegetables should be dried to the brittle stage, where they will snap easily. Fruits are dry when they are no longer sticky, but feel tough or leathery.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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