Kenmore Microwave Oven manual DEHYDRA1, Dehydration, What To Dehydrate?, General Instructions

DEHYDRA1

DEHYDRATION COOKING

DEHYDRATION

Dehydrated foods require little storage space and no special containers. You can store them in tightly sealed plastic bags or any other clean, air-tight container. This makes them readily available as a source of food any time there is a need. Drying foods while they are in plentiful supply and less expensive is money saving. Not only does it save you money but gives a greater variety of foods all year round.

For campers or hikers, it is a convenient way to take food for outdoor trail eating or camper cooking. Dried foods, properly stored, will keep up to a year.

WHAT TO DEHYDRATE?

Almost anything! Fruit can be used to make some of the fruit "leathers" that are such nutritious snacks. Apples, peaches, berries or any other seasonal fruit can be dried for year round snacking. Almost anything that suits your taste can be dehydrated.

Vegetables can be dried and packed singly or in combinations to add to soups and stews. Use vegetables from your garden or from a local farm stand. Herbs from your garden should be dehydrated and packed singly or in combinations for spaghetti sauce, stews, chicken dishes. What a wonderful gift a jar of your own home grown and dried herbs would make!

There are also craft items that can be dried. Flowers from your spring garden! The use of this feature in this oven is practically limitless.

There is no mystery about drying foods. In fact most of us eat dried foods every day. Generally, pasta, beans, spices, raisins and even coffee are dried when you buy them.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Dry only good quality fruits and vegetables. If there is a blemish, it will appear in the finished product. The one exception to this is in making fruit leathers. Here you can cut away pieces of the fruit that are spoiled, use up fruits from the freezer that have overstayed their time, even canned fruits that have been around too long.

The thinner the slices, the faster the drying.

Place food one layer thick on the trays. Different kinds of foods can be dried at the same time, but it is wise not to mix onion and onion products with less pungent foods, such as fruits.

During the drying period, check food for doneness. When moisture appears on top of the food, blotting with a paper towel will speed dehydration. Timing will depend on the amount of moisture in the food. Removing moisture by pressing the food may shorten the drying time, but it will also remove natural vitamins in the moisture. It is best for this to remain in the food and dry out slowly for best quality of color and content.

Generally, vegetables are dried when they have become leathery or brittle. Fruits should be leathery and pliable and should not exhibit any moisture when squeezed. Meats will be dark in color when properly dried and from sharp points when bent. Herbs and leaf-type plants will become brittle and crumble easily when fully dried. It is better to overdry than to underdry.

Drying times on some products like apricots and grapes are quite long. If you wish to use these, use both racks for maximum results. If you wish to use the oven for some other cooking, remove the food on the drying racks to a place where they will be kept clean and away from moisture. When the other cooking is finished, allow the oven to return to low heat and continue the drying. Don't interrupt drying process for too long.

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