Drying Vegetables
Preparation
•Wash vegetables thoroughly and remove blemishes.
•
Pre-Treatment
•Steam Blanching: is needed to speed up drying process for certain vegetables.
•Blanching: Preserves the colour, stops the ripening process and generally makes the produce dry faster.
To Blanch
1.Soak vegetables in boiling water for
2.Plunge into ice cold water.
3.Slice and commence drying.
Dryness Test
•Cool vegetables before attempting the final test for dryness.
•Vegetables should feel hard and firm with no soft spots.
Expect a variance in the time needed to dry different foods. Drying times are affected by the size of the load, thickness of slices, humidity and temperature in your home.
Food type | Pre treatment | Setting/drying time | Suggested Use | |
Vegetables |
|
|
| |
Carrot, peeled, 1cm dice | None | Add to cake, bread | ||
and scone mixtures | ||||
|
|
| ||
Celery, 1cm dice | None | Add to soup mixes | ||
and casseroles | ||||
|
|
| ||
Eggplant, 5mm slices | Blanch in | Add to tomato sauces | ||
hot water | ||||
|
|
| ||
Ginger, peeled, .5mm | Scrub under |
| Add to curries, fruit | |
cake and muffin | ||||
slices | warm water | |||
| mixtures | |||
|
|
| ||
Mushrooms, button, cut | None | Add to risottos and | ||
into 1cm thick slices | pasta sauces | |||
|
|
12
