dehydrate food? why?? how?? what??

[kristilew]

So I got a new toaster oven. Love it It has a "dehydrate" setting. The book informs me this is an auto setting to 180 degrees, but that's all it says.

Um, is there a reason I'd want to put food in my toaster oven and leave it at 180 until all the moisture is sucked out? Surely there must be a demand for this and I'm just ignorant.

So, who dehydrates food? What food? Any recipes?

TIA!

 

[marlynnp]

Have you heard of beef jerky? Dried fruit??

 

[bgohre]

You can make your own beef jerky or dehydrate fruit.

I like to dehydrate apples. Peel the apples, core them then cut them into thin slices, soak them in lemon juice (to prevent browning) and dehydrate. Yum.

 

[Bitsmommy]

You take the moisture out of food so that you don't have to keep it cold or so that it will have a longer shelf life. Liptons soup, dehydrated. Space food, dehydrated. This is often used for obvious reasons dried fruit, beef jerky. But, some people also dehydrate applesauce to make fruit roll ups without all of the crap. Or dehydrate garden veggies, like peas to eat as a snack or to add to soup later. Make sense??

 

[tzolkin]

I make fruit leather all the time. It's not completely dried and hard-- more like the consistency of raisins, but in puree form.

My kids take them to school in their lunches. I usually make a bunch in the fall when we go apple picking and add in other fruits for a variety of flavors. I bag up the individual rolls and put them in the freezer, so it's a good way to store fruit. I also bring a big bag with us when we go to Disney for snacking in the parks.

I do not make it in the toaster oven though.

 

[kristilew]

yes, I've heard of beef jerky. Only in connection with gas-station snacks, though, not made in a toaster. Either way, not my thing.

The dried fruit sound great, though. I will totally try the apple slices. And DH loves dried apricots, so I suppose it's the same idea.

How does the applesauce to fruit roll up work, though? Do I spread it out on foil? Put it in a shallow pan? Healthy roll ups sound awsome, I'd love to try it.

 

[landshark]

If you dry fruit you can eat it as is for a snack, rehydrate it for recipes, or use as a topping for things like cereal and ice cream.

My mom finally got an actual dehydrator a couple years ago and loves that thing way too much. When she first got it, any fruit in the house was fair game. She still regularly dehydrates strawberry slices.

Kiwis were surprisingly good and if you dehydrate mini marshmallows they turn crunchy like what you'd find in cereal.

 

[marlynnp]

yes, I've heard of beef jerky. Only in connection with gas-station snacks, though, not made in a toaster. Either way, not my thing.

The dried fruit sound great, though. I will totally try the apple slices. And DH loves dried apricots, so I suppose it's the same idea.

How does the applesauce to fruit roll up work, though? Do I spread it out on foil? Put it in a shallow pan? Healthy roll ups sound awsome, I'd love to try it.

You could but see if you can find a silicone pan liner that will fit your toaster oven's tray. They work much better.