Vegetable Dehydration - Klarstein 10029505 Handbuch

Dehydration removes the moisture and will cause the food to shrink as it dries. This allows you to store the
same amount of food in a smaller space. Chopped food should not be spread thicker than 1.2 cm.
lt may be necessary to stir the finely chopped food once or twice during dehydration to ensure even drying of
all the pieces. To do so, turn the machine off, unplug it, remove the trays, stir, then reassemble and restart the
machine according to the instructions.
Prevent Dripping
Some foods such as very ripe tomatoes and citrus or sugared fruits may drip. Dripping from a tray above can
change the flavour of different foods on lower trays. To help lessen dripping after placing food on drying trays
and before placing them on the dehydrator base, tap the tray firmly downward on a towel laid on the counter
top a few times to remove excess moisture.

Vegetable Dehydration

Dried vegetables are every bit as flavourful and versatile as dried fruits. With dried vegetables you can make
delicious soups, stews, casseroles and more. Basically, anywhere you would use fresh vegetables you can use
dehydrated vegetables.
Before preparing and dehydrating your chosen vegetables, always wash them in cold water. A certain amount
of coring, slicing, peeling or shredding is required. A food processor can be a handy tool when processing veg-
etables taking seconds to slice up a large batch ready for the dehydrator.
Be creative when drying vegetables. Placing vegetables in diluted lemon juice or similar flavourings for approxi-
mately 2 minutes will add a hint of flavour to such vegetables as green beans and asparagus.
Pre-treatment of Vegetables
For the most part, vegetables need little in the way of special treatment for dehydration although there are
some exceptions. Here are some preparation guidelines that will help you get the most from your dried veg-
etables. A few vegetables, such as onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms can be dried and recon-
stituted successfully without pre-treatment. In general if vegetables must be steamed or blanched for freezing
they must be treated for drying.
With the above-named exceptions in mind most remaining vegetables will need to be steamed or blanched
before drying. Many vegetables have enzymes that help the food ripen and leaving these enzymes active in
the food will cause them to continue to bring about changes in flavour and aroma which can be undesirable.
Although untreated vegetables which are dehydrated can still be good for as long as three to four months, heat
treated vegetables reconstitute in less time, keep longer, and generally retain more flavour when reconstituted.
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