Food Dehydration Factors

Blanching methods and the different ways to dehydrate food

Electric food dehydrators are easy and simple ways to preserve food, but even if you own one it's helpful to know about alternative means of food dehydration. There are many different factors involved in dehydrating particular fruits and vegetables, as well as storage and preparation of meals using dehydrated food. Here's a brief guide to food dehydration factors you should know about.

Preparations for drying

If you're going to go to all the bother of dehydrating and storing food, you'll first want to make sure it's worth eating. Pick out the best quality fruits and vegetables you can find.

Before you dry them, fruits and vegetables need to be blanched. Blanching is done not for the purpose of food coloring, but to remove the enzymes that cause food spoilage. Blanching also halts the ripening process and prevents further changes in flavor and texture.

There are two types of blanching: steam and immersion. Blanching food in boiling water is probably better known, but steam blanching can reduce drying time later.

To blanch food through immersion, first clean it and cut it into pieces sized appropriately for storage. Then use a sieve or colander to dip these pieces into a pot of boiling water. How long you keep food immersed is up to you, but remember that prolonged immersion will rob food of its nutrient value. After you've finished blanching, place the food in cold water to stop the cooking process.

To steam blanch food, you can use the same items as with immersion, only keep the sieve or colander outside the water. Cover the pot or kettle to keep steam trapped inside, and remove the food when finished. The advantage of steam blanching is that less moisture will be absorbed by the food.

Alternative methods of food dehydration

Using an electric food dehydrator eliminates the need to worry about other food dehydration factors that can affect sun drying or oven drying. Sun drying can be especially difficult, as outdoor food dehydration requires intense heat over a period of several days.

Food dehydration factors involved in oven drying include excessive energy use and loss of flavor, plus the need to keep the oven door open for proper air circulation. Electric food dehydrators are best for operating at the low temperatures required for proper food dehydration, and are also better at heat control and air circulation.

Food dehydration facts

Dehydrated fruits and vegetables make convenient and healthy snacks. Dehydrated food comes in such forms as jerky and fruit leather. Removing all water from the food prevents spoiling due to bacteria but also removes some nutrients. In particular, vitamin A and vitamin C are lost through the blanching and drying process.

Remember when storing dehydrated food to place it in containers that are absolute airtight and free of moisture. Dehydrated food stored in this manner will keep for a very long time.

More information on food dehydrators