Dehydrated foods

[Sniper-T]

Everything is relative. I use extra lean meat and PT absorb literally all of the oil. with veggies, home-made pasta, and lo/non-fat cheese, It takes about 20 hours to dehydrate, depending on temps. I've done it in as little as 10, but it seems to 'crisp' and darken on the edges too much for aesthetics... low and slow... plan on 24 hours, with some tossing and turning. I know I have posted pics of the process a while back, but I don't remember where. Search Freaks... I task thee!

I cracked open a bag of dehydrated chili (meat/beans/tomatoes/sauce) yesterday, that I left at my buddy's cabin in 2003; just to try a bit. (re-sealed the balance.) Awesome. we taste tested it against a new mountain house chili, and 7/7 preferred mine!

[Domeguy]

That is awesome news, and thanks for the info. I never would have imagined if would take so little time, as I would have expected days to weeks. I'm with you an absorbing as much fat as possible of the meat, and encourage Mrs. Dome to get low fat content meat when she buys it, but we are still going through the meat we got from her brother who has his own meat packing business. I assume when you dry the sauces you use the solid tray, and do you at any time switch the sauces/broths over to the perforated trays?

[Socalman]

Lots of good replies on this topic! As I look back, I think what I should have titled the topic was FREEZE DRIED which uses a different process.

I will say that the replies have inspired me to get a dehydrator for this summer's fruit & veggie harvest!

[Sniper-T]

dehydrating some hot peppers:



I did 4 trays like that of different peppers, and got these:



Old school:



Then did a couple trays of onions:

[Sniper-T]

Started with 5# of fresh button mushrooms:



Purée'd in the food processor:



added some herbs and spices:



spread out on dehydrator trays:



set for 125F and good to go:

[Vodin]

I just tried making jerky out of ground beef that was given to me. It isn't bad but it is missing something. I want to dehydrate cayenne peppers but they are still green and have been removed from the plants.

Question will pick green cayenne peppers turn red after the fact? And do I cut them open or leave them as picked to dehydrate them.

They will be ground down afterwords.

[Caveman Survival]

Vodin... Sweet chilli sauce.. That's the key ingredient you're missing. It's amazing!

[Sniper-T]

they will turn red after, but slowly. you can hurry them a bit by putting them in a paper bag with a banana. They will dry quicker cut up, and since you're grinding anyways, save yourself some work by slicing and dicing fresh.

[Caveman Survival]

Don't forget to save some seeds from your red ones....

[Sniper-T]

And here is 5 pounds of mushrooms, without the water: