Dehydrator Cookbook

But, you may be saying, what about canning? What about freezing? What's wrong with these methods of preservation? Here are some reasons why many people choose drying over the other methods of food preservation.

Less time and skill required. If you've ever tried canning and given up because things didn't turn out as planned, take comfort: Dehydrating foods is a lot easier and less time consuming. Even if you've never done it before, dehydrating is a skill you can quickly learn and, indeed, become an expert at. And let's be honest-who really wants to spend time canning foods in the middle of summer when your kitchen already feels as if it's 110°F? Using a dehydrating machine produces very little heat so you won't lose your cool even if it's 90°F outside and you're running the machine all day.

Less storage space needed. The era of living in oversized houses is gone, and these days many of us have moved into smaller homes. Maybe your grown children have moved back with you or your family's had a recent young addition. Either way we need to make the most of the space we have. The last thing we want to do is fill shelves with canned foods or even a chest freezer taking up valuable feet in the basement or garage. Dehydrating shrinks foods down to one-tenth of their original size, so a pound of carrots can easily fit into a small jar. If you have a small kitchen or limited storage space, dehydration is for you.

Capture flavor when it's at its freshest. One of the best things about summer is the abundance and variety of produce. However, a major drawback is when it's hot and humid the food spoils quickly and you can only eat so much of it. Dehydrating allows you to have the best of both worlds.

• Why Dehydrate Foods?
• The Best Ways, Temperature and Cooking Times to Dry Foods
• Instructions on How To Dry Fruits, Vegetables, Meat and Herbs with easy and economical way
• The Best Techniques to Preserve Dried Foods
• Jerky Recipe
• More Jerky Recipes
• Snacks Recipes
• More Snack Recipes
• Fruit Leather Recipes
• More Fruit Leather Recipes
• Main Course Recipes
• More Main Course Recipes

Make preservation pay off. We all love to eat something tasty and sweet in between meals. When you dehydrate fruits, their flavors not only become more concentrated but they get sweeter and therefore make the ideal snack for both kids and adults.

Derive maximum nutrition. You've heard it over and over again; turn on the TV and there's some nutritionist telling us to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. We know it makes sense but sometimes it's not easy to squeeze them in. You can solve the problem by having some dried fruits to throw on your breakfast cereal or in that brown-bag lunch. Drying foods as soon as you bring them home seals in all their flavors, colors, and essential nutrients. Many people think it's as good as eating the food fresh.

Enjoy preservative-free food. If you're a label detective, you'll know that even a bag of apricots can contain ingredients that warrant an advanced degree in chemistry to decipher. Dry your own foods and you'll know what's in them every time.