Adventures in Dehydrating & Recipe Flops. What went wrong?

[BlueKiss]

Ok guys. I am getting a bit discouraged. Perhaps I need to follow my recipes a bit more closely, but so far I kinda suck at this. Good thing I am persistant, but can someone tell me is this raw food preparation sometimes a little trial mixed with some error? I think I did it wrong and please, don't laugh at me but I soaked some cashews and was extremely pleased at how easily they creamed in the blender. I added some cocoa and agave nectar and "poured" tiny circles into the dehydrator last night before bed. I still have yet to make one of these recipes that works well for me, but I am certain it is just me and I need to keep on trying till it all makes sense. I suppose a new way of doing things takes some time to get used to huh? Can someone encourage me just a bit so feel excited again about uncooking??

[juliebove]

When I first got my dehydrator I was determined to make corn chips. I tried every recipe I could find. With flax, without flax. Fresh corn. Frozen corn. Different seasonings. Every single time they smelled horrid. They tasted horrid. And the texture? :eek:

I was able to make good fruit leather. But nobody in this house eats fruit leather. So I felt very discouraged. Also tried potato chips twice. Yuck!

Then I kept reading good reviews of the onion bread. I tried that. It was good. It was very good! So was the nut cheese I made. Since then I've made a dessert that worked.

I can't say that I've done much more. I'm just so skittish after all the flops, especially when I see a recipe that calls for a lot of ingredients and looks somewhat complicated to make.

[girlsmiley]

BlueKiss - What happened with your adventure? Did it not harden? Did it not taste good?

One of the first things I made in my dehydrator was Alissa's turtle things, I think the recipe calls for nuts (I used pecans), honey, and cocoa ... the things did not go nicely in little clumps, in fact they all ran together ... no big deal. I dehydrated them and they never hardened up. I put them in the freezer and they hardened enough for me to get them off the dehydrator tray-thing, yet by the time I got to work they were all melted again. They didn't taste bad they just didn't turnout like I thought they were supposed to ...

What I make the most in my dehydrator is flax seed crackers, onion bread, and seasoned almonds ... :D

[Rawkinlocs]

Hey Bluekiss! It happens...sometimes recipes are a flop...sometimes they are great! It really is about trial and error AND, not being afraid to tweak things if you have to. I say this often, but it can't be said enough...when trying something for the first time, make half or quarter the recipe so there isn't as much waste in the event you don't like it.

Also, be aware that sometimes you may have to turn the dehydrator up a little higher or dehydrate a little longer than a recipe calls for as different climates can yield different results as far as timing goes.

Don't lose hope and give up on it totally out of frustration...you will find recipes that you love and want to make often.

[fairygirl]

you know, ive learned that some of the best things can come out of a recipe "not turning out".
For example : a king (or royalty) in europe ordered french fries but they didnt come out crispy enuf for him so he sent them back. the chef sliced them really thin and then deep fried = the famous potato chip - LOL, k maybe bad example but u get my point.

[SedonaSun]

How recipes will turn out depends on several factors....

humidity
inside house temperature
size of fruits and veggies used
ripeness of fruits and veggies used
amount of processing the food
flavor of the food (ie, I just ate 3 pears; two tasted very pear-y, but the third - figures it was the last one - was very bland)

Fruit and veggies are not consistent and therefore your recipes will vary from time to time.

Don't give up!!! Sometimes I'll make a total flop out of something that I've made successfully several times before. Who knows sometimes... :rolleyes:

[BlueKiss]

Thanks guys. I will keep on trying. Cant' wait to make chocolate ice cream in my new Cuisinart macdaddy ice cream maker. I just hope it does not freeze too hard so you cannot scoop it out of the container. Any thoughts on that? I just ordered that book "naked chocolate" and can't wait to get it in the mail. Also ordered "Vice Cream"...all raw ice cream recipes. I never realized you could have chocolate ice cream (via raw cocoa powder) without the guilt.
Also, raw cocao is extremely amazing for you. Who woulda thunk it?

[BlueKiss]

Making a small batch. That is good advice. Thanks!