Dehydrating question

[WendyLouWho]

I have two raw cookbooks that have a lot of dehydrator recipes calling for 1 hour @ 145 then down to 115. From what I've read, anything over 115 kills the enzymes. Is that correct? Why are the recipes like this...to make things crisper? I plan on trying some of the recipes anyway but keep my dehydrator set to 110.

[Rawkinlocs]

According to Excalibur, with their dehydrator (can't say this is the case for all of them, though) that first couple of hours having it on high won't affect the food as only the air reaches that temp, but the food does not. But thereafter, it is advised to turn it down as to not begin to cook the food.

This method is mainly used and is great for dehydrating things that may take a super long time to dehydrate (breads, lasagna, etc.) and that may be at risk for fermentation while in the dehydrator.

I know that a couple of times my calzone would turn out sour until I started doing this...at least the first hour if not two, and thereafter I haven't had one to ferment on me yet!

[WendyLouWho]

Ah, thank you! That makes sense. I do have an excalibur.

[SharonC]

In Dr. Gabriel Cousens book, 'Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine', he states that "recent research by the Excalibur Dehydrator Company suggests that it is actually better to begin the dehydration process at 145 for the initial stage of the drying process. The reasoning is that as the food is dehydrating, it literally 'sweats out' the moisture it contains. This moisture inside the dehydrator reduces the food temperature, as much as 20-25 degrees. This information changes how we think about the entire process of food dehydration. It means that the safest way to dehydrate is to begin drying at 145 for a maximum of three hours for foods with a high water content. After this the temperature is set in the 'normal' range of 110 - 115 through the completion of the drying process. By doing this we are inhibiting bacterial growth by reducing the time the food spends in the dehydrator. The longer the food is in the dehydrator, the more potential exists for the enzymes to be destroyed, even at lower temperatures. Low temperature dehydration for sustained time, as practiced for years by the live food community, may not be safe because sustained low temperature dehydration encourages bacterial growth and fermentation. At the Tree of Life we feel that the new approach is both safer and more efficient. Through research from our Master's Degree Program in Vegan Live Food Nutrition, we hope to have more exact temperatures and times regarding this technique, but for now we only have estimates. This technique of dehydration is only recommended for the Excalibur Dehydrator because of the way that it dries food"......(more detail).

[WendyLouWho]

Thank you, SharonC. I just picked up that book from the library, too!