dehydrator woes

[donnyandcathy]

I'm having a really hard time with things I'm dehydrating, and wasting food and money :(
Yesterday I tried fresh Green Beans from our garden. I snapped them, added a little olive oil, and seasoning, threw in the dehydrator.
This morning they were as skinny as a toothpick, and hard and chewy, to where you couldn't even bite them. They went from tasting really raw to
non-edible. How do I get them to taste like the ones that you buy in a bag at the store that are dehydrated? They are crunchy and fat like a cheetos.

The other thing I haven't had any luck with is fruit. It's either chewy and not done all the way, or hard to where you can hardly bite it. How do they do the dehydrated fruits you can buy in the bins at Whole Foods?
Like my papaya and apricots where no where near what you can buy. They didn't taste or look good at all.

Thanks!!
Cathy

[appifanie]

i don't have great luck with the D either - most of the stuff I D I find unappealing.

[RaeVynn]

The ones that are crunchy and fat could be freeze dried, or they are 'flash dried' at very high heat.

I tend to stick with recipes in the dehydrator, as they are proven successes...

[Soose]

How do I get them to taste like the ones that you buy in a bag at the store that are dehydrated? They are crunchy and fat like a cheetos.

Cathy, thanks for starting this thread. I've definitely got a lot to learn.

I have wondered and think the ones in the store are fried. Could that be? Or could they be vac-dehydrated then seasoned after?

We've been making the green beans and I hope I am not the one that led you to try them by mentioning we make them, then you got disappointed. Our results have varied a lot. We have been using thawed frozen whole beans. The batch varied in taste even when they were really dried -- one batch had a great green bean taste after you chewed awhile and rehydrated them in your mouth; one batch was pretty tasteless. :( The best results: I think they need watching in time, then cut the dehydrator off while they're still not too done, and just let them continue to dry out slowly. If a few are still limp, put them back in while dehydrating something else, but not too long.

I hope you haven't wasted the ones you've over-dried -- use them rehydrated in raw soups? Grind into a green powder and use in a smoothie or juice or pate or tortilla or... ??

[donnyandcathy]

Soose, I did try the beans from your other post ;)
But don't worry about it, it's not your fault. I think I will try some more again tomorrow, but keep a close eye on them. I think I will also try the zucchini chips again too.

I want to get my money's worth from this thing, but don't know what other things are good to try besides the "recipes"
Let me know if you have any success.
Happy Dehydrating :)
Cathy

[SekhemNefer]

I think the dehydrator is a waste of money. I bought the Excalibur almost 2 years ago and don't use it because tons of things just shrink up to the size of ants.

I think dehydrators are excellent if you do gourmet raw meals, something I am currently too lazy for.

[Soose]

For me, the dehydrator has already been worth the money. (I admit it did sit here idle for several months.) I was able to send the guys here off to summer camp happy. :)

The carrot nut patties I made were received well, as were the little packs of veggie jerky. The patties got them through lunch. The jerky through the time others were having their supper "cracker barrel" they call it. The "Aussie Bite" (aka Anzac biscuits?) mini muffins got them through b'fast along with melon and other fruit and some nuts. The carrot pulp/nut butter cookies were good. I made something else with carrot pulp like a muffin or something but can't remember -- only that it was good. Oh, yes, and the warmed up veggies/mushrooms for both main and side dishes were not really trouble and very well liked.

I think being able to soak nuts and seeds and grains, then dehydrate them, to make flours or to use the nuts in trail mixes and recipes will be useful. I am hesitant about the idea of going through multiple steps like that, but figure I'll get into a routine and it won't be something I have to think about. Eventually.

This adjustment period is just that. A learning curve. I'm thankful to have this forum to help me through it!

[T-Bird]

Soose! Mine is set to be delivered today! I hope one of the kids answers the door!

We're in the middle of a heat wave - so I won't be trying it out till THAT's over!

[Soose]

Soose! Mine is set to be delivered today! I hope one of the kids answers the door!

We're in the middle of a heat wave - so I won't be trying it out till THAT's over!

Tbird, I hope you are successful with it! I admit that the learning curve is a little frustrating, Cathy, I'm right there with you. Now T-bird can help us, too.

I just caught the pancake thread. The comments (to paraphrase) like "To have them for brunch the next day, I had to put them in the dehyd. at midnight and flip at 9am" -- those comments are SO HELPFUL. Everyone please include that timing when you share -- I think the timing is the most frustrating issue.

(Of course having something like the pizza I made which was such hard work and we didn't care for it -- that's hard, too. But if we hadn't had that experience, then someone wouldn't have shown me the recipe for a quicker crust. Which, btw, I keep saying every day I'm going to make for lunch!)

[jane b]

I have had several different dehydrators over the years, and right now, my fave is my Nesco. I actually have 3 working Ds right now, and yes, there is definitely a learning curve. Not only for dehydrating in general, but also the quirks of your particular unit.

I've only ever done green beans and other veggies for backpacking food which is meant to be rehydrated with hot water. But I have done tons of fruit, leathers and jerky as well as raw tomato sauce to be powdered into "boullion."

The poster who complained about the fruit not looking the same as commercial is probably missing two points. First off, try sloshing the fruit in lemon water to keep the fruit from oxidizing. This is done in place of sulphuring the fruit.

Secondly, if the fruit is that brittle, then the drying time/temp is off. Sometimes a book will suggest overnight drying, and that can mean anything from 8-12 hours or more. I prefer to dry during the day when I can keep an eye on things when I'm trying new items.

As for summer and dehydrating, I put my dehydrator out on the back porch so it doesn't heat up my house. Just run a heavy duty extension cord and problem solved.

I *love* my dehydrator(s) and they are in almost constant use, depending on what's in season. Last fall, I was able to get organic apples from some local Amish farmers for $7.00 per 40# bushel. I bought several bushels as I was making apple slices for Christmas presents for family members with allergies. The biggest problem I had was keeping the human mice from nibbling away as my stock until I could get everything shipped.
:D

[Soose]

Soose, I did try the beans from your other post ;)
Cathy

Cathy, I am nibbling on green beans again right now. Just felt there was something missing in our lunch and I had these squirreled away from the batches I did for camping. They are the last but second best batch so they're pretty good. I took them out before they were nonexistant and flavorless, I guess. About an 1/8th inch thick minimum? Dry but chew and we get flavor. :) I think having to chew them very thoroughly is good.

Maybe the flavor is better if they've been frozen first. Freezing definitely does something to them.

Okay. Fresh from the garden is one raw food. Dehydrated is definitely a different experience and taste. Can't expect a fresh from the garden experience.

[RawTruth]

I'm having a really hard time with things I'm dehydrating, and wasting food and money :(
Yesterday I tried fresh Green Beans from our garden. I snapped them, added a little olive oil, and seasoning, threw in the dehydrator.
This morning they were as skinny as a toothpick, and hard and chewy, to where you couldn't even bite them. They went from tasting really raw to
non-edible. How do I get them to taste like the ones that you buy in a bag at the store that are dehydrated? They are crunchy and fat like a cheetos.

That's your first clue! LOL. Those aren't dehydrated under 118 degrees. That's the difference between what you're doing with your dehydrator in the raw world and what's available in the "other" world. A whole different experience! I can tell you haven't tried potato chips yet. That's the only time I was tempted to fling my Excaliber against the wall. It was too costly to toss, thankfully.


The other thing I haven't had any luck with is fruit. It's either chewy and not done all the way, or hard to where you can hardly bite it. How do they do the dehydrated fruits you can buy in the bins at Whole Foods?

Again ... you're comparing apples and .... hee hee. You're not going to get those results. They are selling dried fruit that is processed in a much different manner. You are preserving the natural enzymes and nutrients in the fruit you're dehydrating. Although, with abundant fresh ripe fruit available now, I'm wondering why you're dehydrating them for now. Sorry. Don't mean to be rude. Just a thought.

Dehydrating in the raw world is best for crackers, breads, granolas, cookies, etc. Well, I don't want to leave out pizza, calzone, enchiladas, pesto-stuffed mushrooms, crepes, chili ... Soose has described other great dishes. You get the picture.

A handy hint -- never make and dehydrate just one batch of anything. Double the onion bread, double the crackers, double the granola. It takes too much dehydrating time to turn right around and do it again in a few days or a week. When I was making these things, I'd always make enough to last a few weeks. Even crepes and wonton wrappers can be refrigerated for that long.

(By the way, I am Excalibur all the way. I recommend no less than 9-tray for everyone. You don't have to go for the round, cheapie ones. I got my first one off eBay and my others from Craigslist and a local raw online bulletin board. Didn't pay full price for any.)

[SekhemNefer]

That's your first clue! LOL. Those aren't dehydrated under 118 degrees. That's the difference between what you're doing with your dehydrator in the raw world and what's available in the "other" world. A whole different experience! I can tell you haven't tried potato chips yet. That's the only time I was tempted to fling my Excaliber against the wall. It was too costly to toss, thankfully.



Again ... you're comparing apples and .... hee hee. You're not going to get those results. They are selling dried fruit that is processed in a much different manner. You are preserving the natural enzymes and nutrients in the fruit you're dehydrating. Although, with abundant fresh ripe fruit available now, I'm wondering why you're dehydrating them for now. Sorry. Don't mean to be rude. Just a thought.

Dehydrating in the raw world is best for crackers, breads, granolas, cookies, etc. Well, I don't want to leave out pizza, calzone, enchiladas, pesto-stuffed mushrooms, crepes, chili ... Soose has described other great dishes. You get the picture.

A handy hint -- never make and dehydrate just one batch of anything. Double the onion bread, double the crackers, double the granola. It takes too much dehydrating time to turn right around and do it again in a few days or a week. When I was making these things, I'd always make enough to last a few weeks. Even crepes and wonton wrappers can be refrigerated for that long.

(By the way, I am Excalibur all the way. I recommend no less than 9-tray for everyone. You don't have to go for the round, cheapie ones. I got my first one off eBay and my others from Craigslist and a local raw online bulletin board. Didn't pay full price for any.)

My raw Excalibur dehydrator shrinks of my food in an undesirable way as well, and but it way bellow 115, more like the 105 mark. I mean, my huge zucchini turned into the size of dimes after dehydration.

[RawTruth]

My raw Excalibur dehydrator shrinks of my food in an undesirable way as well, and but it way bellow 115, more like the 105 mark. I mean, my huge zucchini turned into the size of dimes after dehydration.

That's because zucchini is mostly water. Dehydrating removes the water from the food. The more water in the food, the smaller it will be when the water is removed. Think of a balloon completely filled with air versus a balloon partially filled with air.

One teensy trick to retain a little size is to slice on the diagonal so the pieces are longer.

By the way, there's not much difference between 115 and 105. Lowering the temperature simply means that it will take longer to dry.

[T-Bird]

The poster who complained about the fruit not looking the same as commercial is probably missing two points. First off, try sloshing the fruit in lemon water to keep the fruit from oxidizing. This is done in place of sulphuring the fruit.

Secondly, if the fruit is that brittle, then the drying time/temp is off. Sometimes a book will suggest overnight drying, and that can mean anything from 8-12 hours or more. I prefer to dry during the day when I can keep an eye on things when I'm trying new items.

As for summer and dehydrating, I put my dehydrator out on the back porch so it doesn't heat up my house. Just run a heavy duty extension cord and problem solved.

Jane B!

Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOo much - all excellent tips!

[DebB]

For what it's worth -- if your finished food is the size of ants, really - cut it bigger next time. You're definitely correct, there is a learning curve.

I know times in the recipe instructions are helpful, but please use them as a loose guide line. I'm in the desert here in WA State and my things are going to D much quicker than someone in a humid climate.

I find where I run into problems - is leaving things in the D overnight on a new recipe! I have learned not to do that any more. Again, things D here quickly and when I check them in the morning, they are over dehydrated... *Ü*

[sprouts2go]

My cheapo dehydrator just died but I had used it for flax crackers and kale chips mostly. I did try to dry asparagus and they were dried inedible sticks. I like the aspagus when I toss it with EVOO and galic. I heat it til it wilts and gets soft. Then they are awesome. I guess it will be awhile before I get another dehydrator.

[cathyinontario]

I just wanted to make a little point about frozen veggies. I noticed someone saying they used them as raw food.....they aren't. (unless you froze them yourself).
One of the processes of preparing veggies, especially green veggies, is "blanching" or par-boiling. So technically frozen veggies are partially cooked.

[pixelkatt]

I have tried green beans and they didn't turn out very well either. :(

BUT I love love love my Good4U dehydrator, lol.. my favorite things to make are the nut loafs in Alissa's book and of course crackers (which has been mentioned) and right now I have red and yellow pepper, anaheim pepper, mushrooms, lemon, onion and cilantro (basically everything in my fridge that was in danger of going bad soon, I sliced and threw in a big bowl) and then added garlic and a few sun dried tomatoes that I ran through the food processor, a little olive oil and some salt and now I have my dinner for the night. Oh and I added a little thyme and coriander too.. love to play around with spices.. So now when dh comes home and cooks something that makes me hungry, I have something good too! :D I think I like this sort of stuff because I used to love sautéing veggies and this comes pretty close to it.

[jane b]

I have tried green beans and they didn't turn out very well either. :(

pixelkatt, with you being in North Carolina, you need to find an old timer and ask them about "leather britches." :D

jane b

[pixelkatt]

I actually had to look that up and I still don't get it really.. :) I am not a native North Carolinian though (born and raised in California) so maybe that's why.. :D

[jane b]

Leather Britches are what the old people called dried green beans. Pole beans was one crop that could be dependably grown out here in the Appalachians, and you had to have a way to store them for the winter. You either stored food or you didn't eat, so this activity was taken very seriously.

Not everyone could afford glass canning jars, and if you did have some, you used them for more luxurious items like peaches. Wet items like pickles and kraut went into crocks. Jams and jellies were sealed with wax on top, not lids. Everything that could be dried was dried--apples, green beans, corn, etc.

Beans would be snapped with their strings removed, and then strung using needle and thread. These garlands of beans were hung from the rafters until they turned brown and leathery, hence the name. They were never blanched, so they always had a rather strong taste. Generally, these were reconstituted by cooking with potatoes and a small chunk of salt pork for seasoning.

Just a little bit of food history....

[shan6]

I had a similar experience, my beans yuck and cauliflower- Yuck! These posts have been very insightful.