help. im ready to put my dehydrator in front of a bus

[skipfire92]

seems like everytime i use my dehydrator now the stuff ferments before it dries out. i have it set at about 105, and its really aggravating because i keep making stuff and having to throw it out. ive used it in the past to make nut chips and to dry fruit and its worked great. it shouldnt be broken because it hasnt been used that much and i know its heating up because i can feel the heat.

Last weekend i ground up sprouted quinoa into a dough, added nuts and dried fruit, and cinnamon, and shaped it into 4 small round loaves. it was really good--UNDEHYDRATED. 2 of the "loaves" (about 4-5 inches diameter, 1 and a half inches thick) i ate before they were dehydrated because the dough was so good. i left it the rest of the day and overnight to dehydrate and when i woke up the next morning, my whole apartment smelled like fermented. they werent even dry yet but they were fermenting or somethign. so i had to ditch them. the flax crackers that were in the dehydrator at the same time were ok, but these things i had to ditch. :( so discouraging.

Last night, same thing again. put sprouted wheat and lentils through my solostar juicer, made a dough. added rest of my shredded salad from dinner (freshly shredded) which was beets, kale, collards, pinenuts, oil, garlic, onion, lemon juice. made a dough, spread it thinly, left it overnight; now my kitchen smells like fermented AGAIN. i flipped them; one side was dry, and theyre still in there, but i wonder am i going to have to ditch these too..... these dont smell as bad as the quinoa, actually it smells like sauerkraut...so maybe its not bad bacteria fermenting it but theres really no way to tell


WHY CANT I GET MY STUFF TO DRY BEFORE IT FERMENTS???!!!!

[SamuelWilson]

You can set your temperature at 120 and you will be fine. The temperature inside the foods you are dehydrating will generally be a slightly lower temperature than the actual set temperature.

[Kris]

Some people also advocate starting your dehydrator at a really high temp (130-140 or so) for the first few hours, and then lowering it back down to 105-110 once it gets going. I have not tested the food with a thermometer to see how hot it actually gets inside, but I'm not even sure what the "magic number" should be anyway. I too was having major fermentation problems when I first got my dehydrator, but this method has worked like a charm for me.

[rawpriestess]

Well, you can do two things to stop the fermentation.

Juliano does this and many other raw food gurus,

and the Excalibur people say to do this. Even for RAW

set your temp at 145 or so, for the first two hours, then turn it down,
and don't make your items, 1 1/2 inches thick, that is very thick

if you know about regular cooking in an oven, you will know that you use a thermometer to decide how cooked the item is inside, even though the ove is set at 350 the inside temp may be around 150 or even lower, depending on it's size, shape and liquid content.

So, the same applies with your dehydrated goodies.

just because the air that is blowing on the food is 105 degrees, doesn't mean the inside of your dough is that temp, so you can buy a thermometer to test the inside of your dough, or you can just take my word for it, and Julianos, and the Excalibur people and countless other raw food chefs and just try it and see how it works for you.

good luck, it's not the dehydrator's fault

[eachpeachpearplum]

When I make bread recipes I make the loaf then slice into individual slices and dehydrate. That way I can really regulate the moisture and it freezes very well too.

I have also started doing it a new way that I love. I make the dough just a bit
looser and spread it like cracker from corner to corner and score it at the time I remove it from the teflex to flip it over, that way I get nice big flat pieces! Again this should help with fermentation as it's not thick. :p

Cheers, Erin

[tvillemom]

I like the idea of making the loaf and then cutting it in slices and dehydrating....think I'll give that a try...THANKS!
Wendi

[MangoMommy]

Thanks for the advice....I also have had my breads/crackers ferment while dehydrating. I would get sooo frustrated too...its like, i get hungry for bread and i think to myself, well, if I start today it will be ready about..hmmm....Next Week!! LOL. You sprout your grain if your bread is grain based for a couple days, dehydrate for 24 or so hours...and then, it's fermented... Thanks Again...I will give this another shot!!!