Dry Pineapple In A Food Dehydrator

Preparation

- Remove the skin from the pineapple meat and any eyes on the meat (a paring knife works well on the eyes)
- Cut the pineapple crosswise to about 1/4 inch tick
- Remove the core

Drying
- Place on the food dehydrator's drying trays and dehydrate at 130 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 16 hours

When completely dry, the pineapple should feel leathery but be flexible

August 27 Was National Banana Lovers Day

Did you miss Banana Lovers Day? Not to worry, try one of these great banana recipes. Or make banana chips with a food dehydrator. A cup of banana chips provides the following percentages of the recommended daily nutritional requirements:
- 43% of potassium
- 40% of dietary fiber
- 22% of Vitamin B6
- 12% of Vitamin C

Benefits From Using A Food Dehydrator

The main function of a food dehydrator is singularly straightforward, however, the benefits of food dehydration are many. A food dehydrator is designed to remove a significant amount of water from food. The water content of food is typically between 80% to 95% for various fruits and vegetables and 50% to 75% for different meats. Removing the moisture from food inhibits various bacteria, yeasts and molds from growing and spoiling it while also reducing the weight of the dehydrated food by approximately the amount of its water content pre-dehydration. Thus, food dehydrators are ideal tools for the preservation and storage of food.

Enthusiasts use food dehydrators and dehydrate and preserve food because:

• The dried food retains most of its nutrients and taste.
• Unlike canned food, dried food is not subjected to extremely high temperatures, thus more nutrients are preserved.
• The weight and size of the food is reduced, thus making the food more portable and easy to store.
• Unlike frozen foods, there is no need for electricity, thus dehydrated foods are a good emergency food supply.
• Storing dehydrated foods is energy efficient. There are no refrigeration and electricity requirements.
• Dehydrated food becomes more energy dense.
• Dehydration concentrates a food’s natural flavor, sweetness and aroma. Natural sugars in food become more concentrated as moisture is removed, thus dehydrated foods are naturally sweet.
• Dehydrating is easy. Once the food is placed in the dehydrator, there is no need for constant attention or required actions.
• Dehydrating can be done overnight.

Related Food Dehydrator Articles

Food Dehydrator Tips For Drying

Food Dehydrator Do’s and Don’ts

August 31 Is National Trail Mix Day - Make A Banana And Peanut Chew

Try making this banana chew recipe using a food dehydrator:

Ingredients:
- 3 bananas. Ripe bananas provide the best flavor and texture
- 1 1/2 cups of peanuts. Roasted, salted or honey flavored
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Preparation:
- Place the peanuts in a food processor and finely chop them
- Add the bananas and brown sugar into the processor's work bowl and puree the mixture until it is smooth

Drying:
- Place teaspoon sized drops of the mixture onto leather sheets or parchment paper. Leave an inch or two between the drops.
- Set the food dehydrator at 130 degrees Fahrenheit and dry the chews for up to 5 hours

Enjoy!

Related Food Dehydrator Post
Make Banana Chips - Banana Chip Recipe

Homemade Trail Mix

What is as ubiquitous as insect repellent when hiking, biking or enjoying outdoor activities? Trail mix, which provides instant energy via fruits and nuts. Trail mix can be a great healthy snack food to make with a food dehydrator. Homemade trail mix is naturally sweet and avoids the extra added sugars and oils that store bought trail mix includes.

Experiment drying various fruits and nuts in a food dehydrator and create your own trail mix. Try mixing oatmeal, sesame seeds, almonds, peanut butter and fruits like apples. Mix the various items together and, if desired, add honey or vanilla. Spread your mixture onto parchment sheets and dry for up to 3 hours at 145 degrees Fahrenheit until crispy.

For variation, try dehydrating kiwi fruit, papaya, mango, peaches, pears, plums and apples. The experimental list can be endless.

August Is National Peach Month - Peaches Are Excellent To Dehydrate

A sweet, juicy peach tastes especially good on a hot summer day. Nutritionally, peaches are full of potassium which is essential for the proper functioning of the body's cells and for maintaining a healthy metabolism. Also, peaches are an excellent source of vitamin A, C and beta carotene. In fact, peaches provide about 6% and 15% of the daily requirements of Vitamin A and C.

Don't let fresh, ripe peaches spoil. Peaches are an excellent fruit for drying or making fruit leather in a food dehydrator. Follow these easy steps to make fruit leather with a food dehydrator

Use A Food Dehydrator - Save Money

Just about everyone is trying to spend less and save more money. Consider these recent survey results regarding consumer spending:

• According to BIGresearch’s May 2011 survey, 45% of consumers say they have become "more practical and realistic in purchases." This is up from 43% in May 2010 and up from 37% five years ago.
• According to Nielsen, more people are using coupons to save money. Before the recession, 22% of households reported using coupons. During the recession, this increased to 35%. Today, even with the recession officially over, but economic sluggishness continuing, 37% of consumers say they use coupons. Goupon’s success is a testament to the consumer demand for coupons.

A food dehydrator can be a valuable tool in cutting food costs, extending food supplies and eliminating food waste, over ripening and spoilage. Use a food dehydrator to save money by following these ideas.

Extend food shelf life and reduce waste and spoilage.

A food dehydrator is designed to remove a significant amount of water from food. The water content of food is generally very high, typically between 80% to 95% for various fruits and vegetables and 50% to 75% for different meats. Removing moisture from food inhibits various bacteria, yeasts and molds from growing and spoiling it. This makes dehydrated fruits, vegetables and jerky perfect for longer term storage.

Buy foods on sale or in bulk.

Buy extra fruits and vegetables while they are in abundance, in season and relatively less expensive. Dehydrate what you don’t consume and avoid over ripening or spoilage.

Make your own beef jerky.

Store bought beef jerky is very expensive on a per ounce basis. A 3.5 ounce package of jerky can cost about $4.00 or $1.14 per ounce. Instead, make home made beef jerky by buying flank steak or sirloin tip, adding marinade or spices and drying. The food dehydrator calculator shows that a 1 pound piece of meat would make about 8 ounces or a half pound of jerky. If the meat cost $3.78 per pound the jerky cost would be about 47 cents per ounce.

Make your own fruit leather.

Likewise, store bought fruit leather or fruit roll ups are very expensive on a per ounce basis. A 5 ounce package of fruit leather can cost about $2.56 or 51 cents per ounce. Instead, make home made fruit leather by pureeing fruit and drying it. One pound of peaches would make about 3.8 ounces of fruit leather. If the peaches cost $1.27 per pound the cost would be about 33 cents per ounce.

June Is National Papaya Month - Try Drying Papaya

June is National Papaya month. Papayas are a very sweet fruit with soft, butter like consistencies. Papaya trees produce fruit year round but summer and early fall are typically the peak seasons. The papaya's flesh is a rich orange color and sometimes has either yellow or pink hues. The fruit contains black, round seeds that are edible but taste peppery and somewhat bitter.

Papayas are an excellent source of vitamin C and also folate, potassium and fiber. One serving of papaya provides about 313%, 30%, 20% and 20%, respectively, of these vitamins and minerals.

Papayas are a good fruit to dehydrate in a food dehydrator. Simply cut the orange flesh into 1/4 thick slices and dry in a food dehydrator at 130 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 12 hours. When dry, the slices should be leathery and flexible.

Use ripe but not overripe papayas. Overripe papayas typically have dimpled or wrinkled skin and or soft spots.

National Raisin Week Is May 1 to May 7

The first week of May is National Raisin week. Raisins are easy to make with a food dehydrator. First, choose your favorite green or purple grapes. Slice the grapes in half or check the grapes' skins. Fruits like grapes need to have their skins cracked or cut to create openings through which the food’s water can escape during dehydration. Grape skins act as a moisture retention buffer. Cracking the skins will speed up the drying time and circumvent the food’s defense mechanism. Dry the grapes in a dehydrator for up to 12 to 24 hours or until there is no moisture in the grapes' center.

Raisins provide natural sugars, potassium and fiber and are a high energy food. Further, raisins are an antioxidant food and, per the United States Department of Agriculture, have a high Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, or ORAC value. This means that raisins are a great defense against oxidized free radical cells that are known to cause cancer.

Raisins are portable, concentrated and ideal for snacking.
Just 1/4 cup of raisins, or about 1.5 ounces, equals one complete fruit serving. Dry some grapes this week with a food dehydrator.

The Excalibur Food Dehydrator

The Excalibur food dehydrator is one of few dehydrators that have a horizontal airflow system. What is a horizontal airflow system? A horizontal airflow food dehydrator system contains the fan, heating element and thermostat in the rear of the drying unit. A horizontal airflow dehydrator is in contrast to vertical airflow dehydrators that have their fan, heating element and thermostat on the bottom of the drying unit.

Excalibur dehydrator’s Parallexx* horizontal airflow drying system is designed to:

■ draw cool air into the rear of the dehydrator unit,
■ heat the formerly cool air and then evenly distribute the warm air across each tray within the dehydrator,
■ use the warm air to draw out and remove moisture from the food on the dehydrator’s trays and use the dehydrator’s fan to push moist air out the front of the drying unit.

Many people believe the advantages of a horizontal airflow food dehydrator include:

■ a more even heated airflow that is distributed across the food dehydrator’s trays. Vertical airflow dehydrators can result in the bottom food trays drying faster than the upper food trays given their proximity to the heat source. This can especially be true when making fruit leather which may cover all of the dehydrator’s tray space,
■ during the dehydrating process, there is no need to restack food trays to combat potential over heating of the bottom trays,
■ easier clean up as any food drips or spills fall on the bottom of the unit and not the fan and heating element,
■ the square design of horizontal airflow dehydrators makes spreading fruit puree and drying fruit leather easier.


* Trademarked

The Nesco FD 80 Food Dehydrator

Nesco American Harvest has been a leader in manufacturing food dehydrators for over 30 years. The majority of Nesco’s food dehydrators are circular in shape and employ Nesco’s patented Converga-Flow* air flow system. The Nesco Converga-Flow air flow system is designed to simultaneously force pressurized, heated air along the dehydrator’s interior walls and across the food trays of the food dehydrator converging on the food’s core for fast and even drying. The following Nesco food dehydrator models have the Converga-Flow air flow system: Nesco FD–61, Nesco FD–75PR, Nesco FD–80, Nesco FD–1010 and Nesco FD–1020.

All of Nesco’s food dehydrators are circular in design except for the Nesco FD–80. The Nesco FD–80 is a square shaped food dehydrator and thus does not have the unusable space that is in the middle of circular dehydrators. Some people experience longer drying times with circular dehydrators, compared to square shaped dehydrators, given their unusable middle space. Further, square designs tend to work better in terms of placing food on the drying trays. The Nesco FD–80 has a strong 700 watt heater, about 5.5 square feet of drying space – that can be expanded to about 11 square feet – and has an adjustable thermostat.

The Nesco FD–80 is a good choice if in the market for a square dehydrator. Excalibur Dehydrator makes excellent square shaped food dehydrators but their price points for a comparable dehydrator are all around $200 or more. In contrast, the Nesco FD–80 sells for around $50 to $75. The combination of price, quality and the square shape make it worthwhile to consider the Nesco FD–80 food dehydrator.

* Patented

Food Dehydrator FAQ

What foods can be dehydrated with a food dehydrator?

Fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, breads and herbs are the foods that are typically dried. In fact, you can dry most items that have high water content. Items that are not good to dry are those that are very high in fat.

Need More Protein? Eat More Jerky

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a typical person who consumes 2,000 calories per day should be eating 5.5 ounces of protein foods per day. Proteins like meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts or seeds should be consumed daily. Further, Health and Human Services advises that meat and poultry should be lean or low-fat and nuts should be unsalted.

Many people do not have the time or inclination to cook and eat meat daily. However, jerky, or dried meat, is a great protein rich food and is also portable, preserved and a great protein meal on the go. Jerky is low in fat, lean and savory. However, store bought jerky can contain extremely high levels of sodium. Instead, make homemade jerky with a food dehydrator and control the amount of sodium that goes into your jerky. Jerky is very easy to make via a few easy steps of slicing lean meat, marinating it and then drying it in a dehydrator.

Make homemade jerky with a food dehydrator.

Food Dehydrator FAQ

Does drying affect the nutritional value of foods?

Food dehydrating does cause some nutrition loss with vitamin C in foods being primarily impacted. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin and thus can be impacted by the dehydrating process. However, applying a coat of lemon, lime, pineapple or other citrus fruit juice to food before placing them in a food dehydrator can add vitamin C, help prevent food discoloration add flavor and offset nutrition loss.

Beef Jerky Bandit Crime Spree

There is a beef jerky bandit on the loose. The police in Cheektowaga, NY report that six convenience stores have suffered beef jerky thefts. Similar jerky heists have also been reported in three neighboring towns.

Police estimate that the suspect has stolen about $1,000.00 worth of beef jerky. “The only thing we can surmise is that he’s reselling them,” said Cheektowaga Police Capt. James Speyer.

Apparently, beef jerky thefts are not uncommon. Beef jerky heists have recently been reported in states fron N.Y. all the way to Lake City, Florida.

Food Dehydrator has another explanation for the Cheektowaga police regarding the suspect's motives. As anyone knows that has dehydrated homemade beef jerky with a food dehydrator, jerky is just delicious.

Note, anyone with information on the beef jerky bandit is asked to call the Cheektowaga Police at 716-686-3969.

U.S. Meat Consumption - Not Counting Jerky

Per the United States Department of Agriculture, Americans eat about 80 pounds of chicken, 61 pounds of beef and about 50 pounds of pork per person per year. Annual chicken consumption has been consistently growing. Annual pork consumption has been flat for several years, while beef consumption has been declining.

Food Dehydrator believes that if the USDA reviewed only annual jerky consumption, beef would win hands down.

Granola Energy Bites Food Dehydrator Recipe

Use a food dehydrator to make this granola energy bite recipe. These granola energy clusters are perfect to put in a small plastic bag for food on the go, whether hiking, biking or enjoying other outdoor activities.

Ingredients

- 6 cups of your favorite cereal flakes whether corn, wheat, bran, oat or other, or a combination thereof

- 1 cup of raisins

- 1 cup of your favorite nuts, chopped

- 1 cup of roasted almonds, chopped

- 1/2 cup of melted butter or margarine

- 6 ounces of chocolate chips or butterscotch chips

Preparation

- Put all the ingredients into a bowl and thoroughly mix all of them together

- Spread the mixture onto food dehydrator parchment sheets

- Dehydrate at 140 degrees Fahrenheit until the mixture is crispy and dry

LEM Food Dehydrator Recall

LEM Products recently announced a recall of about 3,500 food dehydrators. The recall involves 5 tray and 10 tray LEM food dehydrators with the following serial numbers: 2010 0701, 2010 0702, 2010 07021, 2010 0901, 2010 0902, 2010 1001 or 2010 1101. All of the recalled dehydrators are gray and made of plastic and have the LEM logo on the top of the unit. The serial number can be found on the label on the dehydrator's back panel.

The recall was instituted because of faulty digital timers. Some of the LEM dehydrator's digital timers are becoming loose and falling onto the units' heating elements creating potential fire hazards. LEM has received five reports of this happening. The dehydrators were sold nationwide between August and December 2010.

More information on the LEM food dehydrators is avaiable at the Consumer Product Safety Commission website, the LEM food dehydrator website or by calling LEM at (877) 425-4509 weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

Make Valentine Yogurt Leather With A Food Dehydrator

Try this yogurt leather recipe for Valentines day:

Ingredients:
Cherry, strawberry, or raspberry yogurt.

Utensils:
Parchment sheets
Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter

Place the parchment sheets on the drying trays of the food dehydrator. Put the yogurt onto the sheets. Using a spatula, spread the yogurt into an 8 to 10 inch circle, 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep. Dry the yogurt at 135 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 5 hours. When the yogurt is dry, it will be shiny and not sticky to the touch. Remove the dried yogurt leather from the dehydrator. Using the heart shaped cookie cutter, create heart shaped leathers. If storing the leathers, cover each one with plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container.

Nesco FD 1020 Food Dehydrator Recall

Nesco American Harvest is recalling about 4,800 model FD 1020 food dehydrators from the manufacturer, Metal Ware Corp. of Wisconsin. Nesco says that some units have a defective capacitor in the electronic control module. This can cause the dehydrators to overheat, posing a smoke and fire hazard. Nesco has received three actual reports of overheating, smoke and or fire. No injuries have been reported.

The specific models recalled are the dehydrator FD 1020 with production date codes: 09E 0610; 09E 0624; and 09E 0903. These codes are on the underside of the dehydrator's electronic control module.

The units were sold between July 2009 and January 2011. Additional details are available by calling Nesco at 800-726-4457 or by visiting the Nesco food dehydrator website.

Dehydrate These High Antioxidant Fruits

It is fairly well known that antioxidants in fruits can protect the body's cells from damage caused by oxidized free radical cells. Free radicals can otherwise damage healthy cells and make cells more susceptible to disease and cancers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has ranked the fruits and that have the highest Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity scores per 3.5 ounces of food.

Are you dehydrating some fruit or making fruit leathers? If so, use the very healthy, antioxidant laden fruit listed below.

Fruits	Fruit Antioxidant Score
Prunes	5,770
Raisins	2,830
Blueberries	2,400
Blackberries	2,036
Strawberries	1,540
Raspberries	1,220
Plums	949
Oranges	750
Red Grapes	739
Cherries	670
Kiwi Fruit	602
Pink Grapefruit	483

January Is Dried Plums, Or Prunes, For Breakfast Month

Why should you eat dried plums for breakfast? It has been proven that diets high in fiber rich, low fat foods, like fruits and vegetables, are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and cancers. Dried plums are a great source of fiber and are recognized as a nutrient rich fruit containing high antioxidants. Antioxidants are special compounds that help protect your body's cells from damage caused by oxidized free radicals. Damaged cells are more susceptible to aging, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.

In fact, research by Tufts University, using an analysis called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity), showed that dried plums had the highest antioxidant value of common fruits and vegetables.

So eat your dried plums. Dried plums are a great fruit to dry in a food dehydrator

Food Dehydrator Watts

Watts

The energy consumed or used by a food dehydrator is measured in watts, similar to that of the light bulb. If a 100 watt light bulb is turned on for two hours, the energy used is 200 watt hours. The same applies to a 100 watt food dehydrator used for two hours. The watt power of a food dehydrator should be considered in relation to the number of food drying trays and size of the dehydrator. More drying trays and larger dehydrator dimensions should require more watts used by the dehydrator to ensure adequate dehydration.

Nesco FD-80 American Harvest Square-Shaped Dehydrator On Sale - Only $49

The Nesco American Harvest FD-80 Square-Shaped Dehydrator is the newest and only offered by Nesco that has a square build. Many people buy this unit specifically due to the square trays, which can be easier to use when dehydrating jerky or other longer items. This is one of Nesco's mid-market dehydrators since they offer both smaller and larger units. The airflow and heat is located on top of the unit which provides for a much easier cleaning experience since any juices or moisture fall to the bottom plastic shelf.

This unit is very comparable to Nesco's FD-75PR dehydrator with the primary difference being the square shape, which provides more utilization of the drying trays and fits on counters a little better than the circular versions.

Nesco FD 75 On Sale - Only $49

The Nesco FD 75PR Food Dehydrator is the top rated sub $100 dehydrator on the market and one of the newest dehydrators in the Nesco product line. This is Nesco's mid-market dehydrator since they offer both smaller and larger units. The airflow and heat is located on top of the unit which provides for a much easier cleaning experience since any juices or moisture fall to the bottom plastic shelf.

Whether drying foods for the kids or for the pets, this is a great product. Users report great success with beef jerky, turkey jerky, banana chips, dried fruit, dried herbs, potpourri, and even dried flowers. Stop paying expensive prices for store bought dried foods and start making your own today.

Banana Chips - Homemade With A Food Dehydrator Versus Store Bought

Banana chips are a great tasting, healthy snack that can be easily made with a food dehydrator. Banana chips’s basic ingredients should consist of:

- ripe or slightly overripe fruit

- if desired, lemon or lime juice

To make banana chips: Peel the bananas and cut them crosswise into about 1/4 inch thick chips. If desired, before dehydrating, you can dip the banana chips into lemon or lime juice to help prevent browning post drying. If the bananas are pretreated with citrus juice, make sure they are well drained and dried before placing them in the food dehydrator. Dry the banana chips at 130 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 8 to 10 hours. The chips should feel dry and leathery when done.

Homemade banana chips are a wholesome, healthy, 100% fruit snack that are easy and fun to make. They are very sweet and have an intense banana flavor due to the food’s reduced water content which intensifies the fruit’s natural sugars.

In contrast to homemade banana chips, store bought dried bananas are typically deep fried in unhealthy oils, like coconut or palm oils. These oils contain high amounts of saturated fats. Further store bought banana chips can be covered with additional sugars or honey. In fact, Self Nutrition Data lists a 3 ounce serving of fried banana chips as containing 44% of the daily recommended amount of fat and 123% of the daily recommended amount of saturated fat.

To recap:

Homemade banana chips – 100% fruit, 100% natural ingredients and sugars

Store bought banana chips – Fruit, but also unhealthy saturated fats and added sugars

Go with the real thing – home made banana chips made with your food dehydrator

By: Food Dehydrator

November Is National Pepper Month

Dry chili peppers in a food dehydrator during National Pepper Month and use them to spice up pizza, mexican, thai, indian or spanish dishes or to just add zest to any food. Try jalapeno, ancho, poblano, cayenne, cherry, habanero or serrano peppers.

Most people believe the chili pepper's seeds are the hottest part of the pepper, however, instead it is where the seeds attach to the white membrane inside the pepper. But, the seeds are also hot because they reside next to the white membrane.

Dehydrating Chili Peppers:

Preparation: Cut the chili peppers in half lengthwise. Cut out the core, stem and seeds. Cut the halves into about 1/4 inch thick pieces.

Drying: Dry the pieces at 130 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 18 hours. The pepper slices should be dry, crisp and exhibit no moisture.

Make Dried Cranberries

Make your own dried cranberries for the holidays by dehydrating fresh cranberries in a food dehydrator. Follow the steps in this link to make dried cranberries.

Dried cranberries are similar to raisins and can be used in like recipes and food such as trail mix, salads, breads, cereals or stuffing for turkey. They are also great on their own.

Dried cranberries carry the same nutrients and health benefits as fresh cranberries including dietary fiber and antioxidants. Cranberries have also been shown to reduce the risk of urinary tract infections and stones. Dehydrating can reduce dried fruit's vitamin C, however, dipping the fruit in citrus juice prior to drying can alleviate this and add flavor.

Don't buy and eat store bought cranberries. Most store bought dried cranberries contain added sugars, extra oils and preservatives. Make dried cranberries at home with a food dehydrator.

Apple Cinnamon Fruit Leather

Celebrate National Apple Month by making apple cinnamon fruit leather in a food dehydrator.

Ingredients: 2 cups of unsweetened applesauce and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Preparation: Combine the ingredients in a bowl and then spread the mixture out to 1/4 inch thickness on a leather sheet or on a dehydrator tray lined with parchment paper.

Dehydrating: Dry at 130 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 9 hours. You can flip the leather over half way through the drying cycle. When done, the fruit leather should not be moist in any spots.

Enjoy!

October Is National Apple Month

Did you know that there are about 2,500 different varieties of apples grown in the U.S.? One of the most popular apples is the Red Delicious. Unfortunately, it is also one of the least flavorful apples as it is grown and matured more for its beautiful deep red color and look and less for its taste.

Some of the best tasting apples are not necessarily the prettiest. Broaden your horizons and taste some of the 2,500 apples available.

Apples are one of the best fruits for making fruit leather. Use apples by themself or combine with other fruits including strawberries or other berries or with cinnamon or other spices.

Types Of Dehydrators

Horizontal Air Flow Food Dehydrators

Horizontal air flow food dehydrators have their heating element and fan located on one side of the dehydrator. The drying trays that hold the food are arranged like drawers inside the food dehydrator. A horizontal air flow dehydrator typically has a more even distribution of temperature across the drying trays resulting in more consistent food dehydration. Typically, horizontal air flow dehydrators are better at dehydrating different types of food at the same time as the horizontal air current mixes the food flavors less than vertical air flow dehydrators. Lastly, horizontal air flow dehydrators better prevent food juices from dripping down onto the heating element, thus making cleaning easier.

Vertical Air Flow Food Dehydrators

Vertical air flow food dehydrators have their heating element and fan located at the base of the dehydrator. The drying trays that hold the food are stacked on top of the base. Because the drying trays and food are stacked on top of the heating element, drying temperatures can vary between the top and bottom food drying trays. Vertical air flow dehydrators may require a swapping of top and bottom drying trays, during the dehydration process, so that an even drying effect is achieved across all the food and drying trays.

By: Food Dehydrator

September Is National Mushroom Month

Here is a little known mushroom fact. Mushrooms are the only fresh fruit or vegetable with vitamin D. When mushrooms are exposed to sunlight a plant sterol they contain converts to vitamin D.

Why is this important? Vitamin D is present in very few foods and thus cannot readily be obtained through diet. Most people obtain vitamin D through exposure to the sun (which can raise other skin issues). Vitamin D is very important for bone growth, strength and overall skeletal health. Insufficient vitamin D can lead to brittle bones.

So eat your mushrooms. Mushrooms are great raw, cooked, dried or made into a vegetable leather via a food dehydrator.