Nesco FD 75 PR Food Dehydrator $45 Price

Amazon is at it again. The Nesco FD-75PR Food Dehydrator is selling at a special $45 price. The Nesco FD 75PR is consistently one of Amazon's best selling dehydrators, gets good reviews and has Nesco's patented Converga-Flow drying technology. What is not to like? A good buy!

Dried Fruits – Nutritional Value

As the name implies, food dehydrating, or food drying, via a food dehydrator, removes a significant amount of water from food. The water content for most fruits is very high, typically 80% to 95%. Removing the water from food, including fruits, inhibits various bacteria, yeasts and molds from growing and spoiling the food and thus helps in its preservation and storage. Removing water from fruit also decreases the fruit’s volume, thus, once dried, the fruit’s nutrient, calorie, and sugar content becomes more concentrated per serving. A half cup of dried fruit will contain more calories, nutrients, carbohydrates (primarily the fruit’s natural sugar), and fiber, among other nutrients and minerals, than a half cup of fresh fruit. For example, a half cup of raw apples will contain about 2.5 grams of fiber, 65 calories and 17 grams of carbohydrates. A half cup of dried apples will contain approximately 6 grams of fiber, 180 calories and 50 grams of carbohydrates. While the food dehydrating process does cause some nutrient loss, dried fruit is still an excellent source of:

■Vitamins A and various vitamin B’s
■Minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, copper and manganese
■Protein
■Natural sugars
■Antioxidants
Dried fruit generally does not contain vitamin D and only contains small amounts of Vitamin C. However, applying a coat of lemon, lime, pineapple or other citrus fruit juice before the fruit dehydrating process can add vitamin C to the dried fruit, help prevent food discoloration and offset flavor and nutrition loss.

By: Food-Dehydrator.com

Other Leather Snacks To Make With A Food Dehydrator

Vegetable leathers and yogurt leathers can also be made with a food dehydrator. The leather making process is similar to that of making fruit leathers. Puree and smooth out the yogurt or vegetables, spread to a one quarter inch thickness on the drying trays – use parchment paper or leather sheets on the trays – and dry.

Yogurt Leather: Commercially prepared yogurt, flavored or unflavored, can be used to make these roll ups. However, be sure to use a low fat yogurt variety as higher fat yogurts may not dry properly and thus go bad more quickly. Store bought fruit flavored yogurts will contain more sugars which will slow down the drying process. Try plain yogurt instead and puree in different fruit combinations to create varied flavors.

Vegetable Leather: Before pureeing the vegetables, it is best to steam them. Boiling vegetables causes them to rapidly lose their nutritional value. Steaming is a much better method for preserving vitamins and minerals. Carrots and sweet potatoes are two vegetables that make excellent tasting leathers.

By: Food-Dehydrator.com