Bubba's Bar 'n' Grill

Whilst thumbing through a raw food cookbook, I came upon many recipes that required a dehydrator. Having never heard of a food dehydrator, I started researching the bejeezus out of the subject and am happy I did. In essence, the theory among raw food aficionados is that cooking at high temperature, with any method, robs food of valuable enzymes and nutrients. Dehydrators could be thought of as low power ovens, barely (if ever) reaching above 160 F to "cook" the food or, more accurately, dehydrate it.

Well, I recently made the plunge and purchased one of these from Amazon:



My greatest success to date has been "fruit leather", more commonly know as "fruit rollups". Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

- 3 cups chopped strawberries
- 3 cups unsweetened applesauce

Directions:

- Blend until you have the consistency of a smoothie
- Pour mixture on dehydrator's fruit trays following directions for thickness (my dehydrator says approximately 1/4" to 3/8" of an inch)
- Evenly spread on tray
- Dehydrate on 135 F for 8-12 hours
- Check after 8 hours and make sure there's no liquid
- Remove, let cool, cut, and roll into rollups

Delicious! Do you dehydrate? Have any recipes you'd like to share?

I have a dehydrator, because when I was able to have a container garden at my last apartment, I would use it to dehydrate herbs. I also used to make dried apple rings.
I haven't used it in a long time.

(06-29-2011 07:38 AM)dheafey Wrote: [ -> ]Whilst thumbing through a raw food cookbook, I came upon many recipes that required a dehydrator. Having never heard of a food dehydrator, I started researching the bejeezus out of the subject and am happy I did. In essence, the theory among raw food aficionados is that cooking at high temperature, with any method, robs food of valuable enzymes and nutrients. Dehydrators could be thought of as low power ovens, barely (if ever) reaching above 160 F to "cook" the food or, more accurately, dehydrate it.

Although I agree with the bolded part above. I don't cook my apple sauce or my strawberries.

When my girls were little I did lots of fruit leather and dried fruit( apples, bananas...) and like Nettie I dry my herbs with it and use it to make venison jerky(I think my recipe is under the venison thread).

I have also used it to rise bread and doughs A little cheating but it works well!

Do I dehydrate?
Why, yes, yes I do!
I had a dehydrator like the kind you bought dheafey, and then I upgraded to this....

http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/9-Tra...r-prod.htm

You can do all sorts of things with it (make crackers, proof bread, do yogurt) as well as dehydrate food, its a very versitile tool.

If you'd like a good recipe book for food dehydration, I recomend "Making and Using Dried Foods" by Phyllis Hobson.
It documents how to properly prepare specific foods for drying, as well as options for drying in a dehydrator, the oven, or air drying. It also includes recipes for cooking with dehydrated foods.

Only when I drink too much.

bada bomp - *PING*

(06-29-2011 03:17 PM)HardwareGrl Wrote: [ -> ]Do I dehydrate?
Why, yes, yes I do!
I had a dehydrator like the kind you bought dheafey, and then I upgraded to this....

http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/9-Tra...r-prod.htm

Hey HardwareGrl! I'll be very interested in your thoughts on the difference between the 2. I think I'm going to be pretty serious about this as I plan on starting a raised vegetable garden next year. Might as well do it right!!

cymbal crash for Mufster please.

I dehydrate when I mow the lawn and crack open a beer!

(06-29-2011 03:17 PM)HardwareGrl Wrote: [ -> ]Do I dehydrate?
Why, yes, yes I do!
I had a dehydrator like the kind you bought dheafey, and then I upgraded to this....

http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/9-Tra...r-prod.htm

You can do all sorts of things with it (make crackers, proof bread, do yogurt) as well as dehydrate food, its a very versitile tool.

If you'd like a good recipe book for food dehydration, I recomend "Making and Using Dried Foods" by Phyllis Hobson.
It documents how to properly prepare specific foods for drying, as well as options for drying in a dehydrator, the oven, or air drying. It also includes recipes for cooking with dehydrated foods.

I have the same brand, but mine has a fewer shelves. I love it, but haven't had the time to use it in years. I have to get this school nonsense out of the way and then I will start having fun with it again. The boys have been nagging me to make jerky with it.