Dehydrating Food

Dehydrating Food

I use three main forms of food preservation: canning, freezing, and dehydrating. All three forms have advantages and disadvantages. Canning is the most complicated and freezing is the simplest. Dehydrating is slightly more complex than freezing because it requires specialized equipment, a dehydrator, and a little more time. Air drying is possible for foods like herbs, especially in dry climates, but is generally too slow to be safe for most other foods. Some people use solar dehydrators but I do not have experience with that method and will not discuss it here. There is a third method of preserving food, freeze drying, however, the machines to freeze dry are expensive, a minimum of $2500 and I do not have any experience with this method. Freeze-drying is superior to dehydrating in that the food rehydrates better and many things that cannot be dehydrated for long-term shelf-stable storage can be freeze-dried, such as meat and eggs.

What Dehydrator Should I Buy

​The type of dehydrator to purchase depends on your budget. Many small, round, plastic dehydrators are reasonably priced at around $50 or less. One common brand is Nesco, and it is a great beginner unit. Larger, square dehydrators, usually with the fan in the back, are more efficient and even at drying, and generally cost $150-$250 or more. You can also find these in stainless steel if you are trying to avoid plastic. I bought a LEM, stainless steel dehydrator but other brands that receive good reviews include Excaliber, Cosori, Cabela’s, and more.

My LEM, stainless steel, dehydrator.

​One feature to look for is temperature control, preferably as low as 95°F for delicate herbs. My dehydrator’s top temperature is 145°F. Jerky is supposed to reach 160°F but NCHFP recommends pre-heating your meat to a safe temperature before dehydrating it or heating it after it is dry. This way you do not need a unit to reach 160°F to make jerky but some units on the market do reach 160°F. 

​Some dehydrators also include a timer. A timer is not something to pay extra for as it is unnecessary. Instead, you want to dry your food until it is done. You can find ballpark drying times but you cannot guess the exact time needed as it depends on the water content of the food and the local humidity where you are dehydrating. You also do not want to put on a timer, have it stop while you are away from home or overnight, and have the food re-absorb moisture from the air or worse start to mold, before you get back to check on it.

Where to Find Produce?

​I use dehydration primarily as a way to preserve food from my garden. That said, there is nothing wrong with dehydrating produce from the grocery store, farmers market, produce auction, or anywhere else you can find it. Usually, at least one vegetable in my garden fails each year so I sometimes need to buy produce. The first place I check for fresh vegetables is the local Amish produce stands, but not everyone lives in Amish country. I also sell or give away my extra produce on Facebook Marketplace so Marketplace or Craigslist is also a great place to look. Some people also get great deals at produce auctions.

How to Dehydrate

​The beginning steps to dehydrate food are similar to those to freeze food. Most vegetables store and rehydrate better if you blanch them first but there are exceptions like peppers, mushrooms, and onions that do not need blanching. Fruits generally do not need to be blanched, although you may want to soak them in something like Fruit Fresh which contains citric acid to reduce browning, and neither do herbs. I like to follow the Ball Blue Book or NCHFP guidelines for whether or not a food needs to be blanched and how long. Before blanching you should wash your produce and chop it if necessary. Once chopped, blanch it in either boiling water or steam and immediately move it into an ice bath so it cools quickly. Blanching inactivates enzymes in the food that lead to reduced quality or color during preservation. If you only plan to store your dehydrated food for a short period you can often skip this step but long-term storage benefits from blanching. Dehydrated food also rehydrates better if blanched first.

Next, you dehydrate your food at the recommended temperature. Generally 95°F for herbs, 125°F for vegetables, 135°F for fruit, and jerky should be as high as your dehydrator goes (usually 145-160°F), but finish at 160°F in the oven for safety according to NCHFP or Ball directions. How long to dehydrate depends on many factors such as ambient humidity and how much water content the food has. To check if your food is completely dried, allow it to cool for about 15 minutes and then check for residual moisture. Many foods should snap or crack when cool (some foods with more sugar like fruits, including tomatoes, may be more leathery). 

​Next store your food in an airtight container. I prefer mason jars with canning lids (the lids can be old lids). I store my dehydrated with a food-safe silica packet and let the jar sit on my counter for a few days, checking for moisture. If no water droplets appear you can store them long-term (usually up to 1 year). As long as the food stays dry you can store it longer but nutritional quality and color may suffer. I also sometimes vacuum seal my jars using a mason jar attachment with my vacuum sealer for longer storage.

Dehydrated tomatoes (left) and potatoes (right) with food safe silica packets in half gallon mason jars and canning lids.

How to Use Dehydrated Food

​Dehydrated food that is subsequently rehydrated will not be the same as fresh, canned, or frozen. It often has a different texture that some people will not like. I use most of my dehydrated food in soups or stews so it rehydrates as it cooks. Some of my favorite things to dry are herbs, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, peppers, carrots, parsnips, and many fruits. Many of these I powder as needed to make onion powder, garlic powder, ginger powder, chili or paprika, etc. to use as seasonings. I also dry zucchini in long slices for lasagna as it rehydrates nicely if you add extra sauce when cooking. Kale and other greens dry and powder nicely for smoothies, meatloaf, and more. Many people dehydrate eggs and meat (fully cook them first) but I choose not to because even once dried, the best practice is to store them in the freezer to reduce the risk of fats going rancid.

Resources

​I listed some links to safe resources on dehydration below. The best source for food preservation is always the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP). Although they have limited funding, they continue to test preservation recipes for safety. Ball is another good online resource. Ball also has books, including the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving (a new version released in 2024) that includes canning, freezing, and dehydrating information. Ball also tests their recipes for safety although they occasionally have errors in their books so if in doubt double check with NCHFP for a similar recipe and use an up-to-date book (2016 or newer). A third great resource is a blog called “The Purposeful Pantry”. The woman who runs this blog also runs a Facebook group called “Dehydrating Tips and Tricks.”  

1. Drying. National Center for Home Food Preservation. University of Georgia. https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/dry#gsc.tab=0
2. The Ball Step-by-Step Guide to Dehydrating Food. https://www.ballmasonjars.com/step-step-dehydrating.html
3. The Purposeful Pantry. https://www.thepurposefulpantry.com/