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Dehydrating

Clay Davenport

Clay Davenport

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I was wondering how everyone incorporated dehydration into their preparation plans.
I don't utilize my dehydrator to it's full extent myself.
I used to use one of the old reliable circular dehydrators, but I finally bought a much more serious unit the Excalibur 3900.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P2J3K0/ref=oh_o02_s00_i00_details

Myself, I use it for making my own beef or venison jerky, chicken jerky for dog treats, and hot peppers and onions for use with cooking and seasoning.

What do the rest of you use a dehydrator for if you include one in your preservation plans.
 
I have an LEM 5 tray. I use it to make jerky. I haven't found a recipe that I really like yet though. It ends up to strong and too dry. I have thought about doing other items. What is the shelf life on things that are dried?
 
Jerky is a whole lot personal preference. You have to determine your own tastes.
I'd suggest starting with a marinade based on soy sauce, Worcester, and a few drops of liquid smoke. Add to that any seasonings you like and play with it until you get what you want. I like shaking some crushed red pepper flakes on after itson the trays for heat.
If you're getting too dry then either your slices are too thin or your drying too long.

I don't know the long term shelf life. The longest I keep anything is about a year for onions and hot peppers, both of which are absolutely dry and sealed in storage. They must be stored sealed, things like onions fully dehydrated will absorb moisture from the air.
 
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