I dehydrated my cornbread for dressing this year. I made 10 batches of cornbread. Usually I leave it out to dry out some prior to making dressing. I started out at 150F (65C) it was too hot. The bread was super crunchy after about 2 hours. The next batch I lowered temperature to 125F (50C) for about one hour it was perfect. The first batch was not ruined as I added more broth to re-hydrate. This took so much less time. I was able to make the cornbread, dry it, crumble it and store in refrigerator for next day to make dressing. I will continue to use technique.
I love, love, love my Cosori. I learned dehydrating from my Mother. She had the circular wheel dehydrator in the 90’s? Somewhere around their. I was fascinated and she taught me. She’s gone now, but I continue to dehydrate. I’m very grateful for you Darcy as I’m learning from you now. Thank you….♥️😊
I love to dehydrate Potatoes!! I also powder them and man…..does that make a great thickener!!! If used, use very little. It absorbs and thickens quickly. I learned that lesson when making chicken pot pies…Lol…I had to add more broth to correct it and had to remove some filling to keep it moist inside the pie. Lesson learned
Thank you for your channel!!! I was first introduced to dehydrating in the early 80's when my father made a huge dehydrator (10 trays 3' x 3'). We could do a bushel or more of apples at a time. We tried drying vegetables and it worked but we could not figure out how to use the dehydrated foods. I grew up, got married and finally gave away the huge dehydrator because we did not use it. A year or two later someone gave me a small harvester dehydrator and I started experimenting. Once I figured out how to make veggie powder and how wonderful it was, I was hooked. I now have a Cosori and love it. I also teach dehydration classes with the emphasis on how to reconstitute the vegetables and the different ways to use them. The dehydration is so easy but it is the use that can be a little tricky. Your website is top on my recommended following list!!!! P.S. I love your book!!!!
Thank you so much for your guidance! I stumbled across your channel when I bought my 1st dehydrator. I have gone thru about every one of your videos for items I wanted to dehydrate. That was about 3 months ago....I am now trying to find extra space to store my items!! I am addicted! Again, thank you for everything!
For work I put boiling broth dehydrated mixed veg eg peas carrots and beans with some noodles and keep in a thermos until lunch and they come soft and flavourful. It's been really helpful for morning speed!
Thanks for all the info you provide. I think your title needs to be Dehydrating Queen. You just know everything there is to kno about this. Thanks for the education video after vodeo.
I have that Nesco! It was about $65 on Amazon, and I use it outside, too. I found it just wasn't enough so I bought the Cosori 6-tray and I use them both. I liked the idea of the collapsible Sahara but it was too expensive. I agree totally about the freezing. I am somewhere where there's no freezer space. There are limitations with canning, too - space, cost of jars/lids and you have to follow recipes exactly. I also liked the Cosori because I saw your magnet with bread proofing times and it blew my mind. The kitchen temperature here is wonky and it's either too hot or too cold for sourdough. :)
The reason I got rid of the square dehydrator is because the motor is on top. I found it heavy to always be lifting up to check the dehydrated foods to see if they were ready or to rotate the trays. I now have the garden master. I love it! I have an Excalibur, 2 garden masters, and a Sedona. Love them all!
Lol, and I really dislike a heater on the bottom! We all have our preferences. But it was also about space. I felt I could do better with placement in the square format vs round.
What is a question you have about dehydrating? What's your favorite tip for a beginner? Need dehydrating equipment? Here are my recommendations: www.amazon.com/shop/thepurposefulpantry/list/1Z5VHQCB6WMFY
QUESTION: Do you think it would be wise to dehydrate canned vegetables that are soon to go out of date to extend the life of the food and if so, how long would this extend the life of the food? thanks in advanced .
Waste of time? That's up to you. Those are not expiration dates - your cans will last a long time after those dates, though the quality of some foods may decline. ua-cam.com/video/hzjBdyr52iw/v-deo.html But you can dry them: ua-cam.com/video/GTK0qhulLMs/v-deo.html And vacuum sealing + O2 is overkill since the O2 creates its own vacuum.
I recently dehydrated some swede .... after dicing and cooking for 3 minutes, instead of using my masher, I put it through a ricer and noticed that it removed a lot of the moisture. It only took 4 hrs to dry, but I gave it another hour, just to be sure.
Not long, depending on your humidity - they are not air tight, but air permeable, and may allow transfer of air and moisture quickly. You can, of course, use them to help keep smaller quantities in larger jars separate.
I, too, prefer printed books. Sometimes ebooks are the only option. But, I've found that printing the pages of ebooks, and putting them into plastic sleeve protectors, then in 3-ring binders work very well.
If they need it: Blanch Veg : www.thepurposefulpantry.com/how-to-blanch-vegetables-for-dehydrating/ Pretreat Fruit: www.thepurposefulpantry.com/how-to-pretreat-fruit-for-dehydrating/
IT's a completely different process, and allows for things that can be dehydrated to be shelf-stable. It's a huge investment in a machine. But it can be good if you have the money to invest.
Do NOT need to spend that money. Dehydrating does the same thing and you don't have a company that refuses to honor any warranty and food ruined after food ruined.
@@marthaadams8326 Unfrotunately, dehydrating doesn't do the same thing. There is merit to freeze-dried foods and longer shelf-life, and protein stability. But yes, the expense is heavy and they don't have the best track record. I'm not ruling out ever doing it, just not in the cards right now.
@@ThePurposefulPantry With the thousands they took from me and no help, just sitting in the barn covered up, I would not recommend anyone deal with such a company - the only advantage is that you can freeze dry organic or home grown food. But, now, there is a company that sells organic f.d. food. Comparing what I have spent trying to use and repair mine over FOUR years plus - it would have been not only cheaper, but superior to a purchase. Save your money.
@@marthaadams8326 Hello Martha, I'm so sorry your experience with freeze-drying was negative, along with poor customer service or doing the right thing especially after you spent a lot of money on a product you now have in your barn❗ I looked into buying the small freeze dryer just as the pandemic was gaining momentum, but the cost was $2,000‼️ Maybe you can sell it & recover at least some of your money - even though you shouldn't have to do that. Well, girl, keep on dehydrating & thank you for sharing your experience, which may help countless others from the same thing. This company appears to have monopolized & saturated the freeze-dryer market, demanding the outrageous prices they do.
The typical rule of thumb is to keep like temps together - so veg or fruit or meat or mushrooms or aromatics, and don't crossover. However, most fruits and veg can be mixed if necessary - because practicality wins out occasionally.
@@ThePurposefulPantry I do dry canning with my vacuum sealer, but according to your advice, that’s really not necessary? What is the purpose of blanching the vegetables? I’m brand new to dehydrating
You have to make that decision for yourself as there is always a risk to leaving any appliance running - but I leave mine running 24/7. Of course, if your home's wiring is very old, over loaded, you don't have your machine in a good space to not overheat, etc., those are issues that can be a problem. If you choose not to run it overnight, put food back in fridge until you can start again for safest results.
Hang on to them! If you pressure can, jars should be stored without the rings. If you're storing dehydrated foods in canning jars you should store with rings on. BTW - I've noticed the newer rings are flimsy compared to my older ones.
@@SaraPurvey store with rings on if you're not vacuum sealing every time you take some of the ingredients out. Handy since the rings hold the lids on nice and tight.
I think what you are asking is this, some people subscribe to a “raw diet” or folks want the food “raw” to hold more nutrients. If you dehydrate under a specific temperature it’s considered raw. You might see things like “raw honey” in the store which is generally slightly heated to run through the machine but not hot enough to kill the nutrients. Another area you see living food is “active cultures” in dairy products or active yeast which is dry but raw or living. I think that’s what you were asking about anyway.
Then you do what you can do - it's too hot for herbs to keep their flavor, and you'll need to be careful of hard, dense foods or berries to stop case hardening.
I dehydrated my cornbread for dressing this year. I made 10 batches of cornbread. Usually I leave it out to dry out some prior to making dressing. I started out at 150F (65C) it was too hot. The bread was super crunchy after about 2 hours. The next batch I lowered temperature to 125F (50C) for about one hour it was perfect. The first batch was not ruined as I added more broth to re-hydrate. This took so much less time. I was able to make the cornbread, dry it, crumble it and store in refrigerator for next day to make dressing. I will continue to use technique.
I love, love, love my Cosori. I learned dehydrating from my Mother. She had the circular wheel dehydrator in the 90’s? Somewhere around their. I was fascinated and she taught me. She’s gone now, but I continue to dehydrate. I’m very grateful for you Darcy as I’m learning from you now. Thank you….♥️😊
I love to dehydrate Potatoes!! I also powder them and man…..does that make a great thickener!!! If used, use very little. It absorbs and thickens quickly. I learned that lesson when making chicken pot pies…Lol…I had to add more broth to correct it and had to remove some filling to keep it moist inside the pie. Lesson learned
Thank you for your channel!!! I was first introduced to dehydrating in the early 80's when my father made a huge dehydrator (10 trays 3' x 3'). We could do a bushel or more of apples at a time. We tried drying vegetables and it worked but we could not figure out how to use the dehydrated foods. I grew up, got married and finally gave away the huge dehydrator because we did not use it. A year or two later someone gave me a small harvester dehydrator and I started experimenting. Once I figured out how to make veggie powder and how wonderful it was, I was hooked. I now have a Cosori and love it. I also teach dehydration classes with the emphasis on how to reconstitute the vegetables and the different ways to use them. The dehydration is so easy but it is the use that can be a little tricky. Your website is top on my recommended following list!!!! P.S. I love your book!!!!
Thank you so much for your guidance! I stumbled across your channel when I bought my 1st dehydrator. I have gone thru about every one of your videos for items I wanted to dehydrate. That was about 3 months ago....I am now trying to find extra space to store my items!! I am addicted! Again, thank you for everything!
For work I put boiling broth dehydrated mixed veg eg peas carrots and beans with some noodles and keep in a thermos until lunch and they come soft and flavourful. It's been really helpful for morning speed!
Thanks for all the info you provide. I think your title needs to be Dehydrating Queen. You just know everything there is to kno about this. Thanks for the education video after vodeo.
Oh, no, please don't call me that lol
@@ThePurposefulPantry honey there isn’t any other person that I see on UA-cam that has videos on what you do. Thank you
I did kale and spinach for the first time. I’m very excited about those! I know they will be great in some future soups.
I have that Nesco! It was about $65 on Amazon, and I use it outside, too. I found it just wasn't enough so I bought the Cosori 6-tray and I use them both. I liked the idea of the collapsible Sahara but it was too expensive.
I agree totally about the freezing. I am somewhere where there's no freezer space. There are limitations with canning, too - space, cost of jars/lids and you have to follow recipes exactly.
I also liked the Cosori because I saw your magnet with bread proofing times and it blew my mind. The kitchen temperature here is wonky and it's either too hot or too cold for sourdough.
:)
Hi Darcy! Love your videos!
New to dehydrating. Learning so much from you!
💖😊🎉
I knew there was a book I wanted to buy, just couldn't remember what it was. So glad you brought up your book. It's on my list now. Have a great day.
The reason I got rid of the square dehydrator is because the motor is on top. I found it heavy to always be lifting up to check the dehydrated foods to see if they were ready or to rotate the trays. I now have the garden master. I love it! I have an Excalibur, 2 garden masters, and a Sedona. Love them all!
Lol, and I really dislike a heater on the bottom! We all have our preferences. But it was also about space. I felt I could do better with placement in the square format vs round.
I have a cosori, garden master, and 2 Excaliburs. I must say they all work and work hard during harvest season.
Thank you Darcy. I started dehydrating about 1.5 yrs ago and you answered a few of my own questions.
Just purchased your book and printing it out now!!❤️😊
I so am enjoying you dehydration book, so easy to follow. Just did celery and lettuce. Going to make powders. Thank you 😊
Dehydrated lettuce?
@@girlnextdoorgrooming yes. So easy too. Make powder out of it to add extra vitamin to soup,sauces anything.
Thank you for the books. I'm giving them to granddaughters for Christmas this year! They love dehydrated mushrooms and pineapples.
Once again. Thank you!
What is a question you have about dehydrating? What's your favorite tip for a beginner?
Need dehydrating equipment? Here are my recommendations: www.amazon.com/shop/thepurposefulpantry/list/1Z5VHQCB6WMFY
How do you get your jars to seal?
Frozen veggies. No need for prep.
@@dawnduffy8269 a vacuum sealer with jar attachments.
Yet another great video.
I’m soooooooooo glad I found this channel
Always a good listen but laughed at humidity being tropics, CT is not warm but last few years often Very humid. Definitely makes a difference drying.
I have learned so much from you. Thank you for answering my question.
I’m new to your channel. I am going to start dehydrating and thought this was a good way to begin
QUESTION: Do you think it would be wise to dehydrate canned vegetables that are soon to go out of date to extend the life of the food and if so, how long would this extend the life of the food? thanks in advanced .
Waste of time? That's up to you. Those are not expiration dates - your cans will last a long time after those dates, though the quality of some foods may decline. ua-cam.com/video/hzjBdyr52iw/v-deo.html
But you can dry them: ua-cam.com/video/GTK0qhulLMs/v-deo.html
And vacuum sealing + O2 is overkill since the O2 creates its own vacuum.
I recently dehydrated some swede .... after dicing and cooking for 3 minutes, instead of using my masher, I put it through a ricer and noticed that it removed a lot of the moisture. It only took 4 hrs to dry, but I gave it another hour, just to be sure.
Sorry...... I cooked 'some of it for 3 minutes, which was to be frozen. The rest was fully cooked before ricing.
What is swede?
@@girlnextdoorgrooming It's a vegetable. The closest thing to it .... well, it's a bit like turnip.
New subscriber thankyou for your wealth of knowledge 🙏 incredible lady godbless
If you put dehydrated foods in baggies, how long are they good for?
Not long, depending on your humidity - they are not air tight, but air permeable, and may allow transfer of air and moisture quickly. You can, of course, use them to help keep smaller quantities in larger jars separate.
Are their some trusted resources/books that one can refer to when we want a written form to refer to.
www.thepurposefulpantry.com/best-dehydrating-books/
Please have you used Freeze dryer before? How different is it from the dehydrator?
I was just going to ask the same question.
It's a completely different process, and no, I've not used one before.
Taste wise I prefer Dehydrated over Freeze Dried fruits/veg's/meats hands down!
@@pattigroth1922 Great, Please should I assume you have used the freeze dryer before.? If yes Please how does of work?
I am interested in dehydrating some cooked chicken and beef in small pieces for use in soups. Is this something I can do?
You can, but optimally it should be stored in the freezer for best results as proteins are not reliably shelf-stable.
Will you be doing any more printings of the book? I prefer books to e-books.
The book is available, it is just not part of the 40% off sale.
I, too, prefer printed books. Sometimes ebooks are the only option. But, I've found that printing the pages of ebooks, and putting them into plastic sleeve protectors, then in 3-ring binders work very well.
Do you blanch any vegetables or fruit?
If they need it:
Blanch Veg : www.thepurposefulpantry.com/how-to-blanch-vegetables-for-dehydrating/
Pretreat Fruit: www.thepurposefulpantry.com/how-to-pretreat-fruit-for-dehydrating/
Great video ,,I’ve been hearing so many people using the freeze dryer ,what do you think of it compared to dehydrating
IT's a completely different process, and allows for things that can be dehydrated to be shelf-stable. It's a huge investment in a machine. But it can be good if you have the money to invest.
Do NOT need to spend that money. Dehydrating does the same thing and you don't have a company that refuses to honor any warranty and food ruined after food ruined.
@@marthaadams8326 Unfrotunately, dehydrating doesn't do the same thing. There is merit to freeze-dried foods and longer shelf-life, and protein stability. But yes, the expense is heavy and they don't have the best track record. I'm not ruling out ever doing it, just not in the cards right now.
@@ThePurposefulPantry With the thousands they took from me and no help, just sitting in the barn covered up, I would not recommend anyone deal with such a company - the only advantage is that you can freeze dry organic or home grown food. But, now, there is a company that sells organic f.d. food. Comparing what I have spent trying to use and repair mine over FOUR years plus - it would have been not only cheaper, but superior to a purchase. Save your money.
@@marthaadams8326 Hello Martha, I'm so sorry your experience with freeze-drying was negative, along with poor customer service or doing the right thing especially after you spent a lot of money on a product you now have in your barn❗ I looked into buying the small freeze dryer just as the pandemic was gaining momentum, but the cost was $2,000‼️ Maybe you can sell it & recover at least some of your money - even though you shouldn't have to do that. Well, girl, keep on dehydrating & thank you for sharing your experience, which may help countless others from the same thing. This company appears to have monopolized & saturated the freeze-dryer market, demanding the outrageous prices they do.
Is there a way to make jerky with out soy? I am allergic to soy but want to make jerky.
Sure, just leave it out. There are plenty of recipes out there without it.
@@ThePurposefulPantry do I need to compensate for the lost liquid that the soy sauce would have?
@@paulapaul525 Yes -that and salt - If you google jerky recipes with no soy - you'll get a ton of options.
Have you tried coconut aminos
@@susan3200 allergic to coconut too and other family members are also allergic to coconut.
Question: how many different types of items can be dried at the same time, e.g., tray of fruits and tray of vegetables or do flavors cross over
The typical rule of thumb is to keep like temps together - so veg or fruit or meat or mushrooms or aromatics, and don't crossover. However, most fruits and veg can be mixed if necessary - because practicality wins out occasionally.
Is dry canning a good option for shelf stability of dehydrated foods?
Well I didn’t wait long enough…I see you addressed that issue…thank you
"dry canning" no. Vacuum sealing - yes. Dry canning is too often associated with sticking jars in the oven - and that's not okay.
@@ThePurposefulPantry I do dry canning with my vacuum sealer, but according to your advice, that’s really not necessary? What is the purpose of blanching the vegetables? I’m brand new to dehydrating
ua-cam.com/video/mzG74ZNyGoA/v-deo.htmlsi=bMpQuk5f4Kvys1o9
Darcy, can I dehydrate cheese to make it shelf stable?
not reliably at all - it's all fat.
@@ThePurposefulPantry ty
I see your jars in the background how many different foods do you dehydrate
Everything we can. All the veg we eat and dehydrates well, many fruits.
Darcy, have you ever dehydrated Jerusalem Artichokes? Thanks so much for this video ♥️✝️
No - we don't grow it and I've never seen it in a store here.
Is it ok to leave the dehydrator on all night?
You have to make that decision for yourself as there is always a risk to leaving any appliance running - but I leave mine running 24/7. Of course, if your home's wiring is very old, over loaded, you don't have your machine in a good space to not overheat, etc., those are issues that can be a problem. If you choose not to run it overnight, put food back in fridge until you can start again for safest results.
@@ThePurposefulPantry thanks for info
My cherries are very sticky. and are not drying well. Every thing are drying fine. Any ideas?
Keep drying them. Not everything dries at the same rate, and they need more time.
I have a question. What in the world do we do with all these canning rings?
Hang on to them! If you pressure can, jars should be stored without the rings. If you're storing dehydrated foods in canning jars you should store with rings on. BTW - I've noticed the newer rings are flimsy compared to my older ones.
@@dancinginabundancewhy do we need to store our vacuumed sealed jars with the rings on?
@@SaraPurvey store with rings on if you're not vacuum sealing every time you take some of the ingredients out. Handy since the rings hold the lids on nice and tight.
@@dancinginabundance Thank you for responding. I do reseal after opening as it’s sometimes months between uses if items.
How do weigh by volume?
I meant measure by volume. Cup vs oz
Sorry, I'm new at this, can anyone tell me Keep it Raw, what it means? Is it for vegetables?
I think what you are asking is this, some people subscribe to a “raw diet” or folks want the food “raw” to hold more nutrients. If you dehydrate under a specific temperature it’s considered raw.
You might see things like “raw honey” in the store which is generally slightly heated to run through the machine but not hot enough to kill the nutrients. Another area you see living food is “active cultures” in dairy products or active yeast which is dry but raw or living.
I think that’s what you were asking about anyway.
Keeping all the nutrients and good bacteria for things like sourdough, yeast, any vegetables or fruits as heat can reduce vitamin A & C
@@ThePurposefulPantry Thank you.
@@coralkarrass1834 thank you
What if my Dehydrator only has an on/off switch?! 😅
Then you do what you can do - it's too hot for herbs to keep their flavor, and you'll need to be careful of hard, dense foods or berries to stop case hardening.
What is conditioning?
ua-cam.com/video/PBktvOdVhaI/v-deo.html
I wonder how much it adds to the electric bill.
$1/day or so for me and my rate. Worth it to put food in the pantry!
@@ThePurposefulPantry I was wondering the samething! I was told a dehydrator would use a lot more electricity than that! Thank you!