Dehydrating fruit with a food dehydrator
After a quick search online, I found that it was only $59.95 on Deals Direct! Happy, happy, joy, joy!
The food dehydrator can be used to preserve food or make banana chips, dried mango or beef jerky. I can't express how easy it is to use or how economical it is, to be turn excess fruit into a snack.
There are 3 general methods to drying food.
- Sun is the most natural form but requires a warm day with low humidity. Keep in mind that it could take up to five consecutive days to dry certain fruits.
- Oven temperatures need to be consistent and low and also requires the oven door to be open for air circulation, making it a costly and inefficient process.
- Food Dehydrator is energy and time efficient and is my preferred method :)
Homemade fruit jerky - pineapple, apple, strawberry, grapefruit and orange
Once you've decided on your preferred method to dehydrate fruit, you can experiment with different preparation methods to best bring out the food's natural flavours.
Here's a few which I have tested and tasted:
- Pineapples: brush a mixture of honey and water onto both sides of each slice for awesome pineapple jerky
- Apples: toss slices of apple in a bit of apple juice or a combination of cinnamon and sugar
- Pears: toss slices of pear with a bit of five spice and sugar
- Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits... etc): don't require anything
Follow the directions on the food dehydrator and voila! Enjoy as a snack, with ice-cream or in a cocktail!
woah ive always wanted this! i spend way too much buying dried pineapple and mango at the markets how long did it take to ship?
Postage to Sydney Metro was only about $10 and from memory it was 2 - 5 business days. You definitely get your moneys worth - highly recommended :)
That looks really good Jen! Just like the Whisk and Pin dried fruit selection (which is not cheap) so it would definitely make its value back in a few uses.
Thanks Lorraine! I totally agree, it's so versatile and a bargain at only $59.95... While I've been obsessed with pineapple jerky, my Mum has been using the food dehydrator to make Vietnamese-style chilli beef jerky! I might give it a go at drying herbs and spices next...
Yummo! What a fantastic way to use up fruit and make healthy snacks! Have you tried making banana chips yet? :) And oh yummy, viet-style chilli beef jerky! I love that stuff.
Niiiice!!! Just think of all the possibilities you'll have with the dehydrated fruits (and other stuff)!