Tips & Tricks for Dehydrating Food

Use these simple tips to make tasty dehydrated food!

If you’re looking for an inexpensive alternative to canning or freezing produce, try dehydrating food. With the right food dehydrator, you can easily dry raw foods. Turn fruit like apples into fruit leathers, preserve vegetables, and even make jerky.

Learn how to dehydrate and store food with these dehydrating tips from Blain’s Farm & Fleet.

Tips for Dehydrating Food

Choose the best food dehydrator

Dehydrators have different features and designs that can work well for some foods, and not as well for others. A food dehydrator with an adjustable thermostat is great if you plan on dehydrating a variety of different types of foods.

Some come with stackable trays, while others have pull-out trays. And each type has its own advantages.

To find the right food dehydrator for your needs, read through our food dehydrator buying guide.

Buy the right food

To properly dehydrate your food, it needs to be of good quality. Avoid bruised or damaged fruits and vegetables.

Ripe fruits and veggies that are in season will taste better, just like with canning or freezing.

Keep food uniform

For the best results, keep the thickness and size of your cut up fruits and vegetables consistent. Smaller foods will take less time to dehydrate. So the smaller the better, if you’re shooting for efficiency.

And if you want to keep fruits from changing color after drying, try soaking them in lemon juice beforehand.

Also, evenly space the foods to evenly dehydrate them. If you’re making jerky, make the strips even with a jerky gun.

Tips for Storing Dehydrated Food

If you don’t plan on eating the dried food right away, there are some storage tips you should follow to safely store it.

Use the right containers

A vacuum sealer seals out any air, keeping your dehydrated food perfectly sealed. And vacuum sealing keeps moisture from getting back in.

You can also use dry, clean home canning jars. Make sure the food is cooled completely before you store it. It should also be completely dried, first.

Store food in portions that you can use all at once.

Store food in the right place

Store dehydrated food in a cool, dark, and dry area. Higher temperatures mean a shorter shelf life. You should use dehydrated food within six to 12 months to get the best quality.

Check the dried food for any signs of moisture. If the food has reabsorbed moisture but isn’t spoiled, you should use it immediately.

You can also re-dry and repackage it. If the food is moldy, properly dispose of it.

For more tips on preserving your produce and using food dehydrators, visit our Cooking & Recipes Blog.