Food Dehydration

Here are a few basics on how to dehydrate food to get you started on your way!
To dehydrate foods, you should always start with fresh, good quality food. Don’t buy the beat up produce on the bargain bin at the supermarket because you won’t be happy with the dehydrated results.
Inspect the food to ensure it is clean and free from damage.
Although not necessary, pretreatment through blanching or dipping in a recommended solution can help fight bacteria, preserve color and maintain flavors.
You may choose to marinate, salt, spice or sweeten any foods before you dehydrate them. For example, with meat jerky, you rub the meet with spices or place in a marinade before dehydrating.
Remember to slice or dice your food uniformly and thinly so that you maintain even dehydration.
Most commercially available food dehydrators allow you to dry different foods at the same time. Beware though that different foods take different amounts of time to dry, so you will have to remember and remove food that will finish up first.
A key element in learning how to dehydrate foods is to recognize that the smaller the pieces, the faster they will dehydrate. Also, a food high in fructose, like fruit, will be leathery when it is finished with the dehydrating process.
Test each batch after drying to ensure it is done.
Cool all dehydrated food before storing. Choose airtight containers or plastic freezer bags to keep moisture out.