Food Dehydrators Information

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A Little History

The original food dehydrator was the sun.  Dehydrating food began long ago as people sought to preserve food for the hard times they would surely face.  It did not have to be famine, just the season of the year.  Today most of the world is accustomed to having the foods they want anytime of the year.  But thousands of years ago, that was not the case.  Many different types of foods were dried such as fruits, dehydrated apples, grains, fish and meat.  Of course the drying methods were substantially different, but they still had the same objective which was to preserve the item for the time they would need it for survival. 

The first known dehydrated food mentioned in history was in Mesopotamia about 1700 BC.  Throughout Egypt and the Middle East dehydrated food was a staple of everyone’s diet.

Sun and salt were the basics of food dehydration until the late 1700’s when the French developed a food dehydrator that was successful.  Improvements were made, but in the early 1900’s, significant strides were made toward developing commercial driers and later the home version.  Both World Wars contributed heavily to the development of dehydrating foods.  Troops needed a high quality food source that could face the differing climates and conditions and would not spoil.  Dehydrating fruit, vegetables, and meat helped dramatically.

What is Food Dehydration?

It is the very simple process of removing the moisture from food.  Sun or electric power is usually the main sources of energy to dehydrate food.  Product that is heated in electric units release moisture and as it releases the moisture, air is moved over the product with a fan which blows the moisture from the fruit, vegetables, fish and meat out of the unit through vents.  Fruit and vegetables are normally heated at about 130 degrees and meat is dehydrated at higher temperatures around 155 degrees.  In ancient times, the same process described above was done only using sun light and natural breezes to take away the moisture.

Why Bother Dehydrating Food?

It is a good question because the world we live in gives us so many choices for food.  For most people in the civilized world, we have an abundance of food.  We can eat at a restaurant, get food out of the freezer, open a can or buy fresh fruits, vegetables and meat at the store.  We have a real variety of ways to feed ourselves.

Unfortunately, most of the prepared food that we buy may not be good for us.  That includes restaurant food, frozen food and canned food.  Many of these processed foods have so many preservatives and additives that it is not good for our health.  Fresh fruit, vegetables and meats are our very best shot at getting a nutritious meal.

Why then should we dehydrate food?  Dried fruits and vegetables retain almost all of their nutrients.  In fact, the dietary recommendations by the U.S. government include dried fruits because of this.

You will rarely find any vegetable sold that is dehydrated because it is not sweet.  Most dried items are sold as snack foods.  Many, if not most, have sugar added, but they are still nutritious.  Most of the nutrients are still in the dried fruit.  Don’t get sucked into the sugar though because sugar is sugar no matter how you get it. 

Many people do not like to eat fruit or vegetables.  It does not matter what the reason, they just don’t like to eat them.  However, many of the people that will not eat fresh fruit and vegetables like or have learned to eat dehydrated snacks. 

  What about Dried Tomatoes?

What is So Good About Dehydrated Snacks?

Dehydrated snacks retain most of their nutrient value.  Vegetables and fruit lose 50% to 80% of their nutrient value when cooked in the standard way.  Most people overcook their vegetables because of the taste.  To get the most out of a cooked vegetable, it should be just barely heated, but for most this is unacceptable.

The best way to keep the nutrient in the vegetable or fruit is to eat it raw or dehydrate it.  The taste changes when it is dehydrated and you have the opportunity to season the vegetable or fruit when you do it.  We have a number of recipes and sources of recipes available for you.  Simply click on Food Dehydrator Recipes and you will find ample recipes.

What else is good about dehydrated food?  Besides being an excellent source of nutrients, they are low in calories unless coated with too much sugar.  Many people have found that dehydrating fruit makes for a great mid-morning, mid-afternoon or evening snack.  It can satisfy the desire for sugar while filling the empty spot in our stomachs and supplies our bodies with life giving nutrients.

Another great feature of the food dehydrator is that it allows you to prepare in advance the vegetables and fruit of the season so that you have a supply for the rest of the year.  Remember, dehydrated food can be kept up to 20+ years if stored properly. 

Many people who are campers or hikers love to have dehydrated food with them on their trips.  They are light-weight and easy to carry.  Most importantly, they pack a powerful punch when it is time to recharge the body’s engine.  Jerky as well as the dehydrated fruits and vegetables really fill the bill for many outdoor people.

There are other reasons for dehydrating fruit and vegetables.  We have requests frequently from people who want to store food for difficult times ahead.  This is an excellent method because it does not require refrigeration if stored properly.

Why buy a Food Dehydrator?

Obviously the decision is yours to make.  We are frequently asked what the best dehydrator is and our response is that it depends on your objectives.  Are you thinking of dehydrating fruit or maybe a vegetable dehydrator, perhaps a ground beef dehydrator or maybe a beef jerky dehydrator?  The answer is that all of our dehydrators will do all of the products.  If you want to dehydrate fruit or prepare dehydrated apples, make beef jerky or dehydrate vegetables, all of them will do the job.  Some food dehydrators are larger and will do more products at one time.  Some have timers and others don’t.  Some have a better physical appearance than others, but the essential job of the food dehydrator can be found in all of our food dehydrators. 

If your objective is to find a vegetable dehydrator, ground beef dehydrator, beef jerky dehydrator, jerky dehydrator or fruit dehydrator, this is the place to find just what you need. 

At Healthy Kitchen Plus, we offer some of the very best dehydrators on the market.  And, our prices are as good as you will find.  Watch for our coupons!  They change every month and you may find just the food dehydrator you have been looking for at a price that is very affordable.

Please contact us if you have any questions about a food dehydrator.  Remember, our PLUS is Service, Information and Quality.

 

Can You Taste These Mouth Watering Fruits?

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• «Food Dehydrator FAQ
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