Nesco Food Dehydrator - Manual (Page 11)

Drying Time
Because of the unique design of the
patented Converga-Flow
® system of
your NESCO ® American Harvest ® dehy-
drator, you’ll be surprised at how quick-
ly most foods dry.
Drying times may vary, depending on
the type and amount of food, thickness
and evenness of the slices, percentage
of water in the food, humidity, tempera-
ture of air, altitude and the model of
NESCO
® American Harvest® dehydra-
tor you are using. Drying times may
also vary greatly from one area of the
country to another and from day to day,
depending on the climactic conditions.
Keep records to help you predict
future drying times for specific foods.
Drying Temperature
Foods dried in the NESCO ® American
Harvest Gardenmaster ® dehydrator gen-
erally dry more quickly than in other
models. Fruits, fruit rolls, and vegeta-
bles should be dried at 130° to 140°F
(55° to 60°C). By drying foods in this
temperature range you will minimize
the loss of heat-sensitive vitamins A and
C. Because, all foods sweat when they
first begin to dry, the temperature may
be set higher than 140°F (60°C) during
the first couple of hours of drying. The
actual temperature of the food will
remain 15° to 20°F (6° to 8°C) lower
than the air temperature for the first
couple of hours.
Meats and fish should be dried on the
highest temperature setting of your
dehydrator. Since meats and fish do not
contain vitamins A or C, these higher
temperatures do not affect nutritional
value. These temperatures also keep
bacteria and other spoilage micro-
organisms, common to meats and fish,
to a minimum during the first stages of
drying when they tend to multiply.
Nuts and seeds are high in oil, and if
higher temperatures are used, they will
tend to become rancid, developing off
flavors. The best drying temperature
for them is from 90° to 100°F (30° to
40°C).
Herbs and spices are most flavorful
when they first open and should be
harvested while very fresh, before they
begin to blossom. Because the aromatic
oils are very sensitive, temperatures
should be 90° to 100°F (30° to 40°C)
for drying. Herbs generally dry in an
hour or two. Take care not to load
trays too heavily as this will prolong the
drying time.
Dried flowers, herbs and spices used
for potpourri should be dried at temper-
atures ranging from 90° to 100°F (30°
to 40°C.). These low temperatures
maintain aroma and colors.
Use these guidelines for the foundation
of your dehydrating techniques. Expand
on them as you gain skill and confi-
dence with experience.
Testing for Dryness
Food must be carefully monitored near
the end of the dehydration process to
prevent overdrying. Overdried foods
lose quality in texture, nutrition and
taste. To test for dryness, remove a piece
of food, allow it to cool, and feel with
your fingers to determine dryness:
• Fruits should be pliable and leathery
with no pockets of moisture. To check
if fruit is dry, tear a piece in half and
watch for moisture beads along the
tear. If there aren’t any, it is sufficient-
ly dry for long term storage.
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