Filling The Drying Trays; Prevent Dripping; How Long Does It Take To Dehydrate Food - BAIYI BY1107 Owner's Manual And Operating Instructions

Filling the Drying Trays

When loading the food into the trays you can use all of the trays' top surface, but
some airflow must be maintained Try to place the food in a single layer where
possible.This is particularly important with foods like banana slices and pineapple
rings and not quite as important with beans. If some of the pieces come out with
too much moisture when you are finished, one of the reasons is that it might have
been covered by other pieces of food
Dehydration removes the moisture and will cause the food to shrink as it dries.
This allows you to store the same amount of food in a smaller space, but it also
means that as the food shrinks during the drying process, smaller pieces can fall
through the holes in the drying trays. To prevent this, particularly when drying
chopped or shredded foods, line the trays with mesh tray Inserts before laying out
the food Chopped food should not be spread thicker than 3/8 inch Use a fork to
expose the mesh tray insert in several places to provide proper air circulation
If you do not have mesh tray inserts available, use nylon netting
canvas, cheesecloth or similarly, coarse woven fabric. When lining the tray be sure
to cut an opening for the tray's center hole, The fabric should be food safe, allow
air to pass through it, and it must be laundered before being used Use care when
choosing fabric as sticky foods may not be able to be easily removed
particles from the fabric may stick to the food pieces.
It may be necessary to stir the finely chopped food once or twice during dehydration
to ensure even drying of all the pieces. To do so, turn the machine off, unplug it, remove
the trays, stir, then reassemble and restart the machine according to the instructions

Prevent Dripping

Some foods such as very ripe tomatoes and citrus or sugared fruits may drip. If
too much liquid drips into the bottom of the unit it can be damaged necessitating
service. Additionally, The dripping from a tray above can change the flavor of
different foods on lower trays To help lessen dripping after placing food on drying
trays and before placing them on the dehydrator base, tap the tray firmly downward
on a towel laid on the counter top a few times to remove excess moisture.
To catch any remaining dripping during dehydration that may occur with very
moist foods, use fruit leather sheets placed on the bottom two trays. Alternate the
sheets on one half of the two trays (i.e.. the left side of the first tray and the right
side of the second tray). Then place these two bottom trays on the dehydrator base
before placing the remaining trays with the food to be dried above them
rotating trays, wipe the fruit leather sheets, but leave these two trays at the bottom
of the stack of trays. When the food becomes dry enough so that it is no longer
dripping remove the fruit leather sheets from the two bottom trays to enhance air
flow.
Do not use wax paper in place of the fruit leather sheets as the wax on the
paper wilt melt at dehydration temperatures which can taint the food or damage the
dehydrator. Always remember to leave the center hole of each tray uncovered
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It is impossible to give exact drying times because there are so many factors
that affect drying time. These factors include:
The moisture content of each food
The thickness or size of the prepared food
The humidity and temperature in the room where the dehydrator is operating
The density of the food
The food you choose also plays a part. The age of the food where and how the
food was grown
factors all affect how long it might take to dehydrate.
But don't worry. With a little experience you will soon be able to tell when you
needlepoint
are slicing the foods just about how long it will take, and which foods will dry
soonest and which will take the longest.
Here is a good example: tomatoes are normally quite juicy. Their high moisture
and content will make them take longer to dry than many other foods. On the other
hand, cabbage, which has a relatively low moisture level will take a much shorter
time to dry. Citrus fruits like oranges will generally take longer than apples for the
same reason
So how do you know how long to let the foods dry? After the dehydrator runs for
a while remove the trays and examine the foods. Don't be afraid to "peek!" This will
help you learn about the drying process and how long it takes. For foods with
higher moisture levels like fruits and meats, check them periodically after about the
first four hours of drying time. Foods with a lower starting moisture content like
herbs and leafy vegetables or chopped and shredded foods may dry sooner so
need to be checked after about two or three hours and more often after that. You
will soon get a "feel" for how long foods take to dry.
Don't worry, though
moisture in it. Moist foods are more likely to spoil during storage. If foods have
been over-dried and seem brittle or slightly browned they are still usable for soups
or most baked goods They may take slightly longer to reconstitute and require
additional water, but their flavor and quality is generally not impaired
When
How Long Does it Take to
Dehydrate Food?
how it has been stored along its journey to you
It is better to over-dry the food then leave too much
and other
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