Salton DH-1043 Instruction Booklet page 8

Preparation and Pretreatment of Vegetables
1. Choose vegetables that are fresh and crisp.
2. Wash thoroughly and dry. Remove any blemishes or spoiled spots.
3. Whenever possible slice vegetables into 6 mm (1/4") slices. For other
vegetables follow instructions in the drying chart.
4. As with fruits, pretreating of vegetables is optional. If you wish you can
pretreat vegetables to help retain colour, extend shelf life and enhance
nutritional value. Pretreat vegetables by blanching or steam blanching
as described below.
a) Blanching
Soak vegetables in boiling water for 1 – 2 minutes. Plunge into ice
cold water. Drain. Place on paper towels and pat dry. Place on
Dehydrator Trays.
b) Steam Blanching
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Place vegetables in a colander
above the saucepan and cover. See Vegetable Drying Chart for cooking
time. Plunge vegetables into ice cold water. Drain. Place vegetables on
paper towels and pat dry. Place on Dehydrator Trays.
c) Microwave Blanching
NOTE: Microwave blanching leaves the vegetables with a brighter
colour than steam blanched vegetables.
Place a small amount of water in a shallow, microwave-safe cooking
dish. Refer to your microwave instructions for cooking times. Use only
1/4 of the time suggested. Plunge vegetables into ice cold water.
Drain. Place vegetables on paper towels and pat dry.
Vegetable Drying Chart
Exact dehydrating time varies greatly depending on several factors: Type, size,
quality of food, quantity placed on trays and personal preference. It will help
to keep notes on the type of food, weight before and after drying, total drying
time and final results.
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