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Selecting Foods To Dry
Select the best quality produce at the
peak of ripeness and flavor. Wash
carefully
to
remove
insects.
Cut
away
damaged sections.
Temperature for drying:
- herbs
- green
- bread
- vegetables
- fruit
- meat
Drying Jerky
Jerky is a favorite snack for school,
lunch, trail or just about anywhere!
It is made by seasoning raw meat and
then drying it without cooking.
You won't have to pay the exorbitant
prices for jerky slices or sticks at the
grocery or convenience store. Most lean
meats will yield about 1 pound of jerky
from 2 pounds of fresh meat.
Selection
Jerky may be made from a variety of
different meats. When purchasing meats
for making jerky choose lean meats with
minimal fat, as fat tends to go rancid
during storage. A lean cut of flank steak
or round steak makes excellent jerky.
Preparation
If making jerky from meat, remove all
fat and cut into cubes or thin strips l/4"
to 3/8" thick. It is easier to slice
partially frozen meat for jerky. If meats
are cut on the cross-wise grain, jerky is
less chewy than if meats are cut on the
lengthwise grain.
Marinate cut meats in store-bought or
your own recipe marinade for 6 to 8
hours in the refrigerator before drying.
If you are using your own recipe, be
sure to include 1 teaspoon of salt for
each pound of meat. The salt slows
surface
bacterial
initial stages of drying.
Drying and Storage
Depending on how thick the meat is cut,
how heavily the dryer is loaded and the
humidity it will take from 4 to 15 hours
to dry.
Pat
jerky
with
several times as it dries to remove the
oil which accumulates on the top of the
jerky When removing jerky from the
dryer, wrap it in paper towels and let it
stand for a couple of hours prior to
packaging. Beef jerky that is stored on
the shelf will start to go rancid at room
temperature
after
Refrigerate or freeze for longer storage.
dirt,
dust
any
bruised
40°C
40°C
40-50°C
50-55
55-60°C
65-70°C
growth
during
clean
paper
towels
3
or
4
weeks.
Note: After drying, heat jerky in
your oven at 80°С for one hour to
avoid the risk of salmonella.
and
or
Storing Your Dried Food
Some pieces may dry in a shorter time
than others and should be removed and
placed in an airtight container while
allowing the rest of the pieces to remain
in the dehydrator until sufficiently dry.
Package all dried foods promptly to
prevent contamination by insects and to
prevent
caused by humidity Store dried foods in
airtight, moisture-proof containers.
Home vacuum packaging devices are
ideal for packaging dried foods. They
extend the shelf life of dried foods three
to four times. Home vacuum packaging
can be done in bags or glass jars.
Manufacturers' bags, designed for use in
home vacuum packaging, are moisture-
proof
vacuum sealed using a lid with a rubber
gasket. Only glass jars which have been
tempered for canning should be used.
Other storage jars may explode under
the pressure of vacuum packaging.
Bag sealers can also be used to package
dehydrated foods. Bag sealers do not
remove air within the package, but the
bags are moisture-proof and airtight.
Squeeze the pouch tightly against the
food to remove as much air as possible
before sealing.
Plastic freezer bags can be used. Plastic
storage bags, not labeled for use in the
freezer, generally are not airtight nor
moisture-proof and should not be used
to store dried foods.
Since most packaging materials are
transparent, store packaged dried foods
in a plastic or metal container which will
not allow the light to penetrate.
Do not store fruits and vegetables
together in the same storage container
because
the
transfer.
Fruit skin is best if removed while still
warm. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in
airtight moisture-proof containers for
storage.
Onions and tomatoes are especially
prone to absorb moisture from the air
and should be packaged immediately
after removing from the dehydrator.
If foods are insufficiently dried, or
are
incomplete packaging, they can lose
quality and nutrition, and can even
mold during storage.
Labeling
All dehydrated foods should be labeled
with the name of the product, date dried
5
stickiness
and
and
airtight.
flavor
and
exposed
to
moisture
rehydration
Glass
jars
are
moisture
may
from
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