ECG SO 570 Manual De Instrucciones página 47

peel down, with the cut side on top. Place the uneven shapes on the side with the peel, not on the cut
side. Spread the vegetables evenly in a single layer. Dry the herbs very gently. Remove only the stem, do
not slice the herbs any further. You have to turn leafy herbs during the drying process to prevent sticking.
• Spread the pieces evenly on the dehydrator tray, do not put one on top of another and leave spaces
between individual pieces. Use about 85 % of each tray area to ensure proper air circulation.
• The trays in the lower part of the dehydrator are exposed to drier and warmer air and the product on
them dries faster. It is therefore advisable to change the order of the trays during drying.
• If you want to check the level of dryness remove a handful of food and let it cool for few minutes. The
hot product seems to be softer, moister and more flexible than in cooled state. The product must be dry
enough to prevent microorganisms from multiplying and spoilage. Dehydrated produce must be hard
and brittle. Dehydrated fruit should be leathery and flexible. The home grown fruit should be drier for
long-term storage than the commercially sold dried fruit.
• Proper storage of dried foods also helps maintain good quality and nutritional value of food.
Note:
To prevent browning of some types of fruit, we recommend that you pretreat the fruit before drying by
immersing it into a solution of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a cup of water, then dry it with paper towel.
You can replace the lemon juice with pineapple juice or with commonly available vitamin C. Some fruits have
natural protective wax coating, e.g. figs, plums, grapes, blueberries, etc.
Immerse them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, drain and immerse immediately in cold water and dry off. Slice
and dehydrate. Pores in the peel open and the drying will speed up.
Blanching
Most kinds of produce should be blanched before drying. Blanching limits any change to appearance and
taste of the treated products. It is scalding or boiling of fruit and vegetables for a short time (1–5 minutes).
Place the prepared produce (e.g. carrots, celery) in a wire basket or strainer and immerse it in a pot of boiling
water. Dry completely before putting it in the dehydrator.
Blanching in a suitable solution helps to preserve the colour of apples, apricots, figs, nectarines, peaches, pears
and plums. The result will be sweetened candied fruit. It is necessary to try the effectiveness of these methods.
You can soak fruit and vegetables in these solutions:
• Compared to other methods, lemon juice and pineapple juice are the natural way how to preserve colour.
• Sodium sulphite: Buy the product for food preparation in the pharmacy.
• Citric and ascorbic acid add "a sour taste of vitamin C" to the product.
• Blanching in boiling water or steam
• Blanching in juice will help to preserve the colour of apples, apricots, figs, nectarines, peaches, pears and
plums. The result will be sweetened candied fruit.
Recommended drying temperature
Types of food
Flowers
Herbs
Baked goods
Vegetables
Fruit (apples)
Fruit (pears)
Fruit (apricots, peaches, plums)
Meat, fish
The drying temperature is only approximate, it depends on the thickness of the slices, the water content
in the foods and other factors. You should test what is the optimal settings for a particular kind of food.
Recommended
temperature
35-40 °C
40°C
40-50 °C
50-55 °C
55-60 °C
55-60 °C
55-60 °C
65-70 °C
GB
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