essentiel b ED2 Instrucciones De Uso página 23

8. Cut off all the damaged or spoiled parts of fruits and vegetables before dehydrating.
9. Meat, poultry and fish should be fresh and lean. Always use lean meats. Remove as
much fat as possible before dehydrating.
10. Choose pieces of food of a similar size and shape so that they dehydrate evenly.
NOTE: the preparation, dehydration time and method of preservation will have a
significant influence on the quality and taste of the food. Follow the preparation,
dehydration and storage instructions given in this manual for superior quality better-
tasting dried foods.
WARNING: if you suspect food contamination, do not attempt to use the dehydrator.
Throw away the food instead.
fruit preparation and treatment
Preparation
• Wash and examine the fruit, removing any damaged or overripe parts.
• Peel the fruit as needed. Peeling is optional with other fruits, e.g. dried pear skins
tend to be grainy and peach skins are a little fluffy.
• Some fruits turn brown when exposed to air (apples, apricots, peaches and
pears). By following the tips below, you can pre-treat these fruits to slow down the
browning effect and prevent the loss of vitamins A and C. To pre-treat them, the
cut pieces should be dipped in a preservative solution until you have enough fruit
to dry.
Pretreatment
It is not always necessary to pre-treat food in order to dry it; however, pre-treatment
can improve the appearance of the food, increase shelf life and even preserve the
nutritional value. Experiment with treated and untreated food to find out what works
best. Bear in mind that the quality of the final product depends on the food being
properly preserved, whether it is treated or not.
• Given their high vitamin C content, lemon and lime juices are natural alternatives to
other pretreatments for reducing browning. Cut the fruit into slices and drop them
straight into the juice. Take the slices out after about 2 minutes and place them on
the trays.
• The fruits can also be dipped in honey, lime or orange juice, or sprinkled with
coconut to give them an exotic flavour.
• For fruits cut and treated with lemon or lime juice, mix 1 part of lemon juice for 4
parts of water.
23