Dried foods – not pretty, but pretty tasty

By Barb Randall

The Lake Oswego Review, Aug 27, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

ADVERTISEMENTS

<< Prev. Page 1 | 2

The length of drying time will depend on the quality of food, whether you are using a pretreatment method, climate and humidity, size of food pieces, moisture content of food and the drying temperature.

If using an electric dehydrator, conventional or convection oven, preheat it while preparing your foods. For all methods, place your food in a single layer on trays so that no pieces touch each other or the sides of the tray. Put the trays in the oven, rotating them partway through the drying session.

When the food appears dry, cool one piece and test for doneness as stated in the recipe. For example, a “done” tomato is described as being “slightly leathery and crisp,” and apples will be “done” when they are “soft, pliable and leathery.”

Those descriptions will be good guidelines, but to be absolutely sure that food is properly dried, check the moisture content of your food by following these simple steps:

n Prepare your food and weigh the portion you’ll be drying.

n Look up the amount of moisture (water content) in your food (should be noted in your recipe, tomatoes have a water content of 94 percent, apples 84 percent).

n Determine the total water weight of your food by multiplying the weight of your prepared fruit before drying by the water content percentage from the note above.

n Calculate the amount of water (by weight) that needs to be removed from the food during the drying process.

Multiply the total water weight (your answer from above) by 0.8 (the minimum amount of water you want to remove from your food during the drying process).

n Weigh your food when you think it’s done. Subtract the amount of the water you want removed (the answer from the step above) from the total weight of the food you prepared for drying (your answer in the first step). If your food weighs this amount, or less, your processing is successful. If your food weighs more than this amount, keep drying it.

Whew! You got it? Remember that drying isn’t exact. More than likely you will find yourself working by trial and error when it comes to knowing how long it takes for the foods to reach their desired degree of “doneness.” Follow the general guidelines and be patient.

My husband Mark has been drying his homegrown heirloom tomatoes with delicious success. He shares his guidelines for drying them with you.

And as always, if you need a little hand holding with preserving, call the County Extension office, 503-655-8631.

Want to pack a fun, nutritious treat in your children’s lunch bags this fall? You’ll find a recipe for my sister Carol Smith’s Fruit Roll Ups at the end of this column on the Web site. They are easy to make and cost a fraction of the store bought variety.

Bon Appetit! Eat something wonderful!

Dried Tomatoes

Tomatoes have a water content of 94 percent

Preparation: Peel, core and slice ¼ to ½ inch thick.

Pretreat: None

Temperature and Drying Time: 145°F for 6 to 8 hours

Doneness Test: Slightly leathery and crisp, be sure to calculate the amount of water weight that needs to be removed during the drying process.

– Carol Smith

Information from “Canning and Preserving for Dummies” was used in writing this article.

Randall welcomes your food questions and research suggestions. She can be reached at 503-635-8811 ext. 101 or by e-mail at bran

dall@lakeoswegoreview.com .

<< Prev. Page 1 | 2