“Low and slow” is almost always better than fast or hot. Specifically, longer dehydrating times and lower dehydrator temperatures will often produce the best results when dehydrating. (Note that there is an exception to this rule and that is when dehydrating meats. In this case, hotter temps are better.)
If you simply followed the directions in the manual–or those printed directly on the Excalibur dehydrator–you’ll see a range of temperatures, from 95 degrees for dehydrating things like herbs up to 155 degrees for dehydrating meats and jerky. Vegetables are somewhere in the middle at around 130 degrees.
My experiences
When I first started dehydrating I did my best to follow the recommendations of time, temperature, and food thickness (of no more than about 1/4″). This became a bit of a chore especially for fruits, at least, with respect to what I got out of my efforts.
Eventually, I gave up and failed to dehydrate anything for years… until I found Dehydrate2Store.com. This lady single-handedly changed my mind about dehydrating vegetables and I must continue to thank her for that.
Once I realized that I could just dump bags of frozen vegetables on my trays and go for it, I was hooked! But, even then I wanted things to be simpler and that’s when I deviated even from her advice and basically ignored all recommendations for time and temperature when it comes to dehydrating vegetables.
What do I do now?
It’s a simple formula, actually. I set my dehydrator temperate to no more than 105 degrees (but no less than 100) Fahrenheit and let all vegetables dehydrate for a full 24 hours, or very close to that. I’ve yet to see anything not fully dehydrate when following this strategy. This was true even for vegetables that were significantly larger than the recommended 1/4″ thickness, such as heads of broccoli.
Why 105 degrees or less?
I prefer lower temperatures because (1) too high of temperatures can cause vegetables to “case harden” essentially trapping moisture inside which is bad for storage longevity–I’ve had that happen–and (2) apparently food temperatures above 120 degrees can destroy food enzymes. In fact, according to Excalibur’s website regarding enzyme destruction temperatures:
“Excalibur’s founder, Roger Orton, worked with Ann Wigmore on our Excalibur Dehydrators. Ann said that food temperature had to go above 120F for a period of time before enzymes were destroyed. Viktoras confirmed the same. Ann tested many dehydrators and confirmed Excalibur to be the best for Living Foods. She found the best technique to save enzymes was to set the temperature higher initially, then turn it down after a few hours. However, most people will not know when to turn it down. Ann’s recommendation is to set the temperature at 105F for the entire cycle. That way, the food temp will never go above 120F even after its dry.”
I don’t know how true that is but it never hurts to be more safe than sorry. While I’m thinking about it, you might find Excalibur’s FAQ page to be quite informative. Remember, however, that the exact opposite is true when dehydrating meats… higher temps are better when dehydrating meats for safety considerations.
Why 24 hours?
Many references suggest foods will be “done” significantly before 24 hours, often in half the time. Dehydrating food longer is potentially a waste of energy and money. So, why do it?
Well, first it doesn’t cost me that much more. For a full 24 hours run time in my 9-tray dehydrator at 600 watts (though it’s probably less because the thermostat is turned down) I would pay roughly $1.50 to run it the entire time given my average cost per kilowatt is ten cents. If I tried to follow the time precisely then I might save myself 50 cents on average… a small sum, if you ask me. If I dehydrated everyday then, yes, it would be something to pay attention to.
The second and more likely cause, however, is that I prefer to get my veggies dehydrating in the late morning (say 9 or 10) which means I would have to finish them either late at night or in the middle of the morning. In this case, it’s just easier to let it continue to dehydrate overnight. Yes, that’s more likely the *real* reason I give it a full 24 hours. 🙂
Conclusion
If you look at it like you’re cooking a whole turkey, for example, and want to ensure it’s cooked through then you want to cook the turkey at a lower temperature and for longer. It’s the same with dehydrating vegetables. I want to ensure they’re fully “cooked” through… even though they’re not actually being cooked.
Overall, I absolutely enjoy dehydrating. I’d imagine people get the same feeling about canning. For me, however, canning is just a giant mess waiting to happen. Dehydrating, on the other hand, is a magical process and one that can significantly increase your ability to store foods, in particular, those foods that can provide you the nutrients your body needs to be healthy and not to just stay alive.
Hope that helps.
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