What sort of things do you dehydrate?

skin off and sliced in to 5mm slices for about 8-10 hours

we did some at school ...chocolate yogurt ....

I make a mince savoury slightly thicker than usual, sweet & sour pork, rice etc.Males in the house take dehydrated meals with them when rafting and in the bush.Much nicer than the prepared meals and much cheaper as well.In the past I have also done rollups etc.

Ballito, can you give more details about how you go about dehydrating meals. Sounds like a great idea for camping too.

I slice all sorts of fruit and dehydrate them then chop bits into homemade muesli. I make roll ups often using apple to eek out the berries or kiwifruit or whatever else I use, a favourite of mine is banana, coconut and peanut butter. I grate vegetables and mix them once they are dry for soups. Jerky lasts a very short time if my daughters are around. When I first got my dehydrator I had a recipe book that gave a recipe for corn chips and they were yummy. Unfortunately I lent the book out and never got it back, so if anyone has the recipe I would be grateful. Also in the book was a recipe for zucchini dipped in egg white and coconut I would like to try again. Some yoghurts dry well in small 'blobs' or added to fruit for leather.

kiwi fruit. skin on or off!

Hi gpmapm.I make up normal meals i.e. savoury mince, stews (be sure to chop meat and veges into smaller cubes), sweet & sour pork, chicken casseroles even soups such as vege and pumpkin.The key is to make the mix thicker than normal otherwise it would just run all over the trays.To rehydrate just add boiling water to cover and let sit for about 20 minutes then bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer until the consistency is like a "normal" mixture.I have an Ezi Dry brand (my second one) but the next one I purchase will be an Excaliber which is square in shape and the trays slide in.The price difference is not a lot but I think the quality is superior from reports I have read.The Excaliber brand is used a lot in the States but is starting to become more popular here.I have also done venison jerky which is just delicious.When I make jerky for hunting/rafting trips it often doesn't even get to the trips - gets gobbled up before anyone leaves home!Hope this helps.

we did some at school .chocolate yogurt .

I slice all sorts of fruit and dehydrate them then chop bits into homemade muesli. I make roll ups often using apple to eek out the berries or kiwifruit or whatever else I use, a favourite of mine is banana, coconut and peanut butter. I grate vegetables and mix them once they are dry for soups. Jerky lasts a very short time if my daughters are around. When I first got my dehydrator I had a recipe book that gave a recipe for corn chips and they were yummy. Unfortunately I lent the book out and never got it back, so if anyone has the recipe I would be grateful. Also in the book was a recipe for zucchini dipped in egg white and coconut I would like to try again. Some yoghurts dry well in small 'blobs' or added to fruit for leather.

Hi gpmapm.I make up normal meals i.e. savoury mince, stews (be sure to chop meat and veges into smaller cubes), sweet & sour pork, chicken casseroles even soups such as vege and pumpkin.The key is to make the mix thicker than normal otherwise it would just run all over the trays.To rehydrate just add boiling water to cover and let sit for about 20 minutes then bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer until the consistency is like a "normal" mixture.I have an Ezi Dry brand (my second one) but the next one I purchase will be an Excaliber which is square in shape and the trays slide in.The price difference is not a lot but I think the quality is superior from reports I have read.The Excaliber brand is used a lot in the States but is starting to become more popular here.I have also done venison jerky which is just delicious.When I make jerky for hunting/rafting trips it often doesn't even get to the trips - gets gobbled up before anyone leaves home!Hope this helps.

Hi I would like to revive this thread as i just bought a secondhand deydrator (EziDri Snackmakers). I have only tried kiwifruit and we really love them. anyone like to share some nice tips on dehydrating!

bump. its that season again:}

YEY. thanks for bumping! I was given a dehydrator and haven't used it yet. I've just thought of a brilliant idea. I'm going to give elderberries a go :)

I dry the herbs in the oven. 4 hrs on 80 degrees.

I bet your house smells lovely - and the "herbs" taste like straw once dry . Recommended temp for herbs is 20 degrees C to preserve their essential oils. which is the stuff which makes them taste as they taste .

If I ever dehydrate (and do not eat everything all at once - or freeze) then it is figs, tomatoes and meat. Can't beat a lovely chilli jerky for a snack in the middle of town - with a side of figs of course.

Ohhhhhhh how do you go about making the jerky, I'd love to give that a go!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerky can also recommend this for hiking - instead of the terrible sugar coated raisin mixes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemmican

Taste just like the bought ones actually.

if you have a dehydrator! I'm drying herbs at the moment and the house smells so delicious. I've done fruit andonions and garlic (mostly to add to bread/bagels). Anyone tried anything different that's been a success!

I am doing chillis and beans at the moment.Will be doing carrots and tomatoes soon.Have done herbs.Never thought of doing garlic.How do you prep it!Could be very handy

Thanks guys, I forgot about my dehydrator! I will have to ping it out of the cupboard.

I would like to know how to do garlic too! Also do you find that it keeps very well!

Garlic- I just seperate it into individual cloves, peel and pulse it in the food processor (not to much or it will just go mushy). Then spread it out on the tray (the solid liners used for fruit leathers are best). When it's absolutely, completely dry, you can just store the bits in a (sterilised) jar , and I also crush some of it with a mortar/pestle to make garlic powder. I use it in breads, bagels, soups, stews etc. and it keeps really well ,as long as you make sure it is BONE DRY before you 'bottle' it.Good for the middle of winter when NZ garlic is usually about $13 a kg.

I've never done carrots- any special prep needed for that!Cheers!

For carrots, they do need pre cooking slightly.I dice them small, then boil for about 1-2 minutes, drain then put in drier.Once again they have to be bone dry, no moisture in the bag, or they go mouldy, as I found out last year.BUT.for any dried goods, to prevent them going off if moisture gets in the bag, (and everytime you open it some does get in), store your dried foods in the freezer.Yep.works great.I have had no more mouldy dried foods.