Dried fruit, jerky and more

The basics of the art of drying

We would love to sing an ode to dried fruit and all other dried delicacies. Busted, we're really big fans of dried fruits like dried cherries and bananas. Do it yourself is best and tastes best. But what exactly happens when you dehydrate with an automatic dehydrator? In short: It is a tried and tested refinement method that extends the shelf life of certain foods through targeted, gentle air drying and intensifies the taste. Interested? Then we'll devote ourselves to a little dehydration how-to session - with all the important information, tips and tricks.

Making dried fruit: how does it work?

The lower the water content, the longer the shelf life. This is the basic principle that automatic dehydrators work on - regardless of whether you want to dry a mango or banana, dry small or large fruits, or process meat and fish. In more technical terms: so-called grid drying gradually removes the water from the food by means of warm air. Advantage number one: you don't have to add any sugar. Even better: Vitamins, minerals and fibre are better preserved.

Dehydrated foods like dried fruit shrink and lose weight in the process. This in turn facilitates storage at home and transport, for example if you want to dry fruit yourself and take it with you to the office, to the park or to friends. A residual moisture of around 15 percent is optimal. For comparison: industrial dried fruit often has a higher water content of up to 30 percent and is therefore chemically preserved - not to mention the added sugar. In summary: gentle, mobile, natural, versatile, healthy and delicious. Amazingly big arguments for such small tidbits.

Tips, tricks, do's and don'ts

Right, you could dry a mango and pineapple or dehydrate a cherry by blowing on them for days in a Finnish sauna. Joking aside, there are a number of things that innovative devices make extremely useful. With an automatic dehydrator, you can dry a wide variety of foods efficiently and in a vitamin-friendly way on several levels. Here, nothing is left to be desired: whether fruity, hearty, vegan or with meat, dehydrators serve almost all culinary preferences. And with the temperature selection and timer, operation is as easy as the dried fruit itself.