CuiZen Stainless Steel Dehyadrator CFD-2040CS - Manual (Page 9)

9
Vegetable Dehydration Tips
Dried vegetables are every bit as flavourful and versatile as dried fruits. With dried
vegetables you can make delicious soups, stews, casseroles and more. Basically, anywhere
you would use fresh vegetables you can use dehydrated vegetables.
Before preparing and dehydrating your chosen vegetables, always wash them in cold
water. A certain amount of coring, slicing, peeling or shredding is required. A food
processor can be a handy tool when processing vegetables taking seconds to slice up a
large batch ready for the dehydrator.
Be creative when drying vegetables. Placing vegetables in diluted lemon juice or similar
flavourings for approximately 2 minutes will add a hint of flavour to such vegetables as
green beans and asparagus.
Pre-treatment of Vegetables
For the most part, vegetables need little in the way of special treatment for dehydration
although there are some exceptions. Here are some preparation guidelines that will help
you get the most from your dried vegetables.
A few vegetables, such as onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms can be dried
and reconstituted successfully without pre-treatment. In general if vegetables must be
steamed or blanched for freezing they must be treated for drying.
With the above-named exceptions in mind most remaining vegetables will need to be
steamed or blanched before drying. Many vegetables have enzymes that help the food
ripen and leaving these enzymes active in the food will cause them to continue to bring
about changes in flavour and aroma which can be undesirable. Although untreated
vegetables which are dehydrated can still be good for as long as three to four months, heat
treated vegetables reconstitute in less time, keep longer, and generally retain more flavour
when reconstituted.
Steaming
Steaming is the best method of pre-treatment. Place a single layer of chopped or sliced
vegetables in a colander or steam basket. Shredded vegetables can be 1/2 inch deep in
the colander or basket. Set vegetables in a pot above a small amount of boiling water and
cover. Water should not touch the vegetables. Begin timing immediately. When ready to
remove, vegetables should be barely tender. Drop in bowl of cold water to stop cooking
and for food to retain its color. Pat dry and spread on trays to dehydrate.
Blanching
Blanching is recommended for green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, potatoes and
peas. Since these vegetables are often used in soups or stews, blanching will ensure that
they retain a desirable color. To blanch, place prepared vegetables in a pot of boiling water
for 3 to 5 minutes only. Strain and pat dry and place vegetables in the dehydrator.
Blanching is faster than steaming but many nutrients are lost in the blanching water. It
is not recommended for chopped or shredded vegetables, which would easily overcook
during blanching. To blanch sliced vegetables, drop the prepared vegetable into a large
pot of boiling water. Do not add more than 1 cup food per quart of boiling water. Begin
timing immediately. For timing follow standard freezing directions. Timing is approximately
one-third to one-half that of steaming or until vegetables are barely tender.