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Any FReepers use a food dehydrator??

Posted on 06/08/2013 2:36:26 PM PDT by djf

I wuz at a yard sale and bought a couple do-it-yourself type handbooks.

Gal had a Ronco food dehydrator but I didn't get it then... after driving around a bit I went back and got it.

Hitting it with bleach and all the cleaning stuff now.

So! Any FReepers use a dehydrator? Experiences? Good things to dehydrate or not-so-good?

Manual says you can use it to make jerky. Anybody tried that?

All ideas welcome!


TOPICS: Food
KEYWORDS: dehydrator; preppers
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1 posted on 06/08/2013 2:36:26 PM PDT by djf
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To: djf

None that I know of!


2 posted on 06/08/2013 2:37:35 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: djf

Cat jerky


3 posted on 06/08/2013 2:40:02 PM PDT by reg45 (Barack 0bama: Implementing class warfare by having no class.)
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To: djf

Post your query on the weekly garden thread. I remember justadumbblonde talking about it and maybe greeneyes.


4 posted on 06/08/2013 2:40:14 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: djf

I’ve got a small cheap one and have actually dried a fair number of tomato slices. I haven’t tried meat but I’ve been thinking about drying some turkey for doggie treats first.

I’ve got a plastic 55 gallon drum I’ve been thinking about making into a dehydrator.


5 posted on 06/08/2013 2:41:29 PM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: djf

I have a dehydrator & mostly use it for apples. Sliced dried apples make a nice snack. I’ve also made jerky & have a pretty good marinade:

It’s recommended that you use either 1pound of very lean round or flank steak to make jerky. We use any meat we have, but most often we use shoulder roasts and round roasts. When the meat is semi-frozen it is easily sliced to about 3/8 inch thick (the thinner the slices the faster the drying). Meat cut with the grain will be chewy while the cuts against the grain will be tender and break more easily when dried. Marinate the meat in a sauce of:

4 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon onion salt
1 tablespoon ketchup
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon pepper (more if you like)
1 tablespoon of liquid smoke

Marinate the meat for at least 4 hours, then drain in a colander. Place the meat on trays to dry. For fastest drying time, do not overlap the meat on the trays and turn the meat over at least once during the drying period if it doesn’t look as though it’s drying evenly.

Dry at 145º F. for 8 to 10 hours. It is ready when it bends like a green willow without breaking. Store in a jar with a tight fitting lid, or ziplock freezer bags. Long-term storage should be in a refrigerator or freezer.


6 posted on 06/08/2013 2:41:58 PM PDT by Twotone (Marte Et Clypeo)
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To: djf

The Scoutmaster of my son’s troop used one for beef and veggies. I never tasted it but he would use it to make beef stew with the added water on hiking trips.


7 posted on 06/08/2013 2:42:36 PM PDT by DeFault User
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To: djf

If you dry peppers, or onions, those dehydrators become tear gas generators if used inside. Best to dry anything hot and spicy outside.


8 posted on 06/08/2013 2:43:05 PM PDT by fso301
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To: djf
Years ago I had a Four Seasons food dryer made by a guy in So Oregon and used it primarily for making venison and elk jerky, it worked great.

I preferred only putting salt and pepper on the strips of meat before drying it. Some people use different flavorings like teriyaki, liquid smoke, etc but I don't care for that.

9 posted on 06/08/2013 2:45:41 PM PDT by jazusamo ("Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." -- Adam Smith)
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To: djf

I have a dehydrator and use it all summer long. Anything from the garden that is not eaten gets sliced up and dehydrated. I then put them in zip lock baggies and freeze them. They last forever and are great for whatever you need, soups, etc. If you want to just eat the veggie just add water and rehydrate them.


10 posted on 06/08/2013 2:45:50 PM PDT by sheana
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To: djf

I use one. I have an apple orchard. I dehydrated hundreds of pounds of apple slices. They are wonderful! Use an acid in the water that you slice the apples into. Lemon juice or Fruit Fresh

I dehydrated potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, celery. Those need to be blanched after slicing, so they don’t brown. I also dehydrated bags of frozen veggies. This way, they don’t require refrigeration, they last forever and they weigh little and don’t take up much space.


11 posted on 06/08/2013 2:46:07 PM PDT by passionfruit (When illegals become legal, even they won't do the work Americans won't do)
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To: djf
I use a dehydrator, depending on the time of the year. If it is dry, sunny and hot, just use the sun ... saves electricity. Use cheese cloth or something similar to keep bugs off the food.

I make deer jerky in the fall using a dehydrator. I typically freeze some of the jerky to be safe ... for like 6 months. Short-term, just keep things dry and covered.

12 posted on 06/08/2013 2:47:57 PM PDT by ConservativeInPA (Molon Labe - Shall not be questioned)
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To: djf

I’m cherry-smoking the chopped up remains of some salt-brined bottom round beef for a couple of hours, then will use my dehydrator for 24 hours. Makes great jerky.

Have only done jerky in mine and have not been disappointed.


13 posted on 06/08/2013 2:48:37 PM PDT by Textide
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To: djf

My wife uses it mostly to make her own granola. We’ve done jerky, fruit, etc. I made powdered eggs once for a scout trip.


14 posted on 06/08/2013 2:48:46 PM PDT by cyclotic (Hey BSA-NOT IN MY TROOP)
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To: djf

They are useful, do some pineapple and bananas, apricots, herbs, tomatoes, dehydrated refried beans are very cool.

http://www.campingrecipes.co/recipes/9-home-made-dehydrated-refried-beans


15 posted on 06/08/2013 2:51:13 PM PDT by ansel12 (Social liberalism/libertarianism, empowers, creates and imports, and breeds, economic liberals.)
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To: djf
I’ve had my Ronco for years and use it to make jerky. It always comes out great so I’d give it an A.
16 posted on 06/08/2013 2:52:00 PM PDT by JPG (Stay strong.)
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To: djf

Dehydrating is fun. If I have too much of something, I dehydrate it or it ends up as worm food.

Try dehydrating watermelon or cantaloupe. Cut each into one inch squares. When dry they are fantastic, so sweet!

You can make your own raisins. Poke grapes with a large needle and dry ‘em.


17 posted on 06/08/2013 2:52:43 PM PDT by 1_Rain_Drop
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To: djf

They dry everything out. I hate dehydrators.


18 posted on 06/08/2013 2:53:33 PM PDT by Conspiracy Guy (I voted Republican, no Conservative was on the ballot.)
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To: djf
Well, the Ronco can dehydrate up to a little over 130F, but I like 160-180F for jerky. Ronco is designed to dehydrate fruit slices, but it will do jerky.

Best jerky is done in a smoker, then can be finished in a dehydrator if you like.

Most important thing about your jerky is the cut followed by the seasoning/smoking. I use brisket cut *along* the grain, which is the opposite of roasting brisket for maximum tenderness by slicing it against the grain. I call it done dehydrating once it's the moistness of Jack Link's commercially-made jerky. Then I vacuum seal it. Dry, crisp jerky is just wrong in my opinion, and I used to think the opposite.

A simple brining/seasoning to leave the brisket slices for 24 hours before smoking/dehydrating is one cup each of soy, Worcestershire, and some A-1 sauce thrown in with onion powder and a little garlic. Mix until it's thin with some fresh water and let it soak in the fridge overnight at least. I like adding Zatarain's blackening seasoning before smoking. This recipe is if you don't have any special homespun recipe and just need quick seasoning. Smoking with hickory does a world's better job.

My next door neighbor makes Elk and pronghorn antelope brisket jerky that's just beyond compare. He once made antelope jerky from a local tribe's recipe that was just amazing.

Have fun!

19 posted on 06/08/2013 2:54:29 PM PDT by The KG9 Kid (Demand Common Sense Nut Control.)
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To: djf

I’ve got several, use them all summer and fall to dehydrate vegetables from the garden and fruit. I’ve made jerky several times from antelope meat.

I make trail mixes and soup mixes along with just filling jars and seal a meals with vegetables for winter.


20 posted on 06/08/2013 2:55:17 PM PDT by Duchess47 ("One day I will leave this world and dream myself to Reality" Crazy Horse)
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