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using a dehydrator
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Home › Forums › General Forums › Food, Hydration, and Nutrition › using a dehydrator
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Sep 26, 2009 at 7:34 am #1239648
having never used a dehydrator (or oven) before to dehydrate my own food, how do you know how much water to add to rehydrate a meal? I'm assuming one would weigh the food before and after dehydrating and calculate the water weight that was lost. Right? Am I on the right track or way out in left feild here?
Sep 26, 2009 at 9:27 am #1530748Typically it's a one to one ratio…one cup dehydrated food + one cup of boiling water.
Sep 26, 2009 at 9:29 am #1530749It depends on the food in question. Vegetables, grains, fruits, pasta, etc take 1:1 on average. Soups, sauces will take more.
If in question you can do either a pre weigh or a pre measure then check after drying it.
I often do measuring as I find it easier.
Just remember – you can add more water as needed, a bit harder if you start with too much water ;-)
Sep 26, 2009 at 9:56 am #1530759cool. Thanks for the advice!
Sep 26, 2009 at 2:39 pm #1530829Justin – here is an article I wrote for the Washington Trails Association that is a small primer on drying your foods and rehydrating them.
How to do It — Dehydrating Food
This should give you a good start and if you have any questions at all please feel free to ask me. There is also a selection of simple recipes with the article. Enjoy!
Jan 10, 2010 at 2:27 pm #1561439The other thing to consider is the power requirement for a dehydrator.
If you need to dry a lot of food and hurry it up, then you will seek the higher-powered machines, typically well in excess of 1000 watts. However, you don't get something for nothing, and your electricity bill will be high for a lot of use. The 500-watt machines are obviously more economical, but much slower.
I have free AC power from a photovoltaic system, but only if I keep the dehydrator in the 500-watt range. If the dehydrator is over 1000 watts, the voltage is insufficient or else fuses blow.
–B.G.– -
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