Fruit Dehydration - Klarstein 10029505 Manuel

Steaming
Steaming is the best method of pre-treatment. Place a single layer of chopped or sliced vegetables in a col-
ander or steam basket. Shredded vegetables can be 1.2 cm 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 veg-
etables in the dehydrator.
Blanching is faster than steaming but many nutrients are lost in the blanching water. lt 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 (200 ml) food per
quart of boiling water. Begin timing immediately. For timing follow standard freezing directions. Timing is ap-
proximately one-third to one-half that of steaming or until vegetables are barely tender.

Fruit Dehydration

Dried fruit is a superb food treat. Try it plain as fruit leather, or in ice cream cobblers and pies. it's hard to imagine
a better tasting more nutritious snack than dried fruit. Dried fruit is naturally sweet, has no preservatives, and
is inexpensive.
Your food dehydrator makes drying fruit easy. Wlth all fruits it is best to wash them before beginning. After that,
most fruits just need halving, coring or pitting and slicing before placing them in the dehydrator.
You do not have to pre-treat fruits to get good results, but some fruits, such as apples, pears, peaches, apricots
and bananas tend to darken somewhat with drying or storage beyond six to seven months. Although still ed-
ible when darkened, they tend to not appear as tempting to the palate. If you don't mind the change in color
of your dried fruit, there is no need to pre-treat. Fruits like bananas turn brown without pre-treatment, but at
the same time they become very sweet and bursting with pure banana flavour by simply slicing and placing
directly into the dehydrator. For drying times of fruits, refer to the Fruit Preparation Table.
To avoid fruits from darkening, fruit pieces can be dipped in solutions of lemon pineapple, or orange juice, or
ascorbic acid prior to dehydration Dip the fruit in the solution for two minutes. Drain on paper towels and place
in drying trays.
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