Dehydrating your food not only gives you space and lets you keep your food longer; it can also double the amount of antioxidants in some fruits. You have to do it right in order to make the food safe and nutritious.
This includes using the right temperature. Your dehydrator temperature is essential, but why? Understanding the relationship between food temperature and air temperature inside the dehydrator is crucial, as air temperature impacts the dehydration process and enzyme preservation. Find out everything you need to know from this helpful guide.
Dehydrating foods lets you preserve them for months. When you dehydrate food, you benefit from shelf-stable storage, nutritional control, cost-saving, faster cooking times, and weight and space savings. The dehydrator produces a gentle heat that slowly bakes your food. The best part is all the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes stay in your food.
Dehydrators simply remove the water. About 50 to 70 percent of most meats is water. Fruits and vegetables contain about 80 to 95 percent water.
You can keep the food longer because removing the water prevents bacteria and mold from growing. Your food gets contaminated with bacteria and mold that grows in the water.
After the dehydrators warms the food, a fan pushes the water out. Once the food’s water content decreases to 15 to 20 percent, it is dehydrated.
Dehydrating foods heats the food slowly. You don’t want to cook food with too high of temperatures because it can:
Kill healthy enzymes
Eliminate vitamins
Disrupt the pH level
Understanding the dehydration process is crucial. It involves managing the difference between air temperature and food temperature, considering the impact of humidity on efficiency, and ensuring food is dried at the correct temperature to avoid case hardening. Proper dehydration also includes methods for rehydrating dehydrated food in the field.
When a food reaches a certain temperature, enzymes die. Enzymes will die when food temperature is above 140-158 degrees in a wet condition. Enzymes are stronger when food is dry.
Meats should be dehydrated around 155 degrees Fahrenheit or 68 degrees Celsius. Fruits and vegetables do not need to be dehydrated at a high temperature, so the general rule is to dehydrate them around 130 degrees Fahrenheit or 54 degrees Celsius.
For beef jerky, the optimal temperature for dehydration is crucial for achieving the perfect texture, flavor, and safety. Dehydrating beef jerky at around 155 degrees Fahrenheit ensures that the meat is safe to eat and has the desired taste and consistency.
Meats contain microorganisms because it was once living tissue. It’s imperative to cook meat at a higher temperature to destroy and prevent bacteria or mold growth.
You need to be careful not to turn the heat too high because the meat will be hard on the outside and the inside will have too much water. Remember, bacteria grows in water, so the meat can spoil if you don’t cook properly.
On the flip side, you have to cook the meat at a high enough temperature to kill the microorganisms. The meat may look likes it’s done, but if it’s not cooked at a high enough temperature, it could still contain bacteria.
You may need to cook poultry at a higher temperature because raw chicken has lots of bacteria. You may want to cook chicken around 165-170 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fruits and vegetables don’t need as high of temperatures. They are good around 130-135 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel, cut, and then place them in a dehydrator anywhere between 6 to 12 hours.
For fruits with higher water content, like melons, you may need to dehydrate longer. Watermelon may take 12 to 24 hours to dehydrate.
Drying foods is a perfect way to preserve them for long-term storage. The key to successful food preservation is to dehydrate at the correct temperature. Different foods dry best at different temperatures, so it’s important to know what temperature each type of food is dehydrated.
Here is a temperature chart that will guide you in dehydrating different types of food:
FRUITS:
Apples: 125-135 degrees Fahrenheit
Apricots: 125-135 degrees Fahrenheit
Bananas: 135 degrees Fahrenheit
Berries: 125-135 degrees Fahrenheit
Cherries: 125-135 degrees Fahrenheit
Figs: 135-145 degrees Fahrenheit
Grapes: 125-135 degrees Fahrenheit
Peaches: 125-135 degrees Fahrenheit
Pears: 125-135 degrees Fahrenheit
Pineapple: 135 degrees Fahrenheit
Before dehydrating, consider pre-treating sliced fruit with a solution of ascorbic acid or fruit juice to prevent browning. This helps retain color and flavor, improve rehydration time and texture, and increase the shelf life of the fruit.
VEGETABLES:
Beans: 125-135 degrees Fahrenheit
Beets: 125-130 degrees Fahrenheit
Carrots: 125-130 degrees Fahrenheit
Celery: 125-130 degrees Fahrenheit
Corn: 125 degrees Fahrenheit
Garlic: 125 degrees Fahrenheit
Greens: 125-135 degrees Fahrenheit
Onion: 125 degrees Fahrenheit
As you can see, various foods dehydrate best at different temperatures. Therefore, use this temperature chart as a guide to dehydrating different types of food. Also, each appliance differs, so make sure to read the manual that comes with your machine.
You can still dehydrate your food, but you won’t have much control over the final product. If you don’t have adjustable temperature settings on your dehydrator, you might need to keep checking on your foods. Dry food at the correct temperature is crucial to avoid risks like bacterial growth, case hardening, and improper dehydration. I would invest in an appliance with temperature control if you plan to dehydrate a lot.
The best machines on the market are those with controllable temperature control. I always use the Excalibur 2400 dehydrator because it dehydrates my food perfectly every time.
The risk of spoiling and bacterial development is greater when dehydrating meat, poultry, or fish. Thus, drying this type of food requires temperatures of at least 165-170 °F to ensure safety.
Heating meat to a specific temperature range (160°F to 165°F) is crucial to ensure thorough drying and to eliminate harmful bacteria like E. coli and salmonella, making the jerky safe for consumption.
Dehydrating meat is different from dehydrating fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables can be dried at lower temperatures.
The bacteria that cause spoilage and foodborne illness, such as salmonella and E. coli, can survive at temperatures below 160 °F.
As the moisture in the food evaporates, moist air surrounding the dehydrator absorbs heat. As the food dries, the humidity of the air will decrease, and temperature will begin to reflect more accurately on its own.
The dehydrating process involves the removal of moisture using low heat and airflow, which is crucial for preserving food. Proper dehydration ensures the safety and edibility of the food, and the conditioning process helps equalize moisture and reduce the risk of mold growth before storage.
A dehydrator temperature that is too low will not dehydrate your foods properly, which could lead to spoilage. Conversely, a too high temperature will cause your foods to lose flavor and nutrition.
Proper dehydration is essential for ensuring food safety and preventing bacterial growth, especially in items like beef jerky.
Ideally, you should test the machine’s temperature with a food thermometer before dehydrating any food. That way, you can ensure that your appliance is set to the proper temperature and that your food will be dried correctly.
To test the dehydrator’s temperature, insert a food thermometer into the appliance when it is empty and let it run for around 15 minutes. Check the temperature, and be careful with the thermometer probe as it will be hot.
When storing dehydrated food, ensure it is kept in airtight containers in a cool, dark place to maintain its quality and extend its shelf life.
The thermometer you use to test the dehydrator’s temperature is essential. In addition, you want a good-quality product to ensure your machine is working correctly.
The drying process significantly impacts food quality, preserving beneficial bacteria and nutrients in living foods, and influencing the drying time and final taste of marinated meats.
There are a few things to consider when choosing a good thermometer:
accuracy
ease of use
price
For vertical flow dehydrators, a probe thermometer is recommended. A dehydrator with a horizontal airflow will require an oven thermometer.
With the right food dehydrating techniques, you can preserve nutritional value and enjoy food for months. Check out our site to learn more dehydrator tips like finding the right dehydrator. Find the best recipes and also get some helpful tips on backpacking.
