Tips on dehydrating?

Crabby Abby · Post by **Crabby Abby** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 3:42 am

Just snagged a Ronco 5 tray dehydrator from Freecycle and bought some goodies to try with it. Anyone got experience to share?I got mango, papaya, tuna, chicken, ground turkey, tomato and banana.

Crabby Abby · Post by **Crabby Abby** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 5:00 am

2nd question: I have no manual and one tray is different from the others in that it has a white plastic insert that sits in it. Does it go on bottom to catch liquids? Is it for smaller or more delicate foods and goes on top?*Edited: there is a manual online if anyone has plans to link me to it but it didn't address that and silly me, I thought 6-8 hours for the process. Looks like a 1 day minimum.

eyohkay · Post by **eyohkay** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 5:58 am

One day minimum? That seems like an awfully long time. Mine is usually finished within a few hours. I find it's best to just keep a very close eye on things... open it up every hour or so and give things a squeeze. It's pretty easy to determine what's done and what isn't.The insert that you're talking about sounds like a fruit roll tray. Does it look like this? I've never tried using mine, but you're supposed to be able to puree fruits and things and dehydrate them to make a healthier version of a fruit roll up.

Crabby Abby · Post by **Crabby Abby** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:01 am

quote:Does it look like this? Ah, yep, that would be it. Thanks for the info; I fired it up and left that one unused tray out. We'll see how it goes.Vents on top - I'm assuming wider for thicker items like making jerky and less vented for others?Thanks for the help.

Homer&Dude · Post by **Homer&Dude** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:33 am

Great score! Your crabs are gonna love you for it. Papaya is one of my crabs favorites. Just keep an eye on it because it can get too hard. Peaches are another favorite. I slice them thin and let the dry til hard. The crabs really love them. Get a fresh coconut too. Dry the flesh out and blend really fine into almost a powder. Yum yum.

Crabby Abby · Post by **Crabby Abby** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:38 pm

Thanks for the tips.The fruits came out great but the salmon was in too long and crumbling as I tried to pick the pieces up. I'll grab a mini notebook and record how I did so I can make adjustments next time.

spidtat · Post by **spidtat** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:57 pm

I always like seeing how small some items shrink when they dehydrate Watch what you mix together when you dehydrate though or you will get some funky smells coming out of that little machine

elsa · Post by **elsa** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 1:06 pm

I do a lot of deydrating of fruits for fried fruit pies, jerky and herbs. My first two dehydrators didn't have temp controls. My third one does and it is worth the little higher price I paid. Does yours have temp thermostat? If not you might want to turn it on for a few hours at a time so not to over dry. As in don't leave it on over night and ruin your produce. Play with it on a weekend or day when you are going to be home. Cut your fruit in thin slices, eighth in max. Check on line, a lot of manufacturers have their "recipe" guides on their websites. The tray is definitely a fruit rollup tray, but placed in the bottom it makes a great drip tray for juices running out, especially if you are drying something like tomato.