Hi, Dehydration has it's place and I ADORE mine and use it lots. BUT. things never actually rehydrate the same again. So you could expect too much. They are all about preserving surplus produce without wasting freezer space, or indeed wasting any space at all.GreyMan123 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2021 8:05 pm Dehydration is not a method of preserving I had thought of?!
Anyone got an idea how much these cost to run?
I normally have a massive crop of pears, be good to try freeze some, bags full of frozen ones!!
What they do well is massively shrink and preserve veg that might get slung. Two kilo of carrots shrinks to a cupful of dried and pops into a jar, where it lasts years. Vac seal the jar and double the shelf life again! Never again sling half a pack of veg.
You have to think of dehydration almost like part of the cooking process in that you wouldn't expect cooked tomatoes to turn into fresh salad tomatoes. But they still make a damned good soup, or add texture to a jar of ALDI own brand bolognese.
Perfect for dehydrating are bread (for breadcrumbs), onions, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, sliced deli meats, and chillies. And then use them in sauces to completely enhance them. Or use them in your own home cooking.
Apples, oranges, pears, beetroots can be turned into fruit 'crisps' which are so very more-ish and replace sweets. They would last months if they didn't get instantly snarfed.
Or almost anything dehydrated can be powdered and used in soups, sauces or smoothies.
If you buy a dehydrator, try to get metal shelves.
