Weston PRO-1200 Mode D'emploi page 16

DRYING TIPS
As with most methods of cooking, good preparation is essential to success.
Following a few basic guidelines will greatly increase the quality of the
dehydrated product and decrease the time needed to make it.
NOTE: Before dehydrating, heat meat to an internal temperature of 160
(71 C) and poultry to 165
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Heat the meat or poultry in an oven, not the Dehydrator.
• To prevent fruit from darkening, briefly soak slices in lemon or pineapple juice
before drying. You also can soak fruit slices in ascorbic acid, which is sold in
most pharmacies and health food stores in powder or tablet form. Prepare a
solution of ascorbic acid according to the manufacturer's instructions. Soak
fruit slices in the solution for 2 to 3 minutes before dehydrating.
• Water or steam blanch* vegetables before drying to stop enzymatic
action. To water blanch, place vegetables directly into boiling water and
cover. Remove after three minutes. To steam blanch, place vegetables in a
steamer basket and steam for 3 to 5 minutes.
• Maintain a uniform thickness when slicing food items for dehydration. This
will ensure the items dry at the same rate.
• Maximum slice thickness for fruits and vegetables should be 1/4" (0.7 cm)
unless otherwise specified by a recipe.
• Maximum slice thickness for meats should be 3/16" (0.5 cm) unless
otherwise specified by a recipe.
• Lean meat makes better product than fatty meat.
• Marinate meat before heating and dehydrating.
• Food shrinks by half or more during dehydration. A pound of meat, for
example, will yield 1/2 to 1/3 lb (0.15 to 0.2 kg) of jerky. Don't cut pieces too
small.
• Store dried foods in a closed container in a cool, dark, dry location. The
best storage temperature is between 50
food should retain its freshness for months when stored this way.
• The actual time needed to dry a food depends on many factors including
the food's moisture content, fat content, thickness and temperature as well
as ambient humidity and temperature.
• Water droplets may form on the surface of meat and other items while
drying. Occasionally blot the food items to remove the droplets.
*Blanching is not required for all vegetables. Check the recipe or a drying
guide.
16
F (74 C) to kill any bacteria that may be present.
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F and 60
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F (10 and 16 C). Dried
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F
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