• Blanching can pre-treat food for dehydration. Blanching does not destroy helpful
enzymes and helps to preserve nutrients. There are two ways to blanch food:
Blanching In water: Use a large pan, fill it halfway with water. Bring water to the
boil. Put the food directly into boiling water and cover with a lid. Remove after three
minutes. Arrange the food on the trays.
Steam blanching: Bring 5-7 cm of water to the boil with the steam pot in the
lower part. Place the food in the steam basket and steam for 3-5 minutes. Remove
steamed food and arrange on the shelves for drying.
Preparation of Dried Meat
Your meat should be as lean as possible. The use of lean meat helps the meat dry faster
and facilitates cleaning by reducing grease stains. Minced meat should be 80% to 90%
lean. Minced turkey, game, buffalo and elk are other excellent options for dried meat.
Dehydrated meat spices are available for every taste, or you can get creative and make
your own. Whenever you prepare dried meat, you should add a hardener (sodium
nitrite) to the mixture. This application helps to prevent botulism when drying at low
temperatures. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the packaging.
Keep raw meat and its juices away from other foods. Marinate the meat in the
refrigerator. Do not leave the meat unchilled. Prevent cross-contamination by storing
dried dried meat separately from raw meat. Always wash your hands thoroughly with
soap and water before and after preparing meat products. Use clean appliances and
kitchen utensils.
Keep meat and poultry chilled at 5°C or slightly below; use or freeze minced meat and
poultry within 2 days; process red meat within 3 to 5 days. Defrost frozen meat in the
refrigerator, not on the kitchen worktop.
Special care must be taken when processing venison or other game, as it can be heavily
contaminated during field processing. Game meat is often kept at temperatures that
could help bacteria to grow, e.g. during transport.
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