Dehydrators are incredibly useful kitchen tools, but do you need to stay in the kitchen with them? Since it can take a day or more, that doesn’t seem very practical. You shouldn’t need to stand next to a machine that runs for a dozen hours or more. Is there anything you do need to monitor constantly? I’ve been dehydrating meals for backpacking and survival storage for years, so I’m happy to share what I know about the process. As easy ways to make food last, there’s nothing simpler. You merely cut food, set it on a tray, and turn on your dehydrator. Naturally, there are a few tips and tricks. Luckily, you can mostly ‘set and forget.’ Especially if you dehydrator has an automatic shutoff, it’s no big deal, but why? I’ll explain how dehydrators work, and why you can leave them alone.
Is it safe to leave a dehydrator unattended? It is safe to leave a dehydrator unattended. They don’t require constant supervision. Like baking a casserole, there’s no reason you need to stand over the process, and it’s safe to go on about your day, or night. Moreover, high-quality dehydrators have automatic shutoff timers.
Leave Your Dehydrator Unattended Safely
Leaving dehydrators unattended is safe if you practice common sense. Since it takes hours or even days to dehydrate foods properly, it’s essential to be able to walk away. Naturally, no one plans to stand in the kitchen overnight.
If you follow a few simple, sensible pieces of advice, the dehydrator will be fine without you. First, follow all the directions in your operation manual. People often skip over reading about their kitchen devices. This is a mistake.
Use oven mitts when you handle the dehydrator if it’s been on. You don’t want to burn your fingers. Moreover, you should preheat the dehydrator before putting food inside for the best results.
Also, try not to leave finished food inside the dehydrator. Moisture from the ambient air will get inside, defeating the point of dehydrating. Plus, you don’t want microscopic contaminants like mold spores to get on your dehydrated food.
Safe Dehydrator Spaces
Next, make sure your dehydrator is sitting somewhere safe. You should always place your machine on a level surface. Additionally, make sure the surface is non-flammable. Fortunately, most dehydrators don’t heat up very high, but it’s possible to ‘cook’ your table or countertop. Use a marble cutting board beneath the machine if you have wooden counters.
Always clear a space around your dehydrator. Don’t leave it leaning against anything, like a wall. Also, clean the surface beneath the machine. Moreover, take the time to find a place where there’s plenty of airflow. You never want to run a dehydrator inside a cabinet or other small enclosed space.
If you have kids or pets who run around, keep the dehydrator where they can’t reach it. You don’t want anyone to knock your machine over while it’s turned on. Because they’re so stable, there’s no tip-over switch on most models.
That’s all there is to it. You put food inside, set the timer, and walk away. Otherwise, dehydrating food would be impractical. However, I do recommend checking in on the process every three or four hours.
Choose a smaller option like the Commercial Chef CCD100W6 Compact Dehydrator when you want to save counter space. You can still dry all the food you need, but it will be easier to store. Moreover, it’s much easier to find an open space for a compact model like the CCD100W6. To find out more on Amazon, click here.
Unattended Dehydrator Energy Use
Although you can technically dehydrate food in an oven, using a standard dehydrator is much more cost-effective. Despite the fan and heating element, these clever and useful machines don’t need much power to run. On average, it will cost you somewhere between $0.29 and $1.20 to run your dehydrator for ten hours.
Naturally, it varies. Your local electricity cost may be higher or lower than the norm. Similarly, the size of your dehydrator may mean it needs a little more power. Also, turning the heat up draws a minimally larger amount of energy than the lowest setting.
Additionally, there’s the heat factor to consider. An oven is big, and even if it has a low setting around one-fifty to one-twenty, you’re looking at a lot of heat loss. That means your kitchen will be warmer.
Sure, that’s an advantage in winter months. However, in summer, it can mean higher cooling bills. Even running a vent fan will add to the cost. It’s almost always more economical across the board to use smaller devices like a dehydrator, griddle, or toaster than a full-size stove and oven.
Dehydrator Tips & Tricks
Putting food in an unattended dehydrator is safe and secure. However, getting the most out of your dehydrator is a different story. You can make whole meals for backpacking, fruit leather, easy and quick rice or oatmeal, and so much more.
I’ve been making meals, snacks, and long term food storage items for years. After a lot of experimentation and research, I’ve learned more than a few useful tricks and tips for making the most out of my dehydrators. Here are some key things to keep in mind, so you can skip the experimental stage and get right to making the best-dehydrated foods.
Using a square tray model like this Hamilton Beach Digital Food Dehydrator from Amazon can help you make the most of the space inside. The timer, which goes up to forty-eight hours, will shut off automatically. Plus, you’ll appreciate the transparent lid. You can check on your food without needing to open the whole machine and let out the heat. Have yours delivered when you order here.
Do This, Not That
Follow these easy tips to get more consistent results from your dehydrator.
- Take time to blanche the fruits and veggies before you place them inside a dehydrator. This process destroys enzymes on the food, and it will store well for much longer.
- Make pieces the same size. If there’s a considerable variation in the thickness and size of your foods, they won’t dehydrate evenly.
- Use lemon juice to prevent browning on vegetables and fruits. Especially apples and bananas will benefit from this trick.
- Leave space and don’t overlap. It may seem like an excellent way to get more out of your dehydrator. Unfortunately, this interferes with airflow and will make it harder to dry foods.
- Cook low and slow. Anything over a hundred and eighteen degrees is cooking in addition to dehydrating your foods. For the most nutrition value, set your dehydrator on a very low temp, and take the extra time you need to do the job.
- Humidity affects everything. Whatever the recipe says, moisture in your home will change how long it takes to dehydrate food.
- Don’t dry herbs, meats, and veggies, or fruits together. When you mix foods in the dehydrator, especially herbs, you’ll change the flavor of everything. So, carrots and zucchini aren’t a big deal, but you don’t want to put apple chips in with oregano.
- Put things with similar consistencies together. Try to get trays of the same, or comparable texture and density foods together.
- Watch what you marinate with because some dehydrators don’t work with alcohol. Use non-alcoholic marinades.
- Don’t add sugar. If you need more sweetness, either marinate or add honey, corn syrup, agave, liquid stevia, or maple syrup. Any powder-form sweeteners should stay out of your machine.
- Have patience. It’s going to take time to get the foods right. Pulling dehydrated food out too early means it has more water left inside, and that can be a problem when you store it.
Storing Dehydrated Foods
Using a dehydrator safely is more than just knowing how to leave it unattended and what not to put inside. You need to store the food properly, or you won’t have useable food. Alternately, you could end up making yourself sick.
Luckily, dehydrator food storage is simple. You can use mylar bags or canning jars. However, avoid plastics because they’re permeable. Air will leak inside over time. That’s bad for dehydrated food because it can cause mold, moisture, and rotting.
Once you have the right containers, make sure you remove as much air as possible. Additionally, you should use O2 removers inside your stored foods. Oxygen removers, also known as oxygen absorbers or O2 absorbers, soak up the available oxygen creating an anaerobic environment.
Long Term Dehydration Storage Tips
Please be careful when storing dehydrated foods. Hence you should always label bags with the date and contents. Check a good reference list for how long to store your food. Also, make sure you keep the containers somewhere dry, room temperature (sixty-five to eighty degrees), and dark.
Do not store long term dehydrated foods in a fridge or freezer. Otherwise, make sure you use up foods and rotate your stores regularly. They will taste best for the first five years, even when you can store them much longer. Moreover, you need to check your containers every month or two for any damage.
Choose a high-quality dehydrator like the Cuisinart DHR-20 from Amazon to help get the most out of your food storage. With fan-only and other adjustable temperature options, you’ll be able to dry foods thoroughly and efficiently. You’ll love making your own beef jerky, fruit leather, and more. Check the excellent Amazon reviews right here.
Final Thoughts
There’s no need to worry about leaving your dehydrator unattended. You can toss in the foods you want to preserve and walk away. Realistically, they wouldn’t be handy if you had to stand over the whole process.
I would recommend that you check on your dehydrator every few hours. Moreover, you must make sure your machine is clean and in good working order. Fortunately, they don’t require much maintenance.
Using your dehydrator to preserve tasty survival foods is one of the easiest things you can do. Unlike most survival skills, there’s a minimal learning curve, and anyone can do it.