Have you ever been in a rustic pantry on a farm or in a village? There is more than just cheese, and homemade sausages, and jams, pickles, and homemade wine, and, of course, dried mushrooms, cherries, apples, pears, herbs … By the way, dried meat preparations the modern urban housewife can also easily afford – chiefly, to get a good dryer for products.
It is necessary to remove pips from berries cherries, small plums , because they contain a strong poison – hydrocyanic acid, which during the long storage of preparations from the pit passes into the berry pulp. The pipset remover is indispensable for this process! It is better to remove bones with an ordinary knife from slightly dried in the oven or in an electric dryer berries.
But there is a better solution: a vacuum suction pitter with suction cup O-11 “Aksion”. This is a pump-type mechanical device designed to remove pips from cherries, sweet cherries and small plums. It will quickly process a large volume of fruit, easily removing pips from fresh or canned berries without loss of juice, without damaging the pulp.
Processed fruits are perfect for making pies, desserts, canning and, of course, drying. Another advantage of the Axion bone separator is its stable rubber base, which can be fixed with a twist of a lever.
The whole process takes place in the dryers without overheating, which maximizes the preservation of the useful properties, flavor and aroma of the products. To save your harvest in the best possible way, you must follow simple rules, which, unfortunately, not every manufacturer specifies in the instructions.
For most fruits and berries – soaking for about 10 minutes in a mixture of 1.5 liters of water and fruit juice, for hard vegetables such as broccoli – steaming, for meat – the mandatory use of salt and preheating. Pips should be removed, and the foodstuffs cut into slices. But it’s better to dry herbs in bundles, laid loosely on a lattice.
The choice of a housewife
Today’s appliance market doesn’t offer that many choices of electric dryers. The entire segment can be divided into two groups: compact cylindrical multideck driers for small quantities and mostly domestic dryers-cabinets which can hold dozens of kilograms of fruit. In both of them, drying is done by feeding heated air, which is distributed by a fan through the working chamber.
Magic Cylinder
The device is very simple: several tiers with fixed grids or perforated trays through which the heated air can easily circulate. The temperature is regulated by a thermostat so you can choose the best mode for each type of food.
When choosing such a dryer, you should pay attention to the quality of plastic it should not look fragile, otherwise the body will be very hot , the marking of the electric cord cross section not less than 75 mm, better – three-core wire , the possibility of adjusting the height of the trays, the availability of different temperature modes and their sufficient amplitude eg, 40-90 ° C .
It’s good if there’s a timer: you won’t have to keep track of the process and worry if you haven’t turned the appliance off. The power of compact dryers ranges from 250 to 500-600 watts, but since drying is a long process, the load on the network can be decent: Better to choose a model with power regulation or the presence of economic mode. The cost of a compact dryer – from 1200 to 3000 Dollars.
Most dryers can be purchased with additional trays or pallets to replace those that are broken. Some models have a tray for making marshmallows – it has no perforations. Such a tray is lightly greased with vegetable oil and filled with marshmallow or marmalade, which should be dried.
The much-admired cupboard
Cabinets are usually bulkier and designed for a larger food load 17-18 liters . Often, in addition to convection, they apply the technology of infrared heating: the heat from infrared radiation is distributed more evenly over the fabrics of products, drying in such devices is more rapid and qualitative.
Cabinets are more suitable for country houses. Power of cabinets is much higher than that of compact dryers – up to 800-900 W, the cost is also higher by 2-3 times and comes to 6500-7500 Dollars, but for one or two trips in such a cabinet you can dry the workpieces for a whole year.
The tablecloth
Miracle tablecloth thickness of 2-3 mm, in which heating elements are built in, will suit those who want to quickly dry products on the table and not to bother with finding a place to store the device: dried – rolled up – put away. The advantages of this device are its light weight 500 g , compactness and mobility, efficiency only 100 W , as well as the possibility to dry not only food, but also, for example, shoes. The surface of the “tablecloth” is lined, so after use it can be simply wiped with a wet sponge and dried. Only one manufacturer makes such a device, and it costs 1300-1400 Dollars.
Aerogrills: the equivalent replacement for the dryer?
While testing air dryers, we tried drying tomatoes and other foods in them. Firstly, not every device is equipped with suitable trays: for example, the simplest models are complemented by only two grids – low and high. It’s easy to place steaks or pies on them, but sliced foods just fall down, especially shrinking in size during drying.
Secondly, the volume of food that can be dried in an air dryer is several times smaller than in a compact dryer. Thirdly, the air drying is not very uniform: directly under the grill in the middle everything cooks faster.
In addition, most air grills have a timer for 120 minutes, and this time is not enough for drying some foods. It turns out that for a single operation – I wanted, for example, dried tomatoes or apple potato chips – the air grill is quite suitable. But for systematic preparations with a large crop – better to choose the dryer.
The concept of electric dryers for food sounds fascinating, but I’m curious to know more! Can you provide information on features, efficiency, and perhaps some examples of successful models? Additionally, how does it compare to traditional drying methods?
Electric dryers for food are a modern solution for preserving food by removing moisture. These dryers typically have features such as temperature and humidity control, adjustable drying racks, timers, and in some cases, even smart technology for monitoring and controlling the drying process.
In terms of efficiency, electric dryers are faster and more consistent than traditional drying methods such as air drying or sun drying. They can also operate at lower temperatures, preserving more nutrients and flavors in the food. Additionally, they are more reliable and can be used year-round regardless of the weather conditions.
Some successful models of electric food dryers include the Nesco Snackmaster, Excalibur Food Dehydrator, and the Hamilton Beach Food Dehydrator. These models vary in size, capacity, and features, catering to different needs and preferences.
Overall, electric food dryers offer a convenient and efficient way of preserving food compared to traditional methods. They provide a more controlled environment for drying, resulting in better quality dried food with shelf-stable properties.