Preserving foods by drying has been done since ancient times. For many centuries, it was the only way to ensure foods didn’t go bad for long trips or during warm weather. It’s still done today, only it’s more of a useful, pleasant hobby than a necessity. We now have electric dehydrators that remove moisture to create stable, nutritious snacks that some people prefer to the original food. Here you’ll find some of the many benefits of a food dehydrator.
Portable
When your food has been dried, you can bring healthy snacks along wherever you go. Whether you’re driving or seeing the sites, putting a bag of dried foods in your purse or pocket gives you something healthy to snack on and keep up your energy. When in the outdoors, you can even take along dried soup ingredients and add hot water for a tasty meal.
Replace salty snacks
It’s now well-known that most store-bought snacks like chips and crackers contain a high amount of salt. They will also contain unhealthy preservatives that add toxins to the body. By drying fruits or vegetables, you can create a nutritious snack. Weaning your family off potato chips and cookies might be easier than you think if you’re offering delicious banana or apricot chips.
No chemicals
There is no need to worry about preservatives, dyes, or other chemicals. The only thing you need is a dehydrator and almost any food. Cutting your favorite fruits or meats into bite-sized slices creates a chewy dried snack that will retain its natural taste, vitamins, and minerals for months to come.
Efficient storage
Drying food can decrease its size to as little as one sixth of its original volume. Nor is there any need to make room in the freezer or refrigerator. After dehydrating, a few pounds of apples will easily fit into a sandwich bag. You can seal it up and tuck it away in a corner of the pantry to snack on long after fresh apples have spoiled.
Raw foods
Diets based on eating a majority of foods in the raw state are very popular. It makes perfect sense, since boiling and other means of cooking tends to destroy a good percentage of vitamins. This begins to happen as low as 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Dehydrators can preserve your food at even lower temperatures, which means you’re also preserving all the natural fiber and nutrition.
Reduction of waste
The ability to preserve excessive grocery purchases and even leftovers not only save you money but can save time. Dehydrated meals can be easily warmed up again with water, broths, or soup stock. Reducing waste also means lower demand, lower commercial production, and less stress on the environment. You can even go as far as growing your favorite herbs or vegetables in your own garden. You’ll never have to buy them again if you dry and preserve the overage.
Save on costs
Dehydration eliminates spoilage and waste so that you save money over time on every perishable food item you buy. You can also save money in other ways:
* Buy in bulk and dry the excess for storage.
* Purchase your own fresh herbs and dry them for flavoring.
* Provide dried fruits for delicious snacks instead of sugary commercial items.
* Make healthy snack mixes to put out at gatherings or give as gifts.
Consistent quality
With your own dehydrator, you have control over what foods you choose to dry, how much, and how often. You can cut and separate them into any portion sizes you like, or add some lemon juice or cinnamon for a little zest. You can serve your own dried foods to guests and family with the confidence that they are perfectly healthy treats with no hidden ingredients.
Buy during peak seasons
You can save more money and reduce waste even more by stocking up on fresh local produce. During the harvest season, pick up staples like tomatoes, blueberries, or even melons at roadside stands. These are generally fresher and healthier than the big chain grocery store produce that’s trucked in from all over the country. Dry them and you’ll have a delicious food source all winter long.
Fun family projects
Dehydrating and saving healthy snacks is something the whole family can get behind. It’s not hard to do with a little supervision. Everyone in the household can pick their favorite foods and take part in preparing, drying, and storing them right in the kitchen on those cold or rainy days. You might even come up with a new mouth-watering recipe for beef jerky.
Dehydrators are a convenient and simple way of preserving natural foods. In modern times it’s become the best and cheapest option. You can repurpose dried ingredients any way you like. Dehydrating food can easily become part of a healthier new lifestyle.
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