General Cooking Temperatures
Herbs 104°F
Greens 104°F
Bread 104-122°F
Vegetables 120-140°F
Fruits 120-140°F
Meat/Fish 140-158°F
Tips before Dehydrating
Wash produce before putting in the appliance. Do not put wet produce onto the appliance, be sure all produce is dry.
Cut off the spoiled part of the produce before dehydrating. Slice the produce to desired thickness, thin slices are recommended. The duration of the drying time depends on the thickness of the slices.
Consider removing the skin on fruits and vegetables, this will help speed up the drying time.
A helpful tip to shorten drying time: boil your produce for 1-5 minutes, put into cold water, and then dry before dehydrating.
To help prevent food from sticking to the trays, we recommend spraying the trays with a non-stick cooking spray before dehydrating.
Drying Fruit
Wash and dry the fruits.
Take out the pit and cut off the spoiled parts.
Slice into pieces which you can place freely between the trays.
To preserve a fruits color, you can spray them with natural lemon or pineapple juice.
If you want your fruits to smell pleasant, you can sprinkle them with cinnamon or coconut.
To help prevent fruits from sticking to trays, we recommend spraying the trays with a non-stick cooking spray before dehydrating.
Drying Vegetables
Wash and dry the vegetables.
Take out the pit and cut off the spoiled parts.
Slice into pieces which you can place freely between the trays.
To cut down drying time, boil the vegetables before dehydrating. Boil for 1-5 minutes, place in cold water, and then dry.
Drying Herbs/Medicinal Plants
If your herbs/medicinal plants are damp, be sure to gently blot them dry with a towel to remove as much moisture as you can.
Place the herbs/medicinal plants on the trays in a single layer.
Small leaves can remain on the stems, but removing larger leaves from thick stems will shorten the drying time.
Drying times will vary depending on the moisture content of your herbs/medicinal plants. Loose, fine herbs like yarrow and mint will dry more quickly than moisture-filled herbs like plantain or comfrey.
Drying Meat
The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline recommends heating meat to 160ºF and poultry to 165ºF to destroy bacteria. Most dehydrators do not reach this temperature. We recommend flash heating your meat and poultry in the oven, before dehydrating.
Remember to wash your hands before and after handling meat or poultry.
Cut meat and poultry into thin slices to shorted drying time.
Do not rush the drying process by raising the temperature during drying. High drying temperatures cause "case-hardening" which traps moisture inside the food and cause spoilage.
Drying Fish
Fish and seafood must be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F in order to destroy bacteria.
Skin and bone your fish.
Cut into thin slices.
Rinse and place on dehydrator trays in a single layer.