How to dry vegetables

Drying is probably the oldest method of food
preservation. Though canned and frozen foods
have taken over the major role once played by dried
foods, drying is still cheaper and easier by
comparison. Some other advantages of dried foods
are that they take up less storage space and will keep
well for a long time — up to 12 months — if
prepared and stored properly. Unlike frozen foods,
they are not dependent on a power source. Though
you may find canned and frozen vegetables are closer
in taste and appearance to fresh food, you'll like
having a stock of dried vegetables on hand to add
variety and special flavor to meals.
STOPPING THE SPOILERS
Drying preserves vegetables by removing
moisture, thus cutting off the water supply that would
nourish food spoilers like bacteria, yeasts, and
molds. The moisture content drops so low that
spoilage organisms can't grow.
Although there's a definite technique to drying
vegetables, it isn't quite as precise as the procedures
used for freezing or canning. Unless you'll be using
an electric food dryer, you'll have to use trial and error
to find the best way to maintain the proper oven
temperature throughout the drying process and to
provide good ventilation so moisture from the food
can escape. Drying times are given in the recipes for
the individual vegetables, but these times are only
approximate. Every oven is different, and drying times
also depend on how many vegetables you're drying
at once, how thinly they've been sliced, and how
steady you've kept the heat. So you'll have to
experiment at first with drying times. Experience is the
best teacher when it comes to judging when your
vegetables are dry enough to keep the spoilers from
contaminating them.
Vegetables for drying
There are a great many vegetables you can dry at
home for use in perking up your salads, soups, stews,
and casseroles. Good vegetables to dry include
green beans, corn, peas, peppers, okra, onions,
mushrooms, tomatoes, and summer squash.
Herbs also drywell. For more information on drying
herbs, see "How to Store and Use Herbs," later in
this book.
Although many vegetables drywell, some
vegetables should be preserved by other methods for
best results. For example, lettuce, cucumbers, and
radishes don't drywell because of their high moisture
content. Asparagus and broccoli are better frozen
to retain their flavor and texture. And if you've got the
storage space, you may find it more practical to
store fresh carrots, turnips, parsnips, potatoes,
pumpkins, rutabagas, and winter squash in cold
storage where they'll keep for several months without
any special preserving treatment.
FOOD DRYING METHODS
The sun, of course, Is the food dryer our ancestors
used. If you live where Old Sol shines long, you too
can dry fruits and vegetables outdoors. But those in
less sunny regions will want a little help from a kitchen
oven (gas, electric, convection, or microwave)
or one of the new electric dryers or
dehydrators. You can also make your own box
dryer.
Oven drying is faster than using an electric dryer
or dehydrator, but the electric dryers can handle
much larger food loads than any of the ovens. Oven
drying is best for small-scale preserving, since the
ordinary kitchen model will hold no more than four
to six pounds of food at one time. If you've got an
extra-big vegetable garden and expect to dry food
in quantity, you may want to investigate the new
electric dryers or dehydrators, available in some
stores and through seed catalogs. Several of the small
convection ovens now on the market also have
special racks available for drying vegetables. When
using an electric dryer, or a convection or
microwave oven for drying vegetables, always read
and follow the manufacturer's directions.
Oven drying
Oven drying may be the easiest way for you to dry
food, because it eliminates the need for special
equipment. If you've never tried dried vegetables
before, why not do up a small batch and sample the
taste and texture?
Gas and electric ovens. Preheat your gas or electric
oven to 140°F for drying vegetables; you'll need an
oven thermometer that registers as low as 100°F in
order to keep this temperature constant throughout
the many hours of the drying process. Since ovens
will vary, you'll probably have to experiment until you
learn what works best with yours. For example, the
pilot light on some gas stoves may provide just enough
heat, or the light bulb in the oven may keep it warm
enough for drying vegetables. Some electric ovens
have a "low" or "warm" setting that may provide
the right temperature for drying.
You must keep the oven door open slightly
during drying, so moist air can escape. Use a rolled
newspaper, wood block, hot pad, or other similar
item to prop open the oven door about one inch for an
electric oven and four to six inches for a gas oven.
Sometimes it also helps to place an electric fan set on
" l o w " in front of the oven door to keep air
circulating. Don't use a fan for a gas oven with a pilot
light, though; it can blow out the pilot.
You'll be able to read the oven thermometer
easily if you put it in the middle of the top tray of
vegetables, take a reading after the first 10 minutes,
and, if necessary, make adjustments in the door
opening or the temperature control. After^ that,
check the oven temperature every 30 minutes during
the drying process to be sure it remains constant at
140°F.
To keep air circulating around the food, your
drying trays should be one to two inches smaller all
around than the interior of your oven. If you want to
add more trays, place blocks of wood at the corners of
the oven racks and stack the trays at least one-anda-
half inches apart. You can dry up to four trays at once
in a conventional oven, but remember that a big
load takes longer to dry than a smaller one. Don't use
the top position of the oven rack in an electric oven
for drying, because food on the top tray will dry too
quickly.
Since the temperature varies inside the oven, it's
important to shift your vegetable drying trays every
half-hour. Rotate the trays from front to back, and
shift them from top to bottom. Numbering the trays
will help you keep track of the rotation order. You'll
also need to stir the vegetables every 30 minutes, to
be sure the pieces are drying evenly.
Convection ovens. To dry vegetables in a
convection oven, arrange them on the dehydrating
racks provided, and place the racks in a cold oven.
Set the temperature at 150°F for vegetables, 100°F for
herbs. The air should feel warm, not hot. Keep an
oven thermometer inside the oven, so you can keep
track of the temperature. Prop the oven door open
one to one-and-a-half inches to allow moisture to
evaporate. Set the oven timer to the "stay o n "
position. Or, if your oven doesn't have a "stay o n "
option, set it for maximum time possible, then reset
It during drying, if necessary. Drying times in a
convection oven are usually shorter, so check
foods for doneness at the lower range of times given in
the recipes. Rotate the racks and stir the vegetables
as you would using a conventional oven.
Microwave ovens. To dry foods in a microwave
oven, follow the directions that come with your
appliance. Usually, you arrange the prepared
vegetables in a single, even layer on paper towels,
cover them with more paper towels, and then dry
the food at a reduced power setting. If you have a
microwave roasting rack, arrange the vegetables on
It before drying. Stir the vegetables and replace the
paper towels with fresh ones periodically. Exact
drying times can vary widely, depending on the
wattage and efficiency of your oven, the food itself,
and the humidity, so you'll need to check frequently
and keep a record of best drying times for
reference.