Magic Chef MCL10PFDRT Manual Del Usaurio página 9

What are the Types There are several types of food drying. Two types of natural drying – sun drying and "adiabatic"
of Food Drying? (shade) drying – occur in open air. Adiabatic drying occurs without heat. Solar drying sometimes takes
place in a special container that catches and captures the sun's heat. These types of drying are used
mainly for fruits such as apricots, tomatoes, and grapes (to make raisins).
Drying from an artificial heat source is done by placing food in either a warm oven or a food dehydrator.
The main components of an electric food dehydrator include:
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Why is Temperature Illnesses due to Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 from homemade jerky raise questions about the safety
Important When of traditional drying methods for making beef and venison jerky. The USDA Meat and Poultry current
Making Jerky? recommendation for making jerky safely is to heat meat to 160 °F before the dehydrating process. This
step assures that any bacteria present will be destroyed by wet heat. Most dehydrator instructions DO
NOT include this step, and a dehydrator may not reach temperatures high enough to heat meat to 160 °F.
After heating to 160 °F, maintaining a constant dehydrator temperature of 130 to 140 °F during the
drying process is important because:
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Why is it a Food The danger in dehydrating meat and poultry without cooking it to a safe temperature first is that the
Safety Concern to appliance will not heat the meat to 160 °F – a temperature at which bacteria are destroyed – before it
Dry Meat Without dries. After drying, bacteria become much more heat resistant.
First Heating it to
Within a dehydrator or low-temperature oven, evaporating moisture absorbs most of the heat. Thus,
160 °F?
the meat itself does not begin to rise in temperature until most of the moisture has evaporated.
Therefore, when the dried meat temperature finally begins to rise, the bacteria have become more
heat resistant and more likely to survive. If the surviving bacteria are pathogenic, they can cause food
borne illness to those consuming the jerky.
What are the USDA Additionally, safe handling and preparation methods must ALWAYS be used, including:
Meat and Poultry
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Recommendations
for Making
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Homemade Jerky?
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Are There Special Yes, there are other special considerations when making homemade jerky from venison or other wild
Considerations for game. Venison can be heavily contaminated with fecal bacteria – the degree varying with the hunter's
Wild Game Jerky? skill, wound location, and other factors. While fresh beef is usually rapidly chilled, deer carcasses are
typically held at ambient temperatures, potentially allowing bacteria multiplication.
CHOOSING FOOD TO DEHYDRATE
Use the highest quality foods. Produce in peak season has more flavor and more nutrients. Meats, fish and poultry
should be lean and fresh.
DO NOT use food with bruises and blemishes. Bad produce can spoil the entire batch. Remove as much fat as
possible from meats prior to dehydrating. You can use a paper towel under meat when dehydrating to absorb fat.
a source of heat
air flow to circulate the dry air
trays to hold the food during the drying process
the process must be fast enough to dry food before it spoil
It must remove enough water that microorganisms are unable to grow
ALWAYS wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after working with meat
products.
Use clean equipment and utensils.
Keep meat and poultry refrigerated at 40 °F or slightly below; use or freeze ground beef and
poultry within 2 days; whole red meats, within 3 to 5 days.
Defrost frozen meat in the refrigerator, not on the kitchen counter.
Marinate meat in the refrigerator. Don't save marinade to reuse. Marinades are used to tenderize
and flavor the jerky before dehydrating it.
Steam or roast meat and poultry to 160 °F as measured with a meat thermometer before
dehydrating it.
Dry meats in a food dehydrator that has an adjustable temperature dial and will maintain a
temperature of at least 130 to 140 °F throughout the drying process.
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