H.Koenig DSY500 Manual De Utilización página 10

Selection and Preparation
Wash vegetables to remove dirt and debris. Trim vegetables to remove fibrous or
woody portions or bruised and decayed areas, peel, and slice using the preparation
information found on the Vegetable Drying Guide on page 7. Slice or cut vegetable
into pieces that are uniform in size. See page 7 for pretreatment information about
specific vegetables.
Pretreatment
The process of blanching involves subjecting vegetables to a high enough
temperature to deactivate the enzymes. Blanching is necessary to stop the naturally
occurring enzymes from causing loss of color and flavor during drying and storage.
Blanching also relaxes the tissue walls so moisture can more readily escape during
drying and enter during dehydrating; Blanching can be done in water or steam. Water
blanching causes a greater loss of nutrients but is faster than steam blanching and
achieves a more even heat penetration.
Steam Blanching- Fill a deep pot with water and bring to a boil. Place vegetables
loosely in a basket or colander that will allow steam to freely circulate around the
vegetables. Do not fill basket or colander with more than a 2 ½ inch layer of
vegetables. Position the basket or colander in the pot, making sure it does not contact
the boiling water. Cover with a close fitting lid. Steam for the time indicated in the
Vegetable Drying Guide on page 7.
Water blanching –Fill a large pot ⅔ full with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Place
vegetables loosely in a basket or colander and submerge in the boiling water. Cover
and blanch for the time indicated in the Vegetable Drying Guide. Water should return
to a boil in less than 1 minute. If not, too many vegetables were added to the basket;
reduce the amount of vegetables added for the next batch.
Water blanch for the time indicated in the Vegetable Drying Guide below.
Immediately after steam or water blanching, dip the vegetables in cold water to
quickly cool them. Drain the vegetables and arrange them in a single layer on the
dehydrator trays. Refer to the Vegetable Drying Guide below for drying times.
Determining Dryness
Refer to the Vegetable Drying Guide below and begin checking the vegetables at the
beginning of the average drying time range.
Remove a few pieces of vegetables from each dehydrator tray and allow to cool to
room temperature. Test for dryness by breaking the pieces in half. Most vegetables
will be crisp when appropriately dried and will break easily. If vegetables do not break
easily, additional drying time is needed. If vegetables seem to have a lot of moisture
remaining, recheck every 1 to 2 hours. If vegetables appear to be almost done, check
again in 30 minutes. Always check vegetables from each tray.
Follow "Packaging and Storage" information on page 4.
Drying times are highly variable depending on the type and amount of food, thickness,
evenness of food pieces, humidity, air temperature, personal preference, and even
the age of the plant at the time of harvesting.
Vegetable Preparation
Cut into 1˝ pieces.
Asparagus
VEGETABLE DRYING GUIDE
Dry vegetables at 125°F or 52°C.
Pretreatment
blanching or steam
blanching
water 3½-4½ minutes
water Average Drying Time
6-8 hours