Recommended Tools; Food Preparation - Klarstein Florida Jerky Manual Del Usario

EN

RECOMMENDED TOOLS

• Paring knife (Stainless Steel Blade)
• Cutting board
• Storage containers
Additional tools that make the job easier and faster can include:
• A food processor or other similar appliance for faster and consistent slicing.
• A steamer and basket, or kettle and collapsible steamer for blanching.
• Blender for making fruit puree for fruit leather.
• A small notebook to keep track of length of time and recipes that work for you as
well as those that don't.

FOOD PREPARATION

Fruit and vegetable peel often contain much of the food's nutritional value. Therefore it
is better not to peel if the dried food is to be eaten as snack or used in cookies. On the
other hand, you will want to peel apples intended for a pie or tomatoes intended for
soup. Generally, if you normally peel the food for a specific recipe, then peel the food
before it is to be dehydrated.
One of the most important factors in successful dehydration is how the food is sliced.
When drying fruits it helps to get all the slices about the same thickness so they all dry
to the same moisture level, at the same time. Thick slices dry more slowly than thin slices.
The thickness you choose is up to you but slicing all the pieces to as close to the same
size as is possible will help ensure success and consistency.
The skin of many foods naturally protects the food but it can hamper the dehydration
process. During dehydration, moisture escapes best from a cut or broken surface not
through the tough skin. Therefore, the larger the cut area, the faster and better the food
will dehydrate.
For this reason thin stalked vegetables like green beans, asparagus, and rhubarb should
be cut in half the long way, or with an extreme diagonal cut to expose as much of the
inner parts of the food as possible. Fruit should be sliced across the core and not down
through the core. Try to always make
thin flat cuts.
Broccoli stems should be halved or quartered depending upon diameter. Small fruits like
strawberries can be cut in half. Even smaller berries should either be cut in half or blanched
slightly to break the skin.
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