Recommended Tools; Food Preparation - Klarstein SHAFTESBURY Manual De Instrucciones

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.
• A 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 do not.

FOOD PREPARATION

Fruit and vegetable skins 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 a 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 and not through the tough skin. Therefore, the larger the cut area,
the faster and better the food will dehydrate.
For this reason, thin stalk vegetables like green beans, asparagus, and rhubarb
should be cut in half lengthwise, 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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