Dehydrating Food

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Funny... to me canning is 'the next level.' I've never done it. My perception is that it requires more skill than I have.

If one can bake bread or run a "composting" toilet, one can "can" food. It is not rocket science. It just takes a good pressure cooker or just a big pot to boil water if doing jams and such.

What you need to know is here, https://nchfp.uga.edu/

I printed out the sections I use the most and put in a three ring binder.

In the US, many/some states have Extension Offices at the county level where they have classes on food preservation. Free. I never attended a class, just read the website and the instruction manual for our pressure cooker.

We have this pressure cooker which is idiot proof as long as gravity works and one sets the correct weight.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002803O8...kCode=osi&th=1

It is kinda large and heavy but my kids will inherit it along with my cast iron and steel pans.

This pressure cooker does not have a gasket, you use a bit of petroleum jelly along the pot case every once in a while. To set the pressure there is a weight that sits over a little "chimney" that lets out the steam. The weight has three holes to set 5, 10, or 15 pounds of pressure. Which pressure to use depends on what one is canning. Just follow the instructions in the book and/or in the first link.

Another issue, besides storing this big pressure cooker, is the steam that is released. One might want to run the pressure cooker outside if the weather is warm/hot. You can use the pressure cooker to cook day to day food.

Later,
Dan

[Mike OReilly]

Thanks for the encouragement, and the info, on canning. Much appreciate it. Funny, but it has always seemed complicated, and kinda intimidating. I do have a pressure cooker on board. If I ever get back to the boat (Covid-19 interference) I'll see about trying it.

Chotu, the key to drying is less about heat, and more about air flow. But you do need some heat to make sure the food dries, and doesn't mold.

If you have a temperature control dryer, then 50 to 70 Celscius is the aim. Not sure what that is in that funny measurement -- my translator says 120F to 155F. Generally I used higher temps for meats, and lower for veggies. But as I say, the most important thing is air flow. You want to be moving the moist air out, and the dry air in.

Funny you should mention dried bananas Sparrow -- I can't stand them. Way too sweet for my taste. I tend not to like most dried fruit for the same reason. Since drying concentrates the flavours, I find a lot of fruit gets too sweet for me. Personal taste...

But I do like dried mango .

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Thanks for the encouragement, and the info, on canning. Much appreciate it. Funny, but it has always seemed complicated, and kinda intimidating. I do have a pressure cooker on board. If I ever get back to the boat (Covid-19 interference) I'll see about trying it...

The hardest thing about preserving food in glass jars is getting the food into the glass jars. In the US, there are two types of glass jars, wide mouth and narrow/normal width jars. We only buy the wide mouth jars because it is soooo much easier to get food into/out of than the normal/narrow mouth jars. Having said that, we buy some food products that are in narrow/normal mouth widths and we sure don't throw them away.

To help getting the food into the jars, irregardless of jar mouth size just requires the right tools. The first is a ladle,
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And then a funnel that works on both wide and narrow mouth jars.,
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This last link has the funnel but also a jar lifter which is really, really handy and a magnetic lid lifter. I don't think it is really needed but I always boil my jars and lids even though they eventually will be filled with food and processed under pressure. Getting the lids out of the same pot that is boiling the jars can be a PITA. The magnetic lid lifter makes it easy to get the lids out of the water.

I do use the funnel and ladle for other kitchen chores and not just when preserving food. They really made filling the jars SOOO much easier and less messy. There might be a kit that sells the ladle and other stuff together...

Later,
Dan

[sparrowhawk1]

It's funny I misread that I thought you were having problems getting food in the jars LOL. Totally unnecessary to preheat the lids when pressure canning the only time it's recommended is when you do a water bath for things like jams where the jar is sitting in water and the lids are just being steamed. The main cause of failure with canning is having food on the top of the jar "lip" preventing a good seal.the good news is a failure just means you have to eat it or stick the jar in the fridge instead of on the shelf. A funnel helps to prevent this or at least make cleaning a lot easier, also canning funnels go into the jar at exactly the distance you want to keep the food away from the lid. In other words you don't want the food to ever come up to the bottom of the funnel.

[Chotu]

Just finished up canning my meat. We are mostly plant-based, but still have meat. Nice healthy omnivore diet.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Just finished up canning my meat. We are mostly plant-based, but still have meat. Nice healthy omnivore diet.

Is that chicken?

Later,
Dan

[KateMid]

Hi there guys! Sorry for bumping the thread, but I need to save it for myself. I found a lot of interesting info here. Going to try make dehidrating food. Thanx!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by KateMid

Hi there guys! Sorry for bumping the thread, but I need to save it for myself. I found a lot of interesting info here. Going to try make dehidrating food. Thanx!

Good stuff. Have fun. Easy to do, and an excellent way to preserve lots of foods.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Good stuff. Have fun. Easy to do, and an excellent way to preserve lots of foods.

So, quickly read through the other thread.

When looking at drying on a boat in sub-tropical to tropical conditions it seems several days are needed to get good results.

How about having a airtight storage box into which the drying racks can go over night, so that they do not pick up moisture over night. Than when it's warm enough in the morning put them back into wind and sun.

Guess a simple homemade dryer generally won't work well in very humid conditions or inside a boat.
Outside on sunny slightly windy days it should work fine.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Franziska

So, quickly read through the other thread.

When looking at drying on a boat in sub-tropical to tropical conditions it seems several days are needed to get good results.

How about having a airtight storage box into which the drying racks can go over night, so that they do not pick up moisture over night. Than when it's warm enough in the morning put them back into wind and sun.

Guess a simple homemade dryer generally won't work well in very humid conditions or inside a boat.
Outside on sunny slightly windy days it should work fine.

I have never lived/cruised in tropical climates, but I have dried food in fairly humid locations. My sense is that it might take longer, but I'm sure you can still do it.

Dehydration is all about moving air past and around the food. Heat is used mainly as a means to move air around, but when drying meats it also keeps the temperature in the safer zones.

I think drying inside a boat will be problematic since it is already an enclosed space. Of course, if the boat itself has good ventilation, it still should work,

You could certainly dry in stages, sealing overnight for example. But you'd have to monitor any mould/rot. It's better to keep the process moving once it begins.

The typical electric dryer can dehydrate most veg/fruits in a matter of hours, not days. Some foods like mushrooms will dry in a couple hours. Things with tougher, impermeable skins like peppers take longer; perhaps six. Other things are in between.

Meats vary in time. They also need some prep. I tend to lightly cook most meats first. I do ground beef, beef jerky, chicken, and pork.

For ground beef I lightly cook the meat, and drain off as much fat as possible. Then I season the beef as desired (dried spices), and mix in a packet or two of been bullion.

For chicken and pork I again lightly cook, then I shred the meat before drying.

Beef jerky is cut in thin strips, marinaded for at least six hours, then dried raw.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I have never lived/cruised in tropical climates, but I have dried food in fairly humid locations. My sense is that it might take longer, but I'm sure you can still do it.

Dehydration is all about moving air past and around the food. Heat is used mainly as a means to move air around, but when drying meats it also keeps the temperature in the safer zones.

I think drying inside a boat will be problematic since it is already an enclosed space. Of course, if the boat itself has good ventilation, it still should work,

You could certainly dry in stages, sealing overnight for example. But you'd have to monitor any mould/rot. It's better to keep the process moving once it begins.

The typical electric dryer can dehydrate most veg/fruits in a matter of hours, not days. Some foods like mushrooms will dry in a couple hours. Things with tougher, impermeable skins like peppers take longer; perhaps six. Other things are in between.

Meats vary in time. They also need some prep. I tend to lightly cook most meats first. I do ground beef, beef jerky, chicken, and pork.

For ground beef I lightly cook the meat, and drain off as much fat as possible. Then I season the beef as desired (dried spices), and mix in a packet or two of been bullion.

For chicken and pork I again lightly cook, then I shred the meat before drying.

Beef jerky is cut in thin strips, marinaded for at least six hours, then dried raw.

Thanks Mike. What does one use as material for the racks?
I read also that some folks even dry soups & sauces how is that done?

I guess one could built a simple airy contraption that one hangs into the rigging when at anchor on a sunny day.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Thanks Mike. What does one use as material for the racks?
I read also that some folks even dry soups & sauces how is that done?

I guess one could built a simple airy contraption that one hangs into the rigging when at anchor on a sunny day.

I use basic mesh screen material ... fibreglass I think. Nothing fancy.

I used to have plans for my home built box, but can't find them anymore. I used that large dryer for something like 15 years. It was great. Had 12 large wracks that could process huge amounts of food at one time.

When I sold my land home I also sold this dryer. It's just way too big for my boat. Since then, I've dried (during the winter off-season) using ovens, toaster ovens, and more recently a store-bought model (this one). This could be used on my boat, but does require constant AC power.

I also built a solar dehydrator. I have yet to use it because the pandemic has interrupted my cruising these last few years. But I do plan to give it a try once I get back on board.

Here's a post I made on the solar dehydrator. I used the plans in Sailing the Farm, but modified them somewhat.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post2852833

To dry sauces and thick soups, just lay out a sheet of plastic wrap (good quality stuff, not the cheap bargain-brand), or parchment paper. I dry lots of sauces and fruit purées. Spread the sauce/puree evenly on the plastic/paper, and keep the heat up to quickly get past the mould stage. When it's dried just roll it up in the plastic.

I've also dried whole meals like chili, pea soup, mulligatawny soup ... anything that is thick. Once it dries I break it up and bag it for later use.

[Franziska]

Thanks, very interesting, I'll give that a try once we are finally under way this summer!

[Sailormantx]

In the tropics humidity will prevent complete dehydration with only hanging outside. I have a hanging dehydrator similar to the one in Sailing the Farm. It seems to take about three days on the average for fruits and vegetables hanging in the wind and brought inside at night. To finish the job I put whatever I am drying in a cast iron pan set inside the solar oven with the reflectors off and the lid propped open a few mm to let the moisture escape. One day is usually sufficient. You do need to check it frequently to avoid cooking them if it gets too hot.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Sailormantx

In the tropics humidity will prevent complete dehydration with only hanging outside. I have a hanging dehydrator similar to the one in Sailing the Farm. It seems to take about three days on the average for fruits and vegetables hanging in the wind and brought inside at night. To finish the job I put whatever I am drying in a cast iron pan set inside the solar oven with the reflectors off and the lid propped open a few mm to let the moisture escape. One day is usually sufficient. You do need to check it frequently to avoid cooking them if it gets too hot.

Good to know. I've yet to put my solar dehydrator to the test. Hopefully this summer... assuming the world doesn't collapse once again.