The Dutch have become rich from the trade in dried goods and spices from all parts of the world.
Drying meat, vegetables, fruit and herbs is one of the oldest preservation methods. The use of dried products is indispensable in our lives.


Kiwis drying in a food dryer

The drying temperature of kiwis is 57 degrees. A kiwi contains a lot of moisture and often needs a drying time between 9 and 12 hours.
It is best to dry kiwi in slices.
For best drying results, do not buy your fruit overripe.

Preparation:

Peel the kiwis and remove both caps.

Cut the kiwi into slices of 8 to 10 millimeters.
With 10 kiwis you can fill 2 drawers of your food dehydrator.
The drying time depends on the moisture content in the fruit.
Set your food dehydrator to 57 degrees.
Drying time: 9 to 12 hours, always check all your kiwi slices towards the end of the drying time as they may require a longer or shorter time depending on the thickness, moisture content etc.
After the drying time, remove the kiwi slices from the food dehydrator, let them cool and store them in dry jars, which can be sealed airtight, or plastic bags, which can also be sealed airtight.


 Drying bananas in a food dryer
The temperature to dry bananas is 57 degrees. For best drying results, do not buy your fruit overripe. Place a cotton cloth under your banana slices or use, for example, a cotton handkerchief, which allows air to pass through, which is of course very important.
Then place the grid in the drawer with the cloth.
That way you will have no problem removing the dried bananas from your cloth.
If you place the bananas directly on the grids, the bananas may stick.

Peel the bananas.
Take a bowl of water and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to it.
Cut the bananas into 1 cm slices.
Sprinkle your banana slices with the lemon juice mixed with water.
Using lemon juice also prevents the growth of harmful bacteria and prevents browning. You can sprinkle the slices with some grated coconut. Pat the banana slices dry with kitchen paper.
Place the piece of cotton on your grid and the banana slices on the fabric without overlapping.
Set your food dryer at +/- 60 degrees. Drying time: 8 to 9 hours, always check your banana slices towards the end of the drying time as they may require a longer or shorter time depending on the thickness, moisture content, etc.
After the drying time, remove the banana slices from the food dehydrator, let them cool and store them in dry jars, which can be sealed airtight, or plastic bags, which can also be sealed airtight.

 
 Drying apples in a food dryer

Wash the apples.
Take an apple corer and core the apple. Cut or slice the apples into slices about cm thick. Do not peel too many apples at once, but process them apple by apple.
Take a bowl of water and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to it.
Put your apple slices in a bowl and sprinkle the water with lemon juice over them to prevent discolouration. It is also very nice to sprinkle the apples, when they are in your drying drawers, with some cinnamon, or brush them with a little honey. You can dry apples between: 57 and 60 degrees.
The lower the temperature, the longer the drying time, but the tastier your dried apples.
Your home will smell wonderfully of apples and cinnamon!
Drying time: 7 to 8 hours, check the apple slices regularly towards the end of the drying time as they may need a longer or shorter time depending on the thickness and moisture content. To check if your apple slices are dry enough, take some apple slices out of the food dehydrator, let them cool for a while and squeeze them together in your hand. If the apple slices come apart easily after opening your hand, the apples are sufficiently dried.
After the drying time, remove the apple slices from the food dehydrator, let them cool (very important) and store them in dry jars, which can be sealed airtight, or plastic bags, which can also be sealed airtight.

 

Drying tomatoes in a food dryer

You can season tomatoes with fresh herbs or dried herbs such as oregano or basil.
Buy tomatoes that are ripe and with a lot of flavor, they dry the best.

Wash your tomatoes and cut them into 1-inch slices using a slicer or mandolin.
Place them on your grid, set the food dehydrator to 52 degrees and dry the tomatoes for about 8 to 12 hours.
Your tomato slices should feel leathery, so you know they are sufficiently dried.
You can eat tomatoes dried or let them soak in water to restore their original shape.

Making sun-dried tomatoes

2 pounds tomatoes (makes about 4 drawers in your dryer)
a sharp knife
4 tablespoons Italian herbs (oregano, sage, rosemary, pepper, basil, thyme)
olive oil
fresh chopped basil
salt

Wash the tomatoes and cut them into 0.8 cm slices.
Place them on your grid and season your tomatoes with the Italian herbs and a little bit of salt. Be economical in the use of herbs and salt, the volume of the tomatoes naturally decreases during the drying process, so that the herbs and salt quickly become too much. Set the food dehydrator to 52 degrees and dry the tomato slices for about 8 to 12 hours.
Let the tomato slices cool down before further processing.
Take a small jar or preserving jar with a screw lid and fill it with a small portion of tomato slices.
Press the tomato slices well and add the olive oil and fresh basil.
Let the oil soak in the dried tomatoes for a few hours before eating them, this will make them softer. The longer you wait, the softer your tomatoes will become. (You can also soak the tomatoes in water if they are too dry).

Drying mushrooms in a food dryer / drying oven

You can dry mushrooms whole, cut in half or slice.
You can dry wild mushrooms as well as cultivated mushrooms or mushrooms.
If you want to use mushrooms again, soak them in warm water. Use the water you soaked the mushrooms in. This is packed with flavour. If you want to use mushroom slices again, you can add them to your preparation. The taste of dried mushrooms or mushrooms is much stronger than fresh ones, so you do not need to season them.

Brush the mushrooms or mushrooms clean.
If you want to cut the mushrooms into slices, cut slices of 3 to 4 millimeters.
Set your food dehydrator to 50 degrees.
Drying time: 4 to 6 hours for whole or half mushrooms and 3 hours for mushroom slices of 3 to 4 millimeters. Always check your mushrooms towards the end of the drying time as they may require a longer or shorter drying time depending on the size and moisture content.
After the drying time, remove the mushrooms from the food dehydrator, let them cool and store them in dry jars that can be sealed airtight.

Drying cucumbers in a food dryer

You can dry cucumbers with herbs, you will get healthy cucumber chips. Always use the food dryer and dry the cucumber slices at 52 degrees. This makes them wonderfully crunchy.
About 1 cucumber fits on 1 drawer in your food dehydrator.

Season the cucumbers with: ½ tsp chili powder, 1 tsp paprika, pinch of salt.

Or   2 tsp curry powder, pinch of salt

Or   1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp rosemary, pinch of salt and pepper

Cut the cucumbers, with a mandoline, into slices of about 3 millimeters.
Take a bowl and put the herbs in it.
Stir the herbs briefly with a spoon and now add the cucumber slices.
The easiest way to mix the herbs with the cucumber slices is with your hands.
Place the cucumber slices on your grid and set the food dehydrator to 52 degrees.
The time to dry the cucumber slices is about 12 hours.
To remove the cucumber chips from your grid, it is best to bend the grid. This way all cucumber slices will come loose.
The cucumber chips should feel brittle and break easily.

Making croutons in the food dryer

stale bread or stale baguette
garlic powder or powder to make garlic butter.

Place the old bread or baguette on a bread board or chopping block and cut the bread into small pieces.
You determine the size of the pieces yourself. Croutons don't shrink in the food dryer if the bread is already somewhat dry.
Set the food dryer to 65 degrees.
Place your bread pieces on the muslin and sprinkle with the spice mix, if desired. Dry the croutons for 1 to 2 hours.
The drying time depends on the thickness and size of the croutons.
Your croutons are perfectly dried and can be stored for a long time.
Just make sure you keep the croutons airtight and dry! If you want to use the croutons in a salad, we recommend that you always cut the pieces of bread very small, in a soup a larger piece is also allowed, that is no problem at all.