A guide to drying and dehydrating fruits, vegetables, meats, and herbs provides instructions on using a dehydrator, oven and sun-drying techniques, and recipes using dehydrated foods. - (Baker & Taylor)
Enjoy that fresh harvest taste all year. Whether you’re using a dehydrator, oven, or the sun’s rays, you can easily dry your own vegetables, fruits, herbs, and meat. Teresa Marrone’s simple step-by-step instructions cover all the basics you need to know about drying, storing, and rehydrating your favorite foods. With over 140 dried-food recipes — ranging from veggie chips to casseroles and beef jerky to baby purées — you’ll be amazed at the variety of healthy and delicious options that dried foods offer.
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Workman Press.)
Food Preservation Made Simple
YOU CAN DEHYDRATE vegetables, fruits, meats, herbs, and even prepared meals. Drying is simple and safe, and it offers delicious, lightweight options for campers, food gardeners, raw foodists, and anyone with a surplus of fresh foods. Whether you’re using a dehydrator, experimenting with sun-drying techniques, or starting out with your regular oven, you’ll be an expert in no time with this book’s complete instructions for drying dozens of foods. Plus, you’ll find more than 140 recipes for using your dehydrated ingredients in delicious ways.
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Workman Press.)
Booklist Reviews
Drying is one of the most ancient and still most common techniques for preserving foods. It requires little more than exposing food to some natural or artificial heat source, and the results need only the most minimal protection against the elements to keep them from spoiling. Marrone ably guides readers through the scientific and technological principles underlying the process. Although fancy and relatively foolproof dehydrators crowd the marketplace, it's perfectly possible to use simply the sun's warmth to dry a host of foods. Some convection ovens also can serve as dehydration units. Herbs, fruits, and vegetables adapt readily to drying techniques, and homemade jerky can be less expensive than store-bought. Marrone even details some nonculinary uses for dehydration, such as drying flowers for potpourri and making scented Christmas tree ornaments. She includes recipes for reconstituting and cooking with dried ingredients. This practical reference will appeal to a wide-ranging audience, from serious cooks to hiker-campers to survivalists. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.
Library Journal Reviews
This book addresses one specific task related to the current trend of urban farming and self-sufficiency: drying your own food. Experienced cookbook author Marrone (The Back-Country Kitchen; Slow Cookers Go Wild!) covers the topic in painstaking detail. The science behind drying is explained and is accompanied by the best methods to use for each foodstuff. A plan for making a home food dryer is provided, along with an evaluation of commercial dryers. This book goes beyond the normal fruits and vegetables and includes grains, herbs, flowers, and meat, and there are considerations for different diets—gluten-free, vegan, etc. Also provided are a series of recipes and uses; the recipes are a general collection but do feature some camping mixes and gifts-in-a-jar. This title compares favorably to Sherri Brooks Vinton's Put 'Em Up! and will be useful to home and urban gardeners. VERDICT This thoroughly useful book offers a wealth of information on a very wide variety of foodstuffs, including when to use different produce for best drying results.
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