How Food Dehydrators Work

Food dehydrators are a great tool to have in your home if you camp a lot, or enjoy dried foods. You can make a variety of different foods in these dehydrators, including fruit leathers and banana chips. This appliance pulls all of the moisture out of a food to preserve it for later.

Pulling the moisture out with temperature

Most food dehydrators have a maximum temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit, as anything over this temperature cooks the food. The appliance is left on for hours to slowly dry out the food over time. Removing the moisture in the food ensures that mold and bacteria cannot grow.

Air currents and racks

These appliances also utilize air currents to dehydrate your food. The air in the dehydrator gets moist as the moisture is pulled from the food, and then an air current within the appliance pulls the moist air out and replaces it with dry air. There are racks that separate different layers of food as well, which allows for more air circulation. Most dehydrators send air currents side to side, but some do have air flow from top to bottom. This can cause the flavors of the foods in the appliance to mix, so make sure you are aware of this prior to using this type of air current.

A food dehydrator is a great way to make healthy foods such as fruit leathers for camping, hiking and snacking purposes. You simply put the fruit, vegetables or other food into the dehydrator and let it pull the moisture out for a few hours. These foods are suitable for long term storage since bacteria cannot grow without moisture. Enjoy your dehydrated food on your next camping trip.