64913 MetalWareBiLing300-03005 10/25/01 2:07 PM Page 1 Food Dehydrator & Jerky Maker Recipe & Use Book 1-800-288-4545 www.nesco.com 64913 MetalWareBiLing300-03005 10/25/01 2:07 PM Page 2 Blower Assembly Rotate counter clockwise into top cover to lock Lid Trays Expands to Maximum 7 trays Base Tray The Metal Ware Corporation 1700 Monroe Street P.O. Box 237 Two Rivers, WI 54241-0237 300-03012 06/01 © 2001 The Metal Ware Corporation. All Rights Reserved, including the right of production in whole or part. 2 64913 MetalWareBiLing300-03005 10/25/01 2:07 PM Page 3 IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS --This product is designed for household use -- When using electrical appliances, basic safety precautions should always be followed, including the following: 1. Read all instructions. 2. Do not touch hot surfaces. 3. To protect against electrical hazards, do not immerse blower or any part of the dehydrator cord or plug, in water or other liquid. 4. Close supervision is necessary when any appliance is used by or near children. 5. Unplug from outlet when not in use and before cleaning. Allow the unit to cool before putting on and taking off parts. 6. Do not operate any appliance with a damaged cord or plug, or after the appliance malfunctions, or has been damaged in any manner. 7. The use of accessory attachments, not recommended by the appliance manufacturer, may cause hazards. 8. Sharp utensils should not be used inside the dehydrator. 9. Do not let cord hang over edge of table or counter, or touch hot surfaces. 10. Do not use outdoors. 11. Do not place on, or near a hot gas or electrical burner, or in heated oven. 12. Do not use this appliance for other than its intended use. --SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS -- NOTE: This appliance has a polarized plug (one blade is wider than the other). As a safety feature, this plug will fit in a polarized outlet only one way. If the plug does not fit fully in the outlet, reverse the plug. If it still does not fit, contact a qualified electrician. Do not attempt to defeat this safety feature. Short Cord Instructions -- a short power supply cord is provided to reduce the risk resulting from becoming entangled in or tripping over a longer cord. Extension cords may be used if care is exercised in their use. If an extension cord is used, the marked electrical rating of the cord should be at least as great as the electrical rating of the appliance. The longer cord should be arranged so that it will not drape over the table top where it can be pulled on by children or tripped over unintentionally. 3 64913 MetalWareBiLing300-03005 10/25/01 2:07 PM Page 4 Dehydrator Use and Care Before using your dehydrator for the first time, wash the trays and top lid in warm soapy water or in the dishwasher on the top rack. Caution: Do not put the blower in water or in the dishwasher. Wipe the blower with a damp cloth. · Set the base tray on a sturdy countertop or table, away from sinks or any source of water. · Stack additional trays on the base tray. Your dehydrator requires a minimum of 5 trays to operate properly, the base tray is included as one of your 5 trays. (You may expand your dehydrator to 7 total trays with the use of Add-A-Tray accessories) · Place the top cover on the top tray, insert the blower into the trays and rotate to lock in place · Plug the cord into an electrical outlet, switch power to ON and you're ready to dehydrate! Trays and Top Cover -- Your dehydrator trays and top lid are easy to clean. Simply soak the trays in warm water with a mild detergent for several minutes. A soft bristle brush will loosen food particles that resist softening by soaking. Do not clean trays with any metal objects or scouring pads as they tend to damage the surface of the trays. Trays and top lid can be washed on the top rack of your dishwasher. Blower -- It is important that the air vents on the blower remain clean and unobstructed. UNPLUG BLOWER BEFORE CLEANING. Use a damp cloth or towel to remove dried food particles from blower. Do not use scouring pads, abrasive cleaners or sharp utensils. Avoid dripping any liquid into electrical parts. Do not operate blower alone, or use in any capacity other than the intended use. DO NOT OPERATE NEAR OR IMMERSE BLOWER IN WATER OR OTHER LIQUID.. Precautions When drying meat and dairy products, blot frequently with a paper towel to absorb excess fat. Follow these safety rules when dehydrating foods: · Wash hands thoroughly prior to handling food. · Clean all utensils and containers with a mild solution of detergent, bleach and water before using. · Make sure all counter surfaces and cutting boards are thoroughly cleaned. · Keep foods in the refrigerator before preparing for drying. Store dried foods in the refrigerator. · After opening sealed containers of dried food, use food as soon as possible. · Store unused portions of dried food, tightly sealed, in the refrigerator to maintain freshness and quality. 4 64913 MetalWareBiLing300-03005 10/25/01 2:07 PM Page 5 Service Should you experience any problems other that routine cleaning, please call Customer Satisfaction at Nesco American Harvest, 1-800-288-4545 General Drying Guidelines There are no absolutes and quite a few variables in food dehydration. The only way to become proficient is to dry, dry and dry some more! Certain varieties of produce, the humidity in the air and even methods of food handling make a difference in the drying time and quality of dried product. · Experiment with different thicknesses of produce, pretreatment versus no pretreatment and different rehydration methods. You will determine what works best for your particular needs and preferences. · To save nutrients and produce a quality product, it is necessary to work fast preparing foods to dry. Once placed in the dehydrator, they need to dry continuously for the recommended time. Do not turn off the dehydrator and leave partially dried foods sitting on the trays. The food may spoil or develop off flavors. · Spread all foods evenly to dry in single layers. If slices overlap, the areas that are overlapping will take twice as long to dry. · Do not add fresh produce to a partially dried batch. It will slow the rate of drying for both products. It is possible however, to combine partially dried foods onto fewer trays. · Many people have more than one American Harvest® dehydrator. If you have two, it's easy to combine a load from both dehydrators after a few hours and start a new batch in your second dehydrator using the remaining trays. Selecting Foods To Dry Select the best quality produce at the peak of ripeness and flavor. Wash carefully to remove debris, dust and insects. Cut away any bruised or damaged sections. 5 64913 MetalWareBiLing300-03005 10/25/01 2:07 PM Page 6 Pretreating Fruits Pretreating is not necessary for most fruits. However, some fruits tend to oxidize and turn brown more than others. Oxidation can also cause loss in flavor and vitamins A and C. To reduce oxidation, place fruit in a holding solution of ascorbic acid before drying. Pineapple, orange, lemon and lime juice can all be used as a natural pretreatment. Ascorbic acid mixtures, available from your supermarket, can also be used--follow the package directions. Pretreating Vegetables Some vegetables need to be blanched. Blanching softens the cell structure, allowing the moisture to escape more easily and also allows vegetables to rehydrate faster. You can blanch vegetables by steaming them until they are heated through, but not cooked. Vegetables should still be crunchy. Drain and place immediately on dryer trays. See preparation guidelines in the vegetable drying charts. Drying Time Drying times may vary, depending on the type and amount of food, thickness and evenness of the slices, percentage of water in the food, humidity, temperature of the air and the altitude. Drying times may also vary greatly from one area of the country to another and from day-to-day, depending on the climatic conditions. Record keeping helps you predict future drying times for specific foods. Testing For Dryness Food must be carefully monitored near the end of the dehydration process to prevent over drying. Over dried foods lose quality in texture, nutrition and taste. To test for dryness, remove a piece of food, allow it to cool, and feel with your fingers to determine dryness: · Fruits should be pliable and leathery with no pockets of moisture. To check if fruit is dry, tear a piece in half and watch for moisture beads along the tear. If there aren't any, it is sufficiently dry for long term storage. · Fruit roll-ups should be leathery with no sticky spots. · Jerky should be tough but not brittle. · Dried fish should be tough. If the fish is high in fat, it may appear moist due to the high oil content. · Vegetables should be tough or crisp. 6 64913 MetalWareBiLing300-03005 10/25/01 2:07 PM Page 7 Fruit Drying Chart Expect a variance in the time needed to dry different fruits. Drying times are affected by the size of the load, fruit thickness and the moisture content of the food itself. The guidelines below are general. For more accurate drying times, keep records of your own drying experiences. Average Drying Time Uses 5-9 hrs. 7-12 hrs. Applesauce, pies, snacks, dumplings and fritters. Desserts, muesli, meat dishes, pies and sauces. Snacks, baby food, cookies, granola and banana bread. Breads, baked goods, snacks, ice cream, yogurt and muesli. Breads, baked goods and snacks. Flavorings when powdered. Raisins; use in baked goods, cereals and snacks. Snacks. Snacks. Snacks, desserts and baked goods. Snacks, breads, cobblers, cookies and granola. Snacks, breads, fritters, cookies and granola. Snacks and baked goods. Snacks, breads, muffins, cookies and granola. Snacks, cereals, baked goods, cookies and granola. Fruits Apples Apricots Preparation 3/8" Pare, core and cut in rings. Pretreat. Cut in half, remove pit and turn inside out or cut in quarters. Pretreat. Peel, cut in 3/8" slices or divide lengthwise. Wash and remove stems. Freeze to crack skins. Wash, remove stems and pit. Peel, if desired. Slice 3/8" thick. Leave whole and remove stems. 3/8" Bananas Blueberries 7-12 hrs. 7-12 hrs. Cherries Citrus Fruits Grapes Kiwi Melons Nectarines Peaches Pears Pineapple Plums and Prunes Strawberries 14-20 hrs. 7-12 hrs. 18-24 hrs. 9-13 hrs. 7-12 hrs. 7-12 hrs. 10-14 hrs. 7-12 hrs. 9-15 hrs. 9-15 hrs. 7-11 hrs. Peel and slice to 1/2" thick. Remove skin and seeds. Slice 1/2" thick. Quarter or slice 3/8" to 1/2" thick. Pretreat. Peel if desired. Halve or quarter. 3/8" Peel, core and slice thick. Pretreat. Peel, core and slice to 1/2" thick. 3/8" Halve or quarter and remove pit. Wash and halve or slice 1/2" thick. 7 64913 MetalWareBiLing300-03005 10/25/01 2:07 PM Page 8 Vegetable Drying Chart Vegetables will also vary in their drying times. Blanching decreases drying times, but not all vegetables are blanched. Again, the average drying times below are general and depend on different variables. For more accurate drying times, keep records of your own drying experiences. Average Drying Time Uses 6-10 hrs. 6-9 hrs. Soups, stews and casseroles. Soups and stews. Vegetables Beans Green/ Wax Beets Preparation Remove ends and cut into 1" pieces. Blanch. Steam until tender. Cool and peel. Cut into 1/2" pieces. Wash, cut as for serving and blanch. Peel, cut ends, slice 3/8" thick or shred. Blanch. Wash, cut as for serving and blanch. Trim, wash and cut stalks in 3/8" slices. Blanch. Husk, remove silk and blanch. Remove from cob. Separate, peel cloves. Remove skins, tops and root ends. Slice 3/8" thick. Shell, wash and blanch. Remove stem and seeds. Cut into 1/2" pieces. Use white potatoes. Peel and slice 3/8" thick. Blanch. Rinse and dry.* Wash, and slice into 3/8" circles or dip in boiling water to loosen skins, halve or quarter. Wash, remove ends and slice 3/8" thick or grate. Broccoli Carrots Cauliflower Celery 6-9 hrs. 6-9 hrs. 13-19 hrs. 5-8 hrs. Soups, quiche, souffles, cream and cheese sauces. Salads, soups, stews and carrot cake. Soups and stews. Soups, stews, powder for celery flakes or salt (add equal parts celery and salt). Fritters, soups, stews or grind for corn meal. Powder for seasoning. Soups, stews and sauces. Powder for seasoning salt. Package immediately. Soups, stews and mixed vegetables. Soups, stews, pizza, meat dishes and seasoning. Stews, soups and casseroles, or rehydrate for hash browns. Soups and stews. Powder in blender and add water for paste or sauce. Dry in roll-up form for pizza sauce. Breads, chips with dip, soups and casseroles. Corn Garlic Onions 7-11 hrs. 10-14 hrs. 6-10 hrs. Peas Peppers Potatoes 7-11 hrs. 10-14 hrs. 5-8 hrs. Tomatoes 7-11 hrs. Zucchini 6-9 hrs. 8 * Blanch for 5 minutes or until translucent. If not steamed long enough, they will turn black during drying and storage. 64913 MetalWareBiLing300-03005 10/25/01 2:07 ...