Food dehydration is a very easy and fast method of preserving any type of food you have, (especially food with little water content). If you are a camper or a hiker, dehydrated food will be very useful for you since they will weigh less compared to carrying wet foods in your backpack. Even if you don’t indulge in such sport, food dehydration is very important for anyone. There are different types of food dehydrators in the market today, but if you are the kind of guy that likes to do things with your hand, you can easily make a dehydrator by yourself.
If you want to create a homemade food dehydrator, you will definitely need a system. There are different options for you which include electrical, solar, and even wood dehydrators. The best way to ensure that the dehydration process is done perfectly is by keeping the food vertically on plates with holes to create air ventilation both from below and above. When dehydrating this way though, you may encounter a little problem since the lower level foods might not get enough air from the top. However, there is a way to prevent this problem. When dehydrating foods, place those with higher water content on the top level and those with lower water content below.
Electric home made food dehydrator
Below are necessary tools you will need to create a DIY electric food dehydrator.
• Wooden dowels
• Tap
• Racks
• Heat source
• Large box with wings to close
• Aluminum foil
After getting all the materials ready, the first thing you will need to do is fix the aluminum foil in the inner walls of the cardboard box. You will need a tape to keep the foil firmly in the box. Next is to create a little opening at the base of the box, then attach the light/heat source to generate warmth in the box. Take note that the opening has to be well insulated and small. For safety precaution, cover the aluminum foil with more tape to keep the aluminum foil safe from the wire. This will prevent short-circuitry and fire hazard in the long run.
To ensure that your home made food dehydrator works very well, you have to adhere to some simple rules. First, you need to get a fan attached to the dehydrator and you also need a good source of heat. The fan blows air on all layers of the system. When attaching fans, try to place them either to the side or below the lowest level so that it can efficiently distributes air across all levels.
More tips when Using homemade food dehydrator
There are many great benefits of making your own food dehydrator, among which is the cost you are going to minimize. But there are certain things to take note of to ensure that your dehydrator is functioning properly and is very effective. One of the most important things to do is to have a kitchen thermometer in order to monitor the temperature of your dehydrator.
Some people make use of light bulbs to provide heat for their dehydrator. Why not try cone heaters? They have proved to be more effective because they provide more heat and even last longer. For air circulation, it won’t be a bad idea to make use of computer case fans since they are cheaper and equally effective. Since they are designed to work under hot conditions, they will run smoothly. You can pick up used ones at any computer repair shop around you.
After trying out your homemade food dehydrator and if you follow the right setup process, you will understand that the difference between homemade dehydrators and the expensive commercial ones are not much in terms of efficiency and durability. In fact, most people who have used both types of food dehydrators always prefer the homemade ones. Apart from their low cost, they tend to dehydrate faster and last longer than the commercial models. If you follow some of the tips mentioned here as well as the information gathered from other sources, you will definitely build for yourself a good homemade food dehydrator that can help you effectively preserve any kind of food you have.
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