fDehydration is one of the oldest and best forms of food preservation out there. The presence of water in a food item allows bacteria and mold to grow, which is the principal reason for food spoiling. The process of food dehydration then effectively slows down this process, prolonging the shelf life of food products.
This preservation process has been achieved in the past in ways such as air and sun drying. However, these methods had their shortfalls, such as the exposure of the food to dust during the drying process. But today, we can do this process more easily and safely using food dehydrators.
Food dehydrators are electrical appliances that make use of air and heat to dry food in a healthy environment. They come in different sizes and functionalities to suit your needs. You can visit foodsharkmarfa.com for a review of the best food dehydrators on the market.
These appliances are not as popular as they should be when compared with other storage methods like refrigeration, canning and pasteurizing. However, they are the great appliance that offers so many benefits, which include:
1. Great Taste
If you have ever had a snack of dried fruits or a meal that used dried meats, you would know that they typically have a great taste. The great taste of dried food items without the use of sweeteners and spices is attributed to a resulting concentration in a lesser mass and water devoid environment.
There are commercially available dehydrated foods, but most tend to have lost their freshness because they were not dehydrated fresh. By personally using a food dehydrator, you can ensure fresh foods get appropriately dehydrated. You can then proceed to store it properly to maintain freshness.
2. Healthy and Nutritious Meals
Food dehydration is as good as it gets. No method of food preservation apart from it is acclaimed to preserve 100% of the nutrients the food possesses. This makes it a great source of healthy meals.
Water is drained from food items under controlled temperatures in food dehydration. Temperatures in food dehydrators can be as low as 35 degrees Celsius to 70-degree celsius, which allows the food to dry in its raw state and lose no nutritional value to high heat and is readily edible.
Another great side to food dehydration is that there are no added chemical preservatives. The addition of chemical preservatives can further compromise the healthy state of a meal, which makes dehydrated food better and safer to eat
3. Food Waste Reduction and Increase In Shelf Life
‘Zero Hunger’ is goal number 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To achieve this goal, innovative ways to preserve food and reduce waste must be created.
Food dehydrators are a great appliance to help achieve the reduction of food waste. They offer a storage solution to excess foods and leftover fruits that would get spoiled anyway.
Additionally, dehydrated foods can reportedly last for as long as two years without any sign of spoilage. This means after dehydrating your excess food items, and you can keep them stashed all year round.
4. Full Control Of What You Eat Per Time
Apart from the ability of food dehydrators to elongate the life of various food items. You also get the ability to cook any variety of food you want at any given time. Many food items are seasonal and can’t be gotten until they are in season again. By dehydrating them you can keep them stored for future use.
That means if you are craving a particular meal that requires the dehydrated derivatives you have in store you can easily rehydrate them and cook the meal you desire. Grinding spices and vegetables into powdered form can also be used to cook soups and add flavour to your meals without seasonal constraints.
5. Portability and Lesser Storage Requirements
Anyone who is familiar with kitchen storage spaces can testify to the difficulty that is involved in storing food items in them. Available space and the right container to use are only a few of the contentions you may have while trying to store food items.
With dehydration, food actually shrinks, which makes it more efficient to store. A larger volume of dehydrated food then ends in a container similarly used for foods that are not yet dehydrated.
Also, are you looking to go out with some snacks? Your dehydrated fruits and foods are an ideal choice. They have a lighter weight compared to their fresh counterparts so they can be packaged easily as midday snacks for children and adults alike.
Dehydrated fruits also ensure you eat less for optimum sugar boost per time. Eating lots of fresh fruits can weigh you down while on the move but this is not the case with dehydrated ones.
6. It Saves Money
Dehydrated food can cost a lot at stores regardless of their lesser quality. Because of this, you can reduce the cost significantly by having you own food dehydrator. You can easily buy fresh food items in bulk and at a discount price from the market and then dehydrate them yourself.
On a composite level also, you can save money from the food varieties that you can dehydrate than having to buy individual portions of them in the supermarket. Food dehydrators can also further reduce costs due to their power efficiency.
7. Easy To Use and Time Saving
Food dehydration is best done at low temperatures and can be assumed to be time-wasting. However, that is not the slightest problem with food dehydrators because they are programmable. You don’t have to watch the dehydration process happen.
After carrying out all the preliminary work like cutting and placing them on the food dehydrator trays, you can just set a timer and let the process run by itself. A reassuring fact is that the temperature of food dehydrators are so low that they can’t spoil the food.
Conclusion:
Food dehydrators are great home appliances and they offer great benefits. They produce tastier, healthier, and the same nutritious foods that you would love.
Food waste reduction and an increase in shelf life are guaranteed with the use of a food dehydrator. You also won’t miss out on any seasonal food items when you have dehydrated them.
With the reduction of the size of foods from dehydration, they are more portable and easier to store. You save money and time by using these appliances. Overall, they are effortless to use and efficient.
Don’t miss our article about the best freeze-dried foods.
