The Ultimate Guide: How To Dehydrate Food 

Finding ways to make your food last longer is a great way to save money. Dehydrated food is one of the best ways to slow down the growth of bacteria and make certain foods last longer. We have put together this guide to share the ins and outs of dehydrating your food with a dehydrator.

Although there are a few different options when it comes to dehydrating your food, using a dehydrator is the most popular method. Keep reading to learn how to dehydrate your food like a pro. 

Choose Your Food

The first thing you need to do is choose what food you want to dehydrate. Fruits like apples, bananas, and strawberries are great choices If you prefer veggies then we recommend opting for carrots, celery, and peppers. You can learn even more about dehydrating your food online, so that you know what the best spices or marinades are to add some extra flavor. You can also dehydrate meats like beef jerky or fish if you want to have some protein on hand or for a long hike.

Prep Your Food

If you are dehydrating meats, then you want to make sure you take off all the extra fat before you place them in the dehydrator. You also want to cut the meat into thinner slices. 

For fruits, you want to make sure you wash them well and then cut them into thin slices. The same prep is food for vegetables. 

Assemble Everything

After you are done prepping your food, you can start putting everything on the trays of the dehydrator. The key is to leave a little bit of space in between the pieces because this will let the air circulate in the machine without an issue. 

After everything is on the trays, you can turn on the dehydrator and allow it to run for a few hours, or overnight if it’s a lot of food at once. After the food is 100% dry and crispy, it is ready to eat or store.

Storing Dehydrated Food

After your food is thoroughly dry, you can either use plastic ziplock bags or airtight containers to store your food. If your food is free of air and properly stored, it will last you for months. This is one of the best ways to stock up on healthier snacks like fruits and veggies rather than store-bought junk food.

Ready to Dehydrate Your Food Like a Pro?

Now that you learned how to dehydrate food, you can take action and dehydrate like a pro. If you currently don’t have the budget to invest in a dehydrator, you can follow our steps above, but instead of placing the food on trays in the machine, you can just turn on your oven and cook the food at a low temperature for several hours. Dehydrating your food is definitely a fun way to preserve your favorite foods and have on-the-go snacks of your favorite food wherever you go. 

For more food ideas, make sure you keep browsing this section for our latest reads and guides.