(I'm not sure in which forum to post this.)
I’ve read posts about concerns with putting foods such as jerky directly on the furnace filters in Alton's homemade dehydrator. I just watched Alton Brown’s episode called "Whithering Bites (2007),” mostly about drying fruit. In this episode he seems to solve the concerns. Here is a synopsis of the episode:
He used peeled, small to medium diced fruit (Gala apples, mangoes, strawberries).
Anti-bacterial fresh fruit dip: 1 cup fresh lemon juice + 1 quart cool water
Peel and cube the apples and mangoes, thickly slice strawberries. Pour the dip over the fruit to cover for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, then drain well.
First, he says to be sure to buy cellulose furnace filters, not fiberglass. If they come with a paper grid over them, cut that out.
Then he uses commercial dehydrator mats---Google for Dehydrator Try Liners. Buy at least 6. Stack from the bottom: the widow fan, one filter, one liner, the food, a second liner, and a second filter. Repeat for 3 layers total. The last filter goes on top with the metal facing out. He says stay with 3 layers; 4 layers don’t allow for good circulation and the food will not dry properly.
Secure the stack and the fan with 2 bungee cords. Stand the fan upright. Dry diced fruits for 42 to 48 hours. For larger pieces, he said that you’ll need to add some heat (115 to 120°F), not because it won’t work but because of nasty things that might come to munch (his words).
12-14 pounds of fresh fruits dry down to 2 or 3 pints
In the episode, he goes into the oven method for drying larger pieces of fruit---halved figs or apricots, or sliced strawberries and thin wedges of fruit. A small ceramic heater that you screw into a light socket (from the pet store, for lizards) plus a small battery-powered fan (from a camping store). He put the sliced fruits on the mats (did not top them with a second mat), then set the mats on the oven racks. He used a probe thermometer to monitor the oven temps (115 to 120°F). He inserted a small ball of foil over the oven’s light switch probe so it would turn off when the oven door was closed. The ball should be large enough to keep the oven door cracked just a little bit to allow the humid air to escape. Expect about 12 to 18 hours for 3 layers of mats.
He put the dried fruit in a large jar with plenty of air room and shook it every couple of days for a week to allow any moisture to redistribute, then re-packed them in pint jars.
Several days of freezing after conditioning (shaking) will kill any insect eggs hiding in organic fruit. Should keep in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.
So there you have it.
Rita
I’ve read posts about concerns with putting foods such as jerky directly on the furnace filters in Alton's homemade dehydrator. I just watched Alton Brown’s episode called "Whithering Bites (2007),” mostly about drying fruit. In this episode he seems to solve the concerns. Here is a synopsis of the episode:
He used peeled, small to medium diced fruit (Gala apples, mangoes, strawberries).
Anti-bacterial fresh fruit dip: 1 cup fresh lemon juice + 1 quart cool water
Peel and cube the apples and mangoes, thickly slice strawberries. Pour the dip over the fruit to cover for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, then drain well.
First, he says to be sure to buy cellulose furnace filters, not fiberglass. If they come with a paper grid over them, cut that out.
Then he uses commercial dehydrator mats---Google for Dehydrator Try Liners. Buy at least 6. Stack from the bottom: the widow fan, one filter, one liner, the food, a second liner, and a second filter. Repeat for 3 layers total. The last filter goes on top with the metal facing out. He says stay with 3 layers; 4 layers don’t allow for good circulation and the food will not dry properly.
Secure the stack and the fan with 2 bungee cords. Stand the fan upright. Dry diced fruits for 42 to 48 hours. For larger pieces, he said that you’ll need to add some heat (115 to 120°F), not because it won’t work but because of nasty things that might come to munch (his words).
12-14 pounds of fresh fruits dry down to 2 or 3 pints
In the episode, he goes into the oven method for drying larger pieces of fruit---halved figs or apricots, or sliced strawberries and thin wedges of fruit. A small ceramic heater that you screw into a light socket (from the pet store, for lizards) plus a small battery-powered fan (from a camping store). He put the sliced fruits on the mats (did not top them with a second mat), then set the mats on the oven racks. He used a probe thermometer to monitor the oven temps (115 to 120°F). He inserted a small ball of foil over the oven’s light switch probe so it would turn off when the oven door was closed. The ball should be large enough to keep the oven door cracked just a little bit to allow the humid air to escape. Expect about 12 to 18 hours for 3 layers of mats.
He put the dried fruit in a large jar with plenty of air room and shook it every couple of days for a week to allow any moisture to redistribute, then re-packed them in pint jars.
Several days of freezing after conditioning (shaking) will kill any insect eggs hiding in organic fruit. Should keep in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.
So there you have it.
Rita