Part of the joy of growing your own is to be able to fill your winter larder with home-grown goodies and last autumn we were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to try a state-of-the-art food dryer. KG editor, Steve Ott describes how he got on

These days freezing tends to be the ‘go to’ method of storing freshly harvested produce over the winter months, but of course there are many more traditional ways to ensure you get the most value from your summer pickings. Having cooked, frozen, pickled and bottled lots of produce over the course of a fruitful summer and autumn, I wanted to try some other ways to preserve my harvests.

I had tried drying before by simply using a low oven, but this had produced variable results, perhaps in part because my oven isn’t the best, but also because of a lack of precise control that this method of preservation demands. Dry too much and the food becomes a bit of a burnt offering with a distinctly bitter taste and hard to re-hydrate when you come to use it in recipes. Too little and the moisture left in the food can lead to rotting. Air drying is possible on the odd occasion that we get a really hot summer, but is very hit and miss in the UK climate.

Given a good oven or better still a quality dehydrator however, preserving food in this way couldn’t be easier, so I was delighted to be given the chance to try the top-of-the-range Nutridry® ST-10 Stainless Steel Dehydrator from UK Juicers.

It comes almost completely assembled barring the fitting of brackets to hold the drying shelves, the work of a few minutes. Apart from that it’s a case of plug and go. The unit comes with 10 wire trays or shelves which combined give a drying area of 15 square feet, so this is a large model aimed at the food drying enthusiast. A fan in the back of the stainless steel drying cabinet ensures that an even flow of warm air is constantly passed over the food and the controls are very simple – just two knobs, one to control the drying temperature and another to set the drying time.

I was also supplied with a pack of non-stick drying sheets (for liquids such as  fruit leathers and the like and a used as a re-usable alternative to baking parchment or grease-proof paper) and a pack of mesh drying screens which I found ideal for drying smaller wet foods, such as tomatoes, which might otherwise have fallen through the shelves.

As when using an oven, how long to give various foods in the dryer varies greatly on the water content and size – for example, small juicy tomatoes will take longer than larger fleshier types with fewer seeds, so you do need to experiment in order to get it right and check the food regularly to ensure it is thoroughly dried.

I tried a range of produce from ‘sun-dried’ tomatoes to veggie crisps and with just a little practice, soon had it mastered.

STEVE’S FAVOURITES FOR DRYING

Kale crisps: With my first attempt I tore up the leaves, but made the individual sections rather too small and the results were much better with larger sections of leaf and with bigger-leaved varieties such as ‘Cavolo Nero’ . Harissa paste was used to massage into the leaves before adding  a little sea salt. The crisps dried quickly – within  half an hour on a maximum setting.

I found that my kale crisps didn’t store well, quickly becoming soft, so recommend they are better used quickly. However, perhaps I didn’t dry them quite enough r allow them to cool sufficiently before putting into a Tupperware.

Tomatoes: At first I tried these without removing the pips but as they would in an oven, they skinned over and didn’t dry well. So I tried again, scooping out pips and placing cut side down on kitchen paper to drain, then turned up, seasoned with  a little salt and pepper and dried for 2-3 hours for smaller toms, more for larger fruit.

Apple rings: These were a triumph! The apples were cored and chopped into thin slices and dipped in lemon water for a short time to prevent browning. I dried them for two hours before allowing to cool thoroughly and storing in air-tight jars. Delicious and nutritious when added to cereals!

Beetroot crisps. The raw beetroot were peeled and cut into thin slices (thinner than a mandolin could do). I dried these on non-stick sheet, turning occasionally. On my first attempt the crisps shrank quite a bot, so on a secoind atempt I turned down the heat and increased the drying time after which they produced some wonderful sweet, but earthy crisps with a lovely deep red colour.

Parsnip crips: I cut these with a vegetable peeler to make strips, oiled lightly, added a little salt and pepper and dried on an open shelf. These were very nice, especially when mixed with the beetroot and potato crisps to give a lovely colourful and tasty bowlful!

MORE TO TRY

I have also found the dryer to be a whiz with chilli peppers (I tend to freeze sweet peppers), but I am still to try fruit leathers and purees which I’m very excited about.

I found this food dryer to be a great and much more reliable method for drying than an oven and of course there are lots of smaller and cheaper models on the market for those with less food to preserve.

WIN A FOOD DRYER

For a chance to win a Nutridry® ST-10 Stainless Steel Dehydrator, plus accessories worth over £380, just click Subscriber Specials at the top of the page and then the competitions tab. Last date for entries Friday March 22, 2019.