One of my absolute favorite kitchen gadgets is a food dehydrator. You can dehydrate just about any type of food. So far, I’ve enjoyed making my own beef jerky and dehydrated cinnamon apples. And now that I’ve made dehydrated strawberries, I have a new favorite snack to enjoy! Dry fruits are just delicious and so healthy!
ℹ️ Dehydrated Food And How It Works
Dehydrating is a method used to preserve food. Dehydrating pulls out the moisture in food so that it becomes dry and when done correctly, it inhibits the growth of bacteria in food. While you can use an oven or even hang food to dry it out, the most convenient way to dehydrate food is to use a dehydrator. A food dehydrator uses a heat element and air vents to allow air circulation. The dehydrator heating element, fans, and vents work together to remove moisture. The heating element warms the food causing its moisture to be released. The dehydrator fan then blows the warm, moist air out of the appliance via the air vents. This process continues for hours until the food is dried to a lower water content.
Things To Dehydrate
Dehydrated food is amazing for so many things. Not only is it great for snacking, but dehydrated foods can be used for both baking and cooking. Plus, I hate food waste so I use my dehydrator often to preserve fresh herbs, vegetables, meats, and fruits. The best dehydrated types of foods in my opinion are dried bananas, apples, and these strawberry chips. But it doesn’t stop there…I dehydrate a variety of foods. I love making vegetable chips out of radishes, beets, zucchini, and even carrots. And, I also like dehydrating peas and celery for soups. Dried blueberries and raspberries are also great in yogurt. The choices are endless. For additional dehydrated food ideas, check out these dehydrator recipes.
What To Look For When Purchasing a Food Dehydrator
I have a Cosori Food Dehydrator and I love it! It’s intuitive and easy to use. It has 6 dishwasher safe trays and are easy to put in and take out. This dehydrator has a built in timer which allows you to set the time at 30-minute increments. And it automatically shuts off when it’s done. When looking to purchase a food dehydrator, you should look for these specific things:
Stacking trays - you’ll be able to dry more batches of food if the trays stack. And because the core channel is in between the trays for the air to filter through, you don’t have to rotate the food.Price - you can find a really great dehydrator between $150-$250. The ranges that I’ve seen are anywhere from $50-$300.Thermostat - different foods dry best under different temperatures. Look for a dehydrator that has a digital adjustable thermostat.Timer - it takes a long time to dehydrate food. Choose a dehydrator that has a built in timer so you can set it and forget it. Auto Shut Off - this is my all time favorite feature and a must have. You really need a dehydrator that has an automatic shutoff. I often dehydrate my food at night so it will be ready in the morning when I wake up. Having a built in shut off feature makes dehydrating food much more convenient.
🛒 Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need for this recipe is fresh strawberries. Some people like to squeeze on fresh lemon juice to make the strawberries last longer but I don’t find this step necessary. If you prefer organic dried strawberries, make sure to purchase organic.
🔪 How To Cut Strawberries
The first thing you’ll do is wash and then hull the strawberries. Make sure you cut out any bad spots on the fruit. To hull a strawberry simply cut off the top with a sharp knife and then discard the calyx. Expert Tips: The green stem is called a calyx. You can also buy a strawberry huller to ensure you don’t waste too much of the strawberry. Once the strawberry has been hulled, you can either cut the strawberry in half or slice each strawberry into ¼ inch thick slices.
🍓 Dehydrating Strawberries
From there, you’ll place all the strawberry slices onto the food dehydrator racks several inches apart. Once all the slices have been placed on the trays you are ready to close the door and start the fruit dehydrator process. If you’re drying strawberry halves, it will take 16 to 18 hours. If you’re dehydrating strawberry slices, they should be done in 8 hours. When the process is finished, you’ll have the most wonderful dried strawberries! The texture won’t be overly chewy and won’t be crunchy. They should be easy to bend without breaking. If you want them more on the crunchy side, let them dry another hour or so, until the desired doneness is reached.
Half vs. Sliced Strawberries - When it comes to snacking, I prefer strawberry slices. But I like using halved dried strawberries when baking. If slicing, make sure the slices are ¼ inch thick.Best Way to Slice Strawberries - To cut the strawberries thin, use an egg slicer. It is very quick and easy!Storage and Labeling - Do not package the dehydrated fruit for storage until they are completely cool. Store them in an airtight container. Label the storage containers with the date. Glass jars are also really great for storage.Vacuum Seal - By vacuum sealing the fruit, you increase the shelf life and reduce any chance for mold to grow.Dehydrating Fruit with Direct Sunlight - You can actually dry strawberries in the sun. All you need is a low humidity environment. Since I live in Arizona, this works really well. To dry strawberry slices in the sun, simply lay them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. After 6 hours, turn each strawberry over. Allow to dry in the sun for 6 more hours until they reach the desired texture.
📖 More Dehydrator Recipes
If you’re looking for more tried and true dehydrator recipes, check out my collection here. I can’t wait to hear how your strawberries turned out! Leave me a comment if you make these and tag me @recipesworthrepeating on Instagram and hashtag it #recipesworthrepeating so I can see what you made! Stay Updated! Get all the latest tasty goodness straight to your inbox by signing up to receive my weekly email for the latest and greatest recipes!
