'Dirty' protein & fruit dehydrator

dionysus · Post by **dionysus** » Sat 21 Jul 2007 21:05

Oh...sounds very exciting. Will definetly have to get one.

avo · Post by **avo** » Sun 22 Jul 2007 02:46

Hey RRM, I actually already have one like that. I stopped using it years ago because I put a thermometer in it, and it was like 180+ degrees. If yours is anything like mine, it has no way to control temperature. Just thought you might want to check how hot that tuna is actually getting.

YouTube · Post by **RRM** » Sun 22 Jul 2007 19:01

I checked it constantly. It was between 40 and 50 degrees celcius all the time (after getting heated up first).

180 Fahrenheit?
Thats about 82 Celcius, and quite hot indeed.
If my dehydrator would have been that hot, the fish would have been "well done" in about 15 minutes, i guess.
How long did it take to dehydrate a given food?

avo · Post by **avo** » Mon 23 Jul 2007 04:07

Very quickly. I toasted some fruit that I wanted to dehydrate overnight...

So is it always at a constant temperature?

How did you calculate the water percentages?

Post by **Oscar** » Tue 24 Jul 2007 10:42

Sounds interesting.

I used to have an Excalibur dehydrator, but I sold it because I hardly used it.
I guess you can control things by putting them higher or lower in the machine?

Sealish · Post by **Sealish** » Tue 24 Jul 2007 18:46

You have said cholesterol oxidizes at 100 Celsius....

In dehydrating foods, including animal and fish flesh, is the quality of fats affected?

Ah; it sounds so tempting. I will buy one!

avo · Post by **avo** » Tue 24 Jul 2007 18:59

Obviously some of the more sensitive fats (ie omegas) oxidize, due to just being left out in the warmth and open air, but I too am curious to what extent the fats are effected when subjected to the dehydrator environment.

YouTube · Post by **RRM** » Wed 25 Jul 2007 11:46

avo wrote:So is it always at a constant temperature?

No, the temp gradually rises, with minor fluctuations to 52 degrees max.
I guess the dehydrator is of poor quality, so that it doesnt get any hotter than that...

(there is no button to adapt the heat)

How did you calculate the water percentages?

We know the initial water percentage, plus we know that only water gets lost, so that by simply measuring the initial and the eventual weight, you know how much water is lost.
Initial water content minus water loss = eventual water content
(/eventual weight = eventual water percentage)

avo wrote:Obviously some of the more sensitive fats (ie omegas) oxidize, due to just being left out in the warmth and open air, but I too am curious to what extent the fats are effected when subjected to the dehydrator environment.

Very good question that i have no answer to.
Maybe i should stick to dehydrating fruits (though they contain omega 3 fats as well)
Nevertheless, dehydration of tuna (and fruits) is a good alternative for when you go hiking, and you need to have some easy to carry and easy to preserve food with you, for example.

And ive been eating dehydrated tuna for a couple of days now, without adverse effects on my skin, even though im extremely susceptible to acne, so that we may assume its safe regarding acne.

Sealish wrote:Ah; it sounds so tempting. I will buy one!

Maybe you should only buy one if you really need one; for hiking or any other purpose.

Sealish · Post by **Sealish** » Wed 25 Jul 2007 23:53

I travel to very very cold parts of the U.S. and Canada, where the fruit supply is uncertain....

Also I am very happy to be able to go diving many places in the world. With such exertion (and with low water temperatures that freeze even high-sugar fruit juices, and congeal the oils in the juice mix), it is ideal to have very ripe, dehydrated fruits on hand.

It is very convenient and a good idea for me, indeed....

avo · Post by **avo** » Thu 26 Jul 2007 04:55

I'm thinking about getting one just to make raisins from grapes. Dehydrate, coat them with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking, put them in a ziplock bag... good to go.

Kookaburra · Post by **Kookaburra** » Thu 01 Apr 2010 09:43

RRM wrote:

Yes, indeed. It seems people have been doing this for many thousands, maybe millions of years; they always have been able to dry meat in the sun (actually, in nature very often the meat of half eaten dead animals is being dried in the burning sun; its an obvious thing we must have learned as primitive humans)
Im anxiuos to find out how long the dry tuna will last.

By leaving meat in the sun, won't it spoil and make the meat inedible? Isn't this like saying that I can leave the salmon fillet I just bought out in the sun and still be able to eat it later? If leaving meat out in the sun to dry doesn't make it turn bad, why are salmon fillets being placed above ice in the fish store? The fishmonger should just display them outside the store in the hot sun.

Kookaburra · Post by **Kookaburra** » Thu 01 Apr 2010 09:51

RRM wrote

That dry version is most extreme, I will try to establish how long you can keep it in the fridge (without going bad). Its very dry, but if you need to chew on something, it will do grin

So, after dehydrating raw tuna, you have to store it in the fridge? Why can't I store it in a dry dark place, just like how I store dried raisins? After all, its dried and does not contain water for the bacteria to grow, isn't it?

YouTube · Post by **RRM** » Sat 03 Apr 2010 14:03

Kookaburra wrote:So, after dehydrating raw tuna, you have to store it in the fridge?

I was just trying to see how long it would last in the fridge,
but thats no longer than keeping it in a dry cool place.

Why can't I store it in a dry dark place, just like how I store dried raisins?

thats the right way, indeed.

Kookaburra wrote: By leaving meat in the sun, won't it spoil and make the meat inedible?

Not if it dries effectively.
Without the water, there is no feeding ground for the bacteria and moulds etc.

Isn't this like saying that I can leave the salmon fillet I just bought out in the sun and still be able to eat it later?

If it gets dried properly, yes.

If leaving meat out in the sun to dry doesn't make it turn bad, why are salmon fillets being placed above ice in the fish store? The fishmonger should just display them outside the store in the hot sun.

Because the dehydration makes it look very bad and old.
The water inside retains the fresh look;
without that water, it looks like mummy food.

Kookaburra · Post by **Kookaburra** » Sun 04 Apr 2010 07:19

If I understand correctly, I can just store the raw fish fillets on the living room table? Its not compulsory to store it in the fridge? If that is true, I am looking to get rid of my fridge, because I will have no use for it anymore.

From what I know, fish are dried with the help of salt and brine these days, aren't it? Can I consume dried anchovies, you know, those tiny little fishes?

YouTube · Post by **RRM** » Sun 04 Apr 2010 14:05

Kookaburra wrote:If I understand correctly, I can just store the raw fish fillets on the living room table?

No, that kind of drying is not efficient enough.
You need to dry them first, in a dehydrator,
or outside, in the wind and sun (if the conditions are right; i have no experience with that)

Its not compulsory to store it in the fridge?

No, not once the fish is dried properly.

From what I know, fish are dried with the help of salt and brine these days

Yes, for commercial reasons.
But if you manage to create the right conditions
(or use a dehydrator)
you dont need to (and shouldnt, naturally)

Can I consume dried anchovies, you know, those tiny little fishes?

I actually dont know. check out the sticky list whether they are safe to consume raw.

'Dirty' protein & fruit dehydrator

Fats

Dehydrator