Presto Dehydro 0630302 Instructions Manual

• Dehydratesfruits,
vegetables,herbs,
andspices.

• Makesjerkyandfruit
rolls.

• Digitaltemperature
controlandtimerfor
precisedryingtime
andtemperatures.

• Sixdryingtrays
includedforbig
dryingcapacity.
Expandsupto12
trays*.Traysnestfor
compactstorage.

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Para obtener una copia impresa:

• Descargue en formato PDF en www.GoPresto.com/espanol.

• Envíe un mensaje de correo electrónico a [e-mail].

• Llame al 1-800-877-0441, oprima 2 y deje un mensaje.

*Additional trays sold separately (see page 18).

Dehydro™ digital electric

FoodDehydrator

INSTRUCTIONS

©2014 National Presto Industries, Inc.

Visitusonthewebatwww.GoPresto.com

2

The following important safeguards are recommended by most portable appliance
manufacturers.

IMPORTANT SAFEGUARDS

To reduce the risk of personal injury or property damage, when using electrical appli­ances basic safety precautions should always be followed, including the following:

1. Read all instructions.

2. Do not touch hot surfaces. Use handles or knobs.

3. To protect against electrical shock, do not immerse cord, plug, or the dehy-

drator base in water or other liquid.

4. Close supervision is necessary when any appliance is used by or near

children.

5. Unplug from outlet when not in use and before cleaning. Allow to cool before

putting on or taking off parts, and before cleaning the appliance.

6. Do not operate any appliance with a damaged cord or plug or in the event

the appliance malfunctions or has been damaged in any manner. Return the
appliance to the Presto Factory Service Department for examination, repair, or
electrical or mechanical adjustment.

7. The use of accessory attachments not recommended by the appliance manu-

facturer may cause injuries. Use only Presto™ dehydrating trays and accessories
with this dehydrator.

8. Do not let cord hang over edge of table or counter or touch hot surfaces.

9. Do not use outdoors.

10. Do not place on or near a hot gas or electric burner or in a heated oven.

11. Never use this appliance to dehydrate foods that contain alcohol or have been

marinated in alcohol.

12. Do not use appliance for other than intended use.

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

THIS PRODUCT IS FOR HOUSEHOLD USE ONLY.

Important Cord Information

• This appliance has a polarized plug (one blade is wider than the other). To reduce

the risk of electric shock, this plug is intended to t into a polarized outlet only
one way. If the plug does not t fully into the outlet, reverse the plug. If it still
does not t, contact a qualied electrician. Do not attempt to modify the plug in
any way.

• A short power supply cord (or cord set) is provided to reduce the risk resulting

from becoming entangled in or tripping over a longer cord. Extension cords may
be used if care is properly exercised in their use.

• If an extension cord is used, the marked electrical rating of the extension cord

should be at least as great as the electrical rating of the appliance. The extension
cord should be arranged so that it will not drape over the countertop or tabletop
where it can be pulled on by children or tripped over unintentionally.

• Connect the power supply cord to a 120VAC electrical outlet only.

3

Before First Use

Become familiar with the food dehydrator (Fig. A) and read and follow the instruc­tions carefully. As received, your food dehydrator will be in the storage position.
Remove the dehydrator trays and cover from the base and wash them according to
the “Care and Cleaning” instructions on page 16.

*Additional trays sold separately (see page 18).

See-through cover

Six nestable
drying trays*

Power base

Tray with handles

Tray without handles

Tray with handles

Tray without handles

Digital control panel

Cord storage

Fig. A

For dehydrating, stack trays onto base as shown

Base platform

Place food on smooth surface

Raised ribs should be facing down

Fig. B1

Fig. B2

Tray with handles

Tray without handles

This dehydrator also includes:

2 Nonstick mesh screens

2 Fruit roll sheets

2 Sample packets of spice

and cure for preparing
homemade jerky

Center hub/

center hub screen

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How To Assemble and Load Trays for Dehydrating

1. Remove trays and cover from unit.

2. Turn power base over and locate cord. Uncoil from base.

3. Set base, right side up, on a dry, level surface. In order to function properly, the

dehydrator must have sufcient airow; therefore, be sure the base and cover
vents are not obstructed at any time. Never place dehydrator on carpet, a towel,
or newspaper.

4. Note that each tray has a smooth surface on one side and raised ribs on the

reverse side. Food goes on the smooth side (see Fig. B1, page 3). The raised ribs
should always be facing down (see Fig. B2, page 3).

5. Select a tray with handles. Set the tray on the counter so the words “THIS SIDE

UP”, which are molded onto the handles, are facing up. Begin loading tray with a
single layer of food.

6. Place loaded tray onto power base. The rst tray placed onto the power base

MUST have handles (see Fig. A, page 3).

7. Select a tray without handles. Load food onto smooth surface and stack tray

without handles onto tray with handles.

8. Continue lling and stacking trays, alternating trays with handles and without

handles (see Fig. A, page 3).

9. Place clear cover over stacked trays. Position cover so that the words on the

cover handles “THIS SIDE UP” are facing up.

10. Plug cord into a 120VAC electrical outlet only and begin dehydrating. See pages

7 through 16 for dehydrating information for specic foods.

How to Use the Digital Control

The digital control (Fig. C) allows for easy adjustment of dehydration temperature.
In addition, it will automatically shut off the dehydrator when the selected time has
elapsed.

To Adjust Temperature

1. Press the TIME/TEMP button and the tem-

perature in the display window will begin
to ash (if the time ashes, press the TIME/
TEMP button again).

2. Press the + or – buttons to select the desired

temperature. To change the temperature
rapidly, hold down the + or – buttons. The temperature range for this dehydrator
is 90° to 165°F (32° to 74°C).

NOTE: To convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius, hold down the TIME/TEMP button.

To Set Timer (30 minutes to 48 hours)

1. Press the TIME/TEMP button and 00:00 will begin to ash (if the temperature

ashes, press the TIME/TEMP button again).

NOTE: If – –:– – appears, the unit is in the Count Up mode. Hold down the

START/STOP button to reset to 00:00.

Temperature

display

Timer

display

Fig. C

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2. Press the + or – buttons until the desired time is displayed. If you hold down the

+ or – buttons, the time will change rapidly. To reset the time to 00:00, hold down
the START/STOP button.

3. Once you have the desired time and temperature set, press the START/STOP but-

ton to turn the dehydrator on. At any time, you can adjust the time or temperature
by using the TIME/TEMP, +, and – buttons. You can stop the dehydrator at any
time by pressing the START/STOP button.

4. The dehydrator will automatically shut off after the set time has expired, and the

green indicator light will ash. When this occurs, check the food for dryness. If
dehydration is complete, remove food from dehydrator. If additional drying time
is needed, follow the preceding steps 1 through 3 to continue dehydrating.

To Use Count-Up Timer (up to 48 hours)

1. If START/STOP is pressed with 00:00 showing on the timer display, the dehydra-

tor will turn on and the unit will begin counting up in seconds for the rst minute.
After 59 seconds, the time is displayed in hours and minutes (HH:MM).

2. At any time, the temperature can be adjusted using the + or – buttons.

NOTE: The time is not adjustable when the timer is counting up.

3. At any time, you can stop the dehydrator by pressing the START/STOP button.

To reset the time to 00:00, hold down the START/STOP button.

4. The unit will automatically shut down after 48 hours.

How to Use the Nonstick Mesh Screens

The exible mesh screens t into the dehydrator trays to keep foods that get very
small when dried, such as herbs, berries, and carrots, from falling through the tray
grates. The screens may also be used when drying foods that stick to the grates, such
as bananas and tomatoes.

Position the mesh screen on the dehydrator tray. Then place the food you want to
dry on the mesh screen. Once the food is dehydrated, lift the mesh screen out of the
tray, using the cutouts on the side of the screen. Remove food. Bending the screen is
helpful for removing foods that have a tendency to stick.

How to Use the Fruit Roll Sheets

A fruit roll sheet should be used when making fruit rolls and strips from fresh,
frozen, or canned fruit. Refer to pages 8 and 9 for instructions on making fruit rolls.

General Dehydrating Information

CAUTION! To prevent damage to your dehydrator, do not pour liquids, including
marinades and sauces, over the center hub opening or onto any portion of the
drying trays. If you wish to dry liquids, such as spaghetti sauce or fruit purées, a
fruit roll sheet must be used.

Wash hands thoroughly prior to preparing food for dehydrating. Likewise,
thoroughly clean all utensils, cutting boards, and counters that will be used for
preparing food. Wash foods before preparing them for dehydrating.

6

• When selecting food for drying, choose those that are at peak eating quality. Avoid

overripe* or immature fruits and vegetables. Remove any parts of the food that are
bruised or blemished.

• For even drying, cut food into uniform sizes, shapes, and thicknesses. Use a

Presto® SaladShooter® slicer/shredder, food processor, or mandoline to aid in

cutting uniform slices.

• Drying times are highly variable depending on the type and amount of food, thick-

ness, evenness of food pieces, humidity, air temperature, personal preference, and
even the age of the plant at the time of harvesting. That is why throughout the book
you will notice there is a range of average drying times. In some cases you may
find you may need to, or prefer to, dry your foods for shorter or longer periods
than those listed. For best results, begin checking your food at the beginning of
the range listed in the instructions. You should then gauge how often you should
recheck the food based on how the drying is progressing. With some foods, such as
herbs, that may mean every 10 minutes, and with other foods, such as fruits, that
may mean every 1 to 2 hours.

• Dehydration prevents microbial growth, however, chemical reactions caused

by enzymes in fruits and vegetables can occur unless the product is pretreated
before drying. Pretreatment will prevent or minimize undesirable color and
texture changes during drying and storage. See specific sections for recommended
pretreatment.

• Place foods in a single layer on the trays. Do not allow food to touch or overlap.

• When drying strong-smelling foods, such as onions and garlic, be aware that there

will be a strong odor during the drying process. That odor may linger after drying
has been completed.

• Individual pieces of food may not all dry at the same time. Foods that are appro-

priately dried should be removed before those that still require additional drying.
Always check all of the trays for foods that are appropriately dried. Allow
dried pieces to cool and then place in a covered container.

• If one tray of food is finished before the others, remove the dried food and return

the empty tray to the unit rather than rearranging the trays.

• Do not add fresh fruits and vegetables to a partially dried load. This will add mois-

ture and increase the drying time.

• Allow for continuous drying. Do not unplug dehydrator in the middle of the drying

cycle and resume drying at a later time as this may result in poor quality and/or
unsafe food.

Packaging and Storage

• Dried foods need to be properly packaged to prevent reabsorption of moisture and

microbial deterioration. Pack food in clean, dry, airtight containers. Glass jars or
freezer containers with tight-fitting lids are good for storage. Resealable plastic
freezer bags are also acceptable.

*Slightly overripe fruits are acceptable for making fruit rolls.