Ronco Food Saver User Manual
USER GUIDE & RECIPES
FoR all MoDElS
Food Dehydrator
Dry fruits &
vegetables, beef jerky,
potpourri and more!
Convection-Only Model
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Food Dehydration History and Background ........................................... 2
Principles of Dehydration ....................................................................... 3
Procedure .............................................................................................. 3
Pretreating ............................................................................................. 4
Packing and Storage ............................................................................. 5
Reconstituting Foods ............................................................................ 6
Points to Remember .............................................................................. 7
Rotating the Trays ................................................................................ 8
Drying Table for Fruits & Vegetables ..................................................... 9
Fruit Recipes ........................................................................................ 13
Vegetable Recipes ................................................................................ 15
Trail Treats ........................................................................................... 16
Jerky Recipes ...................................................................................... 17
Food Dehydrator Clay for Crafts ........................................................ 18
Herbs and Herb Teas .......................................................................... 20
Sachets and Potpourris ....................................................................... 20
Baby Food ........................................................................................... 20
Fruit Roll Ups or Fruit Leather ............................................................. 21
Important Notice and Warranty ........................................................... 22
1
FOOD DEHYDRATION
A History and Background
Your Food Dehydrator brings a new dimension to ancient food
preservation processes. It allows you to enjoy a simpler and more
rapid drying process in the convenience of you own home. Now you
can have the satisfaction of preparing healthful and delicious treats
in the comfort and convenience of your own home and save money
and have fun at the same time.
Archeological discoveries indicate that early man sustained himself
on natural dehydrated foods and later used heat from the sun or
their fires to preserve food harvested during seasons of plenty.
Dried foods were found in the pyramids and other burial tombs
and centuries later some of it was still in a state of preservation.
The Vikings carried dried foods on their sea voyages. Dried foods
have been stored on board ships throughout the world since ancient
days. The Pilgrims found the American Indians drying food. Pioneers
used dried beef jerky and other dried foods as staples on their journeys across the country. More recently, Astronauts who landed on
the moon enjoyed desserts of dried fruit.
Today there is interest in nutrition. Because of the ease and convenience and the economy of preparation and storage, food drying
is universally popular. It is ideal for backpackers, hikers, campers,
boaters, cooks, gardeners, dieters, and health food enthusiasts.
Great way to make tasty snacks for kids.
Dehydration is the one of the easiest and most efficient methods of
food preservation. Food is exposed to heat and air in order to remove moisture. Lacking moisture, bacteria and micro-organisms are
inhibited. So dehydrated foods can be preserved for long periods
without refrigeration and they have far less weight and bulk.
2
PRINCIPLES OF DEHYDRATION
There are no uniform rules that apply to all food dehydration processes. The best way to become proficient is to experiment using
this booklet as a guideline and then adjust your drying techniques
accordingly.
Dehydrating is a method of heating the food to evaporate the moisture present and then removing the water vapor formed.
Keeping records is helpful in food dehydration. For instance, you
can weigh food before and after dehydration. Record this along with
drying times on the labels of your storage containers. It will help you
develop consistent quality in food drying.
Tasty ready-to-eat snacks and confections are some of the versatile
products you can create by drying fruits and vegetables at home.
After soaking in water, the rehydrated foods can be used in favorite
recipes for casseroles, soups, stews and salads. Rehydrated fruits
and berries can also make excellent compotes, sauces and jellies.
Drying is appealing because the procedure is very simple and
requires little equipment. Only minimal storage space is needed.
Most food products release moisture rapidly during early stages of
drying. This means they can absorb large amounts of heat and give
off large quantities of water vapor while remaining at a temperature
well below that of the drying air.
FIVE Easy Steps to Dehydrate Food:
1. Slice most foods thin - about 1/4”
2. Do not overlap your food on trays
3. Rotate and turn trays
4. Remove food when it looks and feels dry
5. Place food in air-tight containers - jars or ziploc bags
PROCEDURE
Fruits and vegetables selected for drying should be the highest
quality obtainable - both fresh and fully ripe. Wilted or inferior produce will not make a satisfactory dried product. Immature produce
lacks flavor and color that won’t be enhanced by drying. Over-ripe
produce may be tough and fibrous or soft and mushy.
Prepare produce while fresh and begin drying at once. Wash or
clean all fresh food thoroughly to remove any dirt or chemicals. Sort
and discard food with decay, bruises, or mold which may affect an
entire batch.
It is advisable to peel, pit or core some fruits and vegetables.
Smaller pieces tend to dry faster and more evenly.
3
PRETREATING
Enzymes in fruit and vegetables are responsible for color and flavor
changes during ripening. These changes will continue during drying
and storage unless the produce is pretreated to slow down enzyme
activity.
Blanching can be used in the pretreatment of vegetables. It helps set
color and hastens drying by relaxing tissues. It can also help keep
flavor during storage and improve reconstitution during cooking.
Many light-colored fruits (especially apples, apricots, peaches,
nectarines, and pears) tend to darken during drying and storage. To
prevent this darkening, the fruit may be pretreated by blanching or
by a suitable dip but effectiveness of pretreatment methods varies.
Fruits and Vegetables may be dipped in the following:
• Lemon or Pineapple Juice is a natural alternative (in place of other
pretreatments) to reduce unwanted color or browning. Fruit may
be sliced right into the juice; remove after a couple of minutes and
arrange in trays.
For variety you may dip fruits in Jell-O powders, lime or orange
juice, spices or honey. For another tasty flavor, sprinkle with cinnamon or coconut. Combine any of the above for your own special
taste treats.
• Sodium Bisulte: Ask pharmacist for food safe (USP) grade only.
You need only 1 teaspoon of sodium bisulfite dissolved in a quart
of water. To help prevent any loss of vitamins and to maintain a
bright zesty color. Prepare small amounts of fruit and dip in the
solution for 1-2 minutes.
• Table Salt can be used as a solution for dipping.
• Citric Acid or Ascorbic Acid solutions give a “Vitamin C tart taste.”
These anti-oxidant granules are available at health food and drug
stores. Mix about 6 tablespoons in a pint of water. Dip for minute
or two then dry. Great for banana chips and apple rings.
• Water or Steam Blanching works - however, blanched fruits may
turn soft and become difficult to handle. Fruits with tough skins
(grapes, prunes and small dark plums, cherries, figs, and some
berries) may be water-blanched to crack the skins. This will allow
moisture inside to escape more readily during drying.
• Syrup Blanching may help retain the color of apples, apricots,
figs, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums. Makes a sweetened,
candied food.
4
Before drying pretreated food, remove any excess moisture by placing the food on paper towels or clean cloths. Trays should be loaded
with a thin layer of food as directed. If needed, clean cheesecloth
can be spread on the trays to prevent food pieces from sticking or
falling through. The food being dried should be about 1/4” thick and
should not exceed roughly 3/4” of each tray’s surface area.
DRYING
Drying time varies according to fruit or vegetable type, size of
pieces, and tray load. Rotating and turning the trays helps insure
more even drying. Food will dry faster if round vent holes on top of
lid are open.
Before testing foods for desired dryness, remove a handful and
allow sample to cool for a few minutes. Warm or hot foods seem
softer, more moist, and more pliable than when they are cooled.
Foods should be dry enough to prevent microbial growth and subsequent spoilage. Dried vegetables should be hard and brittle. Dried
fruits should be leathery and pliable. For long-term storage, home
dried fruits will need to be drier than commercially dried fruits sold in
grocery stores.
PACKING AND STORAGE
Fruits cut into a wide range of sizes should be allowed to “sweat” or
condition for a week after drying to equalize the moisture among the
pieces before placing in long term storage. To condition, place fruit
in a non-aluminum, non-plastic container and put in a dry, wellventilated and protected area. Keep away from moisture.
Dried foods should be thoroughly cooled before packing. Package
in small amounts so that food can be used soon after containers
have been opened.
Pack food without crushing into clean, dry, insect-proof containers. Glass jars or ziploc freezer bags make good containers. Metal
cans with fitted lids can be used if the dried food is first placed in a
plastic bag.
Your dehydrated food should be checked about once a month.
Should you find mold growing on a piece of the dried food, scrape it
off and then pasteurize the contents.
To pasteurize the contents, spread food on a cookie sheet and bake
in an oven for 15 minutes at 175 degrees Fahrenheit. Repack in a
clean, air-tight container.
5
RECONSTITUTING FOODS
Not all dehydrated foods need to be reconstituted. Some fruits are
preferable in their dried form. Most vegetables taste better when
reconstituted.
To reconstitute vegetables for cooking, merely wash product in
clean water, then place in an amount of cold, unsalted water and
cover. Soak 2 to 8 hours. If possible cook in same water used for
soaking. Add more water if necessary. Bring to a boil then reduce
heat to simmer until just done. Add salt as desired at end of cooking time. Salt slows down the reconstitution process. As with fresh
products, over cooking will diminish flavor and texture. To reconstitute vegetables like carrots, soak in ice water or soak in water in the
refrigerator.
Dried foods can be reconstituted by soaking, cooking, or a combination of both, and will resemble their fresh counterparts after
reconstitution. Remember dried foods are unique and should not be
expected to resemble a fresh product in every respect.
Drying does not render the food free of bacteria, yeasts, and mold.
Spoilage could occur if soaking is prolonged at room temperature.
Refrigerate if soaking for longer than 1 to 2 hours.
To conserve nutritive value, use the water remaining after soaking
and cooking as part of the liquid needed in recipes.
One cup of dried vegetables reconstitutes to about 2 cups. To
replace the moisture removed from most vegetables, barely cover
them with cold water and soak 20 minutes to 2 hours. Cover greens
with boiling water. To cook just bring vegetables to a boil and simmer until done.
A cup of dried fruit reconstitutes to about 1 1/2 cups. Add water
just to cover the fruit; add more later if needed. One to eight hours
is required to reconstitute most fruits, depending on fruit type, size
of pieces, and water temperature. Hot water takes less time. Oversoaking will produce a loss of flavor. To cook reconstituted fruit
cover and simmer in the same water they were soaked in.
Tips for optimum maintenance of nutritional value
• Blanch for the correct length of time
• Pack dried foods properly and store in a cool, dry, dark place
• Check dried foods periodically to see that moisture has not
been reabsorbed
• Eat dried foods as soon as possible
• Using liquid remaining after reconstitution in recipes
6
REMEMBER
Always use fresh, quality food and wash everything
before starting to dehydrate
1. Best results are achieved when the quality of the food is high.
Select ripe produce in good condition. Bad food may give an
off-flavor to the entire lot.
2. Clean produce is important. Wash thoroughly, remove soft or
spoiled areas, slice and pre-treat if necessary. Be certain that
your hands, cutting utensils and food preparation areas are also
clean.
3. Produce may be shredded, sliced or diced. Slices 1/4” is usually
a good size for efficient drying.
4. Drying times are affected by the size of the load, thickness of
the sliced produce, humidity of the air, and the moisture content
of the food itself. You can expect a variation in the drying times.
5. Be sure to let the produce cool before testing for dryness. To test
for dryness, cut a piece open - there should be no visible moisture inside. Fruits tend to dry leathery and vegetables dry brittle.
6. Trays may be loaded with foods barely touching but not
overlapping.
7. About 6% to 10% of the moisture may remain in foods without
danger of spoilage. Many dried foods will have a leathery consistency, rather like licorice.
8. Blanching or steaming is advisable for vegetables to inactivate
the natural enzymes responsible for undesirable color changes.
Also, it facilitates quick dehydration and reconstitution. In some
cases, blanching is necessary to crack the skins of fruits like
plums to allow moisture to escape during the dehydration.
Otherwise, the skins may harden while the fruits remain too
moist in the center.
9. It is necessary Rotate the trays every few hours (depending on
the model you have). Just move the bottom trays up and top
ones down and turn to right or left. See diagrams on pages 8-9.
10. When correctly dried, the majority of your fruits and vegetables
will be soft and pliable after dehydration - without any damp
spots. Peaches, pears, figs and dates will be pliable and
leathery. Berries, rhubarb, and apples will be more brittle.
11. To remove seeds or pits from prunes, grapes, cherries, etc.,
dehydrate about half way - then pop seeds out. This prevents
juice from dripping out.
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