Victorio™ Digital Control
Food Dehydrator
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Copyright © 2008 Victorio Kitchen Products. All Rights Reserved.
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Operating Instructions
WARNING!
Do not operate this appliance on a flammable such as a wood surface or
on any tablecloth. Do not operate this appliance on a non-heat-resistant
glass top or cutting board. It is imperative that an additional heat-resistant
cooking surface such as tile, Formica or any surface protected with a heat
resistant finish at least be placed beneath this unit. is will serve to protect
the surface beneath from heat that can generated by the food dehydrator.
SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS in a safe place.
Important Safeguards
When using electrical appliances, basic safety precautions should always be
followed, including the following:
• READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS, PRODUCT LABELS AND WARNINGS BEFORE USING
THE FOOD DEHYDRATOR.
• To protect against electrical hazards, do not immerse the cord, the plug
or the base of the dehydrator in water or other liquid. Do not wash in
sink or dishwasher.
• Close supervision is necessary when any appliance is used by or near
children.
• Unplug from outlet when not in use and before cleaning.
• Do not operate any appliance with a damaged cord or plug. If the appliance malfunctions, or if it has been damaged in any manner
, return
the appliance to an authorized service facility for repair or replacement.
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• e use of accessory attachments other than those supplied or recommended by the manufacturer may cause hazards and can void your
warranty.
• Arrange the cord so that it cannot be caught or tripped over. Do not
allow cord to hang over edge of table or counter. Keep cord away from
hot surfaces.
• is appliance is for indoor, household use only. Do not use appliance
outdoors for other than household use as described in this manual.
• is appliance is not for commercial purposes.
• Do not place dehydrator, cord, shelved or any other parts on or near a
hot gas or electric burner, or in a heated oven.
• To disconnect, turn the control to “OFF” before removing the plug
from the outlet
• Operate the dehydrator only in a clean, dust free area. Dust and dirt
can be drawn into the dehydrator and can contaminate the food being
dried.
• Do not place the dehydrator on a towel or carpet. is will reduce or
cut off the dehydrators airflow and could result in a damage to the appliance.
•
Always leave at least one inch of space around the dehydrator on all
sides for proper ventilation.
• A short power cord has been provided to reduce the hazards from
becoming entangled in or tripping over a longer cord. An extension
cord may be used if care is exercised during its use. Use an extension
cord rated at 5 amps or more. e cord should be arranged so it will
not drape over the counter or table top. Do not use an extension cord
longer than is necessary.
• Do no use more than 20 drying trays at one time.
• Do not operate near combustible or pressurized spray cans.
• is appliance has a polarized plug. One blade is wider than the other.
As a safety feature, this plug will fit in a polarized outlet only one way.
If the plug does not fit fully in the outlet, reverse the plug. If it is still
does not fit, contact a qualified electrician. Do not attempt to defeat
the safety feature.
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• To clean the heating base, unplug form wall outlet and wipe with damp
cloth or sponge and mild soap. Do not immerse base or cord in water.
Top lid and trays may be submerged in warm water and washed with
mild soap or washed in TOP rack of dishwasher only. Heat from the
drying cycle can warp trays, this is not covered by the warranty.
• Before each time you operate your food dehydrator be sure to wash and
dry the trays and any other parts which will contact the food.
• Do not operate this Food Dehydrator on a non-heat resistant glass or
wood cooking surface, or any tablecloth. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT
A HEAT RESISTANT COOKING SURFACE BE PLACED BENEA
TH THIS UNIT!
• e first time you turn on your food dehydrator you may notice an
aroma. is is normal. To avoid this smell from being transferred to the
food, place one tray and lid on the base, and follow the instructions. Allo
w the unit to run without food in place until the aroma is gone. is
is only necessary the first time you use the dehydrator and takes less
than one hour.
Congratulations on Choosing the Victorio™ Computer
Controlled Food Dehydrator
is quality appliance is designed to give you many years of use. For
best results and trouble-free service we urge you to read this entire manual.
Dehydrating—Preserving Food
ousands of years ago, one of the few ways people had to preserve foods
was by laying them out to dry in the sun. Before such modern appliances
as refrigerators and before chemical preservatives, dehydration was and
easy way to safely store foods for use at a later time when food was scarce
or not in season. Your new food dehydrator applies modern science to this
ancient art to bring you a controlled, predictable, and safe way to preserve
foods at home.
Dehydrating food opens a new dimension in preserving fruits, veg-
etables and meats to y
ou. Your new food dehydrator will be able to perfectly
capture the fresh-picked, in-season flavor and nutrition of almost any food
or out of season eating enjoyment. ese dried foods can be stored more
easily because they are less likely to spoil and they take up less room as
well. ey also weigh less making them perfect for camping or backpacking
meals. Dried fruit snacks are delicious and nutritious. Ingredients for your
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favorite soup recipes can be dried and stored which also make a great last
minute meals, ready to cook.
Your Victorio™ Food Dehydrator keeps the temperature in the drying
chamber at a computer-controlled constant. Food is bathed in constant
warm, dry air which gently removes the moisture from the food. e result
is beautifully dried food every time.
You will find that drying food is practical and economical as well as
easy. It all starts with your state of the art food dehydrator.
What is Dehydration?
Dehydration refers to a process in which moisture is removed from food, allowing the dried food to be stored safely for later use. It’s main benefit over
such ancient methods (such as salting or smoking) is that it adds no flavors
and removes few nutrients from the food being dehydrated.
When done properly, few nutrients are lost during dehydration. Accor
ding to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), dehydrating retains
95-97% of the nutrients in the original food. In contrast, canning only
preserves 20-30% and freezing only retains 40-60% of the foods nutrition.
Dehydrated food tastes good too! Since natural flavors concentrate as
you remove moisture, the dried product is naturally delicious.
As you will soon learn, reconstitution is an integral part of dehydra-
tion. R
econstitution refers to the adding of water to the dried food. When
allowed to soak in water, dried food absorbs the water and swells back to the
original size, shape and texture while retaining nearly 100% of its original
flavor and nutrition.
Tools You Need To Get Started
• Paring knife (stainless steel blade)
• Cutting board
• Storage containers
Additional tools that make the job easier and faster can include:
• A food processor or other similar appliance for faster and consistent
slicing.
• A steamer and basket, or kettle and collapsible steamer for blanching.
• Blender for making fruit puree for fruit leather.
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• A small notebook to keep track of times and recipes that work for
you as well as those that don’t.
Basic Food Preparation Tips
To Peel or Not to Peel
e peels of fruits and vegetable often contain much of the food’s nutritional value. It better not to peel if the dried food is to eaten as snacks or used in
cookies. On the other hand you will want to peel apples intended for pies or
tomatoes intended for soups. Generally, if you would normally peel the food
for a specific recipe, plan to peel the food before it is to be dehydrated.
Cutting Makes a Difference
One of the most important factors is successful dehydration is how the
foods are sliced. When drying fruits it helps to get all the slices about the
same thickness so they all dry to the same moisture level at the same time.
ick slices dry more slowly than thin slices. e thickness you choose is up
to you, but slicing all the pieces to as close to the same size as is possible will
help ensure success and consistency.
e skin of may foods naturally protects the food, but it can hamper
the dehydration process. During dehydration moisture escapes best from a
cut or broken surface, not through the tough skin. erefore, the larger the
cut area, the faster and better the food will dehydrate.
For this reason, thin stalked vegetables like green beans, asparagus, and
rhubarb should be cut in half the long way, or with an extreme diagonal cut
to expose as much of the inner parts as possible.
Fruit should be sliced across the core and not down through the core.
Try to always make thin, flat cuts.
Broccoli stems should have halved or quartered, depending upon diameter—small fr
uits like strawberries can be cut in half
. Even smaller berries
should either be cut in half or blanched slightly to break the skin.
Filling the Drying Trays
When loading the food into the trays you can use all the trays top surface,
but some airflow must be maintained. Try to place the food in a single layer
where possible. is is particularly important with foods like banana slices
and pineapple rings and not quite as important with beans. If some of the
pieces come out with too much moisture when you are finished, one of the
reasons is that it might have been covered by other pieces of food.
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Dehydration removes the moisture and will cause the foods to shrink as
it dries. is allows you to store the same amount of food in a smaller space,
but it also means that the food shrinks during the drying process, smaller
pieces can fall through the holes in the drying trays. To prevent this particularly when dr
ying chopped or shredded foods, line the trays with mesh
tray inserts before laying out the food. Chopped food should not be spread
thicker the 3/8 inch. Use a fork to expose the mesh tray insert in several
places to provide proper air circulation.
If you do not have mesh tray inserts available, use nylon netting, needle
point canvas, cheesecloth or similarly, coarse woven fabric. When lining the
tray be sure to cut an opening for the tray’s center hole. e fabric should be
food safe, allow air to pass through it, and it must be laundered before being
used. Use care when choosing fabric as sticky foods may not be able to be
easily removed, and particles from the fabric may stick to the food pieces.
It may be necessary to stir the finely chopped food once or twice during
dehydration to ensure even drying of all the pieces. To do so, turn the machine off, unplug it, r
emove the trays, stir, then reassemble and restart the
machine according to the instructions.
Preventing Dripping
Some foods such as very ripe tomatoes and citrus or sugared fruits may drip.
If too much liquid drips into the bottom of the unit it can be damage necessitating ser
vice. Additionally, the dripping from a tray above can change
the flavor of different foods on lower trays. To help lessen the dripping after
placing food on drying trays and before placing them on the dehydrator
base, tap the tray firmly downward on a towel laid on the counter top a few
times to remove excess moisture.
To catch any remaining dripping during dehydration that may occur
with very moist foods. Use fruit leather sheets places on the bottom two
trays. Alternate the sheets on one half of the two trays. Example: the left
side of the first tray and the right side of the second tray. en place these
two bottom trays on the dehydrator base before placing the remaining trays
with the food to be dried above them. When rotating trays, wipe the fruit
leather sheets, but leave the two trays at the bottom of the stack of trays.
When the food becomes dry enough so that it is no longer dripping, remove
the fruit leather sheets from the bottom trays to enhance air flow.
Do not use wax paper in place of the fruit leather sheets as the wax on
the paper will melt at dehydration temperatures which can taint the food or
damage the dehydrator. Always remember to leave the center hole of each
tray uncovered.
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How long does it take to dehydrate food?
It is impossible to give exact drying times because there are so many factors
that effect drying time. ese factors include:
• e moisture content of each food
• e thickness or size of the prepared food
• e humidity and temperature in the room where the dehydrator is
operating
• e density of the food
e food you choose also plays a part. e age of the food, where and how
the food was grown, how it has been stored along its journey to you, and
other factors all affect how long it might take to dehydrate.
But don’t worry. With a little experience you will soon be able to tell
when you are slicing the foods just about how long it will take, and which
foods will dry soonest and which will take the longest.
Here is a good example: tomatoes are normally quite juicy. eir high
moisture content will make them take longer to dry than many other foods.
On the other hand cabbage, which has a relatively low moisture level will
take a much shorter time to dry. Citrus fruits like oranges will generally take
longer than apples for the same reason.
So how do you know how long to let the foods dry? After the dehydrator r
uns for a while remove the trays and examine the foods. Don’t be afraid
to “peek”! is will help you learn about the drying process and how long
it takes. For foods with higher moisture levels like fruits and meats, check
them periodically after about the first four hours of drying time. Foods with
a lower starting moisture content like herbs and leafy vegetables or chopped
and shredded foods may dry sooner so need to be checked after about two
or three hours and more often after that. You will soon get the “feel” for
how long foods take to dry.
Don’t worry, though. It is better to over dry the food then leave too
much moisture in it. Moist foods are more likely to spoil during storage.
If foods have been over dried and seem brittle or slightly browned they are
still usable for soups or most baked goods. ey may take slightly longer
to reconstitute and require additional water, but their flavor and quality is
generally not impaired.
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