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DEHYDRATING FOODS
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Mra. A. Louise Andrea
DEHYDRATING FOODS
FRUITS, VEGETABLES, FISH
AND MEATS
THE NEW, EASY, ECONOMICAL AND SUPERIOR
METHOD OF PRESERVING ALL KINDS
OF FOOD MATERIALS
WITH A COMPLETE LINE OF GOOD RECIPES
FOR EVERYDAY USE
By A. LOUISE ANDREA
LECTURER UPON FOODS AND COOKERY AT PANAMA-PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL
EXPOSITION, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. OFFICIAL LECTURER UPON
FOODS, COOKERY AND CANNING FOR NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL
EXPOSITION, NEW YORK CITY. AWARDED P. P. I. E. DIPLOMA
AND GOLD MEDAL AS LECTURER UPON FOODS AND
INSTRUCTOR IN COOKERY. AUTHOR OF
CANNING AND PRESERVING"
HOME
THE CORNHILL COMPANY
BOSTON, U. S. A.
&X K\
Copyright, 1920, by
THE CORNHILL COMPANY
All rights reserved, including that of translation
into foreign languages, including
the Scandinavian
A FOREWORD
THE NEW FOOD ECONOMY
We have passed through a long and trying experi-
mental stage of saving foods by dehydration. At last,
means and methods have not only been perfected, but
are at the service of every one.
Dehydration may be accomplished easily and suc-
cessfully, both in the kitchen and in commercial plants,
— by the bushel or by the ton, as the case may be.
For several years patient and unceasing work has
been done along this line in order to attain the desired
results, and personally I acknowledge with grateful
appreciation the kindly co-operation and suggestions
from Messrs. George Hillard Benjamin, O. H. Benson,
Woodford Brooks, Joseph S. Caldwell, H. C. Gore,
S. C. Prescott, Lou D. Sweet, the late Waldron
Williams, F. G. Wiechmann and other sincere and
able investigators.
Moreover, in writing upon the development of de-
hydration in the United States, it is only just to pay a
sincere tribute to the altruistic and laudable efforts
of Mrs. Oliver Harriman in behalf of this beneficent
work.
A. LOUISE ANDREA,
New York.
CONTENTS
PAGE
List of Illustrations ix
CHAPTER
I. Regarding Dehydration 1
II. Uses for Dehydrated Products . . .19
III. For Pets and Domesticated Animals ... 26
IV. Dehydrating in Large Quantities ... 29
V. Packing and Preservation 41
VI. Dehydrating at Home, followed by General
Hints and Data 45
VII. Directions for Home Dehydrating (Vegetables) 66
VIII. Vegetable Flours and Meals 86
IX. Home Dehydrating (Fruits) 88
X. Cooking Directions 95
XI. Soups 99
XII. Vegetable and Pudding Sauces and Salad Dress-
ings 105
XIII. One-Dish Dinners . . . . . . .114
XIV. Recipes for Using Dehydrated Vegetables . . 118
XV. Recipes for Using Dehydrated Fruits . . .172
Addenda — Practical Suggestions 196
Index 201
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Mrs. A. Louise Andrea Frontispiece
FACING PAQH
Diploma awarded with Gold Medal to A. Louise Andrea
at Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San
Francisco 4
Mrs. Andrea's Testing Kitchen, New York City . . 5
A Conveyor Dryer in which Loading and Drying are
done automatically, the Idea being to save Labor
Costs 32
The Harrison Dryer 33
Mrs. Oliver Harriman dehydrating Vegetables from her
Country Estate 40
A Type of Tray Dryer 41
A Really Efficient Home Dehydrator .... 49
Spinach, before and after Drying 50
String Beans, before and after Drying .... 50
A Dryer with Canvas Walls. A Cheap and very Effi-
cient Dryer; Curtains can be lifted as desired . 60
A Conveyor Dryer 61
Canned Pears, before and after Drying ... 66
White Squash ,67
Onions, before and after Drying 67
DEHYDRATING FOODS
DEHYDRATING FOODS
CHAPTER I
REGARDING DEHYDRATION
The dehydration of foods is one of the most im-
portant considerations in the world. It is the means of
preserving foods quickly, cheaply and perfectly, and it
will save thousands of tons of garden, orchard and farm
produce which have gone to waste hitherto.
By dehydration, all kinds of foods — fish, meats,
fruits and vegetables, and even milk and eggs — may
be reduced to a fraction of their original weight and
bulk. Moreover, when properly dehydrated, the foods
maintain not only their nutritive properties, but their
flavorings and colorings as well, being far superior to
canned products in this regard.
Those of us who have worked practically at dehydra-
tion and with dehydrated products realize that this
art or science is bound to effect a revolution in our
means and methods of food preservation, and interest
in dehydration and appreciation of its possibilities are
spreading rapidly throughout the world.
During my lectures upon foods and cookery during
the past two years most of the questions coming from
DEHYDRATING FOODS
the audiences were about dehydration, or "drying"
as the majority consider it, while I have people calling
at my testing kitchen almost daily regarding systems
and methods, among them being visitors from Cuba,
South American countries, Italy, France, Great Britain
and Canada, in addition to those from all over the
United States.
There is a very essential difference between drying
and dehydration, and this fact must be recognized.
As we know, all food materials are composed of myriads
of tiny cells, these cells holding flavorings, colorings
and nutrients, together with a large percentage of
fluid — practically water. The problem has been how
to extract the water from the cells without causing
chemical changes and loss of essential principles.
Broadly speaking, dehydration is a method of ex-
tracting the water quickly without rupturing the mem-
branes or cell walls. Thus only the water is taken away,
and the volatiles, the flavoring essences, the colorings
and the nutritive properties are left in the cells. It is
just the principle of osmosis (a sweating, as it may be
termed), and when the dehydrated or dehumidified
products are soaked in water for a time their cells
absorb moisture, and furnish, to all intents and pur-
poses, fresh food materials which may be cooked and
dealt with just as could be the original raw foods.
Drying, on the other hand, is a slow process, — so
slow that the cell walls crack and open, allowing the
volatiles and aromatics to escape and the coloring prin-
ciples to change; hence the flavor and appearance of
2
REGARDING DEHYDRATION
dried products are not and cannot be equal to those of
dehydrated products.
As tangible evidence of this we will consider grass
and hay. Hay is dried grass, and even though you
soak hay in water you cannot "restore' it, whereas
dehydrated grass "comes back" fresh, green and succu-
lent.
Let us take dried apples as another example. Dried
apple pie is always dried apple pie, as every one can
tell upon tasting it, whereas pie made from dehydrated
apples yields a dish that is really fresh apple pie, and
it cannot be distinguished from pie made with the
fresh-cut fruit.
To emphasize still further the conspicuous merits
of dehydrated fruits and vegetables, I have often
served dehydrated products and strictly fresh ones at
the same meal, and no one could t^ll which was which.
Recently a food commissioner from a neighboring coun-
try wrote to ask me what I thought of dehydration, and
what plant or system of dehydration could I recom-
mend. I replied that the subject was too important to
deal with satisfactorily by correspondence, but that
if he would call at my testing kitchen in New York he
could see my exhibit of dehydrated products, — fish,
oysters, meats and almost every fruit and vegetable
grown in the United States, and that we could then
discuss the technical details of dehydration to good
advantage.
This man came and brought another food official
with him, whereupon I prepared a luncheon at which
3
DEHYDRATING FOODS
were served fresh-picked carrots, spinach, turnips and
cabbage, the latter chopped finely and served raw with
a dressing, as cabbage salad. At the meal I served the
same things dehydrated, the carrots and spinach having
been dehydrated a couple of years previously. My
guests confessed that they could not tell which were the
fresh vegetables and which were the dehydrated ones.
Finally, one of them said, "Oh, Mrs. Andrea can
make anything taste good," but while I appreciated
the compliment, I protested very promptly, saying
that he was not being fair to dehydrated products,
because all can cook and serve dehydrated products
that will be just as delicious as fresh-picked stuff,
provided that they will follow simple rules and direc-
tions. And, as it happened, in this particular instance
my maid had prepared everything under my directions,
so the whole thing was really a sincere tribute to
dehydration.
As drying is a more convenient term to use, we will
consider it for our purpose herein as dehydration, desic-
cation or dehumidifying; consequently, when the word
"drying" is used it is to be understood in its restricted
sense.
I have tested samples of dehydrated fruits and
vegetables from Denmark, Germany, Russia and other
European countries, but find that over there they
precook everything before dehydrating it. This means
a great loss in flavor and appearance, and when the
precooking has involved a boiling process a large per-
centage of the valuable nutrients and solubles escape
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REGARDING DEHYDRATION
into the water, with consequent and material loss of
desirable properties.
We have improved vastly over the European meth-
ods, for we dehydrate most of our produce raw, with
few exceptions, such as potato, beets and corn, the
latter being steamed only long enough to set the milk.
Just a word of caution will be a propos here. There
is dehydration and what many people mistake for
dehydration, the latter being improperly and imper-
fectly done. The produce must be dried "below the
enzyme stage" and throughout; uniformly from centre
to surface. That is to say, there must not be enough
moisture left to permit of fermentation or mold, but
at the same time there must be a sufficient percentage
of moisture left in the products so that they will
"restore" as they should.
Already, many people have met with disastrous losses
through trying to put dehydrated products on the
market in packages, without realizing the importance
of the foregoing. The products molded and spoiled,
and in many cases developed grub worms and insects,
all of which meant loss and disappointment to the
packers, and distrust of dehydrated products on the
part of the public.
This need not be a source of discouragement, however,
for proper dehydration and treatment of the products
overcome these troubles, and we must remember that
when canned foods were first put on the market, con-
stant spoilage and loss occurred until the packers
learned the means and methods now employed by them.
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Of course, reasonable care must be exercised in regard
to keeping foods that have been dehydrated, for nothing
in Nature will stand abuse or mistreatment. As an
instance of this I was once called into consultation with
some people who were putting out dehydrated milk
(milk powders) on a large scale. They were having
constant trouble with their customers, with bakers
especially, who claimed that while they realized what
milk powders could do when used in their bread, cake
and other mixtures, the powders became rancid and
unusable, so that they would not experiment with them
any farther. Upon visiting these dissatisfied bakers
I found that after having purchased the powdered
milk in barrel lots they were keeping these barrels
open, and close to radiators, ovens and other sources
of heat, so no wonder rancidity and spoilage ensued.
When this little matter of cause and effect was
pointed out, and their future supplies were kept in
dry, cool and suitable places, no further complaints
were received, and the business has grown to enormous
proportions.
In concluding this chapter I would say that while
those who have worked with dehydration, and have
used properly dehydrated products, become enthusiastic
converts to this form of food preservation, as the sub-
ject is so new and as yet comparatively little known,
I will now quote statements regarding dehydration
from various authorities in support of my own views
and claims.
6
REGARDING DEHYDRATION
General Realization coming
As a people we have not yet realized that for many decades
we have been paying millions of dollars annually for water
that we did not want, — water that we might just as easily
have had well-nigh for nothing, by working the pump or
turning on the faucet.
Take, for instance, a case of canned tomatoes costing about
$4 and containing two dozen tins, each weighing 2 pounds.
The canner's outlay for the tomatoes themselves did not ex-
ceed 15 cents. In other words, the ultimate consumer is
spending $3.85 for 15 cents worth of tomatoes, and probably
full 90 per cent of each 2-pound can is tin and water —
mostly water.
The economic wastage becomes still more conspicuous
when you realize that a tax in the way of freight charges is
being levied for the transportation of every pound of that
water, and of the cans and boxes that make it possible to
ship the tomatoes in that form. The canned tomato is no
whit more palatable or nourishing than its dried rival. The
24-can case tips the scales at 60 pounds, while the same
quantity of the vegetable when dried weighs only 2j pounds,
and can be packed in pasteboard containers.
Probably the sacrifices due to the water content of the
canned product can be made even plainer. It is practicable
to ship dried in 1 car what it would take 30 cars to carry of
the canned goods. In a carload of canned tomatoes there are
10,000 pounds of tin and 14,000 pounds of lumber, a total of
24,000 pounds, and for 30 cars freight would have to be paid
on 360 tons of materials that could in no wise help the hungry
consumer. An expert has further elaborated upon the wastage
and lost motion involved. He says: "There is the movement
of the tin-making material from the mines to the tin-plate
DEHYDRATING FOODS
factory, and the movement of the tin plate from the tin-
plate factory to the tin-can plant; and the movement of the
logs to the sawmill and of the lumber thence to the box
shook works, and the shooks from there to the cannery. The
aggregate of this service gives us 105 carloads as against 1
carload of dried vegetables." The cardboard containers
are made from waste material, and the cartons, folded flat,
capable of holding a carload of desiccated vegetables, can be
carried in a very small space.
Last year we raised 400,106,000 bushels of potatoes, and
from government sources we learn that only about 32 per
cent of our total potato crop ever moves out of the territory
in which the tubers are grown. A staggering percentage of
the potatoes are scrapped or fed to cattle simply because they
are not first class, measured by market standards, or it is
impossible to ship them away to other districts for human
consumption.
The potato is 78 per cent water in its edible portion. In
Germany they dried in the course of twelve months, according
to the latest available reports, 800,000,000 bushels, sub-
stantially twice as many potatoes as we raise in the whole
United States annually. Every pound of those desiccated
potatoes was 100 per cent foodstuff, and could be kept many
months without deterioration. This was apart from the
potatoes which were utilized in the ordinary fresh condition.
Again, for fresh vegetables shipped long distances we pay
extravagantly. This is to cover spoiling in transit or pres-
ervation while on the road, besides taking care of the trans-
portation charges. A western grower urged Congress about
a year ago to take steps to promote dehydration in this
country. According to him: "Just before I left California
I saw a shipment of 50 pounds of green sprouts about to be
despatched to some point east where the express rate is
8
REGARDING DEHYDRATION
12 cents a pound. In order to ship that 50 pounds of green
sprouts they had to include a 100-pound cake of ice, and
to pay on that ice at the same rate, making a total express
outlay of $18. The whole 50 pounds could have been dried
and mailed by parcel post, the package weighing 3 pounds
and calling for 35 cents in stamps." — The Sun, New York.
The United States Department of Agriculture informs us
that fully 50 per cent of all the vegetables and fruits grown in
America never reach the consumer. They rot on the ground.
This tremendous loss is due to difficulties of transportation
combined with the fact that only the fanciest quality of
fruits and vegetables will pass final market inspection for
profitable shipping and trading.
The American dehydrating processes now encouraged
would conserve every particle of these waste products, con-
tributing tremendously thereby to the wealth of the farm,
and adding thousands of tons of perfect foods to the nation's
dietary.
The value of vegetables and fruits because of their flavor,
fiber and indispensable alkaline salts is recognized by scien-
tists all over the world. Their use is essential to the physical
welfare of soldiers, sailors and civilians.
In the dehydrated products the food elements, the al-
bumens, starches, sugars, fats, oil and salts suffer no impair-
ment of their food value. The food cells and cell membranes
are not injured, but retain their normal function.
The dehydrated product after immersion in water resumes
its original freshness and appearance, retains its original
coloring principles, its essential oils and other volatile con-
stituents.
The drying process so imprisons the delicate bouquet and
the fine flavor of the raspberry that the manufacturers of
9
DEHYDRATING FOODS
pure fruit extracts actually prefer the dehydrated berry to
the fresh berry. The reason for this is very simple. The
extract manufacturer has to wait from two to five days after
the berry is picked before he can put his hands upon it. On
the other hand, when picked fresh and put into the dehydrat-
ing machine right on the farm or in a near-by plant the full
flavor and bouquet of the berry is sealed up at once and
remains sealed up until it is again released by its bath in
cold water before cooking.
What is true with regard to the raspberry is also true with
regard to apples, apricots, figs, peaches, pears, plums, cherries,
quinces, strawberries, blackberries, huckleberries, currants,
grapes, rhubarb, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, pumpkin, corn,
peas, mushrooms, string beans, horseradish, herbs, etc. —
The Globe, New York.
Dehydration is the science of removing water from vege-
tables and fruits. There are two methods, — the German,
which cooks the vegetable with live steam before drying, to
break down the starch cells, and the American, which dries
by passing hot air over the product. There is no loss of taste,
color or food value with the American process. Virtually
all fruits and vegetables can be dehydrated and they will
keep indefinitely. — General Facts about Dehydration,
published by the food for france fund, new york
City.
In order that the layman may realize something of what
dehydration involves, it might be well to show how large a
part water plays in some staple fruits and vegetables. Let
us tabulate these for easier reference.
10
REGARDING DEHYDRATION
Water
Content
(Per
Cent)
Water
Content
(Per
Cent)
Asparagus,
94.0
Lettuce,
94.7
Apple,
85.0
Onion,
87.9
Banana,
74.0
Potato,
78.6
Beet,
87.0
Spinach,
92.3
Cucumber,
96.0
Strawberry,
86.0
Cabbage, .
91.6
Tomato,
94.3
Carrot,
86.5
Turnip,
65.0
Grape,
77.0
The housewife pays for all of this water at exactly the
same rate per pound as she does for the food content. Fur-
thermore, the nutritive value of dried fruits and vegetables
increases directly as the percentage of water diminishes.
Plainly we are dietary spendthrifts when we insist upon
fresh produce, and it is evident that we can effect a very
handsome saving if we will content ourselves in the cold
seasons with dehydrated products.
By the latest American process the products to be dried
are commonly treated within a very few hours after they
have been gathered; in fact, they reach the so-called dry-
ventors far fresher than most of us know such commodities.
We have to wait at times days before they come to the table,
and nearly every hour after picking there is measurable
deterioration and loss of flavor.
The ultimate products when soaked in water, as they
should be for a short time before cooking, regain their original
form, and taste as crisp and fresh and full-flavored as though
11
DEHYDRATING FOODS
newly gathered. Of course, the dried foodstuffs occupy but
a small part of the space taken up by the original fresh
produce.
For example, a barrel of dried mixed vegetables that will
make first-class soup weighs but 100 pounds and will provide
a steaming plate for 7,000 persons. Before drying, these
vegetables fill something like 30 barrels. This saving in
weight and bulk is a matter of especial importance now be-
cause of car shortage and railway congestion. — The
Herald, New York.
And the weight of expert opinion is emphatically that we
are about to decide in favor of a revolution; that we are
about to institute a change in our mechanism of food supply
more fundamental in its nature, and more far-reaching in its
results, than anything since the invention of the tin can
itself. We are going to discard the whole elaborate system
of preserving our food in condition to eat; instead of wetting
it down and cobking it before preservation, we are going to
dry it out thoroughly, and, in all but a few cases, preserve it
raw. Dehydration is the word. — American Cookery, Bos-
ton, Mass.
And last, but not least, there are various types of dryers
for home use, so that the housekeeper can see and learn how
to dry or dehydrate her fruits and vegetables so that they
can be "restored" by simply soaking in water at any time
during the winter. The original orchard and garden fresh
flavors and colors will be in them to perfection, for proper
drying means that merely the water content has been removed
without rupturing the cell walls or changing the flavors,
colors and nutritive properties. It is a pleasant considera-
tion that no winter day can prove so cold and dreary but
that you can have the cheer and good things of summer time
12
REGARDING DEHYDRATION
on the home table by means of dehydrated products. — The
Tribune, New York.
The one great lesson taught by the special instruction train
to promote food preservation, which was visited by hundreds
of persons last evening at the Erie station, is that of dehy-
drating foods. Everything from peas to prunes, including to-
matoes, asparagus, spinach, carrots, beans, pineapple, squash,
can be dehydrated to advantage, eliminating the need for
tin cans, glass jars and sugar, and absolutely doing away
with the waste resulting from "spoiled" jars.
Absolutely every bit of the dried fruits and vegetables in
the train had been "put up" by Mrs. A. Louise Andrea. Mrs.
Andrea received first prize for everything she canned and
preserved at the San Francisco fair. Mrs. Andrea spoke
informally to the groups of interested women who gathered
around her, answered questions, and explained many of
her little discoveries which make her work so successful. —
The News, Newburgh, N. Y.
Drying of garden products, however, is going to make the
amount of food stored away for next winter's use much
larger than it would be otherwise. This old-new idea of
food drying has taken forcible hold of the American people.
Revived at this time of imperative need, it has appealed to
every one through its practicability. Food so prepared is
wholesome, palatable and extremely cheap. From being the
preoccupation of scientists, the subject of food drying has
come to be, next to the war itself, the biggest topic of the
day.
Mr. Lou D. Sweet, president of the Potato Association of
America, says on this subject: "Dehydration has come to
stay in this country, and those who are familiar with the
problem of food production and conservation are firm in the
13
DEHYDRATING FOODS
opinion that we are seeing only the beginning of what is sure
to expand into an enormous and important industry. Every
encouragement, therefore, should be given to home drying,
in order that the people may become familar with the excel-
lence of the products which may be prepared by this method,
and to save the vast quantities of excellent food which goes
to waste for lack of adequate means of conservation." —
Charles Lathrop Pack, President, National War Gar-
den Commission.
A single pound of dried tomatoes or cabbage is equal to
10 pounds of the fresh vegetable, and at least that number
of pounds of the canned. A paper carton of dried tomatoes,
no larger than a package of breakfast food, and weighing
%\ pounds, is equivalent, in food values, to an entire case
of canned tomatoes, containing two dozen cans, weighing
60 pounds. When cooked, each will make the same volume
of food.
The use of dried vegetables in cafes, hotels and clubs
carries with it many advantages. It enables the chef to
have on hand, at all times and to meet any emergency de-
mand, a supply of all varieties of vegetables. The compact-
ness and lightness of these dried vegetables avoids the ne-
cessity of maintaining large storage rooms, often refrigerated,
for a tin of dried vegetables weighing 10 pounds, and occupy-
ing less than £ cubic feet of space, will provide enough food
for a thousand persons at one meal. As the food is non-
perishable, it can be carried on the pantry shelves indefi-
nitely without deterioration, and when wanted for use the
soaking of a few handfuls in water will render the vegetable
ready for cooking.
Practically every variety of fresh vegetable is now being
successfully dried. In the big drying plants on the Pacific
14
REGARDING DEHYDRATION
coast all kinds of vegetables, berries and fruits are de-
hydrated.
The best proof of the utility of evaporated vegetables is
shown by the kind of institutions which use them. Famous
hotels, clubs and cafes from Maine to California are using
them regularly in their service, and many of the leading
chefs of the country have testified to the merits of the new
form of food. In New York the Manhattan and Ritz-Carlton
hotels use evaporated vegetables, and the same is true of the
Willard in Washington, the Palace and St. Francis in San
Francisco, and many others throughout the country. An
equally large list of prominent clubs and cafes have become
converted to the new product.
The owners of ocean-going vessels are also becoming in-
terested in evaporated vegetables for use in feeding the
passengers and crews during a voyage. The great saving
in space, their wide variety, and other advantages have led
some of the large operating companies on the Pacific coast
to try out the products, and all of them report the results as
being most satisfactory. — The Steward, New York.
The advantages of dehydration are almost too obvious to
require extended statement. Most evident of all is the loss
in weight. All the vegetables in common use contain from
65 to 95 per cent of water. The dehydrated product made
from these vegetables should contain from 5 to 10 per cent
of water. There is, therefore, a very large reduction in
weight and consequent saving in the transportation charges,
which in general are based upon weight.
Similarly there is a loss in bulk amounting to from 50 to
80 per cent of the bulk of the raw material. The importance
of these factors to railroads in times of congestion such as
we have just passed through, or to ships in overseas service,
15
DEHYDRATING FOODS
is very evident. In the mere matter of sending food to
armies, one ship could easily carry the vegetable requirements
which in the green or fresh state would take from 10 to 25
ships.
From the standpoint of agriculture the greatest advantage
of dehydration undoubtedly appears in the stabilization of
crops and the conservation of materials. Under the present
conditions we are confronted by either a feast or a famine.
If we consider potatoes as the most typical root crop, it is a
matter of experience that a year in which we get a very large
harvest and consequently low prices is likely to be followed
by a lean year with a small crop and high prices. This
pendulum swing goes on decade after decade. With de-
hydration the excess of the years of great yield can be stored
up and made available in the following year, when prices
are higher and the crop much smaller. After a short time
this would tend to equalize the amount of planting, and,
other things being equal, to give us year by year a sufficient
quantity of food materials at normal prices.
The second great advantage is in the conservation of food
materials. It is estimated that over 50 per cent of the fruits
and vegetables grown in this country now never reach the
consumer, as a result of poor transportation facilities, irregu-
larities in marketing or other causes. By making use of the
process of dehydration the second quality materials could
be preserved by drying, and made available for human
food and not allowed to rot and waste. Again, taking the
potato as typical, those of classes 2 and 3 (culls) could be
used for the manufacture of dehydrated potato and potato
flour, a product which has not yet received in this country
the attention which it deserves, but which is now being
manufactured to some extent in a number of different parts
of the country.
16
REGARDING DEHYDRATION
A third factor of importance in the relation of dehydration
to agriculture lies in the fact that a better diversity of crops
can be secured, and as a result of this there will be a good
variety of the vegetables which are the equivalent of fresh
materials available to poor and rich throughout the year.
This means practically better feeding for the people at large,
evening up of prices, and the prevention of famine or great
food shortage as a result of poor crops in any particular
location. — Maj. S. C. Prescott, United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture.
Dehydration of fruits and vegetables is a field offering great
possibilities, once processes have been developed to make
good products. Millions of pounds of water are being carried
about in this country every day in freight cars at high rates,
in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables. The water not
only costs consumers millions of dollars in freight and bulk,
but is the chief factor in decay and freezing. By good proc-
esses of dehydration, which are now being perfected, apples
and berries can be made dry as chips, and potatoes and
cabbage likewise. A bushel of potatoes in the form of dried*
flakes can be carried home under your arm in a tin can. No
peeling, no freezing, no decay, no waste. Millions of pounds
of such potatoes were dehydrated in America and sent to the
Allies. In a little tin you will soon buy mixtures of dehydrated
vegetables, six or eight different kinds, for soup. — The
Saturday Evening Post.
I am deeply interested in the industry of desiccated vege-
tables and fruits. I believe that the general use of such
products by the general public would be highly beneficial.
The rapidity with which the samples are dried and the low
temperature employed secure the full value of these products
17
DEHYDRATING FOODS
in so far as their vitamine and antiscorbutic properties are
concerned. — Dr. Harvey W. Wiley.
In my opinion, gathered from my own experiments and
the evidence gathered in Germany, the food values of dried
vegetables remain the same as fresh. Regarding the so-
called vitamines, the leaf vegetables, such as cabbage, spin-
ach and cauliflower, contain more than do the fruits and
other vegetables, but owing to the high prices in wintertime
the consumer with a limited pocketbook is going to buy
the grain products he considers essential and cut out these
green leaf vegetables. This is a great mistake. Children par-
ticularly, and even the grown-ups, need this particular sub-
stance which occurs in largest amount in these green vege-
tables which will not be bought by consumers during the
high-priced season, hence my great interest in the possibility
of converting these leaf vegetables during the season when
they are very cheap into an imperishable commodity which
everybody can buy when fresh vegetables are too expen-
sive in the winter season. — Professor McCollum of
Rockefeller Institute of Hygiene.
18
CHAPTER II
USES FOR DEHYDRATED PRODUCTS
As intimated previously, almost everything which
may be eaten can be dehydrated. As a matter of
fact, 1 have succeeded with everything but watermelon,
in which the percentage of moisture is so excessive and
the cellular structure so delicate that I must exclude
watermelon from the practicabilities, albeit the rind
may be dehydrated for future use in pickles and con-
serves. While it would seem that the tomato comes
in the "impossible" category, nevertheless, the tomato
can be dehydrated to good advantage, in quarters if
the tomatoes are small, or sliced, and then ground
into powder, if desired, the latter being the best for
soups and sauces. Directions for making these are
given elsewhere in this volume.
Whether for commercial purposes or for home use,
it must be realized that through dehydration the
finest and freshest of farm and garden produce is
always available for the bleak winter months, and
for use where such produce cannot be grown. One
can have young, tender beans, fresh peas, sweet corn,
succulent, tender spinach, tropical dainties and a
multitude of other food things at any time during
the winter, and at any place whatever, all preserved
at their freshest and best, and when cheap and plenti-
ful. In fact, in many districts produce develops so
19
DEHYDRATING FOODS
rapidly and in such abundance during the summer that
it can be often had for the mere picking, and those
having farms and gardens may dehydrate in their
kitchens such small amounts of fruits and vegetables
as it would not pay to put up by a canning process,
but which can be saved to perfection and without cost
by simply using a little home dehydrator over a kitchen
range.
Those intending to do dehydration on a commercial
scale are naturally interested in the possible sources
of their raw materials and markets for the finished
goods. I do not think that at first it would be advisable
to try to sell small package lots to housewives and
families, for the time and expense involved would
hardly warrant this. Worth-while quantities may be
easily sold to hotels, restaurants, clubs, camps, board-
ing schools, hospitals and other institutions, however,
and to the supply departments of railroads, steamships
and sailing vessels. The advantages of such products
are so many and so obvious that but little salesmanship
is necessary, for it is a matter of obtaining fresh produce
which is already cleaned and ready for use, which takes
up little storage space, and at a positive saving of
cost and labor to the purchasers.
The tremendous reduction in space and weight is
all-important as far as dining cars and ships are con-
cerned. Many of the latter heretofore have been
going without fresh fruits and vegetables on account
of lack of room and refrigeration, to the detriment of
both passengers and crews. But where a truck load
20
USES FOR DEHYDRATED PRODUCTS
of good, fresh produce has been reduced to a mere
case or barrel, all the previous objections are done
away with, and dehydrated fruits and vegetables will
be carried and served, thus preventing scurvy and
other ailments, and adding materially to the health,
efficiency and happiness of all concerned.
To prove my point I am constantly receiving letters
asking where good dehydrated products can be secured.
The following, from one of the largest corporations in
the United States, is an example : —
Dear Mrs. Andrea : — We are operating a large con-
cession in South America, and are obliged to transport to
our workers there commissary supplies. These have to go
up a long river in gasoline boats and then on mule back. It
has occurred to us that we might use to advantage dehydrated
vegetables in this connection, and write you, as we under-
stand that you have done a great deal of work in connection
with the dehydration of vegetables, to ask if you can inform
us the name and address of manufacturers of best grade of
these products. We will greatly appreciate any information
you can give us.
Other profitable channels are opening up, such as
the furnishing of basic materials for jams, jellies,
syrups and extracts, for the fruits employed therein
may be dehydrated and set aside to be used when
convenient, and the resultant products are in no wise
inferior to those made from the fresh fruits.
There is no need of worry as to the outcome of
a dehydration business, properly conducted. In the
first place, it is dealing wTith a necessary factor in
21
i DEHYDRATING FOODS
life, namely, food. No matter what happens, whether
wars, revolution or business depressions, every one
must eat. Jewelry, books and even clothing may be
unsalable at times, but where food of the finest and
best quality can be supplied in convenient form, and
at such a saving of labor, spoilage, space, bulk and
weight, there will always be purchasers aplenty, and as
dehydrated products become more appreciated, as they
are bound to be, the number of purchasers will con-
stantly increase.
Nor need the competition of home dehydrators be
feared. While there will be plenty of home dehydra-
tion done, this will not appreciably affect dehydration
done on a large and commercial scale any more than
home canning has prevented packers from doing a
world-wide business, and in many instances acquiring
large fortunes.
In marketing dehydrated products, while little
argument will have to be used, as the facts speak for
themselves, there will always be a certain amount of
demonstration necessary, showing the dehydrated
product in both its dried and restored forms. Occa-
sionally a cooked demonstration will be demanded,
which can be given very easily, quickly and success-
fully, if done according to directions and recipes given
later on.
People are astonished at seeing for the first time how
wonderfully fruits and vegetables "come back."
Indeed, it is a modern food miracle, hence this compari-
son should be in evidence as a selling factor.
22
USES FOR DEHYDRATED PRODUCTS
As it takes a little time to restore the products, it
is neither convenient nor economical to restore samples
constantly, for being restored in plain water and
having come back to their original state or condition
they will naturally spoil in the course of two or three
days, just as fresh-cut foods would, and of course in
hot weather decomposition would take place more
quickly than during the winter months.
To have the comparison in convenient and econom-
ical form, however, you can allow the fruits and vege-
tables to soak in water for the required time, and
when they are restored put them into small bottles
or jars full of fresh water, to which a few drops of
formaldehyde are added. I have tried many preserva-
tives and find formaldehyde to be the most satisfactory
for this purpose. Just a few drops are to be added,
however, — not more than three drops to a 2-ounce
bottle, or five or six drops to a half-pint jar. If more
than this is added the products will darken and lose
their fresh, attractive appearance. The bottles must
be tightly corked, while if jars are used rubber rings
must be employed and sealing done just as in canning.
Bear in mind, also, that formaldehyde is poison, so these
display products are not to be eaten, but are merely to
show how dehydrated foods will "come back.'3
In making a selling demonstration, a very con-
vincing part of the exhibit may be a tin of canned
spinach purchasable at any store carrying a good
stock of canned goods. Then in a small open can you
may have a small amount of spinach dehydrated. In
23
DEHYDRATING FOODS
my exhibit I have an ordinary can of spinach which
contains 1 pound and 14 ounces, as printed on the
label according to legal requirements. It is a large
can, No. 3 size, and adjoining it I have a tiny can of
dehydrated spinach which contains just as much of
the actual vegetable as the large can does. This shows
at a glance the astonishing difference in size, bulk and
weight between canned and dehydrated goods. More-
over, the dehydrated spinach, like other foods pre-
served in this manner, may be kept in a paper bag, a
cardboard box, jar or other receptacle. The canned
spinach contains a very large percentage of water,
which the consumer must pay for, whereas for de-
hydrated spinach the chef or housekeeper simply
draws the water from a faucet or well, adding it as
desired. Furthermore, when the ordinary can of
spinach has been opened its entire contents must be
used up quickly or they will spoil, whereas with the
dehydrated spinach a woman can use any portion she
pleases, according to the needs of the moment, and
the rest will keep for some future occasion. I have a
stock of dehydrated spinach which has been in a
cardboard container for three years, and it still comes
back and cooks up perfectly.
Following this subject of spinach still further, there
is another advantage of the dehydrated as against the
basket of fresh spinach for the hotel man or housewife.
When one buys a basket of spinach there come with
it roots, dirt and usually many decayed leaves, with
weeds thrown in for good measure occasionally. Last,
24
USES FOR DEHYDRATED PRODUCTS
but not least, there is the arduous and disagreeable
task of picking the spinach over, selecting the edible
portions and then washing them, and unless washed
very thoroughly and in a certain way the spinach
will be gritty when it goes on the table. So, in addi-
tion to the labor involved, by the time the spinach has
been picked and washed a large portion of it has
been rejected, whereas the dehydrated product comes
picked over, cleaned and in compact form all ready
to cook, for spinach does not need any soaking in
order to restore it, but the necessary water can be
added and the cooking proceeded with immediately.
To further exemplify how dried foods save space,
glass and tin here are the results of some tests made
in the Tribune Laboratory : —
Raw
Canned .r
Dried
Peaches,
2 pounds, 8
1 quart or 2 pounds,
K pint or 6
ounces.
4 ounces.
ounces.
Peas, ....
1 pound, 4
1 pint or 1 pound.
M pint or 4
ounces.
ounces.
Carrots,
2 pounds.
1 quart or 1 pound,
14 ounces.
1 pint or 4 ounces.
Tomatoes,
2 pounds, 6
2 pints or 2 pounds,
}/i pint or 2lA
ounces.
4 ounces.
ounces.
Corn, ....
1 pound, 6
1 pint or 1 pound, 5
}/2 pint or 4
ounces.
ounces.
ounces.
Apples (quart),
2 pounds, 4
1 quart or 1 pound,
V2 pint or 33^
ounces.
12 ounces.
ounces.
Where it is intended to market the products in
packages, a good trade name is advisable, for this can
be quickly established as a valuable asset. As ex-
amples of trade names there are registered and in use
already, "Dryfresh," "Adwater" and "Cellsealed."
25
CHAPTER III
FOR PETS AND DOMESTICATED ANIMALS
Our bird and animal friends and their owners will
profit through this new method of preserving grasses,
herbs, fruits and vegetables.
As I have already stated, grass can be dehydrated
and then restored to excellent condition. This will
be welcome news to many people wTho have pet cats,
especially to those living in places where the animals
are deprived of outdoor exercise and such pasturage
as even cats love and can obtain here and there in
winter. To be perfectly healthy a cat needs a little
grass at times and an occasional morsel of catnip or
some other herb.
I have made many cats and their owners happy
through a little present of some dehydrated grass
and dehydrated catnip. The grass allowed to soak
for a couple of hours looks, and doubtless tastes,
like June grass. Certainly the cats appreciate it, and
as for the spray of catnip dehydrated and then re-
stored, the little animals' relish of it is very agreeable
to behold.
The same thing holds true with herbs. These have
a fragrance, flavor and value such as many of the old
dried herbs cannot possibly furnish, and while I have
not taken up, as yet, the subject of dehydrated herbs
26
FOR ANIMALS
for general medicinal use, I am satisfied that here is a
big and profitable field.
Speaking of grass aiid other green fodder, it is true
that silos give many farmers, stock raisers and dairy-
men an invaluable adjunct. At the same time, there
are thousands of men owning horses, cows and other
animals who cannot avail themselves of ensilage, and
whose animals must sorely miss a taste of green food
during the long winter months, and really suffer for
want of it.
A stock of dehydrated grass, green corn leaves, pea
pods, turnip-tops and the like would not only be of
practical value but a real kindness to the animals for
whose care, comfort and happy condition the owner
is responsible.
It is astonishing what a considerable amount of green
fodder can be reduced to an infinitesimal compass and
stored in any convenient place, even in a cold building,
for dehydrated products will not freeze. A little of this
fodder steeped in tepid water for a short time wTill be a
most welcome treat, and will tend toward preventing
many ailments animals are subject to that are fed
exclusively upon dried food.
This brings up a very important potential proposi-
tion of salvage, utilizing to good purpose pea pods,
cauliflower leaves and other rejects from canning
plants and elsewhere. Of course, when considering
the use of such rejects it is necessary to be assured that
no disinfectant has been thrown on them, for this is
sometimes practiced in the case of heaps of outer
27
DEHYDRATING FOODS
leaves of vegetables and whatnot in order to prevent
flies and odors.
In this connection it is well known how much better
off hens and chickens are if fed green stuff from time
to time, whether egg production has to be considered
or the marketing of poultry for table use. Here is a
convenient and economical means of adding to the
poultry rations, not only grass and other leaves, but
an occasional meal of vegetables, the culls and un-
marketable produce being useful in this way. When
dehydrating, however, only fresh and sound stuff
must be used. Badly wilted or decomposed parts will
spoil the entire output; but as intimated, vegetables
too small to market, or that cannot be shipped profit-
ably in their heavy raw state, may be put to good use
in this and other ways.
28
CHAPTER IV
DEHYDRATING IN LARGE QUANTITIES
We will now consider dehydration in commercial
or community plants. Such plants have been and are
being established all over the United States and in
other countries as well, and various types of dehy-
drators are being used, — tunnel, kiln and chamber
driers, some of the latter being portable and others
equipped with traveling belts instead of trays, this
with a view to doing away with labor in handling and
thereby reducing cost.
As regards the commercial proposition, markets and
sales require particularly careful consideration.
A community plant may be conducted on a co-op-
erative basis, with the idea of supplying local families
with fruits and vegetables for home use, the idea
being always to take advantage of summer low prices
and abundance as against scarcity and high prices
during winter.
People bring their produce to the community plant
where it is treated, either for a cash consideration or
for a percentage of the produce itself. That is to say, a
certain portion of everything bought is retained in the
community plant to pay its operating expenses, and
the balance returned to the farmer or producer who
brings it in to be dehydrated. The patrons are en-
couraged, and in some instances required, to bring
29
DEHYDRATING FOODS
their fruits and vegetables peeled and cut, or otherwise
prepared before bringing them to the dehydrator.
The objection to this is, however, the rapid deteriora-
tion of materials after the protective skins have been
removed and the cut surfaces exposed. For this
reason it is better to have peelers and cutters available
at the plant. And, once for all, the produce must be
sound and as fresh as possible. Dehydration will not
save "turned" or decomposed materials.
Where the community plant is conducted in an
ordinary business way the products are sold and a
division of profits is made, fro rata, with the stock-
holders, as in any other business, the stockholders
in this case buying whatever they need from the com-
munity plant and paying for it just as every one else
would. In addition to this, if local producers are
interested in the plant financially, it will tend toward
assurance of raw material, both as to quality and
regular supply.
The managers of community plants, however, must
assure themselves that those interested fully ap-
preciate how much raw materials shrink when dehy-
drated, otherwise there is apt to be suspicion and dis-
satisfaction.
People must realize, for example, that a pound of
fresh carrots comes down to 2 ounces or less upon
being prepared and dehydrated, it being remembered
that part of the loss is caused through cleaning and
peeling, and, with many things, through necessary
rejection of bruised surfaces. The same reasoning
30
DEHYDRATING IN LARGE QUANTITIES
applies to pod and leaf vegetables, so it is not only
advisable but necessary to give ocular demonstration
and proof at the very outset.
Many systems of dehydration are being exploited
just at present, "most of them bad," as one of the
foremost experts in the country said to me.
Dehydration seems so simple and so easy at the
first glance that many people have gone into the busi-
ness without due consideration or adequate knowledge.
Experience shows them, howTever, that there is a lot
to learn and many factors to take into account. Hence
they have obtained consequences instead of results.
There are different qualities of dehydration, — poor,
better and best. The first test of a dehydrated product
is its keeping quality, and then, all-important to the
consumer, how it restores and tastes when served.
Poorly dehydrated products wdll not keep long; fur-
thermore, they take too much time to restore (even
when they will restore at all), and are then insipid and
inferior in flavor. In fact, I have countless specimens
of so-called dehydrated stuff which has been both
brought and sent to me to find out why it would not
come back, or why it quickly molded. If overdried
or dried too slowly the cell walls have been ruptured,
chemical changes have taken place, and in many in-
stances an actual cooking has resulted, usually because
too high a temperature has been employed or too
much time has been consumed in the process. As for
the molding, this is generally caused by the inner
cells retaining too much moisture, and here is one of
31
DEHYDRATING FOODS
the points regarding which many dehydrators go
wrong, as I will explain presently.
I obtain the best results by starting the dehydration
at a relatively low temperature, and I insure a perfect
product by having a certain amount of moisture in
the dehydrator at first. Relatively good products
may be obtained without the employment of such
moisture, or through a one-temperature drying, but
some initial moisture and raising of temperature will
be necessary to obtain perfect results, and here is the
reason. If raw materials are subjected immediately
to a high, dry temperature there is a very rapid evap-
oration from the surface or superficial cells, which
"skin dries" the material, forming practically a glaze
or coating which prevents the inner cells from liberating
their moisture as they should do. Consequently when
the product is apparently dehydrated, the inner cells
still contain too much moisture, and are still subject
to enzymic action, besides which this moisture exuding
later on will furnish a dampness sufficient to allow
of the superficial molding which has given so many
people such trouble and loss. At one time hot dry
air was considered so necessary that attempts were
made to eliminate moisture from the air by passing it
through or over some hygroscopic substance such as
calcium chloride or sulphuric acid, or by heat-drying
the air before it was admitted to the drying chamber,
but such methods proved fallacious besides adding
to the operating costs.
Dehydration is such a new subject that it is difficult
32
I?
h
4»
>>
u
Q
C
o
(0
*c
X
v
X
h
DEHYDRATING IN LARGE QUANTITIES
*
to find a standard or basis of agreement upon all points
among those who are experimenting with it. But with
all due deference to contrary opinions, and after
having carefully tested many systems and worked
with the subject for some years, I am able to secure
the best results by observing the following rules: to
use radiate heat rather than direct heat; to start
with the lowest temperature necessary and finish with
the highest temperature suitable. And, by the way,
times and temperatures vary for different products.
But whatever the necessary time or temperature, I
can only get results satisfactory to myself by starting
at the minimum temperature and finishing at the
maximum temperature for each particular product,
having moisture in the dehydrator for a certain length
of time, which insures all the cells (both inner and
outer) being uniformly dehydrated, finishing up with
the highest heat called for, and dry heat at this latter
period.
My conclusions have been formed, as I say, through
years of tests and at times great discouragements, to
say nothing of mistakes and the following of theories
which seemed plausible, but which experience and
better knowledge of the subject made me discard. I
still have people calling upon me who maintain that
immediate, dry, direct heat and just the one tempera-
ture are all-sufficient. The samples of their products
force me to disagree with them, and in several in-
stances I have noticed that the previous ideas of using
dry, direct heat and a one-temperature process have
33
DEHYDRATING FOODS
been abandoned and other dehydration methods have
been sought after, for it was ascertained, in the pro-
verbially dear school of experience, that rapid "skin
drying" means molding later on and imperfect restora-
tion.
Further considerations, and essential considerations
regarding commercial dehydrators handling ton lots
of produce, are the costs. There are time, fuel, labor
and other "overheads" to be charged up against the
products, and I have seen plants where the cost of
production per finished pound was more than the food
could be sold for, even though the products were of
pretty fair quality. Hence, an apparatus which might
be used profitably in connection with dyes or chemicals
would not handle food materials economically. There-
fore, as there is dehydration and dehydration, so
there are plants and plants, and it is very important
when considering a plant to go into the matter of
costs carefully, to say nothing of quality of output,
and finally to plan and arrange the various steps so that
there will be no waste action.
Speaking of heat, radiate heat does give better
results than direct heat from a furnace. The drying
is more uniform and evaporation is more gentle and
regular, all of which has an important bearing upon
the finished goods.
Heat, circulation and elimination of moisture are
such essential factors in dehydration that these three
coactive points should be carefully considered before
purchasing any plant or adopting any system. And
34
DEHYDRATING IN LARGE QUANTITIES
with a dehydration plant for which a large sum is spent
and which does not embody these three factors in
proper relation to each other, and wThich is so expensive
to operate that the resultant products cost too much,
loss and disappointment are the certain consequences,
in which event it is not fair to blame dehydration and
its principles.
Some people rely upon huge blowers. These have
the fault of sweeping air so rapidly over the cut surfaces
of the materials that "skin drying" or surface coating
is often caused thereby; besides which the use of too
much power or waste heat means an unnecessary fuel
expenditure. The best products that I have found
are obtained by a suction or drawing of the air, giving
a slight vacuum effect, or by a process in which the
fanning or blowing seems almost insignificant at first
sight, but, which nevertheless, circulates the air in the
dehydrator quite sufficiently, and the radiate heat,
together with the correct amount of moisture elimina-
tion, afford results which are eminently satisfactory.
The Vacuum Process
While vacuum dehydrators are excellent for many
substances, no doubt, I have yet to be convinced that
they are practicable, commercially speaking, as far
as vegetables are concerned.
From what I have seen, the equipment is elaborate
and quite expensive. This system requires a cham-
ber containing steam-heated shelves, together with
35
DEHYDRATING FOODS
a vacuum pump and the necessary heating appa
rat us.
As it is impossible to set an exact time for the de-
hydration of any one material, it is necessary, with this
system, to "turn off the vacuum" and open the cham-
ber in order to inspect the material, and then to reseal
and re-establish the vacuum in case the product is
not ready for removal. Moreover, all this may have
to be done more than once, and in case too high a
vacuum is used the materials are apt to be shattered
severely. In fact, I have seen foods treated by this
process which were puffed up and blistered in many
places, and in, other materials the cellular structure
was obviously broken down, although this may have
been the fault of the operator and not of the system.
It is claimed for the vacuum process that fish and
meats dehydrated thereby do not undergo protein
coagulation, but for that matter I have seen fish and
meats of various kinds dehydrated perfectly by other
processes, and the delicate flavors and aromas of fruits
and vegetables retained just as well.
Despite the foregoing, however, I do believe that a
good, commercial vacuum dryer will be procurable. In
fact, I am to test one that is nearly finished and very
promising.
Regarding Appearance of Products
While it is most important to furnish or produce
dehydrated foods that will restore and cook perfectly
36
DEHYDRATING IN LARGE QUANTITIES
as to flavors, colors and other qualities, we must not
overlook the necessity of attractive appearance when
dehydration has been accomplished, as this means
salability and demand. I am very sure that people
would hesitate before buying, and even refuse to buy,
dehydrated foods that were badly discolored and dis-
agreeable looking. As a matter of fact, I have seen
dehydrated stuff which restored and cooked very well
indeed, but which was so dingy and dark and unat-
tractive in the packages that most people would not
take it as a gift, even though the producer knew that
it would look well and taste good after restoration or
rehydration.
Really precooked stuff does not look attractive, but,
on the other hand, many raw materials treated with a
little steaming before dehydration do look attractive
and promising, and, when shown in connection with
some of the same things restored, it is an easy matter
to convince prospective purchasers.
The drying should stop when the product is leathery
and when no moisture can be squeezed out from the
ends of pieces after breaking. The "brittle" stage
may be reached during the conditioning later; but
the products must not be dried "brittle" in the dryer.
In order to set color and texture, steam blanching is
advisable. In other words, most raw materials should
be subjected to a brief period of steaming. This is
called "blanching," a canner's term, and although
I do not like the word blanching, as it is commonly
used, I am following the precedent.
37
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Blanching may be done in boiling water, but then
the materials lose some of their nutrients, whereas
by blanching in steam nothing is lost and the color is
intensified. Take the case of Brussels sprouts, for
example. Cut the sprouts in half lengthwise and
then dehydrate some without blanching and others
after being steam-blanched. You will find that the
blanched sprouts look much better upon the comple-
tion of dehydration; also they restore more quickly,
and even look better when cooked.
The blanching should be quickly done. The truck
containing the trays can be run into a steam chamber,
left in for a brief period, and then be immediately
placed in the dehydrator, which should be ready
heated to the starting temperature. As soon as fruits
and vegetables are peeled and cut they become subject
to chemical changes, decomposition and the action of
bacteria, yeasts and molds, so prompt action is nec-
essary to arrest and avert undesirable change and
destructive action.
If no steaming apparatus is available and blanching
must be done in boiling water, the material should be
placed in a wire basket and active boiling be assured
for the time necessary for each material.
While approximate times and tables are given later
on in this book, it must be understood that the times
can only be approximate, for the produce varies ac-
cording to the season, soil in which grown, and its
staleness or freshness, and, of course, the way in which
it is cut, — slices, cubes, strips and their relative
38
DEHYDRATING IN LARGE QUANTITIES
thickness. Hence judgment must be exercised, but
a little experience will soon enable one to determine
the exact length of time for blanching, and, as ex-
plained later on, for the dehydration process itself.
Another question comes up, and that is the matter
of cold-dipping. This means quickly dipping the
blanched materials into cold water. Immediately
after blanching, the materials are plunged into cold
water, then quickly taken out, drained for a few mo-
ments and placed in the dehydrator. It is said to set
the color, the shock destroys certain bacteria, and that
some products restore quicker after undergoing the
cold-dip. So, while the cold-dip may be used, if de-
sired, I have discarded it as of no particular advantage.
After the products are removed from the dehydrator
there is a process very essential, which has been called
"conditioning" or " curing. "
This means that the product is to be exposed in trays
or bins for a time, and it should be covered carefully
with cheesecloth, for the greatest care must be exer-
cised to prevent insects getting at the material that
is "conditioning;' otherwise infestation is probable,
with disastrous consequences. There are moths which
particularly favor dehydrated fruits and vegetables,
and consider them ideal media in which to lay their
eggs. These eggs would hatch later, and the grub
worms, or larvae, would rapidly cause havoc in the
product. Hence it is most important that the strictest
precautions be observed. I have found that 72 hours
is sufficient time for conditioning, and in this time the
39
DEHYDRATING FOODS
products dry out still further, so that is another reason
why they should not stay in the dehydrator until
brittle, but rather come out leathery, although suffi-
ciently dry.
The dehydrator and conditioning rooms must be
kept immaculately clean; windows and doors should
be screened, and I would advocate a thorough steriliza-
tion of the entire plant at brief intervals. Moreover,
while " conditioning/ * the products should be kept in
a relatively cool, dark place and eternal vigilance be
exercised to exclude the troublesome moth pests.
Moreover, darkness prevents the products bleaching
out, and for this reason it is advisable to have screens
or shutters whereby the light can be excluded when
desired.
During "conditioning" the product should be turned
over twice a day so as to let the air get at it uniformly,
and while this " conditioning " may seem like a trivial
matter, again I say that it is most necessary.
Auxiliaries such as peelers and cutters may be em-
ployed to good advantage, depending largely upon
quantity handled and labor costs, and, as with every-
thing else, there are poor, good and best machines for
this purpose.
40
Mrs. Oliver Harriman dehydrating vegetables from her country estate
/£
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CHAPTER V
PACKING AND PRESERVATION
The matter of sulphuring is a much-disputed point.
Some people advocate it, while others are violently
opposed to it. Those who favor it claim that it is not
injurious to health, while their opponents assert that
it is.
Be that as it may, how long does sulphuring protect
fruits and vegetables against insect attack? We have
all seen sun-dried apricots, etc., horribly infested,
although these products have admittedly been sul-
phured.
At present, therefore, sulphurization would seem to
be a matter of personal predilection.
Generally speaking, apples, apricots, pears and
peaches are sulphured before drying in order to pre-
vent discoloration, and in many cases, after sun drying,
to destroy the grub worms with which they have be-
come infested during the process.
As 1 have stated previously, I am not advocating
the use of sulphur, and when we read that during the
war the government specifications called for non-
sulphured potatoes, it is readily seen that sulphuring
is not looked upon with favor generally. There are
those, however, who wish to employ sulphur, especially
with potatoes, so for that reason I will say that one
producer whom 1 know very well says that he uses
41
DEHYDRATING FOODS
250 pounds of sulphur to 100,000 pounds of sliced or
cubed potatoes, these being all ready for the dehydrator.
Moreover, he employs just a suggestion of sulphur
fume in the dehydrator during the entire process, al-
though the main sulphuring is done before the potato
goes into the dehydrating chamber, and he states that
sulphurization effectually prevents enzymic action,
so that while the blanched product will ferment in
humid climates the sulphured potato will not.
In using sulphur judgment must be exercised and
allowances made for whether the product is new or
old, and how thickly the trays are loaded.
In dealing with sulphured potatoes ultimately, it is
very important that they should be cooked in steam
instead of boiling water, as when cooked in boiling
water they become slimy and have a disagreeable
effect, which can be removed, however, by putting the
pieces in a sieve or colander, after cooking, and letting
hot water run through them.
Sulphuring is an easy matter for those who wish
to employ the process, but it should be done out of
doors, as the fumes are very disagreeable.
For small quantities of material a wooden box large
enough to enclose the trays, one over the other, may be
used, the lowest tray being a few inches above the
ground. Sulphur can be placed in a metal container
and ignited, but the product should not be left over the
fumes longer than is necessary.
For large quantities a wooden receptacle can be
constructed which will hold anywhere from 8 to 15
42
PACKING AND PRESERVATIOxV
trays, — in fact, the average truck load of trays, —
and the sulphur employed as just stated, some pro-
ducers fuming for 10 minutes, while others advocate
as much as 25 or 30 minutes.
Dipping fruits to prevent discoloration has been
tried extensively, chlorate of potash, permanganate
of potash, sulphate of magnesia, chloride of lime,
peroxide of hydrogen, etc., being used in different
strengths, but none of these has proved satisfactory.
Some people engaged in commercial dehydration sub-
ject the products just before packing, or in the open
packages, to a temperature of 180° to 185° F. for a
period of from 3 to 5 minutes, in order to sterilize
them. The material is put into cold chambers and the
temperature is then quickly raised to the required
degree. If in an oven the door should be left slightly
open. Seal packages immediately after sterilizing.
Regarding packages there are many forms of commer-
cial cartons used, vegetables like potatoes and beans,
which do not stain, being put up in ordinary paper car-
tons, while berries and the like are put into cartons
which are paraffined. There is also a very good pack-
age, grease-proof, which is silica lined and waxed on
the outer surfaces, and the reports I receive as to it
are very favorable. There are also tin cans sealed
under a vacuum process after being packed, while
other cans have covers which can be pried open and
snapped shut again. For moist, tropical climates cans
may be necessary and probably are, but, generally
speaking, dehydrated products keep better if the
43
DEHYDRATING FOODS
packages allow of some circulation of air, although
they must be insect proof.
For home use, paper bags securely tied and pref-
erably paraffined, ordinary cardboard boxes, crocks,
wooden pails, etc., may be utilized, but the packages
must be kept in a dry place and preferably at a mod-
erate temperature.
44
CHAPTER VI
DEHYDRATING FOODS IN THE HOME
Followed by General Hints and Data
A good little home dehydrator is a useful and val-
uable article. It will prevent internment in the kitchen
and standing over a hot stove, for you can put your
fruits and vegetables into it, use your little dehydra-
tor on your range or stove, and practically no more
attention is necessary until the time is up for the
product to have finished drying. In this way you can
save both small and large amounts of summer food
materials, obtained when they are cheap and plenti-
ful, for use next winter in so perfect a degree that they
will be as tasty and delicious as when fresh picked.
Furthermore, if you still want to have home-canned
fruits and vegetables of your own, and good jams,
jellies and preserves, you can make these up in winter,
and at any time most convenient to yourself, from the
products which you have dehydrated during the
summer, for from the products which you have de-
hydrated during the summer you can do your canning
and conserving just as perfectly as if you did it at
the time you got the fresh product.
In order to satisfy myself that dehydrated products
would do anything that fresh produce would do, I
tested them out in every way, including canning, and
in consequence I have a complete stock of canned
45
DEHYDRATING FOODS
fruits and vegetables, perfect jellies, jams, marmalades
and conserves of every kind, all from dehydrated
materials.
Where a coal range is being used constantly, the home
dehydrator very soon pays for itself by affording the
means of saving small lots of fruits and vegetables which
might be lost or thrown away but for dehydration.
It does not pay to put up just a small lot of stuff
in glass jars, for there is so much work involved, — the
sterilizing of jars, rubbers and tops, then the filling
and emptying of the hot-water bath and other inci-
dentals, whereas the fruits or vegetables on hand may
be cut as desired, placed on the trays in the dehydrator
and the drying down on the top of the range, where-
upon no close attention is necessary. When the time
is up the produce may be examined, and if dehydra-
tion is completed the material may be set in a shallow
pan or other cheesecloth-covered receptacle and put in a
cool, dark place to condition for three days or so, stirring
the stuff a couple of times daily so as to allow uniform
curing. A cheesecloth covering is very advisable.
If comparatively large amounts are to be dehydrated
at home, a regular day's work can be devoted to this
purpose, and as the dryer may be filled and emptied
two or three times a day, it will be realized that a large
amount of good farm or garden produce may be set
aside to be used during the following winter, where-
upon it will be found to be as delicious as the fresh-
picked, — that is, if it has been properly dehydrated,
— a simple matter, after all.
46
DEHYDRATING HINTS AND DATA
There are as many theories about home dehydration
as there are about home dryers. I do not think it is
worth while to go into the details of these various
theories, so I will tell what means and methods I
have personally found to be the best, after several
years of doing dehydration in my kitchen.
The very first, and a most important, consideration
is the dryer itself. You cannot get satisfactory results
from a dryer which is not built on correct principles,
and which works against Nature's laws, as many of
the little dryers do.
As I said earlier in this volume, drying and dehy-
dration are not the same thing. I think it will be well
to give my reasons again for making that statement.
Everything is composed of tiny cells, each cell
containing flavoring essentials, coloring matter and
nutritive properties, and of course a relatively large
amount of fluid. By dehydration you quickly draw
the water or fluid through the cell walls or membranes
without rupturing the cell walls. Thus you leave
everything in the cells except the water, and this can
be restored by allowing the products to soak in water
for a certain length of time, when they will take back
all or nearly all of the water that was originally ex-
tracted. Whereas mere drying is a long, slow process,
and after a time the cell walls crack and allow the
volatiles to escape and chemical changes to take place,
so that you lose flavor, coloring and other properties.
To dehydrate, whether it be on a large commercial
scale in ton lots, or in small quantities in the home,
47
DEHYDRATING FOODS
you must have a certain degree or degrees of heat,
neither too little nor too much, for if the temperature
is too low you do not extract your moisture rapidly
enough, and if the temperature is too high you break
the cells and even cook the produce, and if it is once
cooked it will never restore to a nice fresh flavor,
appearance and condition.
So you must have the requisite heat; also a good
circulation of air and an efficient means of taking
away the moisture that is liberated from the cells,
and this must be done quite rapidly and continuously.
Hence while drying can be done in an oven, dehydra-
tion is impossible thereby, for the necessary circula-
tion and prompt removal of moisture cannot be ob-
tained. Consequently the stuff bakes or else cooks in
its own steam.
I have tested something like twenty home dryers,
but I have found that most of them lack the necessary
qualifications whereby good products can be assured.
As I have stated already, in order to dehydrate prop-
erly there must be a certain amount of heat, a circula-
tion of air and a continuous means of removing the
moisture that is liberated by evaporation. The ma-
jority of the home dryers are painfully lacking in these
respects. Many of them do not give uniform dehydra-
tion, even on one tray, and taking the trays through-
out, you will find that the product on some of the
trays is hardly warmed through, while the material on
the other trays is overdried or even scorched.
When you have a dryer with trays set above each
48
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DEHYDRATING HINTS AND DATA
other and with an open bottom, which is placed on a
coal range or over a gas or oil burner, the materials
on the lowest trays become warmed first, and as the
moisture is liberated it rises and upon coming into
contact with the cooler materials on the upper trays
the moisture condenses and precipitates. Thus you are
working against yourself. Of course, this can be ob-
viated to a certain extent by changing the trays from
time to time, but this requires work and attention
which are not always convenient. However, there is
a home dryer which does away with the need of this
work and fussing. It is a simple and inexpensive little
dehydrator which you place over the source of heat,
and beyond looking at the thermometer inside once or
twice during the process of drying, no more attention
is necessary. Furthermore, this little dryer is equipped
with a deflector or radiator which distributes the heat
and so helps to prevent scorching or cooking when
placed over the direct flame of a gas or oil burner.
Speaking of this particular little home dehydrator,
one of the greatest food authorities in the United States
called at my testing kitchen and saw the dehydrator
operating, and also examined the splendid products
emanating therefrom. He wrote an article for one of
the leading New York newspapers, in which he said
that "this little cheap device makes use of a scientific
principle which is foolproof in its operation and which
turns out the finest foods I have ever seen."
It is always well to have a thermometer, for then
you can be assured that you are employing the proper
49
DEHYDRATING FOODS
degree of heat as per the temperatures given with the
approximate time-tables in this book. Guessing at the
temperature is a mistake, for then you can neither be
sure of quality of your product nor the time to leave
it in the dehydrator. It is well to be as exact as possi-
ble, so obtain a thermometer with a flat back, and
after putting the dehydrator on the range or stove
with the heat on, place the thermometer on one of
the lower trays, and see that it registers the proper
degree of heat before you put your produce into the
dehydrator.
I found it well to have a little moisture in the bottom
of the dehydrator so that the outer surfaces of the cut
materials will not become glazed over, as they will if
dry heat is immediately applied. That "skin drying"
prevents the moisture from the interior of the pieces
getting out as it should. Consequently, when the
product feels quite dry and you might think it was
dehydrated throughout, there is still enough interior
moisture to cause a fermentation and eventually form
a mold on the surfaces by slowly coming through.
I have seen cubed carrots, for example, which were
quite brittle and which would snap in two, and many
would judge that these carrots were sufficiently de-
hydrated, but upon peeling off the outer surfaces the
cubes would bend instead of snapping, and one could
promptly see that the middle of the cubes had not
been thoroughly dried.
In the case of produce with which it is advisable to
use moisture, I put a shallow pan of boiling water in
50
Spinach, before and after drying
String beans, 1 bushel, weighing 26 pounds before drying; weight
after drying 2.5 pounds
DEHYDRATING HINTS AND DATA
the bottom of this little home dehydrator, which is
arranged for this purpose, and I leave the water in for
half an hour. This gives a certain amount of humidity
which keeps the cut materials from becoming glazed
over or seared, and permits of their being warmed
throughout, — the pores all being opened, so to speak,
— uniform moisture liberation being assured. At the
end of the half hour I remove the pan of hot water and
allow the dehydration process to take its natural course,
finishing with a fairly high and dry heat. (See approxi-
mate time and heat tables.)
Now to mention blanching and cold-dipping in con-
nection with home work. I have dealt with this in my
previous chapters upon dehydration, so in case you
have not read them I would refer you to those chapters,
as blanching assures the maintenance of pretty colors,
especially the green shades.
For blanching at home a special steamer is not
necessary. You may do the steam blanching in the
washboiler, as directed later. After taking the tray
out of the boiler, shake gently for a few moments to
allow it to drain, then insert the tray into the de-
hydrator, which has previously been brought up to
the starting temperature as given in the time-table.
Manipulating the trays in this way saves a lot of
handling and possible breakage of the product, and
you thus obtain a nicer looking and a better dehydrated
product.
In the table, where no blanching time is given, you
will understand that it is purposely omitted. Regard-
51
DEHYDRATING FOODS
ing the produce which I have found it advisable to
blanch, I mention a special time in each instance.
Only a day or two ago I made another test while
dehydrating a quantity of Brussels sprouts. Half of
them I blanched and set into the dryer without cold-
dipping. The rest I blanched and cold-dipped, but
found that the cold-dipped ones took from 20 minutes
to a half hour longer to dehydrate than did the ones
that were not cold-dipped. The explanation for this
is that the second lot, having been coofed off by the
dipping, required a certain amount of warmth before
dehydration could proceed, and, possibly, "the pores
having to be opened." It is analogous to what we
experience in a Turkish bath, the pores being opened
in the hot room and then closed by a plunge into the
cold-water tank. I do not use cold-dipping.
After removing your product from the dehydrator,
be sure to allow it to cure or "condition" three days
and nights, stirring twice a day or so, so as to allow
the air to influence throughout and evenly, and then
pack away in cardboard boxes, lard pails or other
receptacles, making sure that they are covered tightly
enough to keep out insects of all kinds, but not so
that they will be absolutely air-tight. I have seen de-
hydrated products that were kept in glass jars, tightly
sealed with rubbers, just as in home canning, but
materials kept in that way have a rather musty odor,
and do not have as good a flavor as foods kept in
packages which are not air-tight.
I wish that I could give exact times for dehydrating
52
DEHYDRATING HINTS AND DATA
(as absolutely as I am able to do for home canning),
but this is impossible, since fruits and vegetables vary
so much according to their freshness and whether they
are grown in sandy or clay soils, or in wet or dry seasons.
Moreover, there is the cutting to consider, as to whether
they are cut into very thin slices, strips or cubes, or
into relatively thick pieces. While approximate times
can be given and are given, the final test is through an
examination of the materials. When they are leathery
and no moisture appears upon breaking a piece and
squeezing the ends, then it is safe to say that dehydra-
tion is complete. The material should not be brittle
as it comes from the dehydrator, although it may be-
come so after a few hours or days, which is all right
then.
Furthermore, every piece or strip will not be dried
to exactly the same stage, but during "conditioning"
and turning over they average up, some which are a
little too dehydrated perhaps absorbing moisture from
those which have not been quite sufficiently dehy-
drated, the latter giving out their little surplus of
moisture, so that it may be said to average into proper
state. For this and other reasons the "conditioning"
is a very important matter and should never be neg-
lected. I say this after having tested products in
two ways, — one "conditioned" as aforesaid, and the
other being packed into closed receptacles directly
after taking the stuff out of the dehydrator. To
further assure myself on this point I have even put
the dehydrated products directly from the dehydrator
53
DEHYDRATING FOODS
into tin cans, sealing them hermetically forthwith,
also into vacuum jars; but after restoring and cooking,
my preference is decidedly in favor of the air "condi-
tioned" product.
As many raw materials reduce, approximately, from a
pound to an ounce or so through peeling, trimming and
dehydrating, it will be readily seen what a saving of
space is assured by this process, and if the packages
are stored m a dark, dry place, at a moderate tem-
perature, and the contents have been properly de-
hydrated, there is little danger of spoilage, although
it is just as well to use up everything the following
winter. Yet I have some stocks of dehydrated fruits
and vegetables which have been kept for three years
or more, and are still in perfect condition.
A Time-table
All fruits and vegetables should be cut uniformly
so that dehydration will be even throughout. They
should be as fresh as possible, and all wilted and
decayed portions should be removed.
The following time-table is the one used in a de-
hydrating plant where very good products are turned
out in large quantities from a chamber tray system.
And here most of the fruits and vegetables are sliced
or shredded not to exceed one-eighth inch in thickness.
Even these times depend somewhat on the condition of
the raw materials, and where heavier slices or shreds
are used the drying times must be increased accordingly.
54
DEHYDRATING HINTS AND DATA
Steam
Blanching
(Minutes)
Approximate
Drying Time
(Hours)
Temperature
(Degrees F.)
Vegetables.
Asparagus,
3
4 to 8
110 to 140
Beets,
Brussels sprouts,
Until skins can
be slipped off
by hand
3
2V2 to 3
3 to3H
110 to 150
110 to 145
Cabbage, .
3
3
110 to 145
Carrots, .
3
2}itoZ
110 to 150
Cauliflower,
3
3 to3H
110 to 145
Celery,
3
3 to 4
110 to 140
Garden peas, .
3
3 to3H
110 to 145
Green string beans,
3 to 5
2 to 3
110 to 145
Kohl-rabi,
3
2Y2 to 3
110 to 150
Leeks,
3
2l/2 to 3.
110 to 140
Lima beans,
3 to 5
3 to3Ji
110 to 145
Okra,
3
2 to 3
110 to 140
Onions,
-
2V2 to 3
110 to 140
Parsnips, .
3
2l/2 to 3
110 to 150
Peppers .
"p
2 to 3
110 to 140
Pumpkin,
-
3 to 4
110 to 140
Rhubarb,
IH
1 to\y2
110 to 130
'Parsley, .
-
i to \y2
110 to 130
Spinach, .
-
i to \y2
105 to 140
Herbs,
-
i to \y2
110 to 145
Squash, .
-
3 to 4
110 to 140
Sweet corn,
2 to 5
3 to 4
110 to 145
Swiss chard,
-
3 to 4
110 to 140
55
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Steam
Blanching
(Minutes).
Approximate
Drying Time
(Hours).
Temperature
(Degrees F.).
Vegetables — Con.
Tomatoes,
To loosen skins
1 tol^
110 to 140
Wax beans,
3 to 5
2 to 3
110 to 145
Potatoes, ....
1 to 3
According to age
125 to 150
-; Sweet potatoes,
-
According to age
140 to 160
Fruits
~ Apples,
> • •
-
4 to 6
110 to 150
Apricots,
,
-
4 to 6
110 to 150
Berries, 1 ,
•
-
4 to 5
125 to 145
Cherries,
.
-
2 to 4
110 to 150
Peaches,
• •
-
4 to 6
110 to 150
Pears,
M*
4 to 6
110 to 150
Plums,
► « •
-
4 to 6
110 to 150
Quinces,
• •
-
4 to 6
110 to 150
1 Except strawberries.
The Proctor people sent me the following data, as
the result of experience with their Three Conveyor
Dryer, — a traveling belt arrangement.
White Potatoes
Potatoes are washed, pared, washed and cut into three-
eighths-inch strips, placed in boiling water for 3 minutes,
then in cold water for 5 minutes.
56
DEHYDRATING HINTS AND DATA
Wet weight per square foot (pounds), . . . .4.60
Dry weight per square foot (pounds), 92
Moisture per square foot (pounds), . . . .3.60
Moisture percentage removed (wet weight basis), . 80
Drying temperature (degrees F.), 180
Drying time (hours), 4 \
Shredded Potatoes
Potatoes are washed, pared, washed, steamed until thor-
oughly cooked, then shredded.
Wet weight per square foot (pounds), . . . .1.87
Dry weight per square foot (pounds), 47
Moisture per square foot (pounds), . . . .1.34
Moisture percentage removed (wet weight basis), . 74
Drying temperature (degrees F.), 180
Drying time (hour), J
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes are washed, pared, washed and cut into three-
sixteenths-inch strips.
Wet weight per square foot (pounds), . . . .3.90
Dry weight per square foot (pounds), 94
Moisture per square foot (pounds), . . . .2.96
Moisture percentage removed (wet weight basis), . 78
Drying temperature (degrees F.), 180
Drying time (hours), 2 \
57
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Spinach
Spinach is washed and the roots and cores removed so that
leaves will readily fall apart.
Wet weight per square foot (pounds), . . . .1.81
Dry weight per square foot (pounds), 11
Moisture per square foot (pounds), . . . .1.70
Moisture percentage removed (wet weight basis), . 94
Drying temperature (degrees F.), 180
Drying time (hours), 2.5
String Beans
String beans are strung, washed and sliced lengthwise.
Wet weight per square foot (pounds), . . . .2.50
Dry weight per square foot (pounds) , 24
Moisture per square foot (pounds), . . . .2.26
Moisture percentage removed (wet weight basis), . 90.50
Drying temperature (degrees F.), 150
Drying time (hours), 4.4
Onions
Onions are washed, pared and cut into three-sixteenths-
inch slices.
Wet weight per square foot (pounds), . . . .4.00
Dry weight per square foot (pounds), 36
Moisture per square foot (pounds), . . . .3.65
Moisture percentage removed (wet weight basis), . 91
Dry temperature (degrees F.), 150
Drying time (hours), 0.5
58
DEHYDRATING HINTS AND DATA
Red Beets
Red beets are washed, pared and cut into three-sixteenths-
inch slices.
Wet weight per square foot (pounds),
Dry weight per square foot (pounds),
Moisture per square foot (pounds),
Moisture percentage removed (wet weight basis),
Drying temperature (degrees F.), .
Drying time (hours),
3.00
.39
2.61
87
150
5
Reduction Table
According to the table furnished by Professor Cald-
well, hundred-pound lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
reduce as follows upon dehydration: —
Pounds.
Apples (autumn and winter
varieties) to
Apples (summer
to
Apricots to .
Blackberries to
Beans to
Beets to
Cabbage to
Carrots to .
Cauliflower to
Celery to
Cherries (pie) to
Cherries (sweet) to
Corn (sweet) to .
Figs to
Loganberries to .
varieties)
12 to 15
10 to 12
16 to 18
16 to 20
11 to 13
14 to 17
8 to 9
10 to 12
12 to 14
8 to 9
17 to 21
22 to 26
26 to 33
18 to 23
17 to 22
Pounds.
Okra to
Onions to .
Parsnips to
Peaches to .
Pears to
Peas (garden) to
Potatoes (sweet) to
Potatoes (white) to
Prunes to .
Pumpkin to
Raspberries to
Spinach to .
Squash to .
Tomatoes to
Turnips to .
10 to 11
9 to 11
20 to 22
13 to 16
18 to 22
22 to 25
30 to 35
23 to 25
30 to 33
6 to 8
17 to 23
8 to 10
7 to 9
6Hto 9
7 to 8
59
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Fish and Meats
Fish and meats should be dried at relatively low
temperatures, otherwise coagulation will result.
Fatty portions and connective tissues should be
removed.
When fresh these materials will dry quicker than
when previously frozen. Moreover, they will restore
better.
They should be restored in cold water.
Codfish dries well in both the commercial or home
dryers, either as steaks or in flakes. Time, about 5
hours, maximum temperature, 130° F. Dip fish in
weak brine solution for 15 minutes, dry without
rinsing in clear water, and dehydrate.
The "lean" fish dehydrate well, but the oily kinds,
such as salmon, cannot be dried as easily or as well
until one has acquired experience and technique.
Oysters and clams dry out well, temperature not to
exceed 130° F. Suitable for chowders or stews. These
products may be restored in cold milk.
Good results are obtained by first dipping meat in
soya bean or other oil of good food value. After
dehydration the meat should be dipped into warm
water, 130° F. or thereabouts, in order to rid it of
the oil. Then return to dryer long enough to get rid
of the surface moisture.
60
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DEHYDRATING HINTS AND DATA
Notes and Data
The amount of water vapor which can be "lifted"
by any given volume of air depends upon the tempera-
ture, doubling practically at each £7 degrees rise in
temperature, — having four times the lifting capacity
at 114° F. than it did at 60° F.
The following table shows substantially the weight
of aqueous vapor in 100 cubic feet of air saturated
therewith, at various temperatures : —
Ounces.
At50°F., 936
70° F., . . . . . ... . 1.826
90° P., . . 3.386
113° F., .6.488
131° F., 10.350
The Three Temperature Standards
Fahrenheit.
Centigrade.
Reaumur.
Fahrenheit.
Centigrade.
Reaumur.
100
37.8
30.2
110
43.3
34.7
101
38.3
30.7
111
43.9
35.1
102
38.9
31.1
112
44.4
35.6
103
39.4
31.6
113
45.0
36.0
104
40.0
32.0
114
45.6
36.4
105
40.6
32.4
115
46.1
36.9
106
41.1
32.9
116
46.7
37.3
107
41.7
33.3
117
47.2
37.8
108
42.2
33.8
118
47.8
38.2
109
42.8
34.2
119
48.3
38.7
61
DEHYDRATING FOODS
The Three Temperature Standards -— Continued
Fahrenheit.
Centigrade.
Reaumur.
Fahrenheit.
Centigrade.
Reaumur.
120
48.9
39.1
145
62.8
50.2
121
49.4
39.6
146
63.3
50.7
122
50.0
40.0
147
63.9
51.1
123
50.6
40.4
148
64.4
51.6
124
51.1
40.9
149
65.0
52.0
125
51.7
41.3
150
65.6
52.4
126
52.2
41.8
151
66.1
52.9
127
52.8
42.2
152
66.7
53.3
128
53.3
42.7
153
67.2
53.8
129
53.9
43.1
154
67.8
54.2
130
54.4
43.6
155
68.3
54.7
131
55.0
44.0
156
68.9
55.1
132
55.6
44.4
157
69.4
55.6
133
56.1
44.9
158
70.0
56.0
134
56.7
45.3
159
70.6
56.4
135
57.2
45.8
160
71.1
56.9
136
57.8
46.2
161
71.7
57.3
137
58.3
46.7
162
72.2
57.8
138
58.9
47.1
163
72.8
58.2
139
59.4
47.6
164
73.3
58.7
140
60.0
48.0
165
73.9
59.1
141
60.6
48.4
166
74.4
59.6
142
61.1
48.9
¥■
49.3
167
75.0
60.0
143
61.7
168
75.6
60.4
144
62.2
49.8
169
76.1
60.9
62
DEHYDRATING HINTS AND DATA
The Three Temperature
Standards
— Concluded
Fahrenheit.
Centigrade.
Reaumur.
Fahrenheit.
Centigrade .
Reaumur.
170
76.7
61.3
186
85.6
68.4
171
77.2
61.8
187
86.1
68.9
172
77.8
62.2
188
86.7
69.3
173
78.3
62.7
189
87.2
69.8
174
78.9
63.1
190
87.8
70.2
175
79.4
63.6
191
88.3
70.7
176
80.0
64.0
192
88.9
71.1
177
80.6
64.4
193
89.4
71.6
178
81.1
64.9
194
90.0
72.0
179
81.7
65.3
195
90.6
72.4
180
82.2
65.8
196
91.1
72.9
181
82.8
66.2
197
91.7
73.3
182
83.3
66.7
198
92.2
73.8
183
83.9
67.1
199
92.8
74.2
184
84.4
67.6
200
93.3
74.7
185
85.0
68.0
Sugar beets may be dehydrated, stored and the
sugar extracted therefrom as and when convenient.
A good deal of spoiled product comes through the
carelessness or negligence of employees. It is well,
therefore, to have thermostatic temperature regula-
tion and other automatic devices wherever possible.
Fruits cut into halves should be dried with the cut
side up, or they will lose valuable juices.
63
c
DEHYDRATING FOODS
If okra, string beans and peas are blanched in boiling
water, a half teaspoon of soda to each gallon of water
helps to set the color.
To prevent apple, pear, apricot and peach from dis-
coloring, drop the pieces, as cut, into cold water con-
taining lemon juice or salt, — juice of 1 lemon to 3
quarts of water, or 3 level tablespoons of salt to 1
gallon of water. These fruits should not be blanched.
Bell peppers may be peeled quickly by placing them
in a pan and heating in the oven until the skins blister,
whereupon the skins can be readily pulled off.
Dehydrated mashed potato may be obtained and
stocked by boiling potatoes until tender, pressing
through a ricer on to the trays and drying until crisp.
Large stalks, as with spinach, should be cut from the
leaves, dried separately and mixed in later; otherwise
the leaves will become overdried while the stalks are
being dehydrated.
Cut cauliflower "flowerets" into halves or slices.
Dry separately from the stalks. The stalks make
good soup stock, but the leaf parts should be removed.
It is well to spread the trays with cheesecloth when
treating bananas and the like. Acid fruits should not
come into contact with the metal tray bottoms, neither
should tomatoes.
Onion slices should be cut across, otherwise the mem-
branous "onion skin" may prevent uniform drying.
If large berries are to be dried whole, they should be
pierced lengthwise. A steel knitting needle will serve
the purpose.
64
DEHYDRATING HINTS AND DATA
Corn on the cob can be dehydrated, but the centre
of the cob must be bored out. Corn dried in this
way takes too long to dry and to restore to be prac-
ticable.
Changes of flavors, or rather addition of flavors,
may be produced by blowing in fine powders during
drying, — mint, for example; many novel and appetiz-
ing effects are thus made possible.
When prunes, peaches and other fruits are dipped
into hot lye solution, the dipping basket should there-
after be plunged into cold, fresh water so as to wash
off the lye.
Fruits must be well ripened but not soft, and well
sorted and picked over. When paring and slicing are
done, exposure to air is to be avoided. Rapid, con-
tinuous work and fresh, sound produce are necessary
for the best results.
As regards soup mixtures, the components must be
dried separately and then mixed as desired, taking
care to use materials that will all restore and cook
up equally or nearly so. Whole peas and beans require
longer soaking than the usual soup vegetables; conse-
quently, they should be avoided in the original com-
bination, although they may be added, if desired, after
longer and separate soaking, and then cooked in. A
popular combination is turnips, carrots, onions, cab-
bage, celery, potatoes and a little parsley, while some
producers add leek, tomato and green pepper. The
proportions or percentages vary considerably.
65
CHAPTER VII
DIRECTIONS FOR HOME DEHYDRATING
(VEGETABLES)
To obtain the very best dehydrated products, see
that only first quality food is used. Those that are
young and tender, in other words, "in prime condi-
tion," will, when soaked, restore to a first-class product.
The first step is the cleansing. Thoroughly wash
so that no grit, dirt or sand is left. Then scrape or
pare to remove skins, with such vegetables as potatoes,
carrots, etc., or shell to remove pods from peas, lima
beans, etc. '
The second step is cutting the product into the
desired shape, such as slicing, cubing, dicing or shred-
ding. To facilitate the work the drying tray should
stand under the cutting machine, so that the cut
product drops directly onto the tray.
The third step is blanching. A wash boiler is excel-
lent for this, and will hold the small trays of most
home dryers. Blanching is as important for home
dehydrating as it is for home canning, and is done for
practically the same reasons, namely, to kill certain
bacteria, to improve the color and to soften the texture
slightly.
Blanching is best done in steam, as there is less loss
of mineral salts than when boiling water is used.
66
Pears, before drying, 1 quart. Note space saved after drying
White squash, fresh, 17 pounds;
after peeling and cleaning,
weight 8 pounds. Reduced to
% pound when dehydrated
Onions, before and after drying
HOME DEHYDRATING, VEGETABLES
To steam-blanch, place four tall, clean tin cans in
the boiler, partly fill these with boiling water to hold
them steady so that the edges of the tray will rest on
them, then add boiling water to the boiler to a depth
of 3 inches, and when the water is boiling lower the
tray so that it rests on the cans, and cover boiler
tightly; or else use hooks to suspend the trays.
Water should not be so high that it will touch the
product when in active motion.
Have a clock in sight when blanching and remove
the product when the time is reached.
The fourth step is to place the tray of blanched
material into the dryer, which should have been heated
to the required temperature; and let me caution you
that there must be no "guesswork" as to this tem-
perature. A small and inexpensive thermometer is
necessary. Place this in the dryer, and when the
correct temperature is reached and the fire so regu-
lated that the desired temperature is maintained,
place the material in the dryer. The regulating of the
temperature should be started sufficiently early, so
that there may be no delay after the blanching is
done.
The fifth step in home dehydrating is called "condi-
tioning." After your product has reached its dried
stage it is then placed in a rack or pan and set in a
cool, dry place for three days. During this period the
dried product is poured into another container once
or twice each day. This mixes it and allows all parts
to dry evenly. If there are no screens on doors and
67
DEHYDRATING FOODS
windows, be sure to place a piece of clean cheesecloth
over the product during the "conditioning" period.
This prevents any insects from alighting on the food
and depositing their eggs. If this should happen, then
look out for worms and trouble.
The sixth and last step is storing. Home-dried
foods can be stored in clean boxes, heavy paper bags,
cartons that can be sealed against insects, paraffined
containers, cans, etc. After packing the foods keep
them in a cool, dry closet or room.
When is the Product Dry?
The best test I find is to break or cut a piece in two,
and press the cut edge between the fingers. If no
moisture is noticeable it is sufficiently dry.
Length of Time for Drying
This can be given only approximately, as varieties
of the same product differ in their drying time.
Again, the age of the product has a great deal to do
as regards the time required; also how thick the slices
are cut. The larger the surface that is exposed to the
heat, naturally the less time is required for evapora-
tion of the moisture. Likewise some home dryers may
take longer than others. In my kitchen we have
noticed a difference of nearly an hour when using the
same product on different kinds of home dryers, to say
nothing of quality of finished product.
I would advise that you keep a careful record of
68
HOME DEHYDRATING, VEGETABLES
your drying time and use this as a guide for your next
summer's work.
In all home drying the temperature must be raised
very gradually. The degree of heat first mentioned
should be maintained for about a quarter of the whole
drying time. With few exceptions, such as herbs
and leaf products, the drying time is usually of several
hours' duration. From this you can see that the
product is kept for some time at the opening or start-
ing temperature, and then the heat increased 10
degrees for another period, and so on until the finish-
ing heat is reached. A very little experimenting with
one product will give you an idea as to how the heat
affects it.
Beets
Select beets that are young. Leave all the root and
3 inches of the top on the beet. Wash carefully and
place in boiling water, leaving in the water until the
skin can be slipped off with the hands. This can be
determined by trying a single beet. Dip beets in cold
water a minute, drain and remove skins. At same
time cut away any blemish. Slice vegetable one-
eighth inch in thickness onto the trays, and place
each tray in the dryer as soon as prepared.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 145° F.
Approximate time, about 3 to 4 hours.
69
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Beets are sufficiently dry when there can be no
moisture pressed from them. The length of time
depends upon the age of the vegetable. A young
beet without a woody center will dry quicker than an
old one.
" Condition " as directed on page 67.
Beet Greens
Prepare and dry as directed for Spinach. (See
page 82.)
Brussels Sprouts
Look over vegetable, remove all decayed or wilted
leaves. Wash in cold water, drain, cut in halves length-
wise and place on trays. Blanch in steam as directed
on page 67 for 3 minutes, counting time from moment
cover is placed on boiler. Remove tray, shake to drain
and place in dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 145° F.
Approximate time, about 3 to 4 hours.
The sprouts are sufficiently dried when no moisture
can be pressed from a cut end. The light leaves in
center of vegetable may discolor during drying, but
will restore to their natural color.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
70
HOME DEHYDRATING, VEGETABLES
Beans
Select stringless variety, remove stems and tips.
Wash in cold water, drain and cut lengthwise into even
sizes. Place on trays about 1 inch deep, and blanch
in steam from 3 to 5 minutes. Remove tray, shake to
drain and place in dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 145° F.
Approximate time, about 3 to 4 hours.
Beans are sufficiently dried when no moisture can
be pressed out.
"Condition," as directed on page 67.
Lima beans are shelled, placed on trays and blanched
from 3 to 5 minutes, depending upon age of the prod-
uct. Remove tray, shake to dry and place in dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 145° F.
Approximate time, about S\ to 4| hours.
Drying test is the same as for stringless beans.
"Condition," as directed on page 67.
Wax beans are treated the same as stringless beans.
Cabbage
Remove outside wilted and decayed leaves and cut
away the stalks. Slice cabbage, from one-eighth to
one-fourth inch thick, directly onto the trays so
71
DEHYDRATING FOODS
the product lies about 1 inch in thickness on the trays.
Blanch in steam 3 minutes, shake to remove water
and place in dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 135° F.
Approximate time, about 3§ to 4 hours.
Cabbage is sufficiently dry when no moisture can be
pressed from stalk portions. Do not increase tempera-
ture too rapidly or the leaves will not retain their light
color.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Carrots
Select young, tender carrots. Wash with brush in
water, scrape and wash again. Cut crosswise into
one-eighth inch thick slices, or lengthwise into slices.
Pile slices one on another and return them to slicing
machine for cutting into Julienne strips. Place cut
carrots on trays and steam-blanch for 3 minutes, re-
move trays, shake to drain and place in dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 145° F.
Approximate time, about 2 § to 4 hours.
If a piece of carrot is broken and no moisture can be
pressed out, the product is ready to come from dryer.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
The Julienne strips will dry somewhat quicker than
the slices. Carrots may also be cut into one-fourth
72
HOME DEHYDRATING, VEGETABLES
inch cubes. If one vegetable is cut into different
shapes, each should be dried on separate trays to give
a uniform product.
Cauliflower
Select large, firm, white heads and immerse flower
side down for 1 hour in a bowl of cold salted water to
draw out any insects. Then rinse and drain. Separate
the head into flowerets, cutting off the large stems.
Every part should be cut into slices one-eighth inch
thick. Place prepared vegetable on trays, about an
inch thick, and steam-blanch for 3 minutes. Remove
from steam, shake a moment and place in dryer. The
flowerets should be cut lengthwise.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 145° F.
Approximate time, about 4 to 6 hours.
Cauliflower is sufficiently dried when no moisture
can be pressed from stem of flowers.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Instead of separating the cauliflower into its flowers,
it can be cut into slices one-eighth inch thick. It is
very interesting to see how the small wisp of dehydrated
cauliflower rehydrates into its natural colored and sized
floweret. Indeed, while this vegetable may darken
considerably during the drying it restores beautifully.
All leaves should be removed from the stems before
drying.
73
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Celery
Select crisp, tender stalks. The white bleached
celery becomes somewhat dark in drying, whereas the
green seems to hold its color better. Separate leaves
from stalks and dry each separately. Directions for
drying celery leaves will be given under Spinach, on
page 82. Cut away all discolored parts and cut cross-
wise into half -inch length pieces. Place on trays an
inch deep and steam-blanch for 3 minutes. Remove
trays, shake to dry and place in dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 140° F.
Approximate time, about 3 to 4 hours.
Celery is sufficiently dried if no moisture is apparent
when pieces are pressed between fingers.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Corn
The sweetest dehydrated product will be obtained
from corn in the "milk" stage; that is, when a kernel
of corn is pressed and the milk flows. Beyond this is
the "dough" stage. Husk, place on trays and steam-
blanch corn on the cob long enough to set the milk,
— about 5 minutes. Drain and cut corn from the cob,
cutting kernels about half through for one tray; then,
using back of the knife, scrape the cobs (on another
tray) to obtain the pulp. Treated in this way there is
74
HOME DEHYDRATING, VEGETABLES
little danger of including the chaff from the cob. Place
directly into dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 140° F.
Approximate time about 3 to 4 hours.
When corn is hard it is ready to come from the dryer.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Kohl-rabi
Use only such vegetables as are free from fibrous
centers. Wash and peel thinly, cut into slices one-
eighth of an inch in thickness, place on tray and steam-
blanch for 3 minutes. Remove trays, shake a moment
to drain and set tray in dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 145° F.
Approximate time, about 3 hours.
Kohl-rabi is properly dried when no moisture can be
pressed from a cut end.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Okra
The very small pods may be dried whole, the larger
pods being cut into slices one-fourth of an inch thick.
Wash pods, cut or leave whole, place in single layer on
75
DEHYDRATING FOODS
tray and steam-blanch for 3 minutes. Remove tray,
shake well to drain and place in the dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 135° F.
Approximate time, when cut, about 3 hours.
Product is sufficiently dried when no moisture can
be pressed from the ends. When the pod is dried
whole, break and press to determine if dried.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Onions
Use vegetable of one color to give best dried product.
Peel and cut across the onion into slices one-eighth
inch thick. It is not necessary to steam-blanch onions,
but place each tray into the dryer as soon as it is
ready. Product should not be too thick on the trays
to be evenly dried.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 140° F.
Approximate time, about 3 to 4 hours.
Onions are dried enough when no moisture can be
pressed from a cut end.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
During drying this vegetable is apt to discolor, but
rehydrates to a good color.
76
HOME DEHYDRATING, VEGETABLES
Parsley and Other Herbs
Wash to remove all dust, cut away any wilted or
decayed parts, and dry without separating leaves and
stems. Place on tray to a depth of 2 or 3 inches and
set in dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 145° F.
Approximate time, 45 minutes to 1| hours.
If no moisture can be pressed from thick part of
stems the product is sufficiently dried.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
If desired, before packing, part of the product can
be powdered and stored in glass jars.
Parsnips
This is one of the vegetables that should not be used
if old, as it develops a woody, fibrous center. Wash,
scrape and wash again, cut into slices one-eighth inch
thick and place on tray. Blanch in steam for 3 min-
utes, remove tray and shake to drain. Then place in
the dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 140° F.
Approximate time, about 3 to 4 hours.
Parsnips are sufficiently dry when no moisture can
be pressed from a cut edge.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
77
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Peas
Select young and strictly fresh-picked peas, and on
no account use any that have stood utitil pods are
wilted. A quick way to shell the peas is to place the
washed pods in a large saucepan of boiling water and
leave for 6 minutes. Then drain on to the tray and
rub the pods briskly over the tray with the hands to
loosen the peas, and if the mesh is too fine for them to
drop through, it is a simple matter to shake the peas
to one end and empty them on to another tray. When
one tray is loaded to a depth of about 1 inch, steam-
blanch for 2 minutes, remove tray, shake to drain and
set in dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 140° F.
Approximate time, about 3| to \\ hours.
To test when dry cut open, and if no moisture shows
in center remove from dryer.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Peppers
The small pods may be dried whole like okra pods.
Larger peppers should be placed on plates in the oven
until the skins blister, then peel with the fingers. Cut
large peppers into strips one-eighth of an inch wide,
discarding all seeds, or they may be cut in halves,
78
HOME DEHYDRATING, VEGETABLES
in which event remove the midribs. Place on trays and
dry without blanching.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 140° F.
Approximate time, about 3 hours or longer, depending
upon how the product is prepared, — whether cut small
or left whole.
The whole and cut peppers are sufficiently dried
when no moisture can be pressed from a cut edge.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Potatoes
White Potato
If a peeling machine is used, there will be less waste
if potatoes of uniform size are used. While washing the
vegetable, grade for size. Peel vegetable thinly and
drop immediately into cold water to keep it white.
When sufficient have been peeled to fill one tray, the
potatoes should be sliced one-fourth of an inch thick
directly onto the tray. Each tray can be loaded 1 inch
deep. Place the filled tray in the steam container and
blanch for 3 minutes; remove from steam, dip the tray
into salted tepid water for a minute, drain by shaking
and place in the dryer.
Starting temperature, 120° F.
Finishing temperature, 160° F.
Approximate time (according to age).
79
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Potatoes are dried until they are brittle.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
If a variety is desired, cut some of the sliced potatoes
into Julienne strips or larger strips (five-eighths of an
inch thick), like French fried. Again, these vegetables
can be steamed until cooked in their jackets, then the
skins peeled off with the fingers and the cooked potatoes
pressed through a ricer directly onto the trays. If
you have no ricer put them through your food chopper,
loading each tray direct from the chopper. Spread
evenly on the tray and place in the dryer. When
dried mark the container holding this product "De-
hydrated Mashed Potato." Directions for using this
are found on page 153, in last part of recipe for Mashed
Potatoes.
Sweet Potato
Select potatoes of uniform size and wash well with a
brush. Place in a saucepan with boiling water and
boil until slightly tender. Drain and peel at once by
scraping the skins. Sweet potatoes can also be pared
in a peeling machine. Cut the precooked potato into
one-eighth inch thick slices directly onto the tray,
loading it to a depth of 1 inch, then set tray in dryer.
Starting temperature, 125° F.
Finishing temperature, 155° F.
Approximate time (according to age).
The test for sweet potatoes is the same as for white
ones.
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HOME DEHYDRATING, VEGETABLES
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Prepare some of the sweet potatoes by cooking in
boiling water until nearly done, then remove skins and
put through food chopper. Load tray evenly and place
in dryer, using same temperature as above. When
product is brittle it is dried. This is a "Dehydrated
Mashed Sweet Potato," and is your sweet potato flour
when ground. (See Sweet Potato Pie, on page 193.)
Pumpkin
Select a firm, deep-colored pumpkin and cut into
strips 2 or 3 inches wide. Peel, remove seeds and
soft, stringy centers, then cut into slices one-eighth
of an inch thick. Place prepared pumpkin on trays to
a depth of an inch, and place directly into the dryer
without blanching.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 140° F.
Approximate time, about 3J to 4 hours.
Pumpkin is sufficiently dried when no moisture can
be pressed from a cut edge.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Rhubarb
The firm, prime stalks give best results. When
very young do not skin, but if the rhubarb is old, then
peel. Cut into pieces about a half inch long, cover the
trays with one thickness of clean cheesecloth, then
81
DEHYDRATING FOODS
load trays with rhubarb an inch thick and steam-blanch
for 1| minutes. Remove from steam, shake to drain
and place in dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 140° F.
Approximate time (according to age).
Cut a piece of dried rhubarb and press cut edge. If
no moisture shows, it is sufficiently dried.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Spinach and Similar Produce
Look over the vegetable very carefully, removing all
wilted, decayed leaves and foreign matter, and cutting
off the roots. Have a dishpan filled with water as
hot as for dish washing, put in the spinach and wash
carefully. Lift out spinach, pour off water, rinse pan
and return spinach. Add more hot water and rinse
thoroughly, then lift out the vegetable and place on
trays. While loading the trays cut off the stems and
dry them on a separate tray. Load tray to a depth
of several inches, shake to drain the product, then
place in dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 130° F.
Approximate time, about 1| to 2| hours.
Spinach is dry when the thick part can be pressed
without showing moisture, but be careful not to over-
dry or the product breaks.
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HOME DEHYDRATING, VEGETABLES
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
The stems of spinach are dried separately from the
leaves, as they usually require longer time, and if they
were left on, the leaves would probably be dried to a
powder stage when the stems were ready. After drying
and "conditioning' the leaves and stems separately
they may be mixed and then packed. The spinach can
also be cut into slices one-eighth inch thick. This will
materially hasten the drying, reducing the time to
about 1 hour. Celery leaves, Swiss chard and beet
tops are treated the same as spinach. The heavy
midrib of the chard is cut out and dried separately from
the leaf.
Squash
I prefer a late squash to the summer variety. Cut
into strips 2 inches wide, peel and remove soft centers
and seeds. Cut into slices one-eighth inch thick.
Place on trays and insert in the dryer without blanching.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 140° F.
Approximate time, about 3| hours.
Drying is finished when no moisture can be pressed
from a cut piece.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Tomatoes
Select firm, sound tomatoes that are ripe. Remove
skins by placing in a wire basket and scalding in boiling
83
DEHYDRATING FOODS
water for from 1 to 1| minutes, or until skins crack.
When cool enough to handle pull off the skin and cut
out core; also remove any blemishes. Cut crosswise
into slices one-fourth of an inch thick. Cover trays
with a piece of clean cheesecloth, then place slices in a
single layer and insert trays in the dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 140° F.
Approximate time, about 2 to 3 hours.
When tomatoes are sufficiently dried no moisture
can be pressed from fleshy part of the slice.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Soup Mixtures
These consist of different kinds of dehydrated vege-
tables rather finely cut and mixed in varying propor-
tions according to the flavors desired. A good way to
do is to use proportions as given in your favorite recipe.
The vegetables usually combined in these mixtures
are onions, carrots, turnips, cabbage, celery, parsley,
potatoes and green pepper. Dry separately.
For a vegetable soup the vegetables look daintier if
cut in different shapes. For instance, potatoes and
turnips can be cubed, carrots and peppers in Julienne
strips, celery and onions sliced, cabbage shredded and
parsley powdered.
Try the following combinations, or arrange your own
proportions : —
84
HOME DEHYDRATING, VEGETABLES
Soup Mixture No. 1
\ Cup dehydrated carrot strips.
\ Cup dehydrated cabbage.
\ Cup dehydrated onion.
\ Cup dehydrated turnips.
% Tablespoons dehydrated green pepper.
1 Tablespoon dehydrated parsley, powdered.
Mix thoroughly and store. When using, take one-
half cup of the soup mixture to 2 quarts of liquid.
Soup Mixture No. 2
2 Cups dehydrated tomato.
Cup dehydrated onion.
\ Cup dehydrated carrot.
1 Cup dehydrated cabbage.
\ Cup dehydrated green pepper.
\ Cup dehydrated celery leaves.
£ Tablespoons dehydrated parsley, powdered.
Mix thoroughly before packing. This gives 5 cups
of dehydrated vegetables, which is sufficient to flavor
from 20 to 24 quarts of liquid. From this you can
readily see how far the soup mixture goes. It is in a
most convenient form, and is a decided addition to
many dishes, especially those of the pot-roast style.
Have all soup vegetables finely cut, as this gives best
flavoring.
85
CHAPTER VIII
VEGETABLE FLOURS AND MEALS
Under this heading may be found —
Pea meal or flour.
Bean meal or flour.
White potato meal or flour.
Sweet potato meal or flour.
Pumpkin meal or flour.
Squash meal or flour.
Tomato meal or flour.
Corn meal or flour.
Spinach meal or flour.
Potato Flours
A very excellent grade of home-made potato flour is
prepared as follows : —
Make sure that both the sweet and white potatoes
are dehydrated until they are brittle. After "con-
ditioning" run these products separately through your
food chopper, using a medium-coarse knife, then change
to the finest knife and run it through twice. This
produces a fine product. Shake through several sifters,
starting with the coarser mesh and finishing with a
fine one. Your finely sifted home-made potato flour
is ready to be made up into various recipes, such as
combining with corn meal or wheat flour into muffins,
86
VEGETABLE FLOURS AND MEALS
biscuits, griddle cakes, waffles or breads, and even into
a good pastry if used in proportion of about one-eighth
potato flour to balance of wheat flour.
The first sifting of the flour was coarse, and this can
be kept to use in potato croquettes, soups or for thick-
ening sauces, etc.
The sweet potato flour is all ready to have the
custard addition, then turned into a pastry lined pie
tin as a Sweet Potato Pie; see page 193.
Pumpkin Flour
This is prepared by drying the pumpkin until it is
brittle, then "conditioning," putting through the food
chopper, and sifting as is done with potato flour. When
so prepared it is no trouble to make pumpkin pie,
timbales or any other dish in which mashed pumpkin
is the foundation. In fact, with a supply of dehydrated
vegetables made into flour or meal in your kitchen
pantry it is far easier to make many dishes than when
one must start with the preparation of the raw vegeta-
ble.
These two recipes are given simply as a guide to
direct you so that you can make any one or all of the
meals in the list. The main point to remember is that
any dehydrated vegetable that is to be ground up into
meal must first be dried until it is brittle, or it cannot
be put through either your food chopper or your hand-
flour mill and give a satisfactory product.
87
CHAPTER IX
HOME DEHYDRATING
(FRUITS)
Both the large and small fruits can and should be
dehydrated. Many of the directions given for vegeta-
bles are applicable to fruits.
Only firm, ripe fruits should be used if their original
shape and color are to be retained in both the dried
form and when rehydrated.
Naturally, after the fruit has been cooked, it will be
changed in shape, and frequently the color will be
somewhat different, in many cases this being accentu-
ated after the addition of the sugar.
To wash the tender small fruits such as berries,
place them in a shallow flat strainer and hold them
under the cold-water faucet. Let the water run gently
on them. This can readily be done if the hand is held
under the faucet so that the water first strikes the
hand, and then trickles off on to the fruits. Be careful
that the berries are not crushed or broken, as that
means a loss of juice, which naturally would impair
both color and flavor.
After washing, the berries are drained and gently
rolled out of the strainer on to the trays, which should
be covered with a thickness of clean cheesecloth. This
is done to prevent the fruit from coming in contact with
the metal trays, as the acid would cause chemical action.
While the berries are being placed on the trays any
88
HOME DEHYDRATING, FRUITS
wilted, unripe ones can be removed; also leaves or any
foreign matter.
Fruit should be promptly placed in the dryer after its
preparation. Be very careful not to load the trays
more than two layers deep. Berries are very tender
fruit, and if loaded deeper they will be crushed out of
shape. During drying examine the trays, and if fruits
are lumping and sticking together, separate carefully
so that the drying is done evenly.
The test for drying is by pressing a cut edge, and if no
moisture exudes the product is sufficiently dried.
After drying the "conditioning" period must be
observed, as with vegetables. When this is finished
the fruits are stored in similar containers, and should
preferably be kept in the dark so that they will not be
faded by the light.
Apples
Select firm, sound fruit. Remove cores with a coring
machine or knife, if apple is to be cut into rings, and
pare quickly. As soon as peeled cut into slices one-
fourth inch thick and place on trays about 1 inch
thick. As soon as a tray is ready it should go immedi-
ately into the dryer and other trays loaded as quickly
as the apples are pared. The quicker this is done the
better the product, as there will be less danger of oxidiz-
ing or discoloration.
Starting temperature, 120° F.
Finishing temperature, 160° F.
Approximate time for drying, 5 to 6 hours.
89
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Length of time depends upon the kind of apple, as
well as thickness of slices. Apples are sufficiently dried
when a cut edge is pressed and no moisture is noticed.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Apricots
Use firm fruit, but well-ripened. Reject all soft
apricots and cut away any bruises. Cut in halves
without peeling, remove stone and lay in single layer
on trays with cut side up. As soon as loaded place
trays in the dryer.
Starting temperature, 120° F.
Finishing temperature, 150° F.
Approximate time for drying, 5 to 7 hours.
Apricots are dried when no moisture can be pressed
from a cut edge.
"Condition " as directed on page 67.
Bananas
Select firm, ripe, yellow bananas. Remove skins
and cut lengthwise into quarters, or crosswise into
slices one-eighth inch thick. Place in single layer on
trays, dust very lightly with powdered sugar, shaking off
all surplus, and set trays in the dryer.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 135° F.
Do not have heat any higher or the fruit will soften.
Condition" as directed on page 67.
90
u
HOME DEHYDRATING, FRUITS
Blackberries
Select such fruit as you would for table use. Look
over, rejecting decayed and wilted berries, and wash if
necessary. This can be done as follows: place berries
in a shallow wire basket, hold the hand under cold
water faucet, and let water trickle on fruit through the
fingers. Drain and place berries in single layers on
trays lined with one thickness of cheesecloth. As
quickly as loaded set trays in dryer.
Starting temperature, 120° F.
Finishing temperature, 150° F.
Approximate time for drying, 5 to 7 hours.
Berries are dried when no moisture can be pressed
when berries are cut.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Cherries
Perfectly sound fruit should be selected and all of one
color kept together. Look over before pitting, remov-
ing all decayed and crushed cherries. Both the sweet
and sour cherries may be dried. There is less loss of
juice if fruit is dried whole, with pit left in. Where
cherries are large they may be pitted with a machine,
the juice saved and sterilized. Some cut the fruit in
halves. If this method is followed the cut side should
be placed uppermost on the dryer to prevent further
loss of juice. As soon as prepared load cheesecloth
91
DEHYDRATING FOODS
covered trays two layers deep and place at once in the
dryer.
Starting temperature, 115° F.
Finishing temperature, 145° F.
Approximate drying time for cut fruit, 4 to 5 hours.
Cherries are dry if no moisture shows when a cut
edge is pressed.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Cranberries
If this fruit is dehydrated it is available at any time
of the year. Examine and remove all decayed and
broken-down fruits; likewise unripe berries. Cut in
halves and place on cheesecloth-covered trays to a
depth of a half inch, and set in dryer.
Starting temperature, 120° F.
Finishing temperature, 145° F.
Approximate drying time, 2 to 3| hours.
Berries are dry when no moisture can be pressed from
a cut edge.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
After product is dried stems can be readily removed.
Currants
The cherry currant gives the better dried product.
Remove soft and decayed fruit, but do not stem, as
this can be done after drying. Load cheesecloth-
92
HOME DEHYDRATING, FRUITS
covered trays to a depth of an inch and place in
dryer.
Starting temperature, 120° F.
Finishing temperature, 145° F.
Approximate drying time, 3 to 5 hours.
Currants are dried when no moisture can be pressed
from a cut edge.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Peaches
The .yellow fleshed peaches give a richer looking
finished product than do the white fruit. These may be
peeled or not. A quick way to peel is to place peaches
in wire basket and immerse in boiling water for a
minute until skins crack. Remove from water, drain
and pull skins off with the fingers. Cut fruit in halves,
remove stones and place on cheesecloth-covered tray
with cavity side up, loading trays one layer deep, and
place each tray in dryer as soon as it is ready. Work
quickly so that the fruit does not darken by being ex-
posed to the air.
Starting temperature, 120° F.
Finishing temperature, 150° F.
Approximate drying time, 5 to 7 hours.
Peaches are dried when the product is leathery.
Press a cut edge to determine if there is any moisture.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Peaches may be cut in quarters if desired, or sliced.
93
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Pears
These should be perfectly ripe but of firm texture.
Pare, cut in halves or quarters, remove cores and place
on cheesecloth-covered trays with cavity side up. As
soon as a tray is loaded it should go into the dryer.
There should be no undue delay in the preparation of
fruits for the dryer, and this is especially true of the
kinds that tarnish quickly when their pared and cut
surfaces are exposed to the air.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 150° F.
Approximate drying time, 6 hours.
When dried there will be no moisture when cut edge
is pressed, and the product will be leathery.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
Plums
Thoroughly ripened fruit should be selected in which
the sugar is well developed. Cut in halves, removing
stems and pits, load on cheesecloth-covered trays with
cavity side up, and to a depth of one layer only. Place
in dryer as soon as each tray is ready.
Starting temperature, 110° F.
Finishing temperature, 150° F.
Approximate drying time, 5 to 6 hours.
When dried there should be no moisture when a cut
edge is pressed. Product should be like peaches, —
somewhat leathery.
"Condition" as directed on page 67.
94
CHAPTER X
COOKING DIRECTIONS
In restoring the dehydrated products you will notice
that some take more time to rehydrate, or bring back,
just as some require more time to dry than others do.
Where long soaking is necessary, say 8 or more hours,
it is convenient to put the product to soak over night.
It is advisable to soak the food in a deep bowl, with
the amount of water needed, and turn into the sauce-
pan when ready for cooking.
Do not have heat too strong at first, but bring gradu-
ally to boiling point, and then boil gently (a little more
than simmering) until tender.
The water in which vegetables are soaked and cooked
should be used as part of the liquid in the sauce (see
recipe for Vegetable Sauce, page 109) when the vegeta-
ble is served with one. The liquid may also be used in
soups, thus obtaining flavor and utilizing the mineral
salts that were dissolved during the boiling of the
vegetable.
Vegetables may be soaked in tepid water instead of
cold, which will hasten their restoration.
If dehydrated foods are being soaked in hot weather,
they should be placed in the refrigerator or other cold
place. Then cook as soon as the product has been re-
stored.
95
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Where dehydrated products are to be used for flavor-
ing, break or cut into small pieces before soaking.
Fruits as well as vegetables should be cooked in the
same water in which they are soaked. Bring very
slowly to boiling point and simmer for 15 minutes, then
drain, add sugar to liquid, reheat until boiling, add fruit
and simmer until tender. Best results are always
obtained by very slow cooking. A fireless cooker serves
excellently for this purpose.
Regarding length of time necessary to rehydrate the
dried product, this depends largely upon how the ma-
terial was treated before dehydrating. A vegetable
that was cooked until tender, then dehydrated, will
restore quicker when soaked, and will cook in a very
short time.
Furthermore, after the food is dehydrated, if it is
ground into a powdered form, little time will be re-
quired for cooking, and no previous soaking is neces-
sary.
If your dehydrated products are cut in different ways,
such as sliced, diced or into strips, select the style of
product best suited to the recipe. As an example, sliced
potatoes would be your choice for escalloped potatoes.
The thoughtful and careful housekeeper who plans
her meal in advance will find that dehydrated products
are very easy to serve. The foods that require long
rehydrating may be soaked over night for a midday
meal, putting them to soak as late in the evening as is
convenient. And for the evening dinner, start soaking
dehydrated products early in the morning.
96
COOKING DIRECTIONS
Suppose, in looking over the recipes included here-
with, that a housekeeper plans her meals ahead for a
week. The recipes given, generally speaking, are
sufficient to serve four people. With this in mind any
one can cut the proportions in half or double them,
according to requirements. Or if one wishes to cook
enough of any one kind of the dehydrated product for
a second meal, follow the Preliminary Directions, and
the food is then ready to be served in any way desired.
There are also a number of recipes for dishes that
are really a meal in themselves, and, with the addition
of bread and butter, a salad dessert or fruit, nothing
more is required. Any one of the following will furnish
a most delicious meal and one requiring but little
work : —
Savory Meat Stretching Dish (page 114).
One-dish Meal (page 115).
Corn Chowder (page 137).
Pot Roast and Vegetables (page 116).
Vegetable Stew (page 117).
Measurements for Cooking Dehydrated
Vegetables
The cup specified in the recipes is the cook's half-
pint measuring cup, and when dehydrated products
are used the cup is measured heaping full.
A tablespoon or teaspoon means all that the spoon
will hold.
The above refer to dehydrated vegetables that are
cut into dices, slices or Julienne strips.
97
DEHYDRATING FOODS
When the product is finely cut before dehydrating,
more can be put into the cup than when the pieces are
larger. In this event use level measure; also when the
dehydrated product is powdered, use level measure.
Unless otherwise stated, all other ingredients are
measured level.
98
CHAPTER XI
SOUPS
Chicken Soup
As the meat portion, use carcass either of a roasted
chicken or a small turkey. Break into pieces, removing
all the stuffing.
| Cup dehydrated onions.
J Cup dehydrated celery leaves.
2 Tablespoons uncooked rice.
Salt and pepper to your taste.
Put vegetables into saucepan, add bones and meat
and sufficient cold water to nearly cover the bones,
bring slowly to boiling point, add salt and pepper and
simmer for an hour and strain. Blanch rice for 5
minutes in boiling water, drain, add to strained stock
and cook until rice is tender. Serve in bouillon cups.
Beef Stock
4 Pounds beef shin.
i Cup dehydrated turnip, cut small.
| Cup dehydrated carrots, cut small.
J Cup dehydrated cabbage, cut small.
\ Cup dehydrated onion.
1 Cook's Bouquet. (See page 106.)
2 Quarts cold water.
Salt to taste.
99
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Put all vegetables in one-half the water and let soak
while you are cutting up the meat. Crack bone, cut
meat into small pieces and brown part of the meat in
marrow. Put balance of meat and bone in the cold
water and bring slowly to boiling point. Add browned
meat and rinse out the pan in which it was browned
with a very little hot water and add to soup pot. Let
this simmer for an hour, then gradually bring the
soaked vegetables and water to a boil, add to meat
stock, also "bouquet," and salt to taste; simmer for
several hours. Strain through colander, and when
liquid is cold remove all fat. May be served as clear
soup, or, if desired, add a quarter cup of Soup Vegeta-
ble Mixture which has been soaked for a half hour in
the stock; then cook gently until vegetables are tender,
— usually about 20 minutes, as vegetables are finely
cut.
Cream of Celery
1| Cups dehydrated celery.
4| Cups cold water.
1 Tablespoon dehydrated onions.
2 Cups milk.
4 Tablespoons butter.
4 Tablespoons flour.
Salt and pepper.
Soak celery and onions in cold water for 8 hours and
cook until tender in same water, then press through a
sieve. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and stir
100
SOUPS
it over the fire, then add milk and vegetable puree,
stirring until slightly thickened. Season to taste and
serve at once.
Cream of Mushroom Soup
| Cup dehydrated mushrooms.
4 Cups cold water.
4 Tablespoons butter.
J Cup thin cream.
3 Tablespoons flour.
Salt and pepper.
Soak mushrooms in water for several hours, then cut
mushrooms into fine pieces and simmer until tender.
Reserve a tablespoon of the cooked mushrooms and
press rest through a strainer with the liquid. Blend
together the butter and flour and stir into the mush-
room liquor; add salt and pepper and bring to boiling
point; add cream and the tablespoon of mushroom
pieces. Serve in bouillon cups.
Onion Soup
1 Cup dehydrated onion.
3 Cups cold water.
1| Cups Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Salt and pepper.
Small slices of bread, toasted, 1 slice for each person.
% Tablespoons bacon fat.
Soak onions in cold water for 8 hours, then simmer
until onions are very tender, strain onions from liquid
101
DEHYDRATING FOODS
and brown them in the bacon fat. Then add onion
liquor to them and the white sauce; add seasonings
and bring to a good boil. Place the toasted bread in a
hot tureen, pour in the soup and serve immediately.
Potato Soup
^ Cup ground dehydrated potato.
3 Cups water.
2 Cups milk.
i Teaspoon dehydrated parsley, powdered.
Salt and paprika.
Bring water to a boil, add ground potato slowly, while
stirring, and boil for 15 minutes. Scald milk in double
boiler, add to potato, season with salt and paprika and
pour into a tureen. Sprinkle parsley crushed between
fingers over the soup, and serve. If liked thicker, blend
a little butter and flour to a paste, stir into boiling soup
and boil for several minutes.
Pea Soup
2 Cups dehydrated peas.
2 Quarts cold water.
Ham bone or bacon rind.
2 Tablespoons each dehydrated onions and carrots.
Pepper.
3 Tablespoons butter,
lj Tablespoons flour.
Croutons.
102
SOUPS
Soak onions, carrots and peas in water over night;
next morning add ham bone and cook slowly until
vegetables are very soft. Remove bone and press rest
through a strainer. Blend together the butter and
flour, add to puree, reheat to boiling, and boil for
several minutes to cook the flour. Season to taste.
Pour in hot tureen, sprinkle over 1 cup crotitons, and
serve.
Tomato Bisque
\\ Cups dehydrated tomatoes.
3 Cups cold water.
2 Cups Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
J Cup dehydrated onions, cut small.
1 Tablespoon dehydrated green pepper, cut small.
\ Teaspoon soda.
2 Teaspoons granulated sugar.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Soak tomatoes, onions and green peppers in cold
water for 4 hours, then simmer until vegetables are
tender and press all through a strainer. Reheat tomato,
adding sugar, salt and pepper. Heat white sauce in
double boiler, add soda to tomato, stir thoroughly and
combine with white sauce, stirring while mixing. Serve
in hot bouillon cups with a spoon of whipped cream,
and on top of this a delicate touch of powdered de-
hydrated parsley.
103
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Vegetable Soup
2 Quarts soup stock.
£ Cup dehydrated soup mixture. (See page 85.)
Soak vegetables in stock for 10 minutes, then bring
slowly to boiling point and simmer until vegetables are
tender. Instead of using soup stock, cold water and
bouillon cubes may be used. Soak and cook vegetables
in water until tender, dissolve cubes in a cup of the boil-
ing liquid, add to vegetables, bring to boiling point and
serve. In this way a vegetable soup may be quickly
prepared, requiring about a half hour.
Many other soups may be made from the dehydrated
products by using the recipes given here as a basis for
other soups. To save time, put the dehydrated product
through a food chopper, or if the product is dried until
brittle it can be ground into coarse meal through the
hand-flour mills. In this event soaking is not neces-
sary.
104
CHAPTER XII
VEGETABLE AND PUDDING SAUCES AND
SALAD DRESSINGS
Vegetable Sauces
Brown Sauce
1 Teaspoon dehydrated onion.
1 Teaspoon dehydrated carrot.
3 Tablespoons warm water.
4 Tablespoons butter.
i Cup flour.
2 Cups soup stock.
Small Bouquet. (See page 107.)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Soak onion and carrots in warm water for 10 or 15
minutes, then cook in water until liquid is evaporated.
Add butter, Small Bouquet and stir constantly until
butter browns; butter must not burn. Add flour and
continue stirring until browned, then add stock and
bring to boiling point; boil for a minute, then strain
and add salt and pepper to taste.
Cheese Sauce
2 Tablespoons butter.
2 Tablespoons flour.
1 Cup milk.
^ Cup grated cheese.
Salt, pepper and dry mustard to taste.
105
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Melt butter, add flour and stir over fire for 2 minutes,
add milk and stir until sauce is smooth and slightly
thick, then add cheese and seasonings and stir until
well blended.
Cook's Bouquet
1 Bay leaf.
2 Sprigs of thyme.
1 Blade of mace.
12 Peppercorns.
2 Cloves.
5 Sprays of dehydrated parsley.
Soak parsley in cold water for 15 minutes, then lay
the sprays in palm of left hand. Place the spices in the
parsley, then fold over parsley so the spices are hidden;
tie securely with a clean white cord. By using the
Bouquet in soups no one flavor predominates, but a
delicate blending of all is given to the soup.
Hollandaise Sauce
2 Yolks, unbeaten.
8 Tablespoons butter.
1 Tablespoon lemon juice.
5 Tablespoons boiling water.
Salt and pepper.
Wash butter and divide into three portions. Put
yolks, lemon juice and one piece of butter in upper part
of small double boiler. Place over boiling water and stir
constantly until butter is melted. Then add another
piece and continue stirring, then the last piece of butter.
106
SAUCES AND SALAD DRESSINGS
When melted and sauce thickens, add boiling water
and let cook for a minute, still stirring constantly.
Remove from fire and season to taste.
Small Bouquet
J Small bay leaf.
1 Small sprig of thyme.
5 Peppercorns.
2 Sprays dehydrated parsley.
Put together as directed in Cook's Bouquet and use
for flavoring sauces.
Sauce Tartare
J Cup Mayonnaise Dressing. (See page 112.)
J Tablespoon chopped olives.
J Tablespoon chopped gherkins.
\ Tablespoon chopped capers.
1 Teaspoon dehydrated parsley.
1 Teaspoon dehydrated onion.
2 Tablespoons cold water.
Cut onion into very small pieces with scissors.
Powder parsley with fingers and cover these with cold
water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain, add to
chopped ingredients, and mix thoroughly in the may-
onnaise.
107
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Savory Tomato Sauce
(To serve with spaghetti.)
1 Cup dehydrated tomatoes.
1 Tablespoon dehydrated onions.
1 Tablespoon dehydrated mushrooms.
§ Tablespoon dehydrated green peppers.
If Cup cold water.
3 Tablespoons butter.
2J Tablespoons flour.
1 Teaspoon salt.
| Teaspoon pepper.
2 Teaspoons granulated sugar.
| Teaspoon dehydrated parsley, powdered.
Soak tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and peppers in
cold water for 2 hours, then cook slowly until tender
in same water. Melt butter in saucepan, add flour
and stir over fire for 2 or 3 minutes; add vegetables
and their liquid and stir until slightly thickened. Add
seasonings and parsley crushed between fingers.
Bring to boiling point and serve.
Thick White Sauce
3 Tablespoons butter.
5 Tablespoons flour.
1 Cup milk.
Salt and pepper.
Melt butter, add flour and stir over fire for 2 min-
utes; add milk and seasonings, and stir and cook
until smooth and thick. Then use as directed.
108
SAUCES AND SALAD DRESSINGS
Thin White Sauce
2 Tablespoons butter.
2 Tablespoons flour.
1 Cup milk.
Salt and pepper.
Make as directed for Thick White Sauce.
Tomato Sauce
f Cup dehydrated tomato,
lj Cups cold water.
1 Teaspoon dehydrated onions.
%\ Tablespoons butter.
2 Tablespoons flour.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Soak tomato and onion in cold water for 2 hours,
then cook in same water until vegetables are tender.
Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and cook for
two minutes while stirring constantly. Add cooked
vegetable pulp (pressed through a strainer), liquid and
seasonings. Stir over fire until boiling hot. If tomato
is very acid a pinch of soda should be stirred into the
tomato before straining.
Vegetable Sauce
3 Tablespoons butter. .
3 Tablespoons flour.
§ Cup water in which vegetables were boiled.
§ Cup top of bottle of milk.
Salt and pepper to taste.
109
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Melt butter, add flour and stir over fire for % minutes.
Add liquid and stir until sauce is smooth and slightly
thick, then season to your taste. Using the water in
which the vegetable was boiled as part of your liquid
adds to the sauce the mineral salts and other solubles
which usually find their way down the sink.
Pudding Sauces
Hard Sauce
1 Cup powdered sugar, sifted.
6 Tablespoons butter.
1 Teaspoon flavoring.
Cream butter, then add sifted sugar gradually, and
then flavoring. If wished as a decorative sauce, place
on ice until quite firm, but not hard, press through a
pastry bag and tube on to chilled plate, and return to
ice box. When ready to use, dip a thin, flexible-
bladed knife in boiling water, run blade under each
rosette and place on the pudding or at the side, as
desired.
Nutmeg Sauce
lj Tablespoons corn starch.
\ Teaspoon salt.
4 Tablespoons sugar.
1 Cup cold water.
1 Tablespoon butter.
Grated nutmeg to flavor.
110
SAUCES AND SALAD DRESSINGS
Sift cornstarch, salt and sugar into a saucepan,
add water and stir over the fire for 5 minutes, then
add butter and nutmeg. May be used either hot or
cold.
Ruby Sauce
J Cup currant jelly.
1 Tablespoon butter.
4 Tablespoons raspberry juice.
Melt butter in double boiler, add raspberry juice
and jelly, and stir with a fork until jelly is nearly
dissolved. Remove quickly from fire and serve at
once. The sauce is very effective when small pieces
of red-colored beads show through it. Raspberry juice
may be obtained by crushing % tablespoons dehydrated
raspberries, covering with cold water and soaking for
two hours. Then simmer until soft, strain and use
liquid. Sweeten slightly while hot.
Salad Dressings
French Dressing
4 or 5 Slices dehydrated lemon.
\ Teaspoon salt.
\ Teaspoon pepper.
8 Tablespoons olive oil.
3 Tablespoons cold water.
Soak lemon in cold water for 1 hour, then drain,
saving water, and press lemon in a lemon squeezer.
Put the ingredients in a glass mixing bottle and shake
until well blended. Chill in refrigerator.
Ill
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Boiled Mayonnaise
4 Yolks.
4 Tablespoons mild vinegar.
8 Tablespoons olive oil.
1 Teaspoon salt.
1| Teaspoons dry mustard.
2 Teaspoons sugar.
4 Whites of eggs beaten stiff, or —
1 Cup whipped cream.
Put yolks in double boiler, add vinegar and half the
oil. Mix thoroughly and stir over boiling water until
mixture is creamy. Remove from fire and chill. Then
add seasonings and balance of oil slowly. When per-
fectly smooth, place in a jelly glass in refrigerator and
add white of egg when ready to serve.
The cooked part of the dressing will keep for some
days, and the cream or white of egg may be added as
desired.
Mayonnaise Dressing
2 Yolks.
3 Tablespoons lemon juice.
1 Tablespoon tarragon vinegar.
1 Teaspoon salt.
1 Teaspoon sugar.
1 Teaspoon dry mustard,
lj Cups olive oil.
Sift salt, sugar and mustard into bowl, add yolks
and mix well, then vinegar. Add oil a teaspoon at a
time at first, then when sauce begins to thicken add a
112
SAUCES AND SALAD DRESSINGS
little lemon juice and continue until all the oil and
lemon juice are used. When made keep in refrigerator
until ready to use. Add paprika at the last, when
mayonnaise is in its serving dish or mixed with salad,
as this gives a decorative touch to the dressing. It
is not necessary to have materials chilled before mixing,
but it is most essential that the temperature of all
ingredients should be the same.
Stiff Mayonnaise
To proportions given in Mayonnaise Dressing add
1 teaspoon granulated gelatine soaked in 1 tablespoon
cold water for 5 minutes, then stirred over boiling
water until dissolved. Stir until well mixed with
dressing. When cold this can be pressed through
pastry bag and tube so as to form roses, rosettes,
etc., as a decoration to the salad.
113
CHAPTER XIII
ONE-DISH DINNERS
A Savory Meat-stretching Dish
2 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
\ Cup dehydrated onions.
§ Cup dehydrated carrots.
\ Cup dehydrated turnips.
8 Cups cold water.
1 Pound beef.
2 Tablespoons minced suet.
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 Tablespoon parsley.
Soak each vegetable separately in cold water for
several hours; drain and dry with a towel the onions,
turnips and carrots. Cut the meat into small pieces
or put through food chopper, using the coarsest
knife. Try out the suet and cook the onions, turnips
and carrots in it until slightly browned; add 4 cups
boiling water and the meat, and cook very slowly for
\\ hours; add salt and pepper and the soaked and
drained potatoes. Continue simmering until potatoes
are tender, adding more boiling water as needed.
When finished there should be about 1 pint of liquid.
Drain off liquid, place vegetables and meat on a hot
platter, thicken liquid with 2 tablespoons flour mixed
with a little cold water, bring to a good boil, add 1
tablespoon caramel and pour gravy over the cooked
ingredients.
114
ONE-DISH DINNERS
Almost Meatless Hash
1 Cup chopped, cooked meat (corned
beef is especially good).
1 Cup dehydrated potatoes.
J Cup dehydrated onions.
J Cup dehydrated carrots.
4 Cups cold water.
3 Tablespoons drippings.
Salt and paprika.
Soak potatoes, onions and carrots separately in cold
water for 5 hours, then cook all but onions until tender
in same water. Drain and chop fine. Drain soaked
onions and saute in drippings until tender, add other
vegetables, meat and seasonings, mix well, add 1 cup
boiling water, and cook, stirring frequently, until
liquid is absorbed. Allow hash to brown on lower
side. Fold like an omelet on hot platter, decorate
with parsley, and serve.
One-dish Meal
3 Cups dehydrated tomatoes.
^ Cup dehydrated onions.
1 Cup uncooked rice.
1 Cup grated cheese.
3 Tablespoons olive oil.
Salt and cayenne.
1 Teaspoon dehydrated parsley.
Soak tomatoes in 5 cups cold water for 6 hours, and
onions in three-fourths cup for same time. Dry
115
DEHYDRATING FOODS
onions on towel and brown slightly in the oil. Add a
pinch of soda to soaked tomatoes and cook slowly for
10 minutes, then drain, saving liquid. Combine
onions, tomatoes, rice (previously blanched for 5
minutes) ; add 2 cups of tomato liquid, salt and pepper,
and cook slowly until rice is tender; stir lightly with
a fork while cooking. Turn mixture on a serving dish,
cover thickly with grated cheese, and sprinkle with
crushed parsley. Brown in a quick oven. Serve at
once in same dish.
Pot Roast and Vegetables
4 Pounds bottom round.
J Cup dehydrated onions.
J Cup dehydrated green peppers.
| Cup dehydrated carrots.
' Noodles.
2J Cups cold water.
1 Small Bouquet. (See page 107.)
Salt and pepper.
Place vegetables to soak in the cold water for 5
hours, then drain off water and bring it to boiling point.
Get a small piece of suet when selecting the meat.
Chop suet fine and try out in the saucepan you intend
using for the meat. Brown meat on all sides in the
fat, then drain off surplus fat. When meat is browned
add boiling water, soaked vegetables and Small Bou-
quet, and let simmer for several hours, until meat is
tender, adding salt and pepper when partly cooked.
Remove meat, place on serving platter and keep hot
116
ONE-DISH DINNERS
in oven. Strain off the liquid, saving vegetables and
discarding bouquet. Parboil noodles in boiling salted
water for 5 minutes, drain and finish cooking in the
pot-roast gravy. When tender lift out with a strainer
and surround the meat with them. Sprinkle over
noodles the vegetables that were cooked with the meat.
Thicken gravy with flour and water mixed together,
adding sufficient boiling water to give about a pint.
Boil for several minutes, pour several spoonfuls over the
meat, sending rest to table in a gravy boat. Decorate
with parsley.
Vegetable Stew
2 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
J Cup dehydrated turnips.
1 Cup dehydrated carrots.
\ Cup dehydrated onions.
1 Tablespoon dehydrated green pepper.
4 Tablespoons butter.
2 Tablespoons flour.
3 Cups milk or soup stock.
Salt and pepper.
Place each vegetable separately into a bowl, cover
with cold water and let stand for 6 hours, then bring
to boiling point and boil for 15 minutes. Drain, com-
bine vegetables, add stock, seasoning and boil until
tender. Drain liquid and save it. Melt butter in a
saucepan, add flour and stir over fire for 2 or 3 minutes,
add liquid and boil, then return vegetables to the sauce
and cook slowly for 10 minutes. Any other combina-
tion of vegetables may be used.
117
CHAPTER XIV
RECIPES FOR USING DEHYDRATED
VEGETABLES
String Beans
Preliminary Directions. — Soak 1 part dehydrated
string beans in 3 parts cold water for 8 hours and cook
until tender in same water, adding a pinch of soda to
accentuate their color, and salt when vegetable is partly
cooked. Time required, about 1| hours. String beans
restore nicely and to almost their natural green color.
Buttered String Beans
1 Cup dehydrated string beans.
3 Cups cold water.
3 Tablespoons butter.
Pepper.
Soak and cook as directed, then drain, return to
fire with butter and toss with a fork until well coated.
Turn into a hot vegetable dish, dust with pepper and
serve. These may be served on the meat platter as a
garnish to broiled steak or chops.
Creamed String Beans
1 Cup dehydrated string beans.
3 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Soak and cook as directed, and reheat in white sauce.
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
String Beans in Stock
lj Cups dehydrated string beans.
4 Cups cold water.
% Cups beef stock.
Soak and cook dehydrated string beans for a half
hour in water in which they were soaked. Drain, add
stock and finish cooking until they have absorbed most
of the liquid.
String Beans Maitre d'Hotel
\\ Cups dehydrated string beans.
4 Cups cold water.
5 Tablespoons butter.
Slight grating of nutmeg.
1 Tablespoon lemon juice.
1 Teaspoon minced parsley.
Soak and cook dehydrated string beans as directed
and drain. Cream the butter with a fork, add lemon
juice gradually, then nutmeg and parsley, add to the
drained cooked beans and toss over the fire until very
hot. Excellent.
String Bean Salad
1 Cup dehydrated string beans.
3 Cups cold water.
J Cup dehydrated onions.
J Cup cold water.
1 Tablespoon dehydrated green peppers.
\ Cup cold water.
French Dressing. (See page 111.)
119
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Soak vegetables in separate bowls in their respective
amounts of cold water and cook the dehydrated string
beans as directed in Preliminary Directions until
tender, then drain and chill. Onions and peppers are
soaked for 6 or 7 hours, then drained and used without
cooking. Chop peppers fine and onions rather coarse,
mix with the chilled string beans. Pour over the
French Dressing and let them marinate in it for 20
minutes. Arrange crisp lettuce leaves in a chilled salad
bowl, and heap the prepared vegetables in center.
Fresh radishes cut into thin slices make an attractive
garnish.
String Beans with Bacon
lj Cups dehydrated string beans.
4 Cups cold water.
3 Slices bacon.
Soak and cook dehydrated string beans as directed,
and drain. Cut bacon into small pieces and fry crisp
in a frying pan, add drained beans, toss in bacon fat
until hot and serve. Delicious.
Beets
Preliminary Directions. — Beets are cooked until
nearly if not quite done before skins are removed and
the beet cut for dehydrating. Consequently there is
no long preliminary soaking necessary (3 hours being
quite sufficient), which is a good thing, or the color
would not be so deep. But as the cooking before the
120
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
beet was cut set and kept the color to a certain extent,
the dehydrated beet restores to its attractive bright
red color, and compares in every way most favorably
with the fresh product.
Buttered Beets
2 Cups dehydrated beets.
4 Cups cold water.
\ Cup butter.
Salt and pepper.
Soak as directed and cook in same water until done.
Drain, add butter and toss over the fire until well
coated. Dust with salt and pepper. They will be
deliciously sweet.
Beet Salad
2 Cups dehydrated beet (diced are best).
4 Cups cold water.
J Cup English walnut meats, coarsely chopped.
2 Hard-boiled eggs.
Crisp leaves of lettuce.
Mayonnaise Dressing. (See page 112.)
Soak and cook as directed in Buttered Beets, drain
and chill. Mince whites of boiled eggs, add with nut-
meats to beets and moisten with mayonnaise. Arrange
lettuce in form of nests, add to each a generous portion
of beet mixture, add yolks pressed through a sieve
and top with a mayonnaise rosette (stiff mayonnaise
forced through rose tube and bag). Add a whole
walnut meat and serve very cold.
121
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Creamed Beets
1| Cups dehydrated beets.
3 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Soak and cook as directed in Buttered Beets until
tender. Drain and reheat to boiling point in the sauce.
Pickled Beets
Cup dehydrated beets (sliced are better than diced).
Cup cold water.
Cup cider vinegar.
Tablespoon whole mixed spices.
Tablespoon granulated sugar.
i
2
Mix water, vinegar, sugar and spices and add beets,
letting them soak over night. Serve on a small plate
as a pickle. (If beets were not thoroughly cooked
before dehydrating they must be soaked and cooked
first, and then let stand in the pickle.)
Sweet-Sour Beets
2 Cups dehydrated beets.
4 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Sweet-sour Sauce. (See Sweet-sour
Cabbage, page 128.)
Soak and cook as directed in Buttered Beets, until
tender. Drain and reheat for 10 minutes in sweet-
sour sauce. Serve as a vegetable.
122
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Brussels Sprouts
Preliminary Directions. — Soak 1 part Brussels
sprouts in 4 parts cold water for 6 hours. Cook until
tender in same water, adding salt when half done.
Requires from 30 to 40 minutes boiling. These are a
most satisfactory dehydrated product and restore to
their natural color, showing the gradations of color
from the light center leaves down to the dark outside
leaves.
Brussels Sprouts au Gratin
lj Cups dehydrated Brussels sprouts.
6 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
\ Cup grated cheese.
Buttered bread crumbs.
Soak and cook the sprouts as directed, drain. Place
a layer in a buttered casserole, cover with sauce and
sprinkle lightly with grated cheese; continue in layers
of sprouts, sauce and cheese until all is used, covering
top with buttered crumbs. Brown in quick oven and
serve in same dish.
Creamed Brussels Sprouts
1 Cup dehydrated Brussels sprouts.
4 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Soak and cook as directed above, drain and reheat
in the sauce.
123
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Sauteed Brussels Sprouts
lj Cups dehydrated Brussels sprouts.
5 Cups cold water.
4 Tablespoons butter.
1 Teaspoon flour.
1 Teaspoon sugar.
Dust with pepper.
Soak and cook the sprouts as directed and drain
thoroughly. Return to saucepan, add other ingredi-
ents and toss over the fire for several minutes, then
serve.
Cabbage
Preliminary Directions. — Soak 1 part cabbage to 4
parts cold water from 5 to 6 hours. Add salt to taste
when half done and cook until tender in the same
water. Requires about 25 minutes time for cooking.
Baked Cabbage
% Cups dehydrated cabbage.
7 Cups cold water.
^ Tablespoon salt.
2 Beaten eggs.
i Cup cream.
2 Tablespoons melted butter.
Pepper.
Buttered crumbs.
Soak and cook as directed, drain and chop fine. Mix
eggs, cream and melted butter and dash of pepper with
124
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
the cabbage, place in buttered baking dish, sprinkle
top with buttered crumbs and bake until brown. Any
left over cold, cooked meat could be finely chopped
and mixed with the cabbage to give variety.
Cabbage au Gratin
lj Cups dehydrated cabbage.
6 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
\ Cup grated cheese.
Salt and cayenne pepper.
Soak and cook cabbage as directed, drain and chop
coarse. Butter a baking dish, put in half the cabbage,
cover with part of the sauce and sprinkle with cheese,
dust with cayenne, and balance of cabbage, cover
with sauce and rest of the cheese, and bake until
brown. Serve in same dish.
Creamed Cabbage
1| Cups dehydrated cabbage.
6 Cups cold water.
2 Tablespoons butter.
% Tablespoons flour.
1 Cup milk.
Salt and pepper.
Soak and cook cabbage as directed. Make a smooth
sauce from butter, flour, seasonings and milk. Place
cabbage in vegetable dish, pour sauce over it, toss
lightly, dust with paprika and serve.
125
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Escalloped Cabbage
H Cups dehydrated cabbage.
6 Cups cold water.
3 Tablespoons butter.
2 Tablespoons flour.
1 Cup milk.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Bread crumbs.
Soak and cook cabbage as directed above, drain and
chop coarse. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter, add flour
and milk, and stir over fire until a smooth, thick sauce;
season to taste. Butter a baking dish, put in a layer
of chopped cabbage, cover with sauce, and continue
in alternate layers until dish is full, having sauce as
top layer. Sprinkle over some soft crumbs and dot
with balance of butter. Brown in oven and serve in
same dish.
Fried Cabbage
1^ Cups dehydrated cabbage.
4 Cups cold water.
1 Cup dehydrated white potatoes.
4 Cups cold water.
Bacon fat.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Soak cabbage and potatoes separately in water, and
cook until tender in same water, salting to taste when
partly cooked. Drain and mix vegetables and chop
126
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
coarse. Melt some bacon fat in a frying pan, put in
the vegetables, dust with pepper and fry until browned
on the under side. Fold as an omelet and serve on
an oblong platter. Garnish with bacon curls, or it
may be served with broiled pork chops. A very savory
dish.
Cold Slaw
3 Cups dehydrated cabbage.
8 Cups cold water.
1 Beaten egg.
£ Cup vinegar.
f Cup top of the bottle of milk.
2 Tablespoons melted butter.
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar.
1 Teaspoon salt.
1 Teaspoon English mustard.
Dash of cayenne.
Soak cabbage in cold water for 6 hours, drain and
chop coarse. Put milk, salt, sugar, mustard and egg
in upper part of small double boiler and cook over hot
water until thick, stirring constantly; add vinegar
gradually, then butter, mix thoroughly and remove
from fire. When cold add cayenne and mix sauce with
the cabbage. Heap in salad dish and sprinkle with
finely chopped red radish peeling. The radish adds
both a touch of color and piquancy to the salad.
127
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Sweet-Sour Cabbage
2 Cups dehydrated cabbage.
7 Cups cold water.
J Cup dehydrated apples.
1 Cup cold water.
Salt and pepper.
J Cup brown sugar.
2 Tablespoons vinegar.
1 Tablespoon flour.
2 Tablespoons butter.
Soak cabbage in 7 cups of water and apples in the
1 cup of water for 5 hours, drain and bring the water
to boiling point. Mix apples with cabbage, pour over
the boiling water to cover, add salt and boil until
tender. Drain, add butter, sugar and vinegar and
sprinkle lightly with flour. Toss over fire for a few
minutes and turn into a hot dish.
Carrots
Preliminary Directions. — Soak product in 3 parts
cold water to 1 part carrot for 1 hour; bring slowly
to boil in same water and boil gently until tender,
adding salt when half done. Time required, about
30 minutes.
Buttered Carrots
lj Cups dehydrated carrots.
4 Cups cold water.
J Cup butter.
Salt and pepper.
128
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Soak and cook as directed, drain and return to sauce-
pan with butter. Stir over fire until carrots are well
coated and boiling hot. Add seasonings and serve
around broiled chops or steak.
Carrot Croquettes
2 Cups dehydrated carrots.
4 Cups cold water.
J Cup Thick White Sauce. (See page 108.)
1 Yolk.
Salt and paprika.
Bread crumbs.
Deep hot fat.
Soak and cook as directed, drain and mash. Add
sauce, seasonings, mix thoroughly; beat yolk and mix.
Place in ice box until chilled. Shape into croquettes,
roll in fine crumbs, dip in egg (1 white and 1 tablespoon
cold water slightly beaten to mix), then again in
crumbs. Fry brown in hot fat and drain on brown
paper.
Carrots and Peas
1 Cup dehydrated peas.
3 Cups cold water.
§ Cup dehydrated carrots.
1| Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Salt and pepper.
Soak and cook carrots as directed, and peas as
directed under Preliminary Directions for peas on
129
DEHYDRATING FOODS
page 147; drain vegetables and mix. Reheat in sauce,
add seasonings as needed, and serve as a vegetable.
Most attractive combination.
Carrots and Turnips
1 Cup dehydrated carrots.
1 Cup dehydrated turnips.
6 Cups cold water.
1J Cups Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Salt and pepper.
Soak carrots and turnips separately each in half
the water for 1 hour, then cook in same water, salted,
until tender. Drain and reheat in sauce.
Carrots, peas and turnips may be combined as
above, using same amount of each vegetable.
Glazed Carrots
1 Cup dehydrated carrots.
3 Cups cold water.
\ Cup Beef Soup Stock. (See page 99.)
2 Tablespoons butter.
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar.
1 Teaspoon lemon juice.
Soak and cook as directed until tender, drain and
place in a baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar and dot
with butter. Add lemon juice to stock and pour it
over the carrots. Bake in moderate oven until liquid
is reduced and vegetable is brown. Serve as a garnish
with meat. Carrots have a delicious flavor when
cooked in this way.
130
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Lyonnaise Carrots
J Cup dehydrated onions.
1 Cup dehydrated carrots.
3| Cups cold water.
Fat.
J Teaspoon dehydrated parsley.
Salt and pepper.
Soak onions in half a cup of water and carrots in
balance, and cook carrots until nearly done; drain
thoroughly. Drain and dry onions on towel. Melt
fat in frying pan, add carrots and onions mixed, season
with salt and pepper, and cook very slowly for 20 min-
utes, stirring vegetables occasionally. Sprinkle with
powdered parsley and when browrned turn into heated
dish.
Cauliflower
Preliminary Directions. — Soak 1 part dehydrated
cauliflower in 4 parts cold water for 8 hours. Cook in
same water, adding salt to taste, until tender, — about
25 minutes. Drain and serve as per any one of the fol-
lowing recipes. If the head of cauliflower was sliced
before dehydrating, handle it carefully when cooking
so that the slices will not become broken. If the prod-
uct was separated into the flowerets it will not break
quite so easily. While the dehydrated product may be
dark in color, it rehydrates and cooks as white as does
the fresh.
131
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Baked Cauliflower
2 Cups dehydrated cauliflower.
8 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Vegetable Sauce. (See page 109.)
£ Cup buttered breadcrumbs.
Soak and cook as directed, then heap into a casserole
dish and pour over the sauce; sprinkle top with but-
tered crumbs and bake in hot oven until well crusted.
Cauliflower au Gratin
1§ Cups dehydrated cauliflower.
6 Cups cold water.
\ Cup grated American cheese.
Dash of paprika.
§ Cup Vegetable Sauce. (See page 109.)
Soak and cook as directed, drain and shape into a
mound on a gratin dish. Cover with the sauce, sprinkle
thickly with cheese, dust with paprika, and brown in a
quick oven. Serve as a vegetable entree.
Cauliflower Fritters
To give the most attractive dish use dehydrated
cauliflower roses instead of slices. Soak for 8 hours
in 4 times their bulk of cold water, cook in same water
until tender, drain carefully (save water), then dip
each piece in —
132
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Fritter Batter
1 Cup flour.
2 Eggs.
1 Tablespoon olive oil.
§ Cup (about) cold cauliflower water.
\ Teaspoon salt.
Sift flour and salt into a small bowl, add liquid
gradually, then beaten yolks, mix well and fold in the
stiffly beaten whites and lastly the olive oil. Before
dipping roses into the batter, have ready the saucepan
of hot fat and fry as soon as dipped. Drain fritters
on brown paper. Makes an attractive garnish to the
meat dish, or may be served with Sauce Tartare.
(See page 107.)
Cauliflower Souffle
1 Cup dehydrated cauliflower.
3^ Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
3 Eggs.
Salt and paprika to taste.
Soak and cook as directed, drain and press through
sieve and add to white sauce. Add yolks, unbeaten
and one at a time, blending each thoroughly before
adding the next one. Beat the whites in a good-sized
bowl until stiff, and pour cauliflower mixture into them,
mixing lightly but thoroughly. Pour into a buttered
covered baking dish and bake, uncovered, in moderate
oven until done, — when there is no sound when you
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DEHYDRATING FOODS
" listen" to the souffle. Have cover to dish hot and
place on souffle before removing from oven. Serve
immediately, as souffle is apt to fall with change in
temperature.
Cauliflower Timbales
1 Cup dehydrated cauliflower.
3£ Cups cold water.
1 Cup soft bread crumbs.
Milk.
1§ Tablespoons melted butter.
3 Eggs.
Salt and pepper, nutmeg.
Soak and cook the cauliflower as directed, drain and
press cauliflower through a sieve. Soak crumbs in milk
until soft, squeeze dry and add them to the cauliflower,
with melted butter, beaten yolks and seasonings. Mix
thoroughly and fold in the beaten whites. Have
ready individual timbale molds, buttered and crumbed.
Fill two-thirds full, set molds in a pan of hot water
and cook in oven until firm. Test with knife in center.
Turn out on platter and surround with a White or
Cheese Sauce. Delicious.
Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce
Use proportions as given in previous recipe. To
the sauce add the cheese, and stir it over the fire until
blended, then pour it over the cauliflower mound,
dusting lightly with paprika and serve without brown-
ing. Serve as a vegetable.
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Creamed Cauliflower
2 Cups dehydrated cauliflower.
8 Cups cold water,
lj Cups Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Soak and cook dehydrated cauliflower as directed,
then reheat in the white sauce and serve in a hot
vegetable dish.
Celery
Preliminary Directions. — Allow 1 part celery and 3
parts water. Soak 8 hours and cook in same water
until tender, adding salt when partly done. Drain and
serve as per any of the following recipes.
Celery Fritters
2 Cups dehydrated celery.
5 Cups cold water.
| Cup flour.
1 Egg.
2 Teaspoons melted butter.
Pinch of salt.
| Cup water celery was boiled in.
Soak and cook celery as directed and drain. When
cold, dip in batter made as follows: sift salt with
flour, add liquid and beaten yolk, then the beaten
white and lastly the butter. Fry in deep hot fat and
drain on brown paper. Serve as a vegetable garnish
for the meat.
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DEHYDRATING FOODS
Creamed Celery
1 Cup dehydrated celery.
3 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
1 Yolk.
Soak and cook as directed, drain and reheat in sauce
to boiling point. Remove from fire, stir in beaten
yolk, mix thoroughly and serve in ramequins.
Escalloped Celery
l£ Cups dehydrated celery.
4j Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice.
Salt and pepper.
Soak and cook as directed; drain and cook 5 min-
utes in the sauce. Add lemon juice just as it comes
from fire and season to taste.
Corn
Preliminary Directions. — If steamed until nearly
cooked before dehydrating, corn will not need to be
soaked long before cooking, but if only steamed long
enough to blanch before dehydrating, then it needs
longer soaking. Allow 1 part corn to 2 parts cold
water, and soak for 4 hours, then cook slowly in same
water until tender, — about 45 minutes.
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Corn Chowder
| Cup dehydrated corn.
1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion.
1 Cup dehydrated potatoes.
4 Cups hot milk.
2 Tablespoons fat salt pork, minced.
2 Tablespoons butter.
Salt and pepper.
Soak corn in 1^ cups cold water over night, potatoes
in 3 cups cold water for 6 hours, and the onion in one-
half cup cold water for 3 hours. Boil potatoes and
corn in same water they were soaked in until tender.
Try out the pork, dry onion thoroughly, and fry it in
the pork without browning; add corn, potatoes and
hot milk, season with salt and pepper. Soften 6 soda
crackers in milk. Turn chowder into hot tureen, place
crackers over top and serve. A hearty and inexpensive
dish.
Corn Croquettes
f Cup dehydrated corn, ground fine.
1 Cup Thick White Sauce. (See page 108.)
1 Egg.
Salt to taste.
Put corn through food chopper or hand mill, add
sauce, salt and egg, and set in ice box to chill. Shape
into croquettes, roll in soft crumbs, dip in egg slightly
beaten with 2 tablespoons cold water, and again roll
in crumbs. Fry brown in deep hot fat.
137
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Corn Fritters
| Cup dehydrated corn, ground coarse.
1 Cup milk.
J Cup water.
1 Egg.
1 Tablespoon sugar.
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 Teaspoon baking powder.
1 Cup (about) flour, or enough to give
consistency for drop batter.
Soak corn in milk and water in ice box for several
hours, then cook gently until soft. Remove from
fire and cool. Sift together the dry ingredients, add
to corn with beaten egg, mix well and drop by spoon-
fuls into deep hot fat, and brown. Drain thoroughly.
If corn is ground finer (like meal) it will not require
the soaking or cooking. Then omit water and use
about one-half cup of milk.
Corn Omelet
J Cup dehydrated corn, finely ground.
4 Eggs.
8 Tablespoons milk.
^ Teaspoon salt.
Dash of pepper.
3 Tablespoons butter.
Separate whites and yolks and beat whites until
very stiff and yolks until thick. Add milk, seasonings
and corn to yolks and mix well, then pour into the
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
beaten whites, mixing lightly. Melt butter without
browning in deep frying pan and pour in egg mixture;
place over slow fire and cook until set on the bottom,
then place pan in hot oven a minute to cook the top.
Holding the pan in the left hand, run a knife under
edge of omelet and slip it out on to a hot platter.
With one-half of the omelet resting on the platter,
fold the other half on top. Decorate with parsley.
Delicious.
Corn Relish
| Cup dehydrated onion,
f Cup dehydrated pepper.
3 Cups dehydrated corn.
2 Cups dehydrated cabbage.
2 Cloves garlic.
1 Cup salt (or to taste).
2 Cups sugar.
J Cup cider vinegar.
1 Ounce English mustard.
Put all vegetables separately through the food
chopper, using medium-sized knife, and measure after
chopping. Place them in a preserving kettle, cover
with cold water and let soak several hours (about 4).
If water has been absorbed, add enough more to
prevent burning, and cook until soft. Then add sugar,
salt and vinegar and boil slowly until thick, stirring
often. Mix mustard into a thin paste with vinegar, add
to corn mixture, boil 5 minutes, fill into hot jars and
seal. Serve as a relish with meats.
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DEHYDRATING FOODS
Corn, Southern Style
1 Cup dehydrated corn.
2 Cups cold water.
2 Slightly beaten eggs.
2 Tablespoons butter.
2 Cups milk.
Salt and pepper and granulated sugar.
Soak and cook until nearly tender, as directed before.
Remove from fire, add butter and seasonings. Mix
milk with slightly beaten egg and add to the corn
mixture. Turn into a buttered baking dish, set dish
in a pan of hot water, and bake in a moderate oven
until custard is set. Serve as a vegetable in same dish.
The time required for soaking and cooking until nearly
tender may be saved if the cup of corn is first put
through a flour mill and then mixed with other in-
gredients and baked.
Creamed Corn and Green Peppers
lj Cups dehydrated corn.
lj Tablespoons dehydrated green peppers.
2 Cups cold water.
§ Cup milk.
3 Tablespoons butter.
Salt and pepper.
Soak vegetables in cold water as directed and cook
slowly until tender. If water is absorbed, add milk
and complete the cooking in a double boiler. When
tender add seasonings and butter*
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Fried Corn
This is a good way to use up any left-over stewed
corn. Place over the fire and simmer until milk has
been absorbed, then add some butter and stir over a
brisk fire until corn is a golden brown.
Stewed Corn
1 Cup dehydrated corn.
2 Cups cold water.
J Cup cream.
Salt and pepper.
Soak and cook as directed, add cream and seasonings
and serve.
Succotash
1 Cup dehydrated corn.
6 Cups cold water.
1 Cup dehydrated beans.
4 Tablespoons butter.
Salt and pepper.
Top of bottle of milk.
Soak corn in half the water for 4 hours, and beans
in balance of water for 6 hours, then cook both vege-
tables until tender in same water. Drain, combine
vegetables, add seasonings, butter and milk to just
moisten. Stir over the fire for 5 minutes.
141
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Eggplant
Preliminary Directions. — Allow 3 times as much
cold water as vegetable. Soak for 15 minutes and dry
and use as directed.
Eggplant Saute
8 Slices dehydrated eggplant.
Cold water.
Salt and pepper. '
Fat.
Soak the eggplant as directed, drain and dry with
towel. Dust each side of the slices with salt and
pepper and fry slowly until tender and browned.
Drain on brown paper.
Eggplant with Brown Sauce
2 Cups dehydrated eggplant (diced).
5 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Brown Sauce. (See page 105.)
Grated cheese.
Bread crumbs.
Butter.
Salt and cayenne.
Soak in water as directed, drain well and place in
baking dish in alternate layers with Brown Sauce,
seasoning each layer of eggplant. Bake covered until
tender, then sprinkle top with grated cheese, cover
this with crumbs, dot with butter and brown quickly.
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Fried Eggplant
Sliced dehydrated eggplant.
Salt and pepper.
1 Egg.
1 Tablespoon cold water.
Flour.
Soft bread crumbs.
Soak in cold water for 15 minutes, dry between towels
and dust each slice with salt and pepper. Beat egg
slightly with 1 tablespoon of cold water, dip each seas-
oned slice first in flour, then egg, and then in crumbs.
Fry in fat until tender and browned. Keep hot in
oven until all are cooked.
Mushrooms
Preliminary Directions. — This vegetable adds so
much to sauces and other dishes that a supply should
be kept on hand. Allow 1 part mushroom and 2 parts
cold water. Soak for 1 hour, then cook in same water
until tender.
Creamed Mushrooms
1 Cup dehydrated mushrooms.
2 Cups cold water.
2 Tablespoons butter.
£ Tablespoons flour.
J Cup thin cream or top of the bottle of milk.
Salt and pepper.
1 Teaspoon lemon juice.
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DEHYDRATING FOODS
Soak and cook mushrooms as directed, then set
aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add flour and
stir over the fire for 2 minutes; add mushroom liquor
and stir until sauce is smooth and thick. Add cream,
seasonings and mushrooms, stir until boiling, remove
from fire, add lemon juice and serve at once.
Mushrooms in Ramequins
\\ Cups dehydrated mushrooms.
2| Cups cold water,
f Cup Thick White Sauce. (See page 108.)
Dash of nutmeg.
Buttered crumbs.
Soak and cook mushrooms as directed, and drain.
Add a half cup of the mushroom liquid to the white
sauce, reheat mushrooms in it, adding a touch of
nutmeg. Pour into ramequins, sprinkle top with
buttered crumbs and brown in a quick oven. Serve
as a vegetable entree.
Mushrooms on Toast
1 Cup dehydrated mushrooms.
2 Cups cold water.
\ Cup Thick White Sauce. (See page 108.)
Salt and pepper.
% Tablespoons cream.
1 Yolk.
Rounds of buttered toast.
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Soak and cook mushrooms as directed. Drain and
add a half cup mushroom liquid to the white sauce.
When boiling add mushrooms and seasonings. Beat
yolk, add cream and stir into the mushrooms. Remove
from fire, pour it over the toast and serve.
Onions
Preliminary Directions. — Soak dehydrated onions in
twice their bulk of cold water for about 6 hours, and
cook tender in same water, adding salt when half
done. Drain and use as directed.
Creamed Onions
2 Cups dehydrated onions.
4 Cups cold water.
Salt and pepper.
1 Cup Vegetable Sauce. (See page 109.)
Soak and cook dehydrated onions as directed, and
drain. Reheat to boiling point in Vegetable Sauce,
add seasonings and serve.
Escalloped Onions
3 Cups dehydrated onions.
5 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Bread crumbs.
Butter.
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DEHYDRATING FOODS
Soak and cook as directed, drain and place in a baking
dish in layers with the sauce. Shake bread crumbs
over top and dot with butter. Bake in quick oven
until browned. Serve in same dish.
Fried Onions
2 Cups dehydrated onions.
4 Cups cold water.
Fat.
Salt and pepper.
Soak onions for 6 hours, drain and dry between clean
towels. Melt some fat in frying pan, add onions, dust
with salt and pepper, cover pan and cook very slowly
until tender and a golden color, — about a half hour.
May be served as a garnish to steak.
Onions in Hash
To use dehydrated onions in hash allow to each
pint of chopped meat 2 tablespoons of dehydrated
onions. If the meat and potatoes are to simmer for
about three-quarters of an hour, the onions need not
soak, but can be put through food chopper, then put
in saucepan with the amount of liquid that is to be
used, and gradually brought to boiling point. Add
meat and potatoes and simmer as directed. Dehydrated
green peppers may be treated the same way if they are
to be used as mentioned above.
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Peas
Preliminary Directions. — Soak peas in 3 times their
bulk of cold water for 6 hours, then cook in same
water until tender, adding salt when half cooked.
Drain and use as directed.
Buttered Peas
lj Cups dehydrated peas.
4 Cups cold water.
3 Tablespoons butter.
Salt and pepper.
J Teaspoon dehydrated parsley, crushed.
Soak and cook as directed above, drain, add butter
and seasonings, and stir over fire until butter is melted.
Peas a la Russe
1 Cup dehydrated peas.
J Cup dehydrated onions.
4 Cups cold water.
Salt and pepper.
| Cup uncooked rice.
1 Cup Tomato Sauce. (See page 109.)
J Cup grated cheese.
Soak peas and onions in water and cook until nearly
tender, add seasoning and rice, washed, and cook
until tender. If necessary, add a little more water
while cooking, but the vegetables should have ab-
sorbed the liquid when they are done. Moisten with
147
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Tomato Sauce and turn into a baking dish, sprinkle
top with cheese and brown in a quick oven. Serve
in same dish for luncheon.
Peas and Carrots in Potato Nests
£ Cup dehydrated carrots.
§ Cup dehydrated peas.
3 Cups cold water.
§ Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Salt and pepper.
Potatoes prepared as for Potato Roses.
(See page 156.)
Soak carrots and peas in water for 6 hours and cook
until tender. Drain and reheat in sauce, adding season-
ings to taste. Form nests on buttered pan with mashed
potato, brush with milk, and brown in oven. Transfer
nests carefully and arrange as border round broiled
chops. Fill centers with creamed peas and carrots,
decorate with sprays of parsley and serve. A very
attractive dish and one well worth trying.
Peas and Onions
1^ Cups dehydrated peas.
J Cup dehydrated onion.
4J Cups cold water.
4 Tablespoons butter.
1 Teaspoon granulated sugar.
Salt and pepper.
Soak onions in 1 cup water and peas in balance for
6 hours, then cook each vegetable separately until
tender, adding salt when partly cooked. Drain, add
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
sugar to peas, also butter and onions, place over fire
and toss with a fork until butter is melted. Place in a
mound in center of hot chop plate, and lay broiled
lamb chops round the peas.
Pea Souffle
\ Cup pea meal.
1^ Cups Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Salt and pepper.
3 Eggs.
Put sufficient dehydrated peas through food chopper
to give the required amount. Mix with the sauce,
which should be boiling hot. Remove from fire, add
beaten yolks and seasonings. Whip the whites in a
good-sized bowl and pour into them the pea mixture,
stirring lightly until blended. Bake in buttered dish
in moderate oven until there is no sound when you
listen to it. Serve at once in same dish.
Pea Timbale
\ Cup pea meal made by grinding dehydrated
peas in mill or food chopper.
3 Beaten eggs.
1 Tablespoon butter.
Salt and pepper.
1 Cup top of the bottle of milk.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Beat eggs slightly, add seasonings, melted butter,
milk and pea meal, and mix thoroughly. Pour into
buttered timbale molds, set them in a pan of hot
149
DEHYDRATING FOODS
water, cover with a sheet of buttered paper, and bake
in moderate oven until firm. Unmold on hot platter
and surround with boiling hot white sauce.
Puree of Peas
1 Cup dehydrated peas.
4 Cups cold water.
Hot milk.
Sprig of mint.
Salt and pepper.
Soak and cook peas as directed until tender, then
press through sieve. Add seasonings, and hot milk to
dilute to a creamy consistency. Remove the mint
when there is just a suspicion of its flavor. Serve with
croutons.
Potatoes
Preliminary Directions. — If the product was cooked
before dehydrating, then no soaking is necessary;
otherwise soak in proportion of 1 part dehydrated
potatoes to 3 parts cold water for 6 hours, then cook in
same water until tender, adding salt when partly
cooked. The length of time required for cooking
depends upon thickness of the slices.
Creamed Potatoes
1 Cup dehydrated potatoes.
3 Cups cold water,
f Cup milk.
Flour.
Butter.
Salt and pepper.
150
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Soak and cook as in Preliminary Directions. Drain
and reheat in milk, dust lightly with flour, add butter
and toss potatoes with a fork until milk is thickened.
Season to taste and serve.
Escalloped Potatoes
1^ Cups dehydrated potatoes.
4 Cups cold water.
Milk.
Flour.
Butter.
Salt and pepper.
Soak potatoes in water for 6 hours, then drain. Have
a buttered dish ready, place in a layer of potatoes, dust
with flour, seasonings and dot with butter. Continue
until all is used. Pour in sufficient milk to show, put
cover on dish and cook in moderate oven until tender;
remove cover and brown. Serve in same dish. De-
licious.
Fried Potatoes
2 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
• 6 Cups cold water.
Salt and pepper.
Drippings or bacon fat.
Soak potatoes in water for 6 or 7 hours, then drain
and dry with towel. Melt the fat, add potatoes,
season and fry at low temperature until tender, about
30 minutes, then brown quickly.
151
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Hashed-browned Potatoes
2 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
6 Cups cold water.
Salt and pepper.
Drippings.
Soak and cook as directed until tender, and drain.
Melt drippings in frying pan, add seasoned potatoes
and fry until browned on under side. Fold like an
omelet on a hot platter.
Lyonnaise Potatoes
3 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
| Cup dehydrated onions.
9 Cups cold water.
Salt and pepper.
Drippings.
Soak potatoes and onions separately in cold water
for 6 or 7 hours, then drain and dry on towel. Melt
the drippings in a deep frying pan, put potatoes and
onions in alternate layers in pan, seasoning each layer.
Cover pan and cook over slow fire until tender. Remove
cover, increase heat and brown nicely.
Mashed Potatoes
3 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
9 Cups cold water.
Salt and pepper.
\ Cup hot milk.
% Tablespoons butter.
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Soak and cook as directed. Drain and mash. Add
hot milk, butter and seasoning. Beat with fork until
very light. If the potato was cooked and mashed
before dehydrating, then take the quantity desired,
heat in double boiler with hot milk and butter, beating
until light.
Pimiento Potato
1 Quart mashed dehydrated potato.
J Cup canned pimientos, chopped fine.
3 Tablespoons butter.
Cream to moisten.
Salt and pepper.
Follow directions as given for Mashed Potatoes,
adding butter, cream and pimientos, and beating mix-
ture lightly with a fork. Heap in a mound in hot
vegetable dish and serve. A pleasing accompaniment
to roast beef.
Potato a la Andrea
3 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
10 Cups cold water.
f Cup dehydrated onions.
4 Tablespoons butter.
Salt and paprika.
Soak onions in 1| cups water for 6 hours, and potatoes
in rest of the water. Cook potatoes until tender, adding
salt when partly cooked, drain and set in oven, with
cover lifted until dry and mealy. Dry onions on towel
and saute in butter until tender but uncolored. Place
153
DEHYDRATING FOODS
spoonfuls of potato round broiled steak, and top each
potato with some of the butter and onion, dust with
paprika and serve.
Potatoes au Gratin
2 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
5 Cups cold water.
Salt and pepper.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
§ Cup grated cheese.
Bread crumbs.
Butter.
Soak potatoes and cook as given in Preliminary
Directions, drain. Place in buttered casserole in al-
ternate layers with the white sauce, sprinkling each
layer of sauce with some cheese. Cover top with cheese
and over this the crumbs; dot with butter and brown
in quick oven. Serve in same dish.
Potato Border
Prepare potato as directed for Mashed Potatoes,
forcing through bag and star tube into a border round
the meat. Potato may be browned or not.
Potato Cakes
Prepare potatoes as directed for Mashed Potatoes,
shape into cakes and fry brown in bacon drippings.
154
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECD7ES
Potato Omelet
4 Eggs.
3 Tablespoons butter.
4 Tablespoons milk.
Salt and pepper.
1 Cup creamed potatoes.
Chop the potatoes until quite fine and heat in
double boiler. Separate whites and yolks, beat yolks
until thick and lemon-colored, add milk and seasonings.
Beat whites until stiff, pour yolk mixture into beaten
whites and mix lightly. Melt butter without brown-
ing, pour in eggs and place over a slow fire; shake pan
so that it is evenly covered. While cooking, lift edge
and let the soft part on top run on the pan. When
under side is browned, set in oven a minute to cook
top. Place hot potatoes across center of omelet, fold,
and slip it onto a heated platter. Decorate with pars-
ley and serve. Particularly good if made with left-over
Potatoes au Gratin.
Potato Puff
2 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
5 Cups cold water.
% Eggs.
2 Tablespoons butter.
Salt and pepper.
\ Cup hot milk.
Soak and cook potatoes as directed, drain and mash.
Add butter, hot milk and beaten yolks, mix thoroughly,
155
DEHYDRATING FOODS
add seasoning and fold in the beaten whites. Pile
on a buttered shallow baking dish and bake in quick
oven until brown and puffed.
Potato Roses
Use as directed in recipe for Mashed Potatoes,
adding sufficient milk or cream to allow potatoes to
press easily through a tube. Insert rose tube in bag,
place potatoes in bag and force through tube on to
a buttered pan. Brush lightly with beaten egg and
brown in oven. Lift each rose carefully off pan and
place round a broiled steak as a garnish.
Pyramid Potatoes
2 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
5 Cups cold water.
Salt and paprika.
2 Tablespoons butter.
2 Tablespoons milk.
1 Beaten egg.
Soak and cook potatoes as directed, drain and mash.
Add butter, milk, seasoning and egg. Mix thoroughly
and shape with the hands into cones or pyramids.
Place on buttered pan, brush over with melted butter
and brown in quick oven. Lift off with broad-bladed
knife and use as a garnish for meat.
156
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Riced Potatoes
3 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
8 Cups cold water.
Salt.
Soak and cook as directed, drain and force through
ricer into a hot vegetable dish.
Savory Potato Croquettes
3 Cups dehydrated potatoes.
9 Cups cold water.
1 Cup minced cold cooked meat.
1 Cup Thick White Sauce. (See page 108.)
1 Egg.
1 Teaspoon dehydrated parsley, crushed.
1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion.
1 Tablespoon butter.
Salt and pepper.
Bread crumbs.
Soak and cook potatoes as directed, drain and mash.
Soak onion in a quarter cup water, drain, chop and
saute in butter. Add to meat, also crushed parsley,
combine with potatoes, add seasonings, white sauce and
egg. Mix thoroughly and set in ice box to chill. Shape
into croquettes, roll in crumbs, then in egg beaten
with 1 tablespoon cold water, and again in the crumbs.
Fry brown in deep hot fat and drain on brown paper.
157
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Sweet Potatoes
Preliminary Directions. — Soak in proportion of 1
cup sweet potatoes and 2 cups cold water for 4 hours.
Cook in same water until tender, unless otherwise
stated.
Candied Sweet Potatoes
3 Cups dehydrated sweet potatoes.
6 Cups cold water.
Brown sugar.
Butter.
Powdered cinnamon.
6 Tablespoons water.
Soak and cook sweet potatoes as directed until just
tender. Drain and place in layers in buttered baking
dish, sprinkling each layer with brown sugar, dust
lightly with cinnamon and dot with butter. When
all is used pour in the water and bake until browned.
Serve in same dish.
Casserole of Sweet Potatoes
% Cups dehydrated sweet potatoes.
5 Cups cold water.
4 Tablespoons butter.
\ Teaspoon salt.
Brown sugar.
Soak potatoes in cold water for 6 hours, then cook
until nearly done, and drain. Grease a baking dish,
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
put in a layer of potatoes, dot with butter, sprinkle
with salt and sugar, and continue until dish is full.
Place cover on dish and bake in moderate oven until
done, — about a half hour. A few minutes before
serving remove cover and brown top.
Glazed Sweet Potatoes
2 Cups dehydrated sweet potatoes.
4 Cups cold water.
6 Tablespoons granulated sugar.
3 Tablespoons water.
2 Tablespoons butter.
Soak and cook the potatoes until nearly done, then
drain and place in buttered baking dish. Make
a syrup by boiling sugar and water for 3 minutes,
remove from fire, add butter. When melted pour
half the syrup over the potatoes and bake in moderate
oven until tender. Baste while baking with rest of the
syrup.
Spinach
Preliminary Directions. — Dehydrated spinach really
requires no soaking, as it quickly absorbs water. Place
in saucepan over fire, bring slowly to boiling point and
boil gently until tender, adding salt when nearly done.
Drain and serve as directed in following recipes.
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DEHYDRATING FOODS
Creamed Spinach
3 Cups dehydrated spinach.
4 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Blade of mace.
Salt and pepper.
2 Hard-boiled eggs.
Cook spinach as directed, drain thoroughly, pressing
out all the water, and chop. Add the mace to the
sauce, reheat spinach and let boil gently for 5 minutes;
remove mace and season to taste. Have ready the
hard-boiled eggs, reserve yolks and chop whites until
fine. Turn spinach into a shallow mound on a heated
platter, sprinkle thickly on edge of mound with chopped
whites, and press yolks over top through a coarse
sieve, so that spinach is evenly covered with little
yellow flakes. A very attractive and delicious dish.
Puree of Spinach
Cook as for Creamed Spinach and press through
coarse sieve. Reheat until boiling, and serve on
rounds of buttered toast. Garnish with slice of hard-
boiled egg. An attractive way to serve it is to slip a
poached egg in center of puree and serve as a luncheon
dish.
Spinach en Croustades
Cut stale bread into slices \\ inches thick. Make an
incision round the slice one-quarter inch from edge,
and cut down nearly to the bottom of each slice, but
160
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
not through it. Scoop out the soft centers, leaving
the cases empty, brush inside and out with butter,
and brown in oven. The croustades are ready to be
filled with the following : —
3 Cups dehydrated spinach.
4 Cups cold water.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
2 Eggs.
Dash of nutmeg.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Cook spinach as directed, drain and chop coarsely
and drain again. Reheat in white sauce, add seasonings
and unbeaten yolks, mix thoroughly and cook a mo-
ment; remove from fire and fold in stiffly beaten whites.
Fill each croustade full of spinach and set on platter in
hot oven for 10 minutes. Serve as separate course,
or use as a garnish round a roast.
Spinach Loaf
Cook sufficient dehydrated spinach (about 3 heaping
cups) to give 2 cups when drained and coarsely chopped.
Add three-quarters cup Thick White Sauce and 2
yolks, mix thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.
Fill a greased and crumbed loaf mold and bake in
moderate oven until firm to the touch. Unmold on a
hot platter and serve with a Hollandaise Sauce. (See
page 106.)
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DEHYDRATING FOODS
Spinach Souffle
2 Cups dehydrated spinach.
3 Cups cold water.
\ Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
3 Eggs.
Salt and pepper.
Cook spinach as directed, drain well and chop very
fine. Reheat in seasoned white sauce and add yolks,
one at a time, and mix each thoroughly before adding
next. Remove from fire and fold in the stifHy beaten
egg whites. Mix and pour into a buttered baking dish
in a moderate oven until done. Serve at once in same
dish.
>
Spinach Timbale
% Cups dehydrated spinach.
3 Cups cold water.
2 Beaten eggs.
2 Tablespoons melted butter.
Salt and pepper.
Few drops lemon juice.
Cook spinach as directed, drain thoroughly and chop
fine. Add beaten eggs, butter and seasonings. Turn
into buttered molds (individual), set these in pan of
hot water, cover top with buttered paper, and bake
until firm to touch. Unmold and surround with To-
mato Sauce. (See page 109.)
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Spinach with Sour Dressing
Cover spinach with twice its bulk of cold water,
boil as previously directed. Drain and reheat in 4
tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and season
to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in hot dish gar-
nished with sliced hard-boiled eggs.
Squash
Preliminary Directions. — Allow 3 parts cold water
to 1 part squash and soak about 8 hours, then cook
until tender in same water, adding salt when partly
cooked.
, Squash au Gratin
3 Cups dehydrated squash.
9 Cups cold water.
1 Yolk.
2 Tablespoons butter.
1 Tablespoon milk.
Buttered crumbs.
Salt and pepper.
Soak and cook as directed, drain and mash. Add
beaten yolk, butter, milk and seasonings, mix thor-
oughly, and heap in a mound on a gratin dish. Cover
with buttered crumbs and brown in oven.
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DEHYDRATING FOODS
Mashed Squash
4 Cups dehydrated squash.
12 Cups cold water.
Salt and pepper.
4 Tablespoons butter.
Soak and cook as directed, drain thoroughly and
mash. Add seasoning and butter, mix well and serve.
Squash Pie
Follow directions for making Pumpkin Pie.
Tomatoes
Preliminary Directions. — If the vegetable is to be
made into sauce and soups it can be put through a
hand mill after drying. This saves the time allowed
for soaking, but where the tomato is to be used in
other ways, the finished dish looks better if it is used
in the slices. Soak in the proportion of 1 part de-
hydrated tomato to % parts of cold water for 5 hours,
then cook in same water with a pinch of soda until
done, and use as directed.
Tomatoes a la Creole
2 Cups dehydrated tomatoes.
5 Cups cold water.
J Cup dehydrated onions.
2 Tablespoons dehydrated green peppers.
1 Teaspoon dehydrated parsley.
Butter.
Salt and pepper.
Buttered crumbs.
164
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Soak tomatoes, onions, green pepper and parsley in
water for 5 hours, then add a pinch of soda, salt and
pepper, and cook for 20 minutes. Drain off part of
the liquid, but not dry, add butter, pour into a shallow
baking dish, cover with crumbs and brown in a quick
oven.
Baked Tomatoes
2 Cups dehydrated tomatoes.
6 Cups cold water.
Butter.
Salt and pepper.
Sugar.
Bread crumbs.
Soak in cold water, and cook in same water with a
pinch of soda for 10 minutes. Drain, saving water.
Place in baking dish in three layers, sprinkling each
layer with salt, pepper, sugar and crumbs, and dotting
with butter. When all the tomato is used add sufficient
water in which they were cooked to make as moist as
for stewing. Bake in moderate oven for three-quarters
of an hour. Serve in same dish.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Sliced dehydrated green tomatoes.
Cold water.
Flour.
Salt and pepper.
Soak in cold water for 6 hours, then bring slowly to a
boil and simmer for 5 minutes; drain and dry carefully.
165
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Dust tomato with salt and pepper and dip into flour,
place in frying pan with a little melted fat or olive oil,
and cook slowly until browned and tender. Serve with
steak as a garnish.
Pilaf (American Style)
lj Cups dehydrated tomatoes.
%\ Cups cold water.
\ Cup uncooked rice.
4 Tablespoons butter.
Salt and pepper.
Pinch of soda if tomato is very acid.
Soak tomatoes in water for 4 hours, then cook for
20 minutes in same water. Wash and drain rice and
brown it in half the butter, add to the tomatoes and
cook until rice is tender; add seasonings and balance
of butter. Heap on hot dish and serve. Pilaf when
properly cooked should be dry, with each kernel of
the rice separate. If necessary to stir while cooking,
use a fork. This prevents rice from breaking.
Tomato Puree on Toast
1 Cup dehydrated tomatoes.
1 Tablespoon dehydrated onions.
6 Slices dehvdrated mushrooms.
\\ Cups cold water.
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 Tablespoon flour.
2 Tablespoons butter.
Slices of bread toasted on one side.
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Soak tomatoes and onions together in 1 cup of cold
water and the mushrooms in rest of the water for 4
hours, then add seasonings to tomatoes and cook
slowly for a half hour. Cook mushrooms in same water
until tender, then drain and add the mushroom liquor
to the tomatoes, and press tomatoes through a coarse
sieve. Mix butter and flour to a paste and stir it into
the strained tomato. Add cooked mushroom and let
boil for a minute. Place the prepared slices on a hot
platter with untoasted side up, cover each piece with
some of the puree, placing the mushroom slice on top,
and serve as a luncheon dish. Delicious.
Tomato Salad
Sliced dehydrated tomatoes.
Cold water.
French Dressing. (See page 111.)
Lettuce leaves.
Select the most perfect slices to serve this way and
soak in cold water until plump. Be careful when
handling that the soaked slices do not break. Have
ready some leaves of crisp lettuce, arrange on individ-
ual salad plates, and place the restored tomato slices,
after draining, on the lettuce. Pour French Dressing
over and serve. To chill the tomatoes, let them stand
in the ice box while soaking in the water, but do not
expect them to be as firm and crisp as a fresh vege-
table.
167
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Stewed Tomatoes
2j Cups dehydrated tomatoes.
5 Cups cold water.
2 Tablespoons dehydrated onions.
4 Tablespoons granulated sugar.
Salt and pepper.
2 Tablespoons butter.
Soak onions and tomatoes in water for 6 or 7 hours,
then cook slowly for a half hour, add sugar and season-
ing, and boil for 10 minutes longer. Stir in the butter
and serve.
Tomatoes stewed with Corn
2 Cups dehydrated tomatoes.
1 Cup dehydrated corn.
6J Cups cold water.
Salt and paprika.
4 Tablespoons butter.
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar.
Soak tomatoes for 6 hours in half the water, and
corn in balance of water for same length of time. Then
cook corn in same water until nearly tender, combine
with tomatoes and simmer for a half hour. Add other
ingredients and stir until butter is melted. Serve as a
vegetable.
168
DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Turnips
Preliminary Directions. — Allow 1 cup dehydrated
turnips to 3 cups cold water and soak for 2 hours, then
cook in same water until tender, adding salt when half
cooked. Drain and use in any of the following recipes.
Creamed Turnips
lj Cups dehydrated turnips.
4 Cups cold water.
Salt.
1 Cup Thin White Sauce. (See page 109.)
Soak and cook as above, drain and reheat in sauce.
Escalloped Turnips with Potatoes
\\ Cups dehydrated potatoes.
J Cup dehydrated turnips.
% Cups milk.
Salt and pepper.
Butter.
£ Tablespoons flour.
Soak vegetables separately in 3 times their bulk of
cold water for 6 hours, drain. Place a layer of potatoes
in buttered baking dish, dust with salt, pepper and
flour, and dot with butter; then a layer of turnips,
treating the same as potatoes. Continue in alternate
layers until all are used. Add milk, using enough to
169
DEHYDRATING FOODS
show through the top layer. Place cover on dish and
bake in moderate oven until tender, — about 1 hour.
Remove cover and brown top. Serve in same dish.
Excellent combination to serve with mutton.
Glazed Turnips
lj Cups dehydrated turnips.
4 Cups cold water.
Butter.
Sugar.
Cinnamon.
Salt.
Soak and cook turnips in the water until nearly done,
drain and place in a layer in a shallow, buttered baking
dish. Pour over melted butter, sprinkle with sugar,
dust very lightly with salt and cinnamon, and bake in
moderate oven until colored. Add a very little brown
soup stock (beef) and cook until tender.
Mashed Turnips
2 Cups dehydrated turnips.
5 Cups cold water.
4 Tablespoons butter.
2 Tablespoons milk.
Salt and pepper.
Soak and cook as directed before. Drain and mash.
Add butter, milk and pepper and mix well.
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DEHYDRATED VEGETABLE RECIPES
Turnips Roasted in Oven with Mutton
1 Cup dehydrated turnips.
3 Cups cold water.
Salt and pepper.
Soak turnips in water for 2 hours, cook until partly
done in same water, then drain and dry with towel.
Place round the meat and baste with gravy in pan,
cook until tender, basting turnips every time the meat
is basted. Serve as a garnish round the roast.
171
CHAPTER XV
RECIPES FOR USING DEHYDRATED FRUITS
The measurement for these products is "heaping"
unless given by weight or otherwise stated.
The fruits are generally soaked in cold water and
slowly cooked until partly done in the same water.
Then drain, add sugar to juice, let this boil for several
minutes, then add the partly cooked fruit and continue
simmering until tender. The slower dehydrated fruits
are cooked the richer and better looking will be the
finished product.
A very slow oven or a fireless cooker prepares these
foods the best. All of the larger fruits, such as de-
hydrated prunes, pears, apricots, peaches and plums,
are delicious when cooked in the oven in a bean pot or
casserole.
Time required to rehydrate fruits depends upon the
condition and kind of product. While approximate
time is given in the recipes, however, each cook must
use her own judgment, and from personal experience
determine the length of time the special kinds require.
I have used a dehydrated banana that required no
soaking, as it was found to be sufficiently tender when
prepared as the recipe stated. Again I have seen the
same fruit when dehydrated by others to be quite hard,
thus needing some time to rehydrate.
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DEHYDRATED FRUIT REGIPES
Desserts
Apple Filling for Cake
f Cup dehydrated apple.
l£ Cups cold water.
Grated rind of $ lemon.
Juice of 1 lemon.
1 Cup sugar.
1 Slightly beaten egg.
Soak apple in water for 2 hours, then cook until
tender in same water, drain, and press apple through
sieve; add other ingredients, return to fire and cook
until thick. Cool and spread on layers while cake
is still warm.
Apple Gems
i Cup dehydrated apple.
$ Cup cold water.
1 Cup flour.
J Cup granulated sugar.
\ Cup milk.
2 Teaspoons baking powder.
\ Teaspoon salt.
\ Teaspoon lemon extract.
2 Tablespoons melted butter.
Soak apples in cold water for several hours, then
drain and cut into small pieces. Sift flour, sugar,
baking powder and salt into a bowl, add milk, butter
and flavoring. Beat mixture hard and then stir in the
soaked apple. Fill buttered muffin pans two-thirds
173
DEHYDRATING FOODS
full and bake in quick oven until done, — about 20
minutes. Serve hot as a dessert with Nutmeg Sauce.
(See page 110.)
Apple Omelet, Baked
lj Cups dehydrated apple.
lj Cups cold water.
% Tablespoons butter.
4 Tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste.
3 Eggs.
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar.
1 Tablespoon flour.
\ Teaspoon baking powder.
\ Teaspoon each lemon and vanilla extracts.
Soak apples in water for 6 hours, place in covered
baking dish and bake covered until tender; then remove
any liquid, add butter and granulated sugar to apples,
and return to oven to keep hot. Beat yolks of eggs
until thick and lemon-colored, add powdered sugar,
flour, baking powder and salt, all sifted together, then
flavoring, and mix thoroughly. Beat whites until
stiff and fold them into yolk mixture. When blended,
pour it over the hot apples, return to oven and bake
until raised and brown. Serve hot as a dessert.
174
DEHYDRATED FRUIT RECIPES
Apple Sauce Cake
1 Cup dehydrated apple.
1§ Cups cold water.
3 Cup granulated sugar.
J Cup butter.
1 Cup flour.
| Cup raisins.
1 Egg.
£ Teaspoon soda.
^ Teaspoon cinnamon.
| Teaspoon cloves.
£ Teaspoons cocoa.
1 Teaspoon baking powder.
Soak apples over night in the water, then cook
until soft in same liquid. Sweeten as for table use and
press through a sieve; there should be three-fourths
cup of apple sauce. Add soda to apple sauce and
stir until it foams. Sift together the flour, cinnamon,
cloves, cocoa and baking powder, then add raisins and
stir until they are well floured. Cream butter and
sugar, add beaten yolk, then apple sauce and sifted
ingredients, mix thoroughly and fold in the stiffly
beaten white. Bake in loaf tin lined writh heavy
greased paper, in moderate oven, about 45 minutes.
This cake keeps well.
Baked Apples
| Cup dehydrated diced apples for each one.
3 Tablespoons butter.
Sugar.
Cold water.
175
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Place apples in bowl and cover with cold water. Let
soak over night or for 8 hours. Drain and sweeten
fruit to taste with granulated or brown sugar. Have
ready a buttered baking dish, and arrange the soaked
and sweetened apples in mounds. Place in moderate
oven and bake until tender, basting while baking with
butter melted in a quarter cup of boiling water. When
done, lift apples carefully from pan to serving dish,
dust lightly with powdered sugar while hot, and serve
chilled.
Baked Apple Dumplings
Allow \ cup dehydrated apple for each dumpling.
Cold water.
Sugar. ,
Grated nutmeg.
Pastry.
Use a cup of cold water to each cup of dehydrated
apples and soak over night. Roll out pastry (recipe
on page 190) on a floured board to an eighth inch in
thickness, and cut into 4-inch squares. Drain water
from apples, sweeten them to your taste, and heap
mounds of the apple in center to each square; dust with
a slight grating of nutmeg and fold the pastry over
the apple, brushing edges of last corner of pastry with
cold water and pressing into shape. Place on greased
pan, prick each dumpling with a fork, and bake in
moderate oven until apples are tender. Serve hot or
cold.
176
DEHYDRATED FRUIT RECIPES
Dehydrated Apple Cake
1 Cup butter.
£ Cups sugar.
3 Cups dehydrated apples.
£ Cups molasses.
1 Cup milk.
3| Cups flour.
1 Teaspoon soda.
2 Cups raisins.
1J Teaspoons baking powder.
| Teaspoon salt.
Soak apples over night in water to cover. Next
morning drain, add molasses and cook slowly for £
hours, then cool, and chop apples. Sift together the
flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Cream butter,
adding sugar gradually, then add the cooked apples
and other ingredients. Mix thoroughly and bake in
bread tins lined with greased paper, and bake in
moderate oven about 1| hours. This cake keeps well —
if under lock and key. Makes two loaves.
Rice and Apple Pudding
lj Cups dehydrated apple rings.
lj Cups cold water.
J Cup hot boiled rice.
2 Cups milk.
3 Eggs.
1 Tablespoon melted butter.
^ Cup raisins.
I Cup sugar.
1 Teaspoon lemon extract.
6 Tablespoons powdered sugar.
177
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Soak apples in water for 5 hours, then drain. Mix
together the rice, milk, yolks, butter, sugar, raisins
and extract. Place half of the rice mixture in a baking
dish, cover with apple rings, then with balance of rice.
Bake in moderate oven until apples are tender. Re-
move from oven and cover with a meringue made by
beating the whites until stiff and gradually adding the
powdered sugar. Brown in moderate oven and serve
cold.
Apricot Ice Cream
Follow directions and proportions as given in recipe
for Peach Ice Cream.
Apricot Tapioca
1J Cups dehydrated apricots.
1| Cups cold water.
4 Cups milk.
1 Cup granulated sugar.
J Cup tapioca (granulated).
5 Eggs.
Soak apricots over night in cold water, then cook
until tender in same water; cool. Scald milk in double
boiler, add sugar and tapioca, and cook for 15 minutes;
add beaten yolks and mix well, remove from fire.
When cold stir in the cooked apricots. Pour into
serving dish and cover with meringue made from beaten
whites and 6 tablespoons granulated sugar. Brown in
quick oven and serve cold.
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DEHYDRATED FRUIT RECIPES
Banana Fritters
3 Whole dehydrated bananas.
1 Tablespoon lemon juice.
Powdered sugar.
1 Egg.
1 Cup flour.
\ Cup sugar.
lj Teaspoons baking powder.
\ Teaspoon salt.
\ Cup milk.
1 Tablespoon olive oil.
Deep hot fat.
Cut each banana crosswise into 3 pieces, sprinkle
with lemon juice and powdered sugar, and let stand
while preparing the batter. Sift salt, sugar, baking
powder and flour into a bowd, add milk and beaten
yolk, mixing to a smooth batter; add oil and lastly
fold in the stiffly beaten egg white. Dip each piece of
banana into the batter and fry in deep hot fat until
a golden brown; drain on brown paper, dust with
powdered sugar and serve with Ruby Sauce. If bananas
are hard, cover with cold water and soak for several
hours until softened; drain and pat dry with a clean
towel, then continue as directed.
179
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Boiled Cherry Pudding
1| Cups dehydrated cherries.
3 Cups cold water.
1 Cup milk.
2 Beaten eggs.
3J Teaspoons baking powder.
\ Teaspoon salt.
3 Cups flour.
\ Tablespoon lemon juice.
Soak cherries in cold water for 6 hours, then drain
(save the water). Sift together flour, baking powder
and salt, add milk slowly, then eggs, beating until
batter is smooth. Add drained cherries and lemon
juice and mix thoroughly, then pour into well-buttered
mold, filling three-quarters full; cover top of mold with
buttered paper, put cover of mold on, tie securely, and
place in a saucepan of boiling water and boil steadily
for 2| hours. Add more boiling water as the water
boils away. Water should come up as high on outside
of mold as pudding does on the inside. Turn out on
hot plate and serve with sauce made as follows: —
1| Tablespoons cornstarch.
Water in which cherries were soaked.
Boiling water.
\ Cup sugar.
1 Egg white.
Add cherry water to cornstarch, and sufficient boiling
water to give \\ cups liquid. Stir this over the fire,
180
DEHYDRATED FRUIT RECIPES
boiling it for 3 minutes, add sugar and stir until dis-
solved, mix in lightly the beaten white, and remove
from fire. Serve hot in sauce boat.
Boiled Rhubarb Pudding
2 Cups sifted flour.
1 Teaspoon salt.
4 Teaspoons baking powder.
4 Tablespoons shortening,
f Cup (about) milk.
3 Cups dehydrated rhubarb.
4 Cups cold water.
Sugar to taste.
Place rhubarb in a bowl, cover with cold water and
let soak for 8 hours, then add sugar and place in a
shallow saucepan that has a cover which will fit tightly.
Place over the fire and let boil slowly until rhubarb is
partly cooked. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into
a mixing bowl and cut in shortening with a knife. When
fine, add milk slowly, still mixing with knife until
mixture forms a soft dough. Turn out on a slightly
floured board and roll out a half inch in thickness.
Then cover fruit with rolled-out dough, fasten cover
on saucepan and continue cooking for 12 minutes.
Remove cover, lift off the pastry, and place on a serving
platter. Pour over the rhubarb and serve at once with
a Hard Sauce flavored with orange.
181
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Bread and Fruit Custard
1 Cup dehydrated banana slices.
1 Cup dehydrated apple.
% Cups cold water.
\ Cup sugar.
3 Cups hot milk.
\ Teaspoon salt.
3 Beaten eggs.
\ Cup raisins.
J Teaspoon lemon extract.
Thin slices of buttered bread.
Soak apples and bananas in cold water for 6 hours,
then drain. Place in a buttered baking dish a layer of
very thin slices of buttered bread, cover this with the
drained fruit and raisins. Beat eggs slightly, add salt,
sugar, hot milk and extract, mix thoroughly and pour
it over the fruit. Set dish in pan of hot water and
bake in moderate oven until custard is set.
Fruit Cup (Individual Portion)
1 Teaspoon dehydrated raspberries.
1 Teaspoon dehydrated strawberries.
1 Teaspoon dehydrated apples.
3 or 4 Slices dehydrated bananas.
3 or 4 Dehydrated cherries.
Cold water.
Sugar to sweeten to taste.
Orange juice.
1 Drop extract of lemon.
Place each kind of fruit in a very small receptacle, —
after-dinner coffee cups are good. Barely cover with
182
DEHYDRATED FRUIT RECIPES
cold water and let stand for several hours, then put all
liquid in a small saucepan; add all fruit but bananas
and bring very slowly to boiling point and then drain.
Add sugar to juice, stir over fire until well dissolved,
and boil a few moments. Put all fruit in one cup, add
sufficient orange juice to flavor syrup, the lemon ex-
tract, and pour it over the fruit. Let stand until
cold, then chill. Prepared in this way the dehydrated
fruit is like the freshly picked product.
Filling for Jelly Roll Sponge Cake
lj Squares unsweetened chocolate, grated.
6 Chopped dehydrated figs.
£ Teaspoons cornstarch.
\ Cup water. •
\ Cup granulated sugar.
Chop figs and let soak in cold water while making
the cake. Then add cornstarch dissolved in a table-
spoon water, chocolate and sugar, and cook all for 3
minutes, stirring constantly. Spread on cake while fil-
ling is still hot.
Loganberry Souffle
£ Cups dehydrated loganberries.
2 Cups cold water.
1 Cup granulated sugar, or to taste.
1 Cup milk.
3 Tablespoons butter.
8 Tablespoons flour.
| Teaspoon salt.
2 Eggs.
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar.
§ Teaspoon vanilla.
183
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Soak berries in water over night. Next day cook in
same water until tender, add sugar, and continue
boiling until mixture is beginning to thicken; then
cool. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and half
the milk, and stir mixture over the fire until it coats
the saucepan; remove from fire, cool, and add very
slowly the balance of the milk. When smooth stir in
sugar, vanilla and beaten yolks. Mix thoroughly and
fold in the stiffly beaten whites. Pour cooked logan-
berries in a baking dish, and over them the souffle
mixture, and bake in a quick oven about 35 minutes.
Serve hot with thin cream, or cold with whipped cream.
Delicious with strawberries or raspberries instead of
loganberries.
Peach Ice Cream
^ Pound dehydrated peaches.
Cold water to cover.
If Cups granulated sugar.
^ Pint heavy cream.
3 Cups thin cream.
1 Teaspoon almond extract.
Soak peaches in cold water over night, then cook
until soft, and press through a sieve. Add sugar while
pulp is hot and stir until it is dissolved, then chill.
When cold, stir the thin cream into the peach pulp, add
flavoring, and pour into the freezer can which has been
packed with cracked ice and rock salt in proportions
of 3 parts ice to 1 part salt. Let this stand for 5 min-
utes, then start freezing. Have the heavy cream
whipped, and when the mixture is partly frozen add
184
DEHYDRATED FRUIT RECIPES
whipped cream and continue until frozen. Remove
dasher and pack freezer with salt and ice and let stand
for 2 hours to ripen.
Peach Shortcake
5 Tablespoons butter.
1 Cup sugar.
% Cup milk.
J Cup cornstarch.
1| Cups flour.
3 Teaspoons baking powder.
2 Eggs.
J Teaspoon almond extract.
3 Cups dehydrated peaches.
3 Cups cold water.
1 Cup granulated sugar.
Whipped cream.
Soak peaches in water over night, and next morning
simmer until nearly tender. Do not let them become
broken. Add 1 cup sugar and stir until dissolved,
continue cooking until tender, and then chill. Sift
together flour, cornstarch and baking powder. Cream
butter and sugar, add beaten yolks, then sifted in-
gredients alternately with the milk; add flavoring and
fold in the beaten whites. Bake in greased layer
cake tins in quick oven. Drain the peaches from syrup.
Flavor and sweeten the whipped cream with some of
the syrup (balance of syrup can be used as a pudding
sauce, or with cracked ice and ice water as a beverage) .
Place a layer on a serving dish, cover with part of the
185
DEHYDRATING FOODS
drained peaches, then with part of the cream. Con-
tinue with each layer, having top one heaped with the
whipped cream. Serve as soon as put together. Makes
a three-layer shortcake.
Potato Flour Cake
4 Eggs.
1 Cup granulated sugar.
^ Cup potato flour.
% Teaspoons baking powder.
1 Tablespoon white flour.
1 Teaspoon vanilla.
\ Teaspoon salt.
Separate yolks and whites, beat yolks until thick
and lemon-colored, then add half the sugar and beat
mixture for 5 minutes. Add salt to the whites and
beat until stiff, adding balance of sugar gradually
while beating. Combine with yolk mixture, and when
well blended add baking powder sifted with white
flour, potato flour and vanilla, and mix thoroughly.
Bake in two layers in moderate oven. When cold
put together with strawberry filling.
Prune Pudding
% Cups dehydrated prunes.
2 Cups cold water.
£ Cups milk.
4 Tablespoons cornstarch.
1 Tablespoon butter.
3 Beaten eggs.
J Cup sugar, or to taste*
\ Teaspoon nutmeg.
186
DEHYDRATED FRUIT RECIPES
Soak prunes over night in cold water, cook until
tender, strain and remove stones. Dissolve cornstarch
in a little milk, heat balance of milk, add cornstarch,
sugar and butter, and cook, stirring constantly, for
5 minutes. Add beaten eggs and bring to boiling
point; add flavoring and prunes, remove from fire,
pour into a buttered dish, and bake in moderate oven
for from 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Pumpkin Pie
2 Cups dehydrated pumpkin.
6 Cups cold water.
3 Cups milk.
2 Beaten eggs.
1| Cups sugar.
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon.
1 Teaspoon ground ginger.
J Teaspoon salt.
Soak pumpkin over night in cold water and boil
tender in same water. Drain and press through sieve.
Add milk, sugar, eggs and seasonings to pumpkin and
mix well. Line greased pie dish with pastry, pour in
mixture, and bake in moderate oven until custard is
set. Proportions give two medium-sized pies.
187
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Pumpkin Timbale
f Cup dehydrated pumpkin.
2 Cups cold water.
£ Cup sugar, or to taste.
2 Slightly beaten eggs.
§ Cup milk.
J Tablespoon cornstarch.
Pinch of salt.
Grated nutmeg.
Soak pumpkin in cold water over night, then cook
in same water until tender. Drain and press through a
sieve. When cool add salt, sugar, milk and eggs, and
cornstarch dissolved in a tablespoon of milk. Mix
thoroughly and flavor with grated nutmeg. Butter a
timbale mold, pour in pumpkin mixture, set pan in a
dish containing hot water, and bake in moderate oven
until timbale is set. When baked, unmold on a serving
dish and set aside until cold. Serve as a dessert with
whipped cream sweetened and flavored writh ginger ex-
tract. May be baked in individual molds instead of
the large one.
Rhubarb Dainty
2 Cups dehydrated rhubarb.
2 Cups cold water.
1 Cup sugar, or to taste.
1 Tablespoon cornstarch.
J Teaspoon salt.
j Teaspoon vanilla.
3 Egg whites.
188
DEHYDRATED FRUIT RECIPES
Soak rhubarb in cold water over night, then cook
tender in same water. Dissolve cornstarch in a little
cold water, add to rhubarb, also sugar, and boil, stirring
constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from fire and cool.
Add salt to egg whites and beat until very stiff; add
rhubarb mixture and vanilla and fold in lightly. Heap
into glass serving dish and chill. Decorate with
whipped cream just before serving.
Rhubarb Mold
1 Cup dehydrated rhubarb.
1 Cup cold water.
1 Tablespoon granulated gelatine.
2 Tablespoons cold water.
3 Eggs.
Sugar to taste.
2 Slices dehydrated lemon.
Put rhubarb to soak over night in cold water, and
the lemon in 2 tablespoons of cold water. In the
morning squeeze the juice from lemon, add it to rhu-
barb with sufficient sugar to sweeten, and cook in
water it was soaked in, until very soft. Soak gelatine
in 2 tablespoons cold water for 10 minutes, then add it
to rhubarb and stir until dissolved. Beat yolks until
thick, add to rhubarb, mix well and set aside until it
begins to congeal; then mix in lightly the beaten egg
whites. Pour into mold, rinsed with cold water, and
set on ice until firm. Unmold on serving dish and deco-
rate with sweetened whipped cream and any seasona-
ble fresh fruit.
189
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Rhubarb Pie
Pastry
1J Cups sifted flour,
| Teaspoon salt.
| Cup shortening.
Ice water (about J cup).
Sift flour and salt into mixing bowl, add shortening,
and cut it in with a knife until it is very fine; then add
ice water gradually, mixing with knife into a firm dough.
Chill pastry, then roll out on a slightly floured board
an eighth inch thick.
Filling
£ Cups dehydrated rhubarb.
' St Cups cold water.
Sugar to sweeten.
1 Tablespoon flour.
Soak rhubarb all night in cold water, drain and
sweeten. Line a greased pie plate with pastry, pour
in the sweetened rhubarb, sprinkle with flour and
cover top with strips of pastry. Bake in moderate
oven until rhubarb is cooked and pastry browned.
Stewed Cranberries
3 Cups dehydrated cranberries.
3 Cups cold water.
I \ Cups sugar, or to taste.
Soak cranberries in cold water for 5 hours, add sugar
and cook slowly until berries are tender.
190
DEHYDRATED FRUIT RECIPES
Stewed Pears
1 Pound dehydrated pears .
Cold water.
1 Cup sugar.
8 or 4 Slices dehydrated lemon.
Place pears in bowl, cover with twice their bulk of
cold water, and soak over night. Add sugar and lemon
(soaked in 4 tablespoons cold water), and simmer over
a slow fire until pears are tender.
Stewed Rhubarb
1 Pint dehydrated rhubarb.
1 Pint cold water.
Sugar to taste.
Soak rhubarb in water over night. Next morning
add sugar and cook in oven until done.
Strawberry Filling
1 Cup dehydrated strawberries.
1 Cup cold water.
1 Cup sugar.
1 Egg white.
Soak strawberries in water for several hours, then
cook untij very soft and reduced to 1 cupful. Press
through strainer and chill. Beat white until stiff, add
sugar gradually while beating, then add strawberries
191
DEHYDRATING FOODS
a little at a time, and beat mixture for 15 minutes.
Makes a delicious filling for cake, and may also be
served as a dessert in thin glasses in alternate layers,
with sweetened whipped cream.
Strawberry Whip
% Cups dehydrated strawberries.
\\ Cups cold water.
\ Cup heavy cream.
2 Egg whites.
1 Cup granulated sugar.
1 Teaspoon vanilla extract.
Lady fingers.
Soak berries in cold water for 5 hours, then simmer
in same water until tender. Drain berries and reserve
a half dozen of the largest. Add sugar to the liquid
and boil down the syrup; add berries to syrup and
simmer until tender, then press through a sieve and
chill. There should be 1 cup of pulp. Beat whites
until stiff, add gradually the strawberry pulp, and
continue the beating. Whip cream and add gradually
to strawberry mixture, add flavoring and chill. Place
several lady fingers cut in halves in tall, slender glasses,
fill with chilled strawberry whip, and decorate top
with the reserved strawberries which have been sweet-
ened with powdered sugar. Serve at once so cake will
not soften.
192
DEHYDRATED FRUIT RECIPES
Sweet Potato Pie
lj Cups coarsely ground sweet potato flour.
2 Beaten eggs,
lj Cups milk.
§ Cup sugar, or to taste.
\ Teaspoon salt.
\\ Teaspoon cinnamon.
Beat eggs slightly and add milk. Mix together the
sugar, salt, cinnamon and sweet potato flour. Add egg
mixture and mix well. Line a greased pie tin with
pastry rolled out to an eighth inch in thickness, pour
in custard, and bake in moderate oven until custard
is set.
Jellies
Cranberry Jelly
2 Cups dehydrated cranberries.
<&\ Cups cold water.
\\ Cups granulated sugar (or to taste).
Soak cranberries in cold water for 4 hours, then
simmer until berries are very soft, strain, pressing
berries so nothing but skins remain in strainer. Boil
juice and pulp for 12 minutes, add sugar, stirring until
dissolved, then boil until the syrup "jells." Pour into
molds rinsed in cold water and set aside until firm.
193
DEHYDRATING FOODS
Mint Jelly
| Cup dehydrated mint leaves.
2 Cups cold water.
1| Tablespoons granulated gelatine.
2 Tablespoons boiling water.
| Cup cider vinegar.
J Cup granulated sugar.
Pinch of salt.
Soak mint leaves in cold water for 2 hours, then
simmer in same water for 10 minutes and strain. Soak
gelatine for 5 minutes in cold water, and dissolve in
hot mint liquid. Add salt, sugar and vinegar. Pour
into shallow mold, rinsed in cold water, and set aside
until firm. Remove from mold, chop coarse, and use
as a decoration round cold sliced lamb.
Canning and Preserving Dehydrated Products
Perhaps our summer has been spent in dehydrating
our supply of fruits, and winter finds no shelves of
canned fruits, sparkling jellies, delicious jams, marma-
lades and all the other good things that we have become
accustomed to.
But with our stock of dehydrated fruits we may have
some of them canned, make conserves, jams, marma-
lades of others, yes, and jellies and pickles too. And
best of all, both our dehydrating and, later on, our
canning may be done in comfort, for dehydrating is
carried on at a low temperature; consequently, the
194
DEHYDRATED FRUIT RECIPES
kitchen is not overheated, and in winter, when our
dehydrated product may become a canned one, we
are very glad of the extra heat.
Whoever spent a really comfortable day canning
and making all the other goodies in hot summer
weather? Standing over the fire carefully stirring the
kettle of jam can be comfortably done, however, when
the snow is on the ground, and not when old Sol is
doing his utmost to make the work a martyrdom. So
do not think that because your fruits are in a de-
hydrated stage you are barred from enjoying them as
of yore. No, indeed; the dried product gives an
excellent canned or jellied one, and this is equally true
of the other forms of preserves, such as jams and
conserves.
195
ADDENDA
Practical Suggestions
Dehydrated products do not restore satisfactorily until
they have been out of the dehydrator for 24 hours. This
is probably because the cells are tired and need a little rest
and recuperation, for even "inanimate" matter becomes
exhausted.
Be careful not to under-dry, for if free moisture is left in,
molding is apt to ensue.
Approximate time-tables have been given, but, as ex-
plained with them, the times indicated are approximative
only, or, in plainer term, elastic. Climate, soil, season, al-
titude, thickness of slices or pieces, water content, age of
produce are all factors requiring consideration, but with a
little practice one is soon able to tell by the "feel" whether
dehydration is completed or not, and the test suggested
previously for free moisture is a safe guide always. Generally
speaking, products should be leathery and just past the free
moisture stage. If dried in machine to crisp or brittle stage,
restoration and quality are doubtful. Most products will
harden during the conditioning period, which is as it should
be.
If a batch of fruits or vegetables should prove insufficiently
dehydrated after removal from dryer, replace until really
finished — in low temperature at first, and when material
is well warmed through raise the temperature to maximum
for that particular product.
Dehydrate in dry weather if possible. This applies to
packing away also.
196
ADDENDA
Dehydrators, large or small, should be thoroughly cleaned
and sterilized at frequent intervals.
Produce must be cubed, sliced or stripped uniformly, other-
wise part of the dehydrator's contents will be ready to come
out before the rest is done, resulting, perhaps, in both under
and over drying.
Moist air is always best in the dehydrator during the first
quarter or third of the process.
It is best to cut glutinous material into thin slices or fine
strips — bell peppers and okra, for example. While such
things may be dehydrated whole or in large sections, it takes
very much more time. As a matter of fact, the finer all
materials are cut, the greater will be the saving of time, fuel
and attention. Output will be increased also, as the de-
hydrator can be filled and emptied more frequently.
With a view to the appearance of finished product, two
agents are employed by some operators to prevent discolora-
tion, namely, sulphur and carbonic acid gas. The latter was
in vogue many years ago, having been employed in the old-
style drum dryers, coke being the source usually.
Drying times for potatoes vary greatly according to age
of vegetable.
When piling trays, allow for circulation of air and libera-
tion of moisture. Slices should not lie closely on top of each
other.
Stems must be removed from leaves of spinach and the
like before drying, but can be mixed later, after separate
drying. With cabbage, the thick midrib should be cut from
leaf and sliced before drying.
Flavoring herbs, mint, etc., should not be blanched, as
thereby they lose much of their volatile properties.
Restoring and cooking are very important considerations.
Do not drown products by using too much water for restora-
197
DEHYDRATING FOODS
tion, but see that there is sufficient for full absorption, and
a little more. Cook the products in the same water in which
they were restored, as directed in recipe section.
In dehydrating large quantities there will necessarily be
a good deal of broken pieces and scraps. These may be dried
and mixed for soup stock.
Before attempting to market various runs, test samples
for restoration and other qualities.
Be careful to keep containers insect-proof. Bags and
packages must have no holes, and must be kept securely
sealed. It is well to coat with paraffin after sealing. If
glass jars and crocks are used, they must be tightly covered.
As volatiles and other essentials are retained through
dehydration, this process may become an important factor
in the manufacturing of perfumes. Tests are being made
now, in my experimental kitchen, with flower petals and
other materials, to determine whether they can be dehy-
drated and used later for perfume making, when and as
convenient.
Fruit juices are being dehydrated and used in powder
form for flavorings.
Vegetable Colorings. — Pure vegetable colorings are made
by grinding spinach, beets, carrots, etc., to powder after
dehydration.
198
INDEX
INDEX
Acid fruits, to keep from metal, 64.
Addenda (practical suggestion), 196.
Adding flavors, 65.
Almost meatless hash, 115.
Appearance of products, 36.
Apples, 64, 89, 173-177.
Baked, 175.
Cake, 177.
Cooking recipes, 173-177.
Drying of, 89.
Dumplings, 176.
Filling for cake, 173.
Gems, 173.
Omelet, baked, 174.
Pudding with rice, 177.
Sauce cake, 175.
Apricots, 64, 90, 178.
Cooking recipes, 178.
Drying of, 90.
Ice cream, 178.
Tapioca, 178.
Bananas, 90, 179, 182.
Cooking recipes, 179, 182.
Drying of, 90.
Fritters, 179.
Basic materials for jams, jellies,
syrups and extracts, 21.
Beans, Lima, 71, 118.
Cooking recipes. Same as String
Beans, 118.
Drying of, 71.
Beans, string, 71, 118-120.
Buttered, 118.
Cooking recipes, 118-120.
Creamed, 118.
Drying of, 71.
In stock, 119.
Maltre d' hotel, 119.
Salad, 119.
With bacon, 120.
Beet greens, drying of, 70.
Beets, 63, 69, 70, 120-122.
Buttered, 121.
Cooking recipes, 120-122.
Creamed, 122.
Drying of, 69.
For sugar, 63.
Pickled, 122.
Salad, 121.
Sweet-sour, 122.
Bell peppers, to peel, 64.
Drying of, 197.
Berries, to dry whole, 64.
Blackberries, drying of, 91.
Blanching for home work, 51, 66.
Blanching time-table for commercial
drying, 55.
Blanching with steam, 37, 51.
Blowers, 35.
Bread and fruit custard, 182.
Brussels sprouts, 70, 123, 124.
Au gratin, 123.
Cooking recipes, 123, 124.
Creamed, 123.
Drying of, 70.
SautSed, 124.
Cabbage, 71, 124-128.
Au gratin, 125.
Baked, 124.
Cold slaw, 127.
Cooking recipes, 124-128.
Creamed, 125.
Drying of, 71.
Escalloped, 126.
Fried, 126.
Sweet-sour, 128.
Canning dehydrated products, 45,
194.
Carbonic acid gas, use of, 197.
201
INDEX
Carrots, 72, 128-131.
Buttered, 128.
Cooking recipes, 128-131.
Croquettes, 129.
Drying of, 72.
Glazed, 130.
Lyonnaise, 131.
And peas, 129.
And turnips, 130.
Catnip, 26.
Cauliflower, 73, 131-135.
Au gratin, 132.
Baked, 132.
Cooking recipes, 131-135.
Creamed, 135.
Drying of, 73.
Fritters, 132.
Souffle, 133.
Timbales, 134.
With cheese sauce, 134.
Celery, 74, 135.
Cooking recipes, 135.
Creamed, 136.
Drying of, 74.
Escalloped, 136.
Fritters, 135.
Cherries, 91, 180, 182.
Cooking recipes, 180, 182.
Drying of, 91.
Fruit cup, 182.
Pudding (boiled), 180.
Clams, drying of, 60.
Cleaning and sterilizing dryers, 197.
Cold-dipping, 39.
Colorings, pure vegetable, 198.
Community plants, 29.
Comparative reduction table, 25.
Conditioning or curing, 39, 67.
Corn, 65, 74, 136 to 141.
Chowder, 137.
Cooking recipes, 136-141.
Creamed, with green peppers, 140.
Croquettes, 137.
Drying of, 74.
Fried, 141.
Corn — Concluded.
Fritters, 138.
Omelet, 138.
On the cob, 65.
Relish, 139.
Southern style, 140.
Stewed, 141.
Succotash, 141.
Costs, 34.
Covering during conditioning, 39.
Cranberries, 92, 190, 193.
Cooking recipes, 193.
Drying of, 92.
Jelly, 193.
Stewed, 190.
Currants, drying of, 92.
Cutters and peelers, 40.
Cutting for drying, 53, 66, 197.
Dehydrating at home, 45-54.
Dehydrating in large quantities, 29.
Dehydration explained, 2.
Demonstrating, 22.
Demonstrating for selling, 22-24.
Demonstration exhibits, 23.
Desserts, cakes, etc., 173-195.
Difference between drying and de-
hydration, 2.
Dining cars, 20.
Domesticated animals, for, 26.
Dryer, a good home, 49.
Dryers to avoid, 47, 48.
Drying at home, 67.
Drying air unnecessary, 32.
Drying; when finished? 37, 52, 68,
89, 196.
Dry weather work advisable, 196.
Egg plant, 142, 143.
Cooking recipes, 142, 143.
Fried, 143.
Saut4, 142.
With brown sauce, 142.
Essential factors, 34.
202
INDEX
Essentials for commercial plants, 34,
35.
Extracts, flavoring, 21, 198.
Fans, 35.
Fermentation and molding, 5.
Filling for jelly roll cake, 183.
Fish, dehydrating of, 60.
Flavoring herbs, do not blanch, 197.
Flours and meals, to make, 86, 87.
Fritter batter, 133.
Fruit cup, 182.
Fruit juices, 198.
Fruits cut into halves, 63.
Fruits, home dehydrating, 88-94.
Glutinous materials, 197.
Grass, dehydrating, 3, 26, 27.
Green fodder, 27.
Guessing at temperatures, 50, 67.
Hay and dehydrated grass, difference
between, 3.
Healthful and nourishing properties,
17, 18.
Herbs, kitchen and medicinal, 26.
Home dehydrating (fruits), 88-94.
Home dehydrating (vegetables), 66-
85.
Home dehydrators, 48, 49.
Hotels, restaurants, schools, institu-
tions, boarding houses, ships,
etc., 20.
How to determine when dehydration
is completed, 37, 53, 68, 196.
Insect-proof containers, 198.
Jams, etc., from dehydrated prod-
ucts, 45.
Jellies from dehydrated fruits, 193,
194.
Cranberry, 193.
Mint, 194.
Juices, fruit, for flavorings, 198.
Kohl-rabi, 75.
Cooking recipeB. Same as Turnips,
169.
Drying of, 75.
Length of time for drying, 52, 68, 69,
89, 196.
Loganberry souffle, 183.
Lye solution, for prunes, peaches,
etc., 65.
Meats, 60.
Milk, 6.
Mint jelly, 194.
Moisture in finished product, 5.
Moisture, use of, 32, 50, 197.
Molding and fermentation, 5.
Moths and worms, 39.
Mushrooms, 101, 143-145.
Cooking recipes, 101, 143-145.
Creamed, 143.
In ramekins, 144.
On toast, 144.
Soup, 101.
Okra, drying of, 75.
One-dish dinners, 114-117*
Almost meatless hash, 115.
One-dish meal, 115.
Pot roast and vegetables, 116.
Savory meat-stretching dish, 114.
Vegetable stew, 117.
One-temperature drying, 32.
Onions, 64, 76, 101, 145, 146.
Cooking recipes, 145, 146.
Creamed, 145.
Drying of, 76.
Escalloped, 145.
Fried, 146.
How to cut, 64.
In hash, 146.
Soup, 101.
Oven dehydration not possible, 48.
Oysters, 60.
203
INDEX
Packages, 43.
Packing, 43.
Parsley and other herbs, 77, 105-
108.
Cooking uses. See Sauces, 105-108.
Drying of, 77.
Parsnips, drying of, 77.
Peaches, 64, 93, 184, 185.
Cooking recipes, 184, 185.
Drying of, 93.
Ice cream, 184.
Shortcake, 185.
Pea pods, 27.
Pears, 64, 94, 191.
Cooking recipe, 191.
Drying of, 94.
Stewed, 191.
Peas, 78, 102, 147-150.
A la Russe, 147.
Buttered, 147.
And carrots in potato nests, 148.
Cooking recipes, 147-150.
Drying of, 78.
And onions, 148.
Pur6e, 150.
Souffle, 149.
Soup, 102.
Timbales, 149.
Peelers and cutters, 40.
Peeling and cutting at home, 66.
Peeling and cutting at plant, 30.
Peppers, 78, 84, 85, 103, 108, 116,
117, 197.
Cooking recipes, 84, 85, 103, 108,
116, 117.
Drying of, 78, 197.
Perfumes, 198.
Pets, for, 26.
Pilaf (American style), 166.
Plums, drying of, 94.
Potatoes, A la Andrea, 153.
Au gratin, 154.
Border, 154.
Cakes, 154.
Cooking recipes, 150-157.
Potatoes — Concluded.
Creamed, 150.
Drying of, sweet, 80.
Drying of, white, 79.
Escalloped, 151.
Flour cake, 186.
Flour meal, 86.
Fried, 151.
Hashed-browned, 152.
Lyonnaise, 152.
Mashed, 64, 152.
Omelet, 155.
Pimiento, 153.
Puff, 155.
Pyramid, 156.
Riced, 157.
Roses, 156.
Savory croquettes, 157.
Soup, 102.
Sweet, 80, 158, 159, 193.
Sweet, candied, 158.
Sweet, casserole of, 158.
Sweet, cooking recipes, 158, 159,
193.
Sweet, drying of, 80.
Sweet, glazed, 159.
Sweet potato pie, 193.
White, 79, 150-157.
Pot roast and vegetables, 116.
Poultry, for, 28.
Precooked versus raw materials, 4.
Preventing discoloration, apples,
pears, apricots and peaches, 64.
Products, to restore, 95, 197.
Prune pudding, 186.
Pudding sauces, 110, 111.
Hard sauce, 110.
Nutmeg sauce, 110.
Ruby sauce, 111.
Pumpkin, 81, 87, 187, 188.
Cooking recipes, 187, 188.
Drying of, 81.
Flour, 87.
Pie, 187.
Timbale, 188.
204
INDEX
Putting back in dryer, if necessary,
196.
Quality requirements, 31.
Radiate heat versus direct heat, 33,
34.
Raising temperatures, 32.
Recipes for using dehydrated fruits,
172-194.
Recipes for using dehydrated vege-
tables, 118-171.
Reduction table, 59.
Restoring, allow 24 hours before,
196.
Restoring and cooking, 95, 197.
Rhubarb, 181, 188-191.
Cooking recipes, 181, 188-191.
Dainty, 188.
Drying of, 81.
Mold, 189.
Pie, 190.
Pudding (boiled), 181.
Stewed, 191.
Rules for good results, 33.
Salad dressings, 111-113.
Boiled mayonnaise, 112.
French, 111.
Mayonnaise, 112.
Stiff mayonnaise, 113.
Sales channels, 20.
Salvage, 27.
Sauces, pudding, 110, 111.
Hard, 110.
Nutmeg, 110.
Ruby, 111.
Sauces, vegetable, 105-109.
Brown, 105.
Cheese, 105.
Cook's bouquet, 106.
Hollandaise, 106.
Small bouquet, 107.
Tartare, 107.
Thick white, 108.
Sauces — Concluded.
Thin white, 109.
Tomato, 108, 109.
Vegetable, 109.
Scraps, use of, 198.
Ships, for, 20.
Soda, for setting color, 64.
Sound materials necessary, 30.
Soup mixtures, 65, 84, 85.
Soups, 99-104.
Beef stock, 99.
Chicken, 99.
Cream of celery, 100.
Cream of mushroom, 101.
Onion, 101.
Pea, 102.
Potato, 102.
Tomato bisque, 103.
Vegetable, 104.
Spinach and similar produce, 82,
159-163.
Cooking recipes, 159-163.
Creamed, 160.
Drying of, 82.
En croustade, 160.
Loaf, 161.
Purge of, 160.
SoufflS, 162.
Timbale, 162.
With sour dressing, 163.
Squash, 83, 163, 164.
Au gratin, 163.
Cooking recipes, 163, 164.
Drying of, 83.
Mashed, 164.
Pie, 164.
Stalks, separating from leaves, 64,
197.
Steam blanching, 37.
Sterilizing products, 43.
Storing, 68.
Storing at home, 52, 54.
Strawberry filling, 191.
Whip, 192.
Sulphur, use of, 41.
205
INDEX
Surface drying prevented, 32.
Syrups, 21.
Temperature tables, Fahrenheit,
Centigrade, Reaumur, 61-63.
Tests for quality, 31, 198.
Thermometer, use of, 49, 50, 67.
Times, can be approximately given
only, 38, 53, 196.
Times given by Proctor Company,
56-59.
Time-table used at commercial
plant, 55.
Tomatoes, 64, 83, 103, 108, 109,
164-168.
A la Creole, 164.
Baked, 165.
Bisque, 103.
Cooking recipes, 85, 103, 108,
164-168.
Drying of, 83.
Fried green, 165. ,
Pilaf, 166.
Pure"e on toast, 166.
Salad, 167.
Sauces, 108, 109.
Stewed, 168.
Stewed with corn, 168.
To keep from metal contact, 64.
Trade names, 25.
Turnips, 169-171.
Cooking recipes, 169-171.
Creamed, 169.
Drying of. See Parsnips, 77.
Escalloped with potatoes, 169.
Glazed, 170.
Mashed, 170.
Roasted with mutton, 171.
Types of commercial dryers, 29.
Under-drying, 196.
Uses for dehydrated products, 19.
Vacuum process, 35, 36.
Various opinions regarding dehydra-
tion, 7-18.
Vegetable colorings, pure, 198.
Vegetable flours and meals, to make,
86, 87.
Vegetable sauces. See Sauces, 105-
110.
Vegetable stew, 117.
Warning against imperfect drying, 5.
Water, to use in dryers, 32, 50, 197.
Water vapor in air at various temper-
atures, 61.
What not to do, 31.
When is the product dry? 37, 53, 68,
196.
206
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