Dehydration Questions
One of the questions that comes up consistently both in the comments and your emails, is about dehydration. Are there alternative ways to make raw food recipes with out a dehydrator? Dehydration times and temperatures also seem to be confusing. I will attempt to answer your questions, but I also want to encourage you to do research on the subject so you get to a point that you are comfortable with. Let’s start with the most frequently asked question:
Can I make the recipes without a dehydrator, in my oven? If you wish to try this method, there are a couple of things that I suggest you think about.
1. How important is it to you to follow the raw method and protect the enzymes, nutrients and vitamins. Some of the nutrients can withstand the higher temps, but not all. If you are just wanting to make the recipe, but don’t care about adhering to the raw temperature guidelines, it would make more sense to just “bake” them at the lowest temp possible and check your times.
2. If you want to make sure you are sticking with the temperature guidelines, this method will be difficult. You could purchase an oven thermometer, prop open the door and see what kind of results you can achieve. One of the questions you will have to ask yourself is whether or not you are comfortable running your oven for hours with the door open. Not too energy efficient.
I thought I had to make sure that I didn’t go over 105 degrees for maximum health benefits. A lot of people wonder why I start many recipes at a higher temperature and then reduce the temp after a period of time. This is why:
1. The temperatures that enzymes are destroyed at are food temperatures, not air temps. Starting at a higher temperature will benefit in two ways. First, it reduces the time needed for dehydration. Second, it helps pull out the moisture quickly, reducing the chances of fermentation taking place over longer periods of dehydration.
2. There is some mis-information out there about dehydration temps. This is a very good explanation from the Excalibur site:
“Ann (Wigmore) tested different dehydrators,… She found that the best technique for saving enzymes was to set Excalibur on a higher food temperature setting in the beginning and then turn it down after a few hours. However because most people may not know when to turn it down, and by leaving it on the higher setting may kill the enzymes she said to set your Excalibur on 105ºF setting throughout the entire cycle. That way the food temp will never go above 120ºF even after it is dry.
We believe this is why many have come to believe that 105ºF air temperature is the temperature at which the enzymes are destroyed, which is entirely inaccurate.
Just recently we spoke with Dr. John Whitaker who is a world recognized enzymologist, and former dean of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at U.C. Davis. He said that every enzyme is different and some are more stable at higher temperatures than others but that most enzymes will not become completely inactive until food temperatures exceed 140ºF to 158ºF in a wet state.”
Why don’t you state an exact time for dehydrating recipes? Because dehydration takes place over a longer period of time and at lower temperatures, your dehydration time will be affected by different variables. Humidity, the type of dehydrator you have, etc. will cause the times to differ. You should always check what you are dehydrating so that you get the best results.
In the summer, I hardly use my dehydrator at all. But in the winter, it is a life saver. You can buy a small dehydrator, the Excalibur 4 tray is good for most, for around 100.00. If you are really interested in incorporating raw healthy foods into your diet, it is a great investment. You can find them in the Rawmazing store!
Polly Raichert wrote on February 18, 2010
but you can destroy enzymes with cooking, right? Susan what are those delectable looking treats pictured?:-)
Susan wrote on February 18, 2010
They are the beginning of an amazing treat…more to come!!
Susan wrote on February 18, 2010
Denature, kill, destroy…I think it is semantics….
Kelly Parr wrote on February 18, 2010
Very informative and answered questiongs that I didnt even know I had! 🙂
K&M wrote on February 18, 2010
Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing that!
Many rawfoodists and people trying out raw foods believe that all enzymes are denatured at or above 115F or 118F.
I learned early last year that different enzymes denature at different temperatures and was hoping to find more info on that. It would be nice to see a chart/table with this kind of data – the enzyme & temperature of denaturization. The same for freezing temperatures. Although, freezing generally does less ‘damage’, from what I understand.
Also, one cannot kill enzymes. They are not alive. They are a protein.
Again, thanks for posting this.
Diane wrote on February 18, 2010
I’m getting the stainless sausagemaker as soon as we get through some more pressing bills. We’re lucky to have some stores nearby that carry the specialty dehydrated raw crackers and snacks, but the are really expensive. I’m sure even a spendier model like the one I want will pay for itself in no time if I dehydrate my own products vs. buying them pre-made. Now if I can just find a place to put it. Small bungalow, teeny kitchen, no laundry room, and I think the basement is out since it’s a bit moldy.
Dawn Hutchins wrote on February 18, 2010
Thank you so much for this post as this answered my questions I had since I’ve been browsing your site.
hihorosie wrote on February 17, 2010
When we first started raw and attempting dehydrating we did the oven method. I didn’t think it worked that well but it did motivate us to save up for an Excalibur. So glad we have one! Also, another tip for those just starting out and looking to save is to check Craigslist or garage sales, etc. We scored on our Champion juicer that way. 🙂
Stacy wrote on February 17, 2010
Oh boy this is a great insight to dehydrating! Thank you for the quote from John Whitaker…am passing this blog onto my dehydrating friends.
Bitt, I’ve done the same thing and actually the thermometer air was higher than the knob on mine…yikes ;P Our dehydrator from Cabella’s is right on the nose with the temp shown on the electronic display, the Excalibur is the one that varies for us. I think it is a good idea for everybody to test their dehydrators and see how accurate their setting is to the actual temp inside of the dehydrator.
Susan, where did you buy your red dehydrator screens?
Susan wrote on February 17, 2010
Check out this link from Excalibur. It will explain the varying temps…it is not something to worry about. http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/enzymes_and_thermostat_control.htm They are the screens that came with my TSM dehydrator. I have 3 different ones.
bitt wrote on February 17, 2010
so informative! I agree that a lot of people are confused about the temps. I’ve even put a thermometer in the dehydrator and the air was not as high as the knob indicated.