Waring WDH10 Instruction Manual - Page 14

Pretreatment Below are several optional methods of pretreatment. You don't always need to pretreat food in order to dry it; however, pretreatment can make food look better, increase the shelf life and even enhance the nutritional value. Experiment with both treated and untreated food to see which will work best. Remember, proper storage is critical to the quality of the final product, whether treated or untreated. Sodium Bisulfite Use food-safe (USP) grade only. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of sodium bisulfite in one quart of water. Dip small amounts of fruit in the solution for 2 minutes. This helps prevent loss of vitamin C and maintains a bright color. Sodium bisulfite is available in most pharmacies/drugstores. Natural Pre-Dips With their high vitamin C content, pineapple and lemon juice are natural alternatives to other pretreatments to reduce browning. Slice fruit directly into juice. Remove after about 2 minutes and place on trays. Fruits may also be dipped in honey, lime or orange juice, gelatin powders or sprinkled with coconut to give them an exotic flavor. Use your imagination! When drying fruit halves, especially apricots, it has been suggested that popping the back ("inside out") will speed drying time. This is true, but it also results in the loss of the nutritional juices to the bottom of the dehydrator. Instead, cut each half in half again to give the end product more nutritional value, a brighter color, and faster reconstitution capabilities. Apples Wash thoroughly and peel if you wish. Cut in half and core, then slice into smaller pieces. Pretreat with lemon juice to prevent browning. Apricots Wash, cut open and remove pit. If desired, cut into quarters. Bananas Peel and slice. Pretreat with lemon juice to prevent browning. 14