Dehydrating at Home - Softcover

Keogh, Michelle

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1845436334 ISBN 13: 9781845436339

Publisher: Apple Press, 2016

Synopsis

A food dehydrator is a versatile kitchen appliance that enables you to easily preserve large quantities of fresh foods and create healthier versions of grocery store treats. Not only can you and your family snack healthier and add variety to your diet, you can save money at the same time! The snack recipes in Dehydrating at Home are a perfect solution for busy families who do not want to compromise when it comes to health and nutrition. Dehydrating at Home features easy recipes for the beginner such as Dried Nectarines, Strawberry-Apple Fruit Leather, or Dried Tomatoes. It also features a wide variety of recipes that take dehydrating to the next level such as Polka Dot Fruit Roll Ups, flatbreads, cookies, and yogurt. The majority of the recipes are inspired by fresh seasonal ingredients that develop upon the ingredients' innate deliciousness. Dehydrating at Home emphasises foods that store well for months in addition to being easy to grab on your way out the door to school, work, sporting events, or a walk in the woods. The Herbs & Seasonings chapter is an exception to this rule, but its simple recipes strive to make your time in the kitchen easier and more fruitful. Once you learn what to look for in a dehydrator, how to prepare your foods for dehydrating, and how to store your bounty, your dehydrator can become a major player in your kitchen that can save you a great deal of money as well as produce foods that are much fresher and tastier than their supermarket counterparts.

About this title

About the Author:

MICHELLE KEOGH is an author, chef, recipe developer and food stylist from Australia. She has over 20 years experience as a chef; running kitchens, restaurants and writing menus. She has spent the last seven years writing recipes and styling food for various publishers and advertising, editorial and commercial clients. She is passionate about all areas of food and cooking and is constantly reading, learning and experimenting. Michelle has written books for Penguin Publishers (Trifle and Bundt Cake), and worked on hundreds of titles for R&R Publications, Hinkler Books and McRae Publishing; food styling, recipe writing and testing. She also develops recipes and styles food for many other clients for commercial use, and in advertising and magazines. Her personal food interests lean towards wholefood cooking, seasonal and sustainable produce and trying new ingredients, but she also loves the creativity of cake decorating and chocolate making. KARIELYN TILLMAN is a freelance recipe developer, food photographer and creator of The Healthy Family and Home website where her focus is on simple recipes, using real food and clean ingredients. Her motto is "eat like it matters...because it does!" She is passionate about helping others learn about reading food labels, avoiding GMO's, processed foods and learning about what's in the foods they eat. One of the unique features on her website is "5 Fast Facts" where she lists the health benefits of each ingredient included in her recipes so you can not only learn what's not in the foods you eat, but feel good about what is in the foods you eat. She is the author and photographer of the eCookbook series Clean Eating: Desserts, Snacks, Smoothies and more! which features the most popular clean eating recipes from her website that are organic, vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Introduction

The art of dehydrating foods dates back to ancient times when the sun and wind were used to preserve and save produce for the winter months.

Today, the dehydrator has become a healthy addition to the modern kitchen with many benefits and uses.

I have owned my dehydrator for almost eight years and I use it for everything from drying soaked nuts and seeds, to making creative snacks and treats, to just drying tasty seasonal fruits so I can enjoy them all year round.

One of my favorites is strawberries. During strawberry season, I like to stock up and will buy one or two flats of strawberries. I'll bring them home, prep them, load up my dehydrator and then we get to enjoy dried strawberries long after strawberry season is over.

I also love making healthy snacks like fruit roll-ups, crackers and chips for my two young boys. This way I have control over the quality of ingredients used -- no preservatives, or artificial colors and flavorings. The boys prefer them to store-bought snacks because they taste better, and I prefer it because they're not packed with empty calories and little nutrition.

Another great benefit of dehydrating, of course, is that it's so economical compared with buying pre-packaged dried snacks or herbs in the store. But the number one reason I use my dehydrator over other appliances in my kitchen is for the health benefits. The human body is made up of living cells that need living "live" food to maintain optimal health and prevent disease. Every day we have the choice to eat living "live" food or cooked "dead" food. When you use a dehydrator and dehydrate your foods under 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius), they remain "live" and retain the majority of their nutrients, as opposed to literally cooking the life out of them.

This book will take you through the process for dehydrating each type of food with helpful hints and delicious recipes. Each chapter focuses on a different skill, from drying simple fruits and vegetables to making fruit leathers, creating tasty jerky, dehydrating nuts and seeds, creating delicious raw meals and sweets, and even making healthy treats for your pets. Once you have the hang of a particular skill, feel free to experiment with different ingredients and flavors; you'll find dehydrating a very forgiving method of preparing food, once you've mastered the basics.

Karielyn Tillman
thehealthyfamilyandhome.com

About this edition

• Publisher: Apple Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1845436334
• ISBN 13: 9781845436339
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192