Re: [CH] Drying Chiles

Calvin Donaghey (gdonaghey@bitstreet.com)
Mon, 29 Jun 1998 21:06:18 -0500 

Hank-
I have worn out (literally) 4 of the small personal dehydrators, including
Ronco, AH and a couple others, and have found the best for the money is Mr.
Coffee (with a fan).  I have run three of these for thousands of hours with
1 failure, caused by a short in the thermostat.  (I take them apart and oil
the blower shaft and motor every 500 hours now, even though they use screws
intended to keep you out of there.  I replace the screws, thus voiding the
warranty, and am not OFFICIALLY recommending doing so, but.......)  They
cost about 28 bucks at Service Merchandice, and have a lower temp control
than some having pre-set thermostats.  I think this is important, since too
much heat degrades the flavor and aroma IMHO. In the days before my
industrial unit, I have dehydrated 30 pounds of pods in 5 days on a Mr.
Coffee with 10 trays.
Whatever unit you choose, remember to spin and rotate the trays at least
every 6 hours, and take the dry pods off.  If you are just preserving them,
they can be a little leathery but not much. Bacteria and mold like
moisture.  If you intend to powder them or grind them, they should be cut
to allow air access and left on until crispy, totally dry.  For instance, I
cut Manzano pods in half or in thirds, across the seeds, (separating the
stem end from the blossom end) and can have the bottom tray fully dried in
14 -18 hours.  By rotating and checking carefully, the remaining trays can
be done about one every 4-6 hours.  Conversely, the Tepins and other tiny
pods will dry completely on the bottom tray in about 12 hours, without
cutting.  If you experiment, you will find that quickly dried pods retain
their natural color for about 4 hours after becoming totally dry.  After
that "grace period" they start turning darker and begin to taste more like
brand X chile powder and less like fresh pods.
Also, when you buy a dehy, I strongly recommend getting a few extra trays
to dry other things, if you ever plan to do that.  Keep these trays put
away for non-chile items. That way you can share your other dried items
with non-CHs.  It is very difficult to remove all the Capsaicinoids from
the trays once they have become intimate with a good sliced Hab or
Manzano.  I tried the steamer system in the certified kitchen I use for
three runs once, just to see if it would remove the Caps, but it did not.
I use a set of trays for peppers and peppers only so I only have to
sterilize them.
Please be advised that these are only my opinions.  Your own experiences
(or other's) may vary. Good luck with your drying.
Calvin
***** Personally, I think few things compare with the aroma of dehydrating
Manzano,
                                               Aji, Hab and Tepin pods.


Hank Scorpio wrote:

> Hi fellow CHs
>
> I'm thinking about getting a food dryer/dehrydrator to help with drying
> the many chiles I have and was wondering if any of you fellow
> Chile-Heads could give any advice or experience on Brands or what
> features to look for ???
>
> Any help greatly appreciated.
> :)
>
>
> ***********************************************************************
> "With Ten thousand dollars we'd be millionares !!!" - Homer Simpson
> ***********************************************************************