Re: [CH] using a dehydrator to dry chiles?
Jonathan Smillie (jonathan.smillie@gmail.com)
Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:58:16 -0400
Jim Graham wrote:
> How well do food dehydrators work for chiles? Do the peppers maintain
> their flavor and heat? Or does it screw them up?
>
> I'm looking for a way (without the high-salt + vinegar mash[1] or
> freezing[2]) to preserve peppers from my garden until I'm ready to
> use them, which could be the same day, or it could be a month or
> more...and, of course, habs don't store well, even in the fridge.
>
> Any suggestions on brand/model (can't spend more than about $30),
> settings, etc.?
>
> Thanks,
> --jim
>
> [1] I *REALLY* don't need all that salt...and I dislike the taste
> of excess salt. I DO have a salt shaker somewhere...but I don't
> know where it is.
>
> [2] Any time I freeze peppers, they get all mushy when thawed. If
> someone knows a way to prevent that, please let me know!
>
>
Jim:
I used a dehydrator to dry about 120 or so habaneros I harvested at the
end of the season last fall. It took about 16-18 hours to dry them
completely with the dehydrator set on high. I seeded and halved the
peppers before doing the dehydration. The process worked very well, to
the extent that I was able to make powder out of the majority of the
dried chiles.
The model I had was the basic Ronco (without a fan) and up to six
stacking trays. A friend gave me his, but I had previously priced them
at Target for around $39.
Another idea for freezing, if you don't want them to get mushy, is to
freeze with dry ice. I've never done this but I recently saw a bit on
The Food Network where Alton Brown did this with strawberries.
Apparently freezing with dry ice doesn't cause the cell damage that
conventional freezing does, so the mushiness isn't a factor.
Hope this helps,
Jonathan