JJ 



HOME DRYING MANUAL 



Fig. 11. Commercial drier 

 with furnace. 



directed along the trays, lengthwise. Insects 

 must he kept out b>' the u.se of cheesecloth 

 or similar material. Drying by this proc- 

 ess may be done 

 in twenty-four 

 hours or less. 

 With sliced string 

 beans and shred- 

 ded sweet pota- 

 toes a few hours 

 are sufficient, if 

 the air is dry. Re- 

 arrange the trays 

 after a few hours, 

 as the drying 

 will be more 

 rapid nearest the 

 fan. 



As artificial 

 heat is not used 

 in fan dni'ing it 

 is important to blanch or steam the vege- 

 tables for the full specified time. It is also 

 necessary that all fan-dried products be 

 heated in an oven to 180° F. for 10 or 15 

 minutes before storing. 



DETAILS OF DRYING 



As a general rule vegetables or fruits, 

 for Drying, must be cut into slices or shreds, 

 with the skin removed. In using artificial 

 heat be careful to start at a comparatively- 

 low temperature and gradually increase. De- 

 tails as to the proper scale of temperatures 

 for various vegetables and fruits are given in 

 the directions in this Manual and in the time- 

 table on page 28. To be able to gauge the 

 heat accurately a thermometer must be used. 

 An oven thermometer may be bought at slight 

 cost. If the thermometer is placed in a glass 

 of salad oil the true temperature of the oven 

 may be obtained. 



Fig. 12. Simple tray drier made at home. 



In the delailrd inslriiclions on pages 25, 26, 27 

 and 28, the temperatures used are Fahrenheit. 

 The temperatures indicated are for Drying by 

 artificial heat. 



The actual time required for Drying can- 

 not be given, and the person in charge must 



exercise judgment on this point. A little 

 experience will make it easy to determine 

 when products are sufiiciently dried. When 

 first taken from the Drier vegetables should be 

 rather brittle, and fruits rather leathery and 

 pliable. One method of determining whether 

 fruit is dry enough is to squeeze a handful, 

 if the fruit separates when the hand is opened, 

 it is dry enough. Another way is to press a 



Fig. 13. Electric range, useful for drying 



single piece; if no moisture comes to the sur- 

 face the piece is sufiiciently dry. Berries are 

 dry enough if they stick to the hand but do 

 not crush when squeezed. 



PREPARING MATERIAL FOR DRYING 



A sharp kitchen knife will ser\'e every 

 purpose in slicing and cutting vegetables 

 and fruits for Drying if no other device is 

 at hand. The thickness of the slices should 

 be from an eighth to a quarter of an inch. 

 Whether sliced or cut into strips the pieces 

 should be small so as to Ary quickly. They 

 should not, however, be so small as to make 

 them hard to handle or to keep them from 

 being used to advantage in preparing dishes 

 for the table such as would be prepared from 

 fresh products. 



Food choppers, crout slicers or rotary 

 slicers may be used 

 to prepare food for 

 drying. 



Vegetables and 

 fruits for Drying 

 should be fresh, 

 mature and in prime 

 condition for eating. 

 As a general rule 

 vegetables will dry 

 better if cut into 

 small pieces with the 

 skins remo\'ed. 

 Berries are dried 

 whole. Apples, 

 quinces, peaches and 

 pears dry better if cut into rings or quarters. 

 Cleanliness is imperatix'e. Knives and slicing 



Fig. 14. Motor-fan. nm 

 by kerosene or alcohol. 



