For a heck long time I have wanted a food dehydrator to make root vegetable chips like Terra's
, to make snacks like dried okra and carrots, and "sundried" tomatoes for salads. The cheapest dehydrator in Singapore is an Ezi Dry; the smallest one with I think 5 trays is sold at Tangs S$218 and the bigger one is sold at S$318. I have seen an Excalibur at ToTT for more than S$600.
, to make snacks like dried okra and carrots, and "sundried" tomatoes for salads. The cheapest dehydrator in Singapore is an Ezi Dry; the smallest one with I think 5 trays is sold at Tangs S$218 and the bigger one is sold at S$318. I have seen an Excalibur at ToTT for more than S$600.
The Nesco Dehydrator
is a popular brand in the US, but shipping would be too expensive and voltage conversion would be a problem anyway.
is a popular brand in the US, but shipping would be too expensive and voltage conversion would be a problem anyway.
I had tried making taro chips using our oven, and it sort of worked... in that I did get some nice tasting chips, but it took a lot of effort laying the taro slices out on trays, brushing them with olive oil, watching them in the oven to ensure they did not burn (and half did burn while I was in the bathroom), flipping them, and then washing the baking trays.
So I gave up.
But last night, I got hungry and decided to cook some radish as a snack. Instead of boiling the radish like I always do, I thought I would try cooking it in the AirFryer instead. And after about 20 minutes of AirFrying the slices of radish, they were a little dehydrated and turning into radish chips! I did not continue to AirFry them as I was hungry and wanted some darn radish in my belly. But it made me decide to try making apple chips the next morning.
I pre-heated the AirFryer at 200 degrees celcius while slicing a Pink Lady. (Why Pink Lady? Because it was the only kind of apple in our fridge.) Without an apple corer gadget or any idea how to core an apple whole, I chopped it into two, cored it and sliced it. Skinning the apple is optional, and I did not want to because the skin contains nutrients as well.
The receipes on making dehydrated apples all instructed to soak the slices of apple in a water and lemon / lime juice mixture to prevent browning. However, since the Pink Lady was not browning much, I skipped that step and laid the slices on the AirFryer's mesh grill.
After 5 minutes at 200 degrees celcius, they began caramelising. After 10 minutes they were dehydrating nicely although getting a little burnt, so I brought down the temperature to 120 degrees celcius.
After 15 minutes at 120 degrees celcius, this is what I got:
Each bite released a surprising burst of concentrated caramelised sweetness. The thinner slices were crispy like chips. The thicker slices were a little more chewy, with the skin adding to the chew factor, but it was pleasant-chewy. Compared to store-bought dehydrated apple slices, these ones maintained their original colour much better and were more delicious as they tasted fresher and less acidic.
I can imagine these dehydrated apple slices working well with salad, as part of trail mix, or (for those who eat breakfast foods) with oats and a dash of cinnamon... and with such a successful turnout, I think the AirFryer's gotten me back on the quest to make homemade root vegetable chips!
I can imagine these dehydrated apple slices working well with salad, as part of trail mix, or (for those who eat breakfast foods) with oats and a dash of cinnamon... and with such a successful turnout, I think the AirFryer's gotten me back on the quest to make homemade root vegetable chips!
Hello Motherof2! I must admit that I do not know very much about the temperature at which enzymes are destroyed, so I Googled around a bit.
ReplyDeleteThis is what the Excalibur dehydrator's website says: "Excalibur’s founder, Roger Orton, worked with Ann Wigmore on our Excalibur Dehydrators. Ann said that food temperature had to go above 120F for a period of time before enzymes were destroyed. Viktoras confirmed the same. Ann tested many dehydrators and confirmed Excalibur to be the best for Living Foods. She found the best technique to save enzymes was to set the temperature higher initially, then turn it down after a few hours. However, most people will not know when to turn it down. Ann’s recommendation is to set the temperature at 105F for the entire cycle. That way, the food temp will never go above 120F even after its dry."
105F is about 40 degrees celcius. Unfortunately the lowest temperature that the Airfyer can be set is 80 degrees celcius. So if you are worried about enzyme destruction, a dehydrator with adjustable temperatures would definitely be more suitable.
Would I be right to say that the Phillips Airfryer costs around $300? If so, then the Ezi Dry would be cheaper. The only thing is that the Ezi Dry is no longer sold at Tangs, so you will have to contact its distributor directly (see http://www.justdryit.com/about.html).
Tangs Orchard now sells two other brands of dehydrators. If my memory serves me correctly, one of them is going at around $150, but either it does not have a timer or its temperature cannot be adjusted. The more expensive one is a German brand, selling for around $300, and its temperature can be adjusted (and I think it has a timer).
When I was considering the two dehydrators, the internet had almost no reviews on them, as compared to the Ezi Dri, so I ended not buying any of them.
If I was going to get a dehydrator I would call its Singapore distributor first, to find out whether it is still available and for how much.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI am looking around for a good dehydrator. Does Tangs still have it?
Hello, yes - take a look at this post http://wildchildurbancity.blogspot.sg/2013/06/dehydrator-update.html
ReplyDeleteI am using the AirFryer now.
ReplyDeleteI am wondering if you used any oil on the apple?
Oil? Lime juice?
I mixed lime juice and cinnamon as dressing.
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ReplyDeleteI just tried it. It did not turn out crisp. But still tasty with a nice kind of chewiness. I used Royal Gala.
ReplyDeleteuse hair dryer fitted in a card board box.
ReplyDeleteThank's for review. I was not aware of this cooking method. I love the food at all difficult to handle temptation. I like this recipe. These foods are good for health.
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing! I liked apples. It's seems that the day I eat 1 - 2 fruit. I know the nutritional value and benefits of it. I often use it as a dessert fruit dish or water pressure. I have never thought that, maybe make this dish with an air fryer. Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteI think you need an air fryer. The Airfryer idea is a fantastic machine for a quick, easy 2 person meal and plus cooking was much healthier.
ReplyDelete