Fruit Dehydrators
A History of the Fruit Dryer
Technological advancements have facilitated food dehydration, although the principals of drying remain the same. Evidence suggests that around 12,000 B.C.E, Egyptians caught onto the technique of using their hot desert sun to dry fish and poultry.
- Before the invention of the fridge, people used various methods to preserve their food. The techniques used to preserve food included fermenting, pickling, curing, canning, and dehydration.
- Food dehydration was most likely a discovery rather than an invention. Ancient civilisations likely realised the effects of the sun’s heat on fruit that had fallen to the ground, enabling it to still be edible long after it had left the branch.
- The sun continued to act as the main fruit dryer machine until the middle ages, where Europeans started erecting buildings designed to specifically dehydrate food. Due to their cooler, wetter climates, these buildings, also known as still houses, stored fruits, vegetables, meats and other food types, strung across the rafters and dried by the heat of a resident fire.
Mechanised dehydration arrived in the mid-1800s when they dried vegetables predominantly with hot air, and then compressed into vegetable cakes. This was a staple source of nutrition for sailors at the time. Advances in technology have made dehydrated food more convenient and tastier. A fruit dryer machine has greatly impacted the quality and speed at which food is dehydrated.
When Buying a Fruit Dryer Consider This
Choosing a dehydrator depends on your particular preferences and how you plan on using it.
- Before buying a fruit dryer machine, ensure that the heat distribution and air flows evenly throughout the dehydrator. Horizontal flow is usually the best design for even heat distribution, however, vertical flows include design elements to specifically improve airflow.
- Convenience is generally an important factor regarding the cleaning of your machine. The number of parts, and whether these are dishwasher safe, are factors in how much effort goes into the cleaning of your appliance.
- As with most appliances, considering the amount of food you’ll make per batch, and how much your kitchen space has to accommodate your new equipment, will assist in your decision making.
- Convenient features allow for ease of use. A thermostat, timer and auto-shutoff are three well-needed functions in a fruit dryer.
