Storage
Mylar bag shelf life: what the 25 year claim really means
Twenty five years is what dry, low fat food can reach in thick mylar with an oxygen absorber. The bag is the smallest part of it. Residual moisture decides the outcome.
Guides
Temperatures, storage, rehydrating and food safety.
Reference
Fresh to dried weight ratio for 12 common foods
A kilo of apples gives you roughly 130 g dried. A kilo of beef gives around 400 g of jerky. Knowing the ratio tells you how much to buy and, more usefully, when a batch is done.
Troubleshooting
Case hardening: why dried fruit is sticky but still wet inside
The surface dried faster than the water could travel out from the middle, and sealed itself. It is called case hardening, and four settings cause it.
Prep
How to dehydrate herbs without losing the flavour
Keep them at 35 to 40 C, out of the light, and store them whole. Most home dried herbs taste of nothing because they were dried too hot.
Storage
Freeze dried vs dehydrated for food storage: cost per calorie
Freeze dried keeps longer, rehydrates better and needs more water to serve. Dehydrated stores more calories in less space for a fraction of the equipment cost. Most sensible stores use both.
Off grid
Can you run a dehydrator on solar power? The watt hour arithmetic
A typical batch needs 2 to 4 kWh. That is a big ask for a portable power station and a straightforward one for a modest roof array in summer, when the drying season is anyway.
Prep
Do you need to blanch vegetables before dehydrating?
Most vegetables dry better after two minutes in boiling water. Fruit, onions, peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes do not need it at all.
Storage
Conditioning dried food: the seven day step that stops mould
A week in a loosely closed jar evens out the moisture left in a batch. It is the cheapest insurance against mould you will find.
Reference
Dehydrator temperature and time chart: how to read it
The temperature in a chart is a setting, not a promise. The times are estimates, and four things in your kitchen decide whether you land near them.
Storage
How to store dried food: jars, mylar and oxygen absorbers
Glass with a rubber seal is right for a year of eating. Mylar with an oxygen absorber is right for a decade of storage. They are not interchangeable.