Oven Drying

Oven drying is a good alternative to food dehydrators if you don't have one. It is probably one of the best ways to experiment with dehydrating foods. You can have all the ingredients that you need to do the job. You have heat, low humidity and air movement, although the air movement may have to be provided by a fan. Oven drying can be ideal for drying jerky, fruit leathers and other small items. Although this is a viable source you will want to be careful on how much you dry in your oven, 4-6lbs is the recommended weight.

Drying food in the oven can be costly as far as operating expenses since the drying time is longer than a food dehydrator. The ideal temperature is 140 deg. And a lot of ovens do not have a temperature setting this low. The chances of burning you food is a lot greater and keep in mind that foods are usually more brittle and have less flavor.

Note: This is a dangerous method to use if you have children present during your drying period. Children are curious, as you well know, and should be kept out of the area.

How to use your oven:

Trays:

Back to the top of Oven Drying