Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook

by Tammy Gangloff, Steven Gangloff, September Ferguson

The dehydrator is an incredibly useful tool for long-term food storage and making the most of your garden harvest. The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook contains everything you need to know to get the greatest value from a home dehydrator.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Gardening, Culinary

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2014

Reviews

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful resource book for dehydrating food and making meals for a busy life, and saving food from going bad if you cannot eat all up. Even useful for trail/camping, car road trips to have picnics that do not need to be kept cold.
Good companion books to help round out missing information:
The Dehydrator Bible: Includes Over 400 Recipes (Paperback) by Jennifer MacKenzie
The Complete Trail Food Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Campers, Canoeists and Backpackers by Jennifer MacKenzie (some information is repeated)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really unique cookbook. Every recipe in the book is made with dehydrated food. The first few chapters go over dehydrating basics and tips, then specifics about dehydrating various fruits and vegetables. Then the rest of the book are categories of recipes all using dehydrated foods. I was really impressed with the wide variety of recipes and according to the author her family couldn't tell when she used fresh food vs. dehydrated food! I own a dehydrator and have used it successfully, but not nearly as much as the author does. I want to try a few foods we eat a lot and try them in her recipes to see how successful they are before I go crazy dehydrating everything in sight. I do think dehydrating (if it's as successful with re-hydrating as she claims) would be less time consuming than canning and you can store more food in a smaller space. I'm not quite ready to go to the level of dehydrating that the author has, but definitely some interesting stuff to try and check out.

[Kelliec · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have this book on my kindle. It's going to require a hard copy. I'll keep looking for one on sale.
I've started dehydrating based on this book and have a nice stash started. Easy to follow, lots of tips and tricks and recipes.

[Jacque Hodges (Carter) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm new to dehydrating, but this seems like a good basic book to start with. It has lots of tips, tricks, and recipes. I like to know the reasoning behind what I'm doing, and Ms Gangloff does a great job of explaining why dehydrating needs to be done the way it is.

[Katie Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for newbies.

Great book for newbies. I only have one negative comment and that is that I would like more pictures. I really enjoyed this book and I am a total newbie.

[Corrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of several dehydrator cookbooks I've skimmed through. Section for backpacking foods - excellent!

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike the last dehydrating cookbook I read, this one didn't have as much dangerous pseudoscience in it, but this book was surprisingly condescending at a number of places, literally plagiarized itself, left out a very important food safety note for dehydrating meats, and overall sounded like the author was not aware that people outside of the US may want to dehydrate things, too. Here are direct quotes:

"We are often asked if it is possible to dehydrate sprouts. You can, but it really doesn’t make sense. If you love sprouts, then have plenty of dried beans on hand and keep a sprouting tray going in your kitchen."

This statement is dismissive of readers who may have limited space, time, or physical ability to maintain a sprouting tray. Not everyone has the luxury of a dedicated kitchen setup or the bandwidth to manage ongoing sprouting. Some may live in small apartments, have mobility issues, or simply prefer the convenience and shelf-stability of dehydrated sprouts. The author's blanket dismissal fails to consider these differing needs and constraints, and instead imposes her own preferences as universal.

"many people have purchased dehydrators without a temperature control. As sad as it is to say, my only response is to “toss it in the garbage!” Different foods require different tempertures [sic] to be dehydrated properly; if you can’t precisely control the temperature in the dehydrator, you can’t dehydrate effectively or safely."

This advice is not only harsh but also impractical and wasteful. Many people cannot afford to replace appliances on a whim, and entry-level dehydrators without temperature controls are often the only option for those on a budget. Instead of encouraging waste, the author could have provided tips for safely using basic models—such as monitoring drying times more closely, rotating trays, or using an external thermometer. The lack of constructive alternatives and empathy for people with financial constraints highlights a narrow, biased perspective. For the vast majority of the ingredients in the book, she recommends dehydrating at the exact same temperature: 125ºF. If a person has a dehydrator that only maintains that temperature (which a thermometer can easily verify), they could still accomplish most of the items exactly as she describes. Instead of telling people to throw away something they may have worked very hard to save up for and may not have any other option available to get, she could give the incredibly easy advice to only stick to foods that require that temperature. Not everyone has access to buy several multi-hundred dollar dehydrators like she does.

"The same fruit dehydrated will last 10 to 15 times longer than frozen. So if your supermarket is running a great sale on frozen fruits, buy them up—but instead of putting them in the freezer when you get home, crank up the dehydrator.
The beauty of dehydrating frozen fruits is that, pretty much without exception, all the prep work has been done for you. (You’ll want to slice frozen whole strawberries before dehydrating them. Run cool water over them for just a few seconds, place on a cutting board, and slice as desired.) Simply open the bag and spread the frozen items onto the dehydrating trays. Dehydration time will depend on the item and the size of the cut. In general, frozen foods will have approximately the same drying time as their fresh counterpart."

...

"The same vegetable dehydrated will last 10 to 15 times longer than frozen. So if your supermarket is running a great sale on frozen vegetables, buy them up but instead of putting them in the freezer when you get home, crank up the dehydrator.
The beauty of dehydrating frozen vegetables is that, pretty much without exception, all the prep work has been done for you. (In the case of certain brands of frozen cauliflower or broccoli, I find that the pieces are on the large side. In these cases, run cool water over the top of the frozen item for just a few seconds, place on a cutting board, and slice as desired.) Simply open the bag and spread the frozen items onto the dehydrating trays. Dehydration time will depend on the item and the size of the cut. In general, frozen foods will have approximately the same drying time as their fresh counterpart."

The nearly identical passages about dehydrating frozen fruits and vegetables feel lazy and repetitive. Rather than making readers slog through the same advice twice, it would have been far more efficient—and respectful of the reader’s time—if the author had simply explained this general method once in the introduction, noting that it applies to both fruits and vegetables. This would have streamlined the book and made it more engaging, instead of padding it with unnecessary repetition

"Always dehydrate meat at the recommended temperature of 160°F for a minimum of 6 hours. This temperature is adequate to kill most pathogenic bacteria. If your dehydrator does not go as high as 160°F and does not have a fan, for safety reasons, the dehydrator should not be used to dehydrate meat."

This advice is incomplete and potentially misleading. It omits the crucial, science-backed guidance from the USDA and the National Center for Home Food Preservation, which recommend heating jerky in an oven either before or after dehydrating to ensure the meat actually reaches a safe internal temperature. Many dehydrators' internal temperatures do not match the dial setting, so even if set to 160°F, the meat may never reach that temperature, leaving dangerous bacteria alive. By not mentioning this important safety step, the author risks giving readers a false sense of security and potentially endangering their health.

(with help from Nate Tricowi)

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
While this book has more recipes and information than other dehydrating books I've read, it is not my favorite. The lack of photos is a big concern for me as I am a visual learner, first and foremost.
Also, I don't think I need all that additional content anyway as I do not plan on using food dehydration as my primary source of food preservation. For my situation as a small backyard gardener, canning and freezing food trump dehydrating for now. Because of this I much prefer Teresa Marrone's book on the subject.

[Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A definite ‘must read’, ‘must own’ book for any dehydrator newbie, enthusiast or advanced user. Either way, you will all learn something from this book.

The recipes are amazing and the smoothie and slow cooker recipes are to die for, because I can put all the ingredients for any recipe I love into mason jars, store and use it with minimal effort, whenever I want.

This book like Caroline Pessin’s 'Cook When You Can, Eat When You Want' and Pamela Ellgen’s 'Instant Pot Meals In A Jar', helps me take prepping, and batch cooking to the next level to smoothies and slow cooker recipes, as well.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's some good information here, but I think this book is badly hurt by lack of visuals. There's one full-color insert with pictures of a few recipes, and nothing more. Whenever I start to make something, I find myself looking up a similar recipe on the internet instead, because I have no idea what I'm aiming for--I'm new to dehydrating foods.

[Laura Pape · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff easy to read and understapnd


good
Fun
Easy
Could I arrestEd the process as is written well. Easy to e
Read and find what you need

[Jodie Esler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very very average

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good resource book.

[LoveAGoodBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. It covers all the safety concerns as well as gives excellent instructions and recipes.

[Gale Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A plethora of information and recipes.

[Tisha (IG: Bluestocking629) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fabulous! I'm so glad I have this resource in my collection now. Most informative. Great recipes too! I love the gift section! Clever!!!

This book is for everybody with a dehydrator. For omnivores. As a vegan I found most of the book useful. I can easily skip the information or recipes that are not to my liking.

[Dianne Messina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title speaks the truth. This is the ultimate dehydrator cookbook. What to dehydrate, how long to dehydrate, why you should dehydrate and what to do after you have dehydrated are included in this book. I liked the alphabetical listings of the dehydratable fruits and vegetables. I was amazed with the amount of information this book has about getting the most out of your dehydrator. Dried fruit is great for snacking but what do you do with the other food items you have dehydrated? Recipes! I love the idea of dehydrating my ingredients and just being able to add water later for a great soup. I highly recommend this book for anyone who owns a dehydrator.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phenomenal book encompassing all things related to food dehydrating. The first half is the basics of how it works and how to do it, and the second half is recipes for ideas on how to use your dehydrated pantry. My only bummer in this book was how frequently cornstarch is used in the recipes without any alternatives suggested. As a person with a corn allergy, I was let down at first. But if you do your own research on cornstarch substitutes, I think most of these recipes are still useable.

[Brad Theado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for dehydrating. My only complaint is I wish she had spent more tiime on how to dehydrate items and less on recipes.

[Robin Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very helpful and a very good resource.

[Rachael Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful for the beginner. Covers all sorts of things that can be dehydrated.