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The Beginner's Guide to Dehydrating Food: How to Preserve All Your Favorite Vegetables, Fruits, Meats, and Herbs
This essential companion for putting your food dehydrator to work features instructions and techniques for drying all the most popular fruits and vegetables, along with meat and herbs. You’ll learn to dry fruits and vegetables at their peak, giving you an easy and economical way to stock your pantry with apple rings, mango slices, banana chips, dried soup beans, tomatoes, and much more for year-round enjoyment. In addition, drying guidelines for specialty items like meat jerky, fruit leather, dried herb and spice mixtures, backpacking meals, and even baby food round out this friendly handbook.
320 pages, Paperback
Published June 12, 2018
155 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 28, 2020
Thorough and useful for beginners
September 2, 2019
I was wanting a dehydrator for quite some time, and so I bit the bullet last year. My father-in-law sent me some money for my birthday and so I bought a nice, 6 tray electric dehydrator. That's where this cookbook comes in. I LOVE this book!!
The book is laid out in an easy to use format.
Chapter 1 - Drying Foods at Home
Chapter 2 - Basic Methods
Chapter 3 - Equipment
Chapter 4 - Fruits & Vegetables A to Z
Chapter 5 - Herbs & Spices
Chapter 6 - Meat & Poultry
Chapter 7 - Leather, Candied Fruits & More
Chapter 8 - Recipes Using Your Dehydrated Foods.
I love that the fruits & veggies chapter is A-Z. It makes it quick and easy to find what you're wanting to dehydrate. I've done apples, strawberries, blueberries, carrots and mushrooms so far. They have all turned out fantastic. I love having the mushrooms and carrots for soups and stews. Fried, dried apple pies are a classic from the South where I'm from, and dried blueberries and strawberries are great for granolas, adding to baked goods and more.
There is a wealth of information in this book. I had no idea that you could dry tomato paste! Use 1 tablespoon droplets and when you have a recipe that calls for it, just add one dried droplet! I haven't done this yet, but I certainly plan to!!
This book is wonderful for anyone wanting to get into drying foods. It's a great method of preservation and you can find all you need between the covers of this book. I highly recommend it!!
I received a copy of ths book from Storey Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The book is laid out in an easy to use format.
Chapter 1 - Drying Foods at Home
Chapter 2 - Basic Methods
Chapter 3 - Equipment
Chapter 4 - Fruits & Vegetables A to Z
Chapter 5 - Herbs & Spices
Chapter 6 - Meat & Poultry
Chapter 7 - Leather, Candied Fruits & More
Chapter 8 - Recipes Using Your Dehydrated Foods.
I love that the fruits & veggies chapter is A-Z. It makes it quick and easy to find what you're wanting to dehydrate. I've done apples, strawberries, blueberries, carrots and mushrooms so far. They have all turned out fantastic. I love having the mushrooms and carrots for soups and stews. Fried, dried apple pies are a classic from the South where I'm from, and dried blueberries and strawberries are great for granolas, adding to baked goods and more.
There is a wealth of information in this book. I had no idea that you could dry tomato paste! Use 1 tablespoon droplets and when you have a recipe that calls for it, just add one dried droplet! I haven't done this yet, but I certainly plan to!!
This book is wonderful for anyone wanting to get into drying foods. It's a great method of preservation and you can find all you need between the covers of this book. I highly recommend it!!
I received a copy of ths book from Storey Publishing for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 7, 2019
Having recently obtained a Nesco food dehydrator, I was looking for a book that would provide some inspiration and I was able to get "The Beginner's Guide to Dehydrating Food" from my local library. The book provides a concise overview on the subject matter, breaking each of the chapters into the specific food types. Perhaps the best section was devoted to the individual fruits and vegetables, as there were many of them listed, however, much of the material was repetitious.
The photography for the book was well done, emphasizing a clean, white look. Not surprisingly there was an abundance of photos of dried fruits, vegetable, herbs and meats.
The book is a decent introduction to the subject matter at hand, however, I was already aware of most of the material by just doing some cursory Google searches before reading the book.
One nice element of the book was the inclusion at the back of the book for making your own food dehydrator.
The photography for the book was well done, emphasizing a clean, white look. Not surprisingly there was an abundance of photos of dried fruits, vegetable, herbs and meats.
The book is a decent introduction to the subject matter at hand, however, I was already aware of most of the material by just doing some cursory Google searches before reading the book.
One nice element of the book was the inclusion at the back of the book for making your own food dehydrator.
January 22, 2019
This is a beautifully photographed book. I really appreciated so many great photos of what foods looked like before and after dehydrating. It's a great book for me as a beginner -- easy to use, easy to look through. I'm using a dehydrator, but this book also includes instructions for oven and sun drying.
My only complaint would be that I do wish there were more recipes for soup mixes, instant meals, and crackers -- but that might be beyond the scope of this volume. There's a lot of good, well-organized information here.
My only complaint would be that I do wish there were more recipes for soup mixes, instant meals, and crackers -- but that might be beyond the scope of this volume. There's a lot of good, well-organized information here.
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April 4, 201950/51, 56/57, 62/63, 86/87, 88/89, 106/107, 116/117, 122/123, 127, 144/145, 151,152/153
Book has photos showing how food looks prior to dehydrating and when it's done. Informative, great for beginner,
Book has photos showing how food looks prior to dehydrating and when it's done. Informative, great for beginner,
July 24, 2019
This book should come with every dehydrator! It holds so many dehydrating secrets (all conveniently sorted) that will help you optimize your dehydrator. I definitely want this book with my cookbooks.
June 12, 2025
I got a dehydrator a while ago and just started using it. Since I had no prior experience with dehydrating, I wanted to learn the basics and get some ideas for things I could do. This book was recommended. For the most part, it had a lot of helpful basic information.
However, I encountered a few pieces of potentially dangerous advice and some blatant pseudoscience. Considering that food poisoning kills nearly half a million people each year, the dangerous advice is literally life-threatening (see WHO).
Imagine you walked into an elementary school classroom and heard the teacher saying the following with a straight face: “Although some astronomers think that the moon is made of rock, astrologers counter that if it were rock, it would not have craters in it so it must be made of cheese.” And the, imagine that teacher moving on to the next point and never challenging the pure pseudoscience of what she just said. That is exactly what this book did, but with raw foodism instead of astrology. Here is a direct quote from this book: “Although some authorities feel that bacteria present in the food might pose a health risk in foods dried at these low temperatures, raw foodists counter that if the produce has been grown naturally and is well washed before drying, the risk is minimal to nonexistent.”
Raw foodism is pseudoscience. The British Dietetic Association explicitly warns people to avoid a raw food diet (see British Dietetic Association). Raw foodism had been shown to “diminish intake of essential minerals and nutrients” as well as “impair the development of children and infants” (see Journal of the American Dietetic Association & ScienceDirect). The claims of raw foodism are based on pseudoscience (see Scientific American). She later gave raw-food–curious readers a false sense of security along with a recommendation to waste extra money: “Use only scrupulously fresh vegetables — preferably organic — and adhere to rigorous standards of cleanliness to reduce your risk of foodborne illnesses.”
Organic farming often uses manure as fertilizer, which can introduce pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. Systematic reviews and large studies have found no consistent evidence that organic foods result in fewer foodborne illnesses compared to conventional foods. Eating raw vegetables—regardless of whether they are organic or conventional—carries a higher risk of foodborne illness because cooking is one of the most effective ways to kill pathogens. While cleanliness is important, it cannot eliminate pathogens that may be present inside the produce or that are resistant to washing. Relying solely on washing and freshness, especially for raw foods, is not a sufficient food safety strategy. (see Mayo Clinic, Harvard Health, NutritionFacts.org, Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, & Stanford Health Policy)
When discussing currants, the author mentioned “studies reporting that compounds in black currants may help prevent Alzheimer’s and other diseases.” She neglected to mention that these studies are in mice, and there are no large, controlled clinical trials. There’s a whole lot of things that affect mice but not humans, and there’s a reason why we don’t just do a few small-scale preclinical mouse trials before concluding that something is a scientific fact.
This book’s failure to challenge unscientific claims or distinguish between evidence-based advice and pseudoscience reflects a troubling lack of scientific literacy. At a time when misinformation about food, health, and nutrition can spread rapidly and have serious consequences, authors—especially those writing instructional guides—have a responsibility to apply critical thinking and consult credible scientific sources. Presenting debunked ideas alongside legitimate information without clarification does more than mislead readers; it undermines public understanding of science and endangers health.
(with help from Nate Tricowi)
However, I encountered a few pieces of potentially dangerous advice and some blatant pseudoscience. Considering that food poisoning kills nearly half a million people each year, the dangerous advice is literally life-threatening (see WHO).
Imagine you walked into an elementary school classroom and heard the teacher saying the following with a straight face: “Although some astronomers think that the moon is made of rock, astrologers counter that if it were rock, it would not have craters in it so it must be made of cheese.” And the, imagine that teacher moving on to the next point and never challenging the pure pseudoscience of what she just said. That is exactly what this book did, but with raw foodism instead of astrology. Here is a direct quote from this book: “Although some authorities feel that bacteria present in the food might pose a health risk in foods dried at these low temperatures, raw foodists counter that if the produce has been grown naturally and is well washed before drying, the risk is minimal to nonexistent.”
Raw foodism is pseudoscience. The British Dietetic Association explicitly warns people to avoid a raw food diet (see British Dietetic Association). Raw foodism had been shown to “diminish intake of essential minerals and nutrients” as well as “impair the development of children and infants” (see Journal of the American Dietetic Association & ScienceDirect). The claims of raw foodism are based on pseudoscience (see Scientific American). She later gave raw-food–curious readers a false sense of security along with a recommendation to waste extra money: “Use only scrupulously fresh vegetables — preferably organic — and adhere to rigorous standards of cleanliness to reduce your risk of foodborne illnesses.”
Organic farming often uses manure as fertilizer, which can introduce pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. Systematic reviews and large studies have found no consistent evidence that organic foods result in fewer foodborne illnesses compared to conventional foods. Eating raw vegetables—regardless of whether they are organic or conventional—carries a higher risk of foodborne illness because cooking is one of the most effective ways to kill pathogens. While cleanliness is important, it cannot eliminate pathogens that may be present inside the produce or that are resistant to washing. Relying solely on washing and freshness, especially for raw foods, is not a sufficient food safety strategy. (see Mayo Clinic, Harvard Health, NutritionFacts.org, Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, & Stanford Health Policy)
When discussing currants, the author mentioned “studies reporting that compounds in black currants may help prevent Alzheimer’s and other diseases.” She neglected to mention that these studies are in mice, and there are no large, controlled clinical trials. There’s a whole lot of things that affect mice but not humans, and there’s a reason why we don’t just do a few small-scale preclinical mouse trials before concluding that something is a scientific fact.
This book’s failure to challenge unscientific claims or distinguish between evidence-based advice and pseudoscience reflects a troubling lack of scientific literacy. At a time when misinformation about food, health, and nutrition can spread rapidly and have serious consequences, authors—especially those writing instructional guides—have a responsibility to apply critical thinking and consult credible scientific sources. Presenting debunked ideas alongside legitimate information without clarification does more than mislead readers; it undermines public understanding of science and endangers health.
(with help from Nate Tricowi)
May 14, 2025
Holy ----, this was super helpful! My mum recently discovered - after, like, 30 years LOL- that she can use her dehydrator for more than just apple slices, so I was looking for a beginner's guide she might like. This fits the bill beautifully. It's got instructions for sun, oven, and dehydrator drying, instructions on preparing each food, rehydrating them, and how they can be used (never would have guessed that ground papaya seeds are a meat tenderizer), the foods are all in alphebetical order and thus easy to find quickly, and there are recipes for spice blends, jams, candied fruits, soups-in-a-jar, main courses, etc. It even has the plans for building a homemade dehydrator.
December 22, 2020
This is probably the best book on dehydrating food that I've read. There are great photos of the dehydrated food that gives the reader fabulous information without reading a single word. The A-Z chapter on individual foods to dehydrate make looking for information easy- and the information given is clear cut, easily understood, and important.
If I was going to buy one book on food dehydration, this would be the one.
If I was going to buy one book on food dehydration, this would be the one.
March 10, 2023
Goes into detail about different drying methods, how to dry each fruit and veggie with each method and how it is supposed to feel when dehydrated enough for safe storage. Goes through a long list of fruits and veggies. A good dehydrating companion book for the person looking to save a bunch of food or preserve their garden harvest.
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October 4, 2023Soon after I started thinking I should add dehydrating to my preserving skills, I spotted this book on display at the library. The layout and the information are very user friendly—this may go on my list of books to buy my own copy.
September 18, 2018
Liked, but didn't try any of the suggestions. Will stick to having Irene just make jerky with our dehydrator, probably.
October 6, 2018
Nice over view of each ingredient and other recipes follow. Could use more photos.
March 12, 2022
Very nice photos, well laid out. A little repetitive.
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October 26, 2022If I was ready to dehydrate food, then this book would be insanely helpful.
January 21, 2025
Great beginner book!
I am so happy with this book. I see I will be referring to it quite often on my dehydrating journey.
I am so happy with this book. I see I will be referring to it quite often on my dehydrating journey.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews