If you already own a food dehydrator then you're already on the road to eating healthy snacks and saving money all at the same time. If you don't own a food dehydrator you should. Food dehydrators are a great way to not only store your foods but to create good dried foods that we pay alot of money for in the stores. I want to give you my top 7 items that I love to dehydrate and inform you of why you should own one yourself.
#1. Bananas: Any time you go to the grocery store think about the cost of dried banana chips. Now think about the cost of bundle of bananas. They are not even close in price. I recently went to the store and bought bananas on sale for only 29 cents a lb. However also displayed by the bananas were a 1/3 lb. of banana chips which happened to be $3.99. Now I don't know about you but I think I'll buy my own bananas and produce my own banana chips at a fraction of the cost.
#2. Strawberries: I love fresh strawberries but I also love dried strawberries. Dried strawberries are great for topping cereal with and can be stored for quite awhile longer than fresh strawberries. I am not sure I've ever seen dried strawberries in a store before but trust me they come out nice and sweet when you dry your own.
#3. Deer Meat: I don't hunt but I have hunters in my family and every year they hunt and bring home a deer. I always end up with some of the deer so I make jerky out of it. It is absolutely delicious and has more of a wild flavor than beef. So for something more exciting I always eat the deer meat instead.
#4. Cherries: Dried cherries can be used for just about anything. You can top salads with them, cereals, cookies and even bread. I am sure they have many other uses but those are a few things that I use them for. If you have ever purchased dried cherries you know they are not cheap and the ones that are cheap may not be the best quality. So I make my own dried cherries with high quality fruit and they turn out great.
#5. Apricots: I have always loved dried apricots and they have a natural sweet flavor. Dried apricots have many uses much like cherries. One of my favorite uses is to garnish steak with them to add a sweet flavor to the meat. Apricots are not to expensive but again the tubs of dried apricots are sort of pricey. Also try these in a bowl of grape nuts to have a healthy and tasty snack.
#6. Beef: Beef jerky is wonderful especially for those of us on a high protein diet with low amounts of fat. Using lean meat can help you create a very high protein low fat snack that can be consumed daily to add the power pack of protein for a long workout. This is probably one of the most common uses for a food dehydrator but you can't beat a classic. Beef jerky is also great for the long road trips with the family and kids.
#7. Apples: I love to eat dried apples. Once they are dry add a light dusting of cinnamon to the apple pieces and you have a very good snack. They always seem to store very well to and for at least a few weeks. Apples get crunchy which can add to the uses they have. Toppings, garnishings or just by themselves apples are always one of my favorites.
Hopefully this helps give you an idea of some of the uses for a food dehydrator. Experiment a little bit and without much effort you'll come up with an idea all of your own. Some things do not dehydrate well at all and others dehydrate wonderfully. Trial and error will help you find exactly what type of dried foods you love.
