Dehydrator trays, how to make.

[John Sheridan]

I want to make some meals like Lamb stew, curry and stuff like that, but the trays in my dehydrator have bit HOLEs, I know some dehydrators come with small holed trays, but Mine does not and I need t make some.

What material do I need to buy to use, and suggestions and how fine hole wise should I go, too small and maybe the dehydrating wont work properly I guess.


Cheers.

[Strider]

Cover your existing trays with cling wrap? If you have holes the stew/curry will only leak through?

[Son of a Beach]

For anything saucy, you can get plastic tray liners with no holes at all. I think they're designed for making fruit leathers. Before I got those trays, I used to line the holed trays with alfoil.

[corvus]

I use Glad Bake Paper it is easy to cut to the exact dimensions including a small lip.
corvus

[John Sheridan]

So it does not matter if there are no holes in the tray the hot air circulates around and does the job just the same, something like a stew would be done best on the bottom tray right, where it is the hottest.


Just new to this Dehydrating thing, have a bit to learn , before I can make dehydrate something that wont kill me

Thanks.

[Son of a Beach]

Without holes it takes longer to dry but still works eventually. , With holes some stuff will just seep (or run) through and not work at all.

[whynotwalk]

The key thing with dehydrating meat stews, curries etc is to use minced meat (doesn't matter what meat). Very small, evenly-sized bits dry evenly. I once used small cubes of chicken in a curry, and despite 12 hours of dehydration, it was still spongy when it was due to be cooked. I didn't risk It, and used my emergency meal instead.

cheers

Peter

[corvus]

Without holes it takes longer to dry but still works eventually. , With holes some stuff will just seep (or run) through and not work at all.

With Glad Bake owing to it being made especially for cooking and being thin enough I have not noticed any greater drying time when doing any of my "wet" type meals and it certainly quicker than the solid trays and the bonus is washing up is easier .
corvus

[Macca81]

For me, cling wrap if it is really wet, baking paper if it just a normal meal. Realistically, there are few things that i use the small holed liner for (unless im too lazy to take it out) and the above options work as well as the solid liner.

[Mark F]

My dehydrator trays have relatively large holes. When dehydrating many meals or relatively fine vegetables such as spinach I use a layer of flyscreen cut to fit the tray. For wet stuff like spag bol I partly dry it on baking paper and when relatively glutenous move onto the flyscreen . I get the feeling that this quickens the final drying as air can circulate though the mesh. It is useful to have a paper in the bottom tray to catch any bits that fall through as one breaks up the lumps.

[walk2wineries]

the solid trays (eg with sunbeam) for leather are okay - but you can buy flexible teflon sheets, sometimes sold as bbq liners, to go on the meshed trays - easy to peel off solid matter.

[MartyGwynne]

Hey, All the above but I also reduce the liquid content as much as possible when its still in the cooking pot. Then I will put it onto an oven tray lined with the baking paper (the very happy type) and pop it into the oven as low as low as low as it can go so you don't burn it. Keep turning the food over leaving a rough surface (not patted down smooth) and once it is starting to get a bit crispy (dry bits on the extremities) I will then put it into the dehydrator to finish it off, always breaking up the bigger lumps and turning it over every two or three hours (it just takes longer to dry if you leave it).