Abstract
Drying is the oldest method of preserving food. The early American settlers dried foods such as corn, apple slices, currants, grapes, and meat. Compared with other methods, drying is quite simple. In fact, you may already have most of the equipment on hand. Dried foods keep well because the moisture content is so low that spoilage organisms cannot grow.
 Drying will never replace canning and freezing because these methods do a better job of retaining the taste, appearance, and nutritive value of fresh food. But drying is an excellent way to preserve foods that can add variety to meals and provide delicious, nutritious snacks. One of the biggest advantages of dried foods is that they take much less storage space than canned or frozen foods.
Highlights
Drying food in the oven of a kitchen range, on the other hand, can be very expensive
A convection oven that has a controllable temperature starting at 120 degrees F. and a continuous operation feature rather than a timer-controlled one will function quite well as a dehydrator during the gardening months
If drying takes place too fast, "case hardening" will occur. This means that the cells on the outside of the pieces of food give up moisture faster than the cells on the inside
Summary
Drying food in the oven of a kitchen range, on the other hand, can be very expensive. As soon as surface moisture is lost (the outside begins to feel dry) and the rate of evaporation slows down, the food warms up. Keep this in mind if you plan to dry food on hot, muggy summer days. If drying takes place too fast, "case hardening" will occur This means that the cells on the outside of the pieces of food give up moisture faster than the cells on the inside. Trapped air soon takes on as much moisture as it can hold, and drying can no longer take place. For this reason, be sure the ventilation around your oven or in your food dryer is adequate
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