/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>6021022
>Nice, any idea how long the powders last in a sealed jar?

Years, but it really depends on the methods you are using to keep them moisture free. Since I have mine in glass cannons jars I can gently heat the jar before putting the contents in then seal them. Once it all cools off the lid pops down.

>>6021029
Many dehydrators don't have a fan and only have air vents in the top and bottom with a source of heat. The length of time and you local air humidity are what play the biggest role in whether or not you should use an air-only dehydrating method. Where I live, I have to have a source of heat because the humidity is so high that even with lots of air flow everything molds up or smells like really old shoes.

One easy method of making a DIY dehydrator is putting a 60W-100W incandescent lightbulb in the bottom with air vents.

>>6021014
Looks at the size and ease of cleaning mostly. How much jerky will you be making in one batch and what kind of cleaning do you want to do? Dehydrators with metal screens/grating can take a beating and are easier to clean stuck-on things off them. Most any dehydrator can dehydrate meat. One of the other factors is time. How long do you want it to take? The more expensive models of dehydrators will have more energy use for heating and fan(s), but will significantly cut down on the length of time it takes to dehydrate the meat.

If you are going to be doing many batches of meat, like people that hunt deer and other game then a dehydrator in the $200 range will be what you'll better enjoy using. There's also the option of making your own if you have the tools and the basic know-how + google. Otherwise, get a cheap plastic one or make one with a PC fan, AC-DC wall adapter that fits the voltage of the fan, incandescent lightbulb, and cardboard box to make a quick and easy dehydrator.

Anyone else grow their own spices and herbs for cooking?

I had tons of Hungarian wax peppers, which are a bit hotter than green jalapeno peppers, this season. I've canned tons of them, put tons of them in soups, stews, and chili all canned, and just finished grinding a small batch of them up to use as a seasoning. Having a food dehydrator is really nice for this sort of thing. I was able to make about 3 dry ounces of pepper powder I can use for seasoning.

I can tell right now that when I do my super hot peppers, bhut jolokia and Trinidad Moruga scorpion peppers, that I'm going to need a hazmat suit and do the grinding outside.