An important thing to remember when drying vegetables is what you put in is what you get out! This is why we recommend you always use high-quality, ripe vegetables.
Drying times can be affected by humidity, altitude, moisture content & thickness of the slices. Cut your produce at a consistent size so that they will dry at the same rate - around 5mm is the ideal thickness.
All vegetables can be dried together except Garlic, Onion & Capsicum. Garlic, Onion & Capsicum can be dried together but due to their strong smell & flavour will affect other veges!
When dry, most vegetables will need to be quite crisp. To check if it's dry simply tear a cooled piece in half & check to see if any moisture comes out by giving it a little squeeze.
Always allow your vegetables to cool before packing it into an airtight container or ziplock bags. It should then be stored in cool, dry & dark conditions (the bottom of a cupboard is perfect) or frozen.
For an instant flavour boost use your blender/food processor to chop your dried veges into flakes or fine powders. They're great in soups, sauces, salads, stir-fries, seasonings & more!
Vege powder is also a great flavouring alterntative if you're looking to cut down your salt intake. For instance, celery powder is super on a baked potato & will perk up an omelette nicely too!
