This is a good site for drying info. I really like Deanna DeLong's book "How to Dry Foods", too.

You should blanch vegies before drying (it really makes a difference in color, flavor and shelf life). You can pretreat fruits if you want (I don't bother)...the website will give options.

If your dehydrator doesn't have a fan, you'll want to rotate your trays so everything dries as evenly as possible.

Here is a link that might be useful: Drying Foods

Katie - thanks for the information and tips. I will look for that book.

One of my favorite ways to use my dehydrator is to dry sliced tomatoes in Aug/Sept. After dried, I grind them to a powder in the Cuisinart. Add to marinara, soups, stews, etc. during the winter. A couple tablespoons gives a deep, rich flavor you just can't get w/canned tomatoes. I put the dried powder in small jars and vac pack it. I also roughly chop them and add to breads with onion & olive pieces. Brush the top of the bread w/garlic butter after coming out of the oven...yummy.

It's pretty hard to give you exact times for dehydrating because it's completely dependent on temperature, humidity levels, moisture content of food, thickness of food, and type of food. I live in a very humid summer climate & the tomatoes could take 18-20 hours. I set my dehydrator up outside and it runs continually for weeks during harvest season. Very useful appliance.

TriciaE - I have been wanting to dry my summer crop of tomatos. That's one of the reasons I picked it up. I love dried tomato bread I get at the store and wanted to make some at home. I also grow lots of herbs and wanted to dry them. I have a great recipe for dried tomato and basil bread I can't wait to make in my machine. Thanks for replying.

There's a site called DryIt.com (http://www.dryit.com/) that's pretty cool. The lady sells a cheap book that has all the drying time and recipes. And if anyone's looking to buy a new dehydrator, there are reviews at DehydratorBook.com.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dehydrator Reviews

Dehydration of anything depends on various factors like temperature, humidity levels, moisture content of food, thickness of food, and type of food.So i guess no one can tell you exactly about that.For more information you may go to http://www.mynetpharma.com/food-dehydration.html

There are not one set of specific drying times for various fruits, vegetables and meats. Food dehydrator drying times can vary over a range of times depending on various factors including:

��the type of food being dried,

��the amount of food placed in the dehydrator,

��the thickness of the food slices,

��how even the slices are,

��the percentage of water in the food,

��the humidity and temperature of the air,

��the altitude of the place where you are dehydrating and

��the dehydrator model being used.

Here is a link that might be useful: Food Dehydrator