Touch it; it shouldn’t be sticky. If it peels
from the plastic and maintains its shape, it is
dry.
My banana chips don’t taste like the ones in
the stores. What can I do?
There are a variety of banana chips available.
Read the ingredients on the label. Some
bananas are dipped in honey, some are
dipped in granulated sugar, brown sugar or
flavored gelatin. Be sure bananas are ripe.
Some commercial banana chips have been
treated to make them crisp. This can’t be
done in the home.
Where can I buy sodium bisulfite?
Food grade sodium bisulfite is available from
drugstores or hobby stores that have wine
making ingredients. If you are unable to find
a source, ask your county Extension agent.
The fruit sticks to the trays. How can I
prevent this?
Fruits or thinly sliced vegetables may stick to
plastic trays. To help prevent this, spray trays
with vegetable cooking spray. Also, gently lift
food with a spatula after one hour of drying.
What are other uses of a food dehydrator?
Besides being used during peak season to
preserve food, a food dehydrator can be used
for proofing breads, making yogurt or cheese,
drying seeds, curing nuts, de-crystallizing
honey and drying crafts.
To shop for a quality electric food dehydrator, click on the following link: Shop Dehydrators.
1. This document is Fact Sheet FCS 8511, a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension
Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: June 1998. First published: February 1994.
Reviewed: June 1998.
2. Written by Susan Reynolds, M.S., former Extension Foods Specialist, University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, Athens. Reviewed for use in Florida by Mark L. Tamplin, associate professor, Food Safety Specialist, Department of Family, Youth
and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
32611.
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