Low-tech food dehydrating

Break into the exciting world of food dehydration with this low-tech method using your oven. As a general rule, you’ll want to slice up your fruit or veg to no thicker than 1/4-inch and arrange on a cookie cooling rack which is then placed on top of a cookie sheet to catch any drips or fruit goo. This allows warm, dry air to completely envelop the food and allow for maximum successful drying potential!

A note on temp: Turn the dial to the lowest heat setting possible; most ovens won’t go below 160 or 170 degrees-F, so just keep an eye on whatever it is you’re hoping to dry. (A food dehydrator achieves your ideal fruits/veg drying temp of 135 degrees-F.) For drying herbs and spices, try using the ambient heat of your gas oven or turn your electric oven on to 200 degrees-F and switch it off when it comes to temp (then place drying tray in after 5 min).