Can you Dehydrate Food in an Air Fryer: Step by Step Instructions
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Can you use an air fryer to dehydrate food?
Yes, you can dehydrate food with an air fryer. You should purchase a machine that has a dehydrator setting for the best results.
Top 3 Airfryers that can dehydrate really well
- Incredibly versatile 10-in-1 functions including rotisserie and dehydrating.
- 20 quart capacity for a huge families.
- 1800-watt working power.
- Crispy outside, juicy inside foods.
- Dishwasher safe built attachments.
- Large 7 quart basket.
- 3 stackable racks for dehydration.
- Dehydrates for as low as 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Can go up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Easy cleanup.
- Safe, with PFOA-free nonstick material.
- So many functions including dehydration and rotisserie.
- Simple and easy to use digital display.
- Accessories include 3 air flow racks, and more.
- Huge 10-liter capacity for big families.
How to Dehydrate Food in an Air Fryer?
- Step 1: Prep your food by cutting it into small chunks or thin slices
- Step 2: Season your food prior to dehydrating
- Step 3: Place in your air fryer basket and ensure proper spacing
- Step 4: Set your air fryer temperature and begin dehydrating
How does an air fryer dehydrate food?
An air fryer dehydrates food by slowly reducing the amount of water in food by using a combination of low heat and a built-in fan. A light flow of air similar to that of a convection oven ensures that the heat gets evenly disbursed.
What are the core differences between an air fryer and a dehydrator?
The core differences between an air fryer and a dehydrator include the speed at which they work. An air fryer’s design enables it to cook food in mere minutes.
A dehydrator takes days to cook the food. These devices use similar processes though. The dehydrator simply takes the water out of the food very slowly. It doesn’t heat the food past 112 degrees F and uses a steady flow of warm air to dry the food.
You must slice the food into thin slivers to dry it out. The air fryer also cooks food using hot air that gets blown throughout the cooking compartment. It heats food at temperatures up to 482F.
What are the benefits of using an air fryer as a dehydrator instead of a dedicated dehydrator?
There are many benefits to using an air fryer as a dehydrator, including getting multiple uses out of a single device. In the new air fryers, you can fry, dehydrate, bake, broil, and roast. Since it provides a larger range of temperatures, you can also cook at a variety of temperatures.
Having one device that can cook multiple ways saves you money. You only need to learn the best way to use each of the air fryer settings to get the most out of the machine.
How well do air fryers dehydrate food compared to a dedicated dehydrator?
An air fryer can dehydrate food just as well as a dedicated dehydrator as long as you know what you’re doing. Only use the air fryer at a similar temp as a dehydrator would use. That means 112 degrees F.
If you cannot use the air fryer at a temperature of 200 degrees F or less, do not try to dehydrate food using it. You’re better off using a regular oven at that very low temperature.
What can be dehydrated with the help of an air fryer?
You can easily dehydrate bananas, grapes, apples, apricots, figs, carrots, tomatoes, and peppers using an air fryer. You can also try beef. Essentially, as long as you slice them thinly enough and you dry them at a low enough temp, you can dry anything using an air fryer. You may need to peel the fruit or vegetable first.
You can use a food processor to slice fruit or vegetables quickly and thinly into appropriate thicknesses. You will have a much easier time if you slice things thinner than the ones you see in the stores. Those banana chips, especially run pretty thick. Since air fryers weren’t initially designed for this use, if yours doesn’t have a specific setting for this, you can eek more use out of it by creating an ideal situation.
Can an air fryer preserve the enzymes and nutrients of food when dehydrating?
If you use the air fryer at temperatures above 112 degrees F, you will not preserve the enzymes and nutrients of food when dehydrating. It isn’t the machine itself that causes the death of the enzymes and nutrients. It is the heat. As long as you use the air fryer at the same temp as the dehydrator, you keep the nutrients and enzymes.
Are dehydrated foods healthier?
Dehydrated foods can provide a healthier snack. I say “can” because the jerky and dried fruit that you purchase in stores has a lot of salt and sugar added. When you add these items, you detract from the healthiness of the snack. That doesn’t mean that you can’t flavor them.
You can use Splenda safely in place of sugar. It contains none of the bad things that sugar does and is even safe for diabetics to consume. Splenda does not cause blood sugar to spike. You can also flavor the fruit with spices. Consider using cinnamon, coriander, or cloves. These spices, as well as nutmeg, add a tasty yet subtle flavor to the fruits.
How long does it take to dehydrate food in an air fryer?
When you dehydrate food in an air fryer, it should take you just as long as it does in a dehydrator. That is because you should use the air fryer below 200 degrees F. Ideally, your machine will let you set it to 212 degrees F, so it uses the same heat as a dehydrator.
The slow seepage of the liquid provides that tasty jerky taste. You cannot rush the perfection of dehydrating fruit and vegetables, especially. However long the recipe says it takes using a dehydrator is also how long it should take using the air fryer. That’s because dehydrating differs from other types of cooking with an air fryer. For example, with baking in an air fryer, you need to reduce the cooking time by 20 percent, however, when dehydrating, you need to do the opposite.
Rather than rushing through the recipe, you should use the temperature and length of time in the original recipe.
What to ask yourself before buying an air fryer with a dehydrator feature
- Does it come with a dehydrator function?
- Is it big enough?
- How low can the cooking temperature go?
- Can you put multiple racks inside?
- Does it have the proper ventilation?
- Can it power at more than 1500 watts?
- How easy is it to clean?
- Does it have a dehydrator setting?
