Dehydration of food items has been around for generations. Dehydrators are ovens designed to speed up the evaporation of moisture in food items and are used for modern commercial dehydration. The dehydrator’s heating element raises the machine’s temperature while a fan circulates the air within, eliminating water while preserving the remaining nutrients of the food items in question.
Dehydrators may be used for so much more than only preparing beef jerky by inventive cooks. Dehydrators can also be used to generate yogurt or sprouted flour. Food dehydrators may frequently become an important element of the BoH team with a little ingenuity. Here are four reasons why you need a food dehydrator in your industrial kitchen.
Utilize Scraps to Reduce Waste
To begin, the primary reason restaurants want dehydrators is to reduce waste. Restaurants will save and repurpose food leftovers that would otherwise be thrown away. According to the USDA, food waste accounts for 30-40% of the US food supply, with commercial foodservice operations accounting for a significant portion of that figure from food dehydrator machine manufacturers.
Food that would otherwise be thrown, such as banana peels and stems, can be given a second life by using a professional food dehydrator. These bits can be dehydrated and reused as seasoned salts in foods such as soups and smoothies. This saves money while also adding flavor to the food.
Make An Infinite Number Of Garnishes
Dehydrating fruits for use as garnishes saves bartenders time by keeping supplies on hand. Garnishes are culinary garnishes or embellishments. If your restaurant provides drinks, you may garnish them with peels. Martini’s pair well with dehydrated orange or lemon peels. The martini’s alcohol will absorb some of the citrus tastes, creating a more nuanced flavor profile.
Dehydrated vegetables can also be used as garnishes. Dehydrated peppers can be used to spice up Latin recipes, or the flakes can be separated and used as a condiment. Dehydrated tomatoes can be used as pizza and pasta toppings.
Basil is frequently grown with tomatoes. The basil repels insects and allows the tomatoes to absorb some of the basil’s taste. This procedure may be replicated by combining basil with dried tomatoes, enhancing the tomato’s flavor.
Flavor Concentration for Supercharged Menu Items
When dehydrating anything, the only thing you’re eliminating is moisture. You’re focusing on the taste by doing so. This opens up new options for your menu. Consider the mushroom. Dehydrated mushrooms can be added to soups to enhance the taste while dissolving in the liquid.
If you’ve tried dried fruit, you’ll notice that it has a sweeter flavor than fresh fruit. Again, this is due to moisture evaporation. Fruits such as apricots and pineapple are sweeter than usual, whilst strawberries taste more bitter. As a healthier option, make fruit leather as an appetizer for youngsters.
Dehydrated vegetables can also be used as garnishes. Dehydrated peppers can be used to spice up Latin recipes, or the flakes can be separated and used as a condiment. Dehydrated tomatoes can be used as pizza and pasta toppings.
Basil is frequently grown with tomatoes. The basil repels insects and allows the tomatoes to absorb some of the basil’s taste. This procedure may be replicated by combining basil with dried tomatoes, enhancing the tomato’s flavor.
Commercial Dehydrator Recommendation
One of the few NSF-approved dehydrators offers a 16-square-foot drying surface and ten stainless-steel trays. This unit’s size is ideal for high-volume commercial drying in a restaurant setting.
Additional Commercial-Grade Features Include:
- The horizontal circulation fan design delivers heat equally over all ten trays.
- The slide-back door provides quick access for loading trays and checking on the food.
- One thousand two hundred watts of heating output for quick drying.
- An auto cutoff timer is programmable.
- The NSF accreditation indicates that this equipment is simple to clean.
If you’ve ever used a food dehydrator, you’re probably familiar with the process of dehydrating food items, which is also followed by a commercial food dehydrator.
The possibilities are nearly unlimited. Depending on the sort of food dehydrator you pick, you can dry fruits, vegetables, cereals, meats, flowers, and practically anything else. Dehydrators are ideal for preparing home specialities like granola, fruit leather, and dried fruit, but they may also be utilized for recipes that would otherwise be difficult to prepare. A dehydrator is an easy-to-use, low-cost option to start expanding your menu into these areas like Indonesian tempeh, Japanese natto, fresh yogurt, and other foods that require consistent low, warm temperatures for a lengthy period.
Have you ever wished to make your own vegetarian chips? Or how about using healthy, locally sourced dried fruits and herbs in your recipes? Then a commercial food dehydrator might be beneficial to your company! Don’t know what to look for? This dehydrator buying guide makes purchasing a dehydrator easier than ever before.