- 6 - 04/2019Copyright © 2019, F ast ČR, a.s.
EN F ood Dehy dra tor
User'smanual
■ Prior to using this appliance, please read the user's manual thoroughly, even in cases ,
when one has already familiarised themselves with previous use of similar types of
appliances. Only use the appliance in the manner described in this user’ s manual.
Keep this user'smanual in asaf e place where it can be easily retrieved for future use .
In the event that you hand this appliance over t o somebody else, make sure to also
include this user'smanual.
■ We rec ommend saving the original cardboard box, packaging material, purchase
receipt and responsibility statement of the vendor or warran ty card for at least the
duration of the legal liability for unsatisfactory performance or quality. In the event
of transportation, we recommend that you pack the appliance in the original bo x
from the manufacturer .
■ Carefully unpack the appliance and take care not to thr ow away any part of the
packaging before you find all the parts of the appliance.
DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLIANCE AND AC CESSORIES
A1 M ain switch
A2 Control panel
A3 Cabinet with dehydration area
A4 Slide -out trays
A5 Stainless steel racks
A6 Glazed door
A7 Handle
B1 T emperature control knob
B2 Dehydration temperatur e
selection guide
B3 Display
B4 Backlit start/pause button
B5 Increase time button (plus)
B6 Decrease time button (plus)
PURPOSE OF USE AND FEA TURES OF THE FOOD DEH YDRA TOR
■ The food dehydr ator is intended for dehydrating f ood such as fruit, vegetables, fruits
of the forest, meat, seeds, beans , nuts, mushrooms, etc. It is also suitable for drying
herbs, medicinals, spices or even flow ers for decorating or for making aromatic
mixtures.
■ The food dehydr ator comprises of a cabinet with a dr ying area with ten levels f or
slide-out trays and stainless steel racks. The hea ting element, motor with fan and
thermostat are located at the back of the cabinet.
■ The food dehydr ator functions on the basis of Horizontal Air Flow technology ,
which ensures even heat distribution. It enables heat to be evenly distributed to
all levels of the drying area and eliminates the need to rotate the food r acks during
the dehydration proc ess.
WHY USE AFOOD DEH YDRA TOR?
■ Drying (dehydration) is one of the oldest methods of food preservation during
which food is heated to evaporat e its moisture content. Unlike standard long-term
food storage (e.g . canning, freezing), gentle dehydration r etains up to 80 % of
vitamins, minerals and trace elements, while c oncentrating aromatic compounds,
which makes dehydrated f oods all the more tasty. With correct storage, it is then
possible to use dehydrated f oods all year round.
■ Foods that are hea ted during standard cooking or canning procedures over a longer
period of time at a temperature higher than 48 °C start to lose their nutritional
value and enzyme content. Food enzymes are important because they aid the
body's digestive enzymes in break ing up food into digestible pr oteins. A suitable
food dehydrat or such as this one, is able to maintain asufficiently low temperature
at which enzymes do not lose their effect, while at the same time generate
sufficiently hot air for fast dehydra tion of food and prevent the development of
moulds and bacteria.
BEFORE FIRST USE
■ Before first using the food deh ydrator , thoroughly wash the slide-out trays and
stainless steel racks in hot water using neutral kitchen detergent. Then rinse all these
parts with clean water and dry them thoroughly with afine wiping cloth.
■ Also clean out the inside of the cabinet using a lightly dampened wiping cloth
and then wipe everything dry. When cleaning , take care not to wet the heating
elements or the fan of the food dehydr ator. Nev er submerge the cabinet of the food
dehydrator in wat er or any other liquid.
■ Before first use, we r ecommend running the food dehydrator empty for at least 4
hours. After turning off the food dehydr ator, allo w it and all its accessories to cool
down and air out to rid them of potential odours.
PREP ARING FOR OPER A TION
LOCA TION OF THE FOOD DEH YDRA TOR
■ Locate the food deh ydrator in a well-ventilat ed, warm and dry room with minimal
dustiness. T o ensure proper air circulation, there must be aclearance of at least 15
cm around to the food dehy drator .
■ The surface on which the food dehydrator is placed must be stable , heat resistant
and sufficiently far from other sources of heat. The load bearing capacity of the
selected surface must correspond to the combined weight of your food deh ydrator
and its contents.
■ Also select alocation respecting the fact that it is not appropriate to move the food
dehydrator while it is running . Likewise, also take into consideration the fact that the
aroma of the dehydrat ed food will be released into the room during the dehydra tion
process, which may not be pleasant f or everyone.
SELECTING APPROPRIA TE FOODS
■ Correctly selecting and preparing foods for dehydr ation will result in their better
appearance and taste, faster drying and termination of the ripening process, and it
will also extend the food'sshelf life.
■ The best results are only achieved when good quality ingredien ts are used.
Practically any type of fruit or vegetable may be dehy drated. Only select ripe fruits
and vegetables, not over-ripened , and free of bruising, rot and moulds. It is possible
to dehydrate sour and mildly sw eet fruits and vegetables.
■ When intending to dehydr ate meat, it must be fresh and lean.
PREP ARING INGREDIENTS
Note:
It is highly probable that fruits and vegetables bought in ordinary stores
are waxed or treat ed with a spray . Most sprays or waxes can be washed off
using bio-degradable cleaning products or in vinegar water , after which it
is necessary to rinse the food using clean water . If the attempt to remove
the wax or spray is unsuccessful, w e recommend to peel the food prior to
dehydrating it.
FRUIT
■ Thoroughly wash the fruit and dry it well. Prepar e only an amount of fruit that you
will be able to dry within asingle cycle. Remove any soft or damaged parts. Remove
any pits, stones, st ems or roots, and any other unusable parts.
■ Cut the fruit into pieces of equal thickness, ideally 2 to 4 mm. Piec es of varying
thickness unnecessarily extend the dehydration time. Cutting it int o smaller pieces
will speed up the dehydration proc ess, whilst improving the quality of the product.
■ Small fruits such as various types of berries (strawberries, bilberries, cranberries, etc.)
do not need to be cut up. How ever, lar ger fruits should be cut in half or cut into
slices or cubes.
■ Dry the cut up fruit using aclean wiping cloth or paper towel.
■ T o prevent certain t ypes of fruit from bro wning (apples, pears or apricots), soak the
fruit slices in asolution made from 250 ml of water and 1 tablespoons of lemon or
pineapple juice prior to dehydrating them. To achieve in teresting flavours, you can
put honey, sugar , cinnamon or coconut on it. Then allow the piec es of fruit to drip
off any excess and then they can be immediat ely dehydrated. F ruit that is treated
with this solution will remain light coloured and will not turn brown during the
dehydration proc ess nor during storage.
■ Fruits with naturally tough peels (g rapes, plums or even figs) may be blanched
in boiling water for 1-2 minutes to speed up the deh ydration process. Then
immediately submerge them in cold water , cool them down, dry them and cut them
up into slices.
■ Place unpeeled fruit with the peel facing downwards and the cut surface upwards .
Always place non-straight shapes on the edge with the peel, not on the str aight
surface.
VEGET ABLES
■ Clean the vegetables thoroughly and wash them.
■ Cut out any surface defects.
■ It is advisable to steam vegetables that require long cooking times, e.g . root
vegetables, pea pods, beetroot , broccoli, carrot, celery, corn, potato and cauliflo wer
prior to dehydrating them. To prev ent it from losing colour and vitamins, it is
sufficient to cook the given vegetable o ver steam for approximately fiv e minutes.
■ It is good to peel tomatoes.
■ Cut up vegetables can be dipped in salty water .
MEA T
■ Beef, game, poultry or fish meat is suitable for dehy dration. Select lean meat
containing as little fat as possible. The leaner the meat, the faster it will be
dehydrated . The higher the fat conten t in the meat, the shorter will be its shelf life
after dehydration.
■ Thoroughly dry the meat and trim off any fatty parts. T o ensure even dehydration,
then slice it into very thin strips approximately 2 to 5 mm thick and 2.5 cm wide .
Select the length as required.
■ Season the finished strips according to taste using salt, marinating it, applying
barbecue spices, etc. Lea ve the seasoned meat to rest, ideally overnight in
arefrigerator .
■ After placing the meat into the food dehy drator , first allow it to heat up to
a temperature of 70°C for 15 minut es, which will destroy potential bacteria and
other harmful substances in the meat. Then lower the temperature as needed and
according to experience, f or example 63°C and dehydrate it f or approximately 5
to 7 hours. Check on the dehydra tion process every hour. Well dehy drated meat
is determined by pushing both its ends towards each other and seeing whether it
snaps in the middle.
HERBS, SPICES AND FLOWERS
■ Dehydrate herbs very gently . Only remove the stems, and do not cut them up any
further. Leafy herbs need to be turned o ver during the dehydration process to
prevent them from sticking.
■ Leaves appropriat e for dehydration are young and brittle , harvest pea pods before
they open up. Pick flo wers that are young and half-opened.
PET FOOD SNACKS
■ T o make snacks for household pets, use healthy and fresh ingredients free of any
additives or preservatives. It is important to take into consideration the size of
the animal. For example , small dog breeds have small mouths and tiny teeth and
need small snacks that are not too crunchy . On the other hand, large dog breeds
can handle big and crunchy snacks. Y ou can test their hardness by crushing a few
snacks in your hand.