The Dehydrating Thread

[Mendip]

It's that time of year again... mangoes everywhere.



Every year this happens... we have 11 mango trees, at least 5 of which produce a glut of fruit each year. For a couple of weeks it's mango smoothies, mango milkshakes, mangoes, mango crumble, mango on cereal, mango upside down cake, mango pie, you name it, mango everything. Even the chickens get bored of the damn things. For a couple of weeks we just don't know what to do with them all.



They don't keep long, and then a fortnight later we're back to buying them again.

This is the state of our fruit bowl at the moment... and God know's why the wife was still buying mangoes at the start of the week. That yellow one isn't one of ours.



This is a problem no longer. My latest night shift, impulse online purchase was a Food Dehydrator. Now I can have healthy dehydrated mango snacks throughout the year and make the most of nature's bounty.



My first attempt at food dehydrating was to be three mangoes of varying stages of ripeness and a few bananas that I found.



Despite claiming to be 'Morphy Richards' the machine came with a distinct lack of instructions in English, but I think the general idea is to cut the fruit into slices and lay it out on the trays.



Good to go...



The next problem was how long and at what temperature?

The closest symbol I could find to a mango was second from the left, although to be honest it also looks a bit like a carrot.

All things considered, I went with 6 hours at 50 degrees C for my first attempt. I stuck the machine on at 2pm yesterday with the intention of checking the results at 8pm in the evening.



Unfortunately I went on a fishing trip yesterday afternoon with the dogs, got pissed up on Leo and Hong Thong, and completely forgot all about the Food Dehydrator.



But at least I now have a pla duuk to stick in the machine later today. I can use the central 'Fish symbol' setting, although '35 to 70 degrees C for 2 to 12' hours seems a bit of a loose setting.

Yesterday's three pla nin were used for last night's fish and chips, which wasn't great, to be honest. A victim of the Hong Thong.



So anyway, I finally remembered about the dehydrating mangoes and bananas when I got up this morning but the mango was still like normal mango, maybe just not as juicy as before. I've stuck it on again for another 10 hours at 65 degrees C. It seems this will be a process of trial and error, but with any luck I'll have dehydrated mango treats and banana crisps at 6pm tonight, if I remember.

[baldrick]

biltong soon

[Mendip]

^ Yes, it's on the list once I've mastered mangoes.

Which symbol do you think is for biltong?

[DrWilly]

Suppose you could google the instructions?

[Shutree]

The closest symbol I could find to a mango was second from the left, although to be honest it also looks a bit like a carrot.

The first symbol on the left says fruit. The second looks like vegetable, I can't quite make out the character. The third says meat, I guess that includes fish and fish is an easier graphic than a pig - possibly.

Get your Google Translate camera on it.

[Shutree]

^ Yes, it's on the list once I've mastered mangoes.

Which symbol do you think is for biltong?

That would be the middle one, with the obvious picture of a fish.

[Shutree]

I'll stick my neck out and say that the fourth symbol is for chrysanthemum tea, some kind of floral tea anyway.

The last one, a wild guess, maybe Chinese medicinal herbs.

I can see you are going to have hours of fun with this.

[nidhogg]

I will go with apple, chilli, fish, fuck knows and herbs.

[nidhogg]

Right. The english version has fruit, vegatable, meat, scented tea and herb.

[baldrick]

Which symbol do you think is for biltong?

open google translate - point your phone camera at the squiggles

[Mendip]

I've just remembered that my daughter's been studying Chinese for 6 years now.

But I think Google translate may be a safer option.

[Buckaroo Banzai]

10 hours at 65 degrees C

10 hrs at 65 degrees C is a long time not to have some serious mummification IMO. Are you sure you plug it in? LOL
I think for that length of time you would have had better results if you left them on top of your table.
Did you try kicking the machine a couple of times? That usually works for me , does not make it work better but it makes me feel better.
Ohh , sorry, I forgot about your foot problem.
Very insensitive of me.
Don't kick it, use a baseball bat , aluminum ones seem to work better for delicat repairs in electronics, I think it has something to do with conductivity.

[Happy As Larry]

MR Food dehydrator does nor show up on their manuals website
but their are several food dehydrtaor manuals that are listed on this generic manual website

Food dehydrator - Free Pdf Manuals Download | ManualsLib

[DrWilly]

……..dbl

[Buckaroo Banzai]

I don't mean to be critical, but I think you use too much vanishing cream on your face.

[Headworx]

^Let's just be happy that he's not in his underpants shall we?

[Reg Dingle]

For a couple of weeks it's mango smoothies, mango milkshakes, mangoes, mango crumble, mango on cereal, mango upside down cake, mango pie, you name it, mango everything

Why not chop them up and freeze them and eat cheesecake and chutney for 6 months instead of 2 weeks rather than buying useless kitchen gadgets off Lazada at 2am

[mikenot]

A friend had had one of these contraptions, although a different brand, I remember tlhat his instructions emphasized to cut the food into slices of even thickness. Chunks of mango, of different sizes like yours, will not give decent results.

[Mendip]

^^ Says the king of the useless white goods himself.

You can freeze mangoes? I never thought of that and I will investigate making up some mango chutney. It may even motivate me to make a curry.

I'll stick my neck out and say that the fourth symbol is for chrysanthemum tea, some kind of floral tea anyway.

The last one, a wild guess, maybe Chinese medicinal herbs.

I can see you are going to have hours of fun with this.

It's a whole new hobby mate!

Right. The english version has fruit, vegatable, meat, scented tea and herb.

open google translate - point your phone camera at the squiggles

As I suspected, after six years of studying Chinese my daughter doesn't seem to know a single word, or pinying as she seems to call them. She can however play two chords on a ukulele.

I resorted to Google Translate and even managed an 'in action' screen shot.



I take my hat off to Shutree... he even got the last one, 'beauty of medicinal herbs'. An owed Green, or my first batch of dried mango... your choice?

MR Food dehydrator does nor show up on their manuals website
but their are several food dehydrtaor manuals that are listed on this generic manual website

Food dehydrator - Free Pdf Manuals Download | ManualsLib

Thank you Larry, I always find it a struggle to read through manuals of any kind but I think I may have to this time.

Anyway, only another six hours until I discover how my first batch will turn out. This ain't gonna help reduce my electricity bill, I can see.

[Mendip]

Chunks of mango, of different sizes like yours, will not give decent results.

Useful info, thanks Mike. This batch will probably be heading into the depths of Isaan to Shutree's place anyway, so I'm not overly concerned.

As usual, the amount of knowledge from this forum amazes me.

[Buckaroo Banzai]

Useful info, thanks Mike. This batch will probably be heading into the depths of Isaan to Shutree's place anyway, so I'm not overly concerned.

As usual, the amount of knowledge from this forum amazes me.

I am also amazed at how little of it exists LOL

[DrWilly]

You can freeze mangoes? I never thought of that and I will investigate making up some mango chutney. It may even motivate me to make a curry.

We have a winner. But this is the dehydrating thread, not the chutney thread!

[PAG]

^^ Says the king of the useless white goods himself.

You can freeze mangoes? I never thought of that and I will investigate making up some mango chutney. It may even motivate me to make a curry.

Indian Mango Chutney Recipe - The Daring Gourmet

[happynz]

"The United States has stopped baking for thousands of hours."

Translation software, gotta love it.

[Mendip]

We have a winner. But this is the dehydrating thread, not the chutney thread!

I see no reason why this can't be 'The Dehydrating and Chutney Thread'? I may run out of material if I only stick to Dehydrating.

Indian Mango Chutney Recipe - The Daring Gourmet

Thanks PAG... I think. That recipe looks awfully complicated and I think a trip to the Makro herbs and spices aisle may now be in order. To be honest I was hoping I could just boil up some mangoes and onions together.


But anyway, I was too excited to wait the full 10 hours today so cut short dehydrating operations prematurely at 3pm, after only 7 hours. I must admit I sometimes find it hard to stimulate myself in Isaan during the hot season.

The fruits of my labour...



I confess to being slightly disappointed after all that time, effort and probable electricity used up, and the juiciest, shop-bought mango even had what appeared to be mould growing on a couple of pieces.



The wife and daughter don't seem so interested in having a permanent supply of healthy, bite-sized family snacks, but I'm sure they'll get used to it.

At 12 O'clock we have the 'crispy' banana chips (but with the consistency of used chewing gum), at 3 O'clock are the ripest, juiciest, dehydrated mango pieces (minus mouldy bits), at 6 O'clock are the most successful, semi-ripe, home-grown, dehydrated mango pieces and at 9 O'clock are the unripe, green and hard, home-grown mango pieces, which despite being the crispiest are quite disgusting.

None of them taste quite like the dried mango pieces I buy at the airport for friends in the UK.



The choice is yours Shutree... just PM me your address if you're interested.

But what to dehydrate tomorrow...?