# Dehydrating in a convection oven



## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Can any of you tell me the procedure for dehydrating meats, veggies, etc. in a gas convection oven? I'd like to make my own jerky and dried veggies, but I don't want to purchase another piece of equipment. I have a Viking 36" gas model. The temperature can be set as low as 175 F. Thanks!

(I have a sneaking suspicion I've asked this question before, but a thorough search of this site turned up nothing. So please forgive me if you've already answered this question!







)


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## chef david simpson (Sep 25, 2000)

Hi Mezz, You can rest asure that you can do it in that fine piece of equipment. 
Take your rack out and clean it real good. Then get your strips of sirloin and thread the spokes of your rack. put the oven at 350* and then put the rack back in your oven and turn it off. Leave over night with just the pilot light on. Same with vegges. put a pan under for the drippings. and your all set.


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Sounds good, but is the temperature high enough to avoid food poisoning? Also, my stove has electronic ignition, not a pilot light. Would the 175 degree setting work? You didn't mention using the convection fan- should I? Thanks for the additional help.


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## iheartjerky (Jul 27, 2008)

I have made Jerky in my oven many times. There is a whole list of jerky recipes using an oven at beefjerkyrecipes.com/jerky/method/oven-jerky/

I hope this helps!


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

Hi Mezz,

Years ago, when sun dried tomatoes were new and all the rage here in California, many cooks and restaurateurs who lived in climates that didn't support true sun drying, or who needed a more reliable source for preparing dried tomatoes, were looking for an alternative method. In the mid-seventies Jane Benet, then the food editor of our local fish wrap, the _San Francisco Chronicle_, developed a technique for making oven dried tomatoes. I suspect she wasn't the first to come up with the idea, but AFAIK she was the first in the area to publish the technique.

Around that time, Margaret Fox, the owner and chef of _Café Beaujolais_ in Mendocino, a small town on the coast about 150 miles north of San Francisco, started, and continued, to use Jane's technique in the restaurant. So, from Jane to Margaret to me and now to you, here y'go:

Start with firm, ripe, flavorful tomatoes. Romas or plum tomatoes are good, but it really doesn't matter all that much. Slice the tomatoes almost in half lengthwise so they can be opened like a book. I don't think it matters much if they are cut completely in half, but that's what Margaret did so I'm mentioning it here. Place the cut tomatoes on a rack, cut side up, set over a baking tray to avoid spills and messes, and sprinkle the fruit with your favorite salt, preferably a kosher salt or sea salt. Then place the tomatoes in a 200-degree F oven and bake for about eight hours (this technique is for a gas oven, an electric oven uses a slightly different technique). The tomatoes are ready when they are shrivled and feel dry. They should have some flexibility to them and not be brittle.

Remove from the oven and let them cool a bit before putting them in glass jars. Cover them completely with a good quality extra virgin olive oil, tightly close the jar, and store them in a dark place for a month before using them.

I've used this technique a number of time with good results. You might try adding a sprig or two of a fresh herb to the oil in the jar for an added flavor enhancement.

The drying technique will work for other fruits and vegetables as well, although the timing may have to be checked. I once dried some peaches with wonderful results but I don't recall the amount of oven time.

Good luck!


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## novice_01 (May 6, 2008)

I'm considering buying a food dehydrater - thinking that maybe my total energy use might be less - but I don't have any data to really know.


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## mo1999 (Nov 2, 2011)

www.ehow.com/how_7287939_convection-dehydrate-viking-range.html

I ran across this article trying to figure out how to use mine also, if you do some digging in ehow you might find out more .. hope this helps. Maureen


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

I do oven dried tomatoes overnight in gas oven I put oven on 400  tunit off and leave halfed plum tomatoes all night, Oven also has gas pilot.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

One point to keep in mind is the end use of the dried products.

Food undergoes permanent cellular change at 165F. That's the point that differentiates drying from cooking.

In practice, this means any food you dry that's going to be rehydrated, should be done at temperatures lower than 165F. This is one reason why dehydrators work better than stoves---few of which, nowadays, operate that low. Most commercial dehydrators have thermostats, on the other hand, so you can work at lower temps.

So, for instance, if you want to dry thin potatoe slices to chip-like consistency, the higher temperature doesn't matter. But if you want to dry assorted veggies that will later get reconsituted as part of a soup, it does.

Or, take Ed's oven-dried tomatoes. Despite the fast start, what's actually happening is that the pilot is maintaining a low temperature that actually dries the tomato halves. They never reach the critical 165F point.

BTW, technically, food preserved by drying means the moisture content is 7% or less.

Generally speaking, when drying as a preservation method, slower is better. I rarely work higher than 115F, for instance.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Don't try my tomato method on pilot with all things vege. Keep in mind tomatoes are high acid and resist going bad, other veges don't  in particular  if you  don't get enough moisture out.


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