DIY fruit and vegetable dryer

Drying is a great way to process a summer harvest of preserves, pickles, marinades a lot of fuss. In addition, the entire crop cannot be processed in this way, and vitamins from heat treatment are poorly preserved. Freezing is a good option, but a special freezer is expensive and takes up a lot of space. Proper drying is an easy, cheap and effective way to stockpile for the winter. The topic of today's conversation is a do-it-yourself dryer for vegetables and fruits.

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Benefits of Dried Fruits and Vegetables

The main advantage of products procured in this way is that it is a source of potassium (it is necessary for the work of the heart muscle), vitamins, trace elements, organic acids and carbohydrates. But the main thing is that the process proceeds correctly, for this you need a dryer for vegetables and fruits, which you can do yourself.

Important! Regular eating of dried fruits will help get rid of problems with the kidneys, blood vessels, and achieve stable remission in chronic diseases.

Dried fruits are indispensable for those who follow the figure. Healthy, balanced and not high-calorie food will help you to always be in shape and look amazing at the same time.

Here are some of the most useful varieties of “drying”:

• Prunes - a healthy and tasty product, a real storehouse of trace elements and vitamins. Prune improves digestion, gives vigor and energy.
• Raisins contain light sugar, minerals, vitamins and organic acids. It will help you establish the work of the cardiovascular system. Thanks to trace elements (in particular, boron), raisins are useful for bone diseases and endocrine disorders.
• Dried apricots gives strength and vitality. Vitamin A will come in handy for those who need to normalize blood pressure, to avoid problems with the heart and blood vessels.
• Apples and pears are a wonderful treat for those who want to lose weight. In dried form, fruits retain not only beneficial substances, but also a wonderful taste and smell. Compote of dried apples with the addition of pears tastes simply divine.
• Tomatoes Dried tomatoes give the dishes a very special flavor. In this case, the product contains substances with a strong antitumor effect.
• Zucchini. A real find for those who do not want to overload the body with extra calories, but love to eat.

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How is the dryer for vegetables and fruits?

A classic dryer is a cabinet with several tiers of mesh drawers. The top cover has a hole for the release of moisture-saturated air. There is a spiral in the pan. Using a simple electric motor, air is pumped into the chamber through an opening in the floor.

Simple construction

The advantages of such a dryer for vegetables and fruits are that you don’t have to tinker anything yourself:

1. On a baking sheet from the stove, lay the products prepared in advance for drying. It can be vegetables, fruits or gifts of the forest.
2. Remove the cover, lamp and fan from air grill. At the same time, grab the grid with which the instrument is equipped.
3. Place the grid in the center of the pan, taking care that it does not swing.
4. Place the air grill lid on the grid.
5. Make sure that the resulting structure is stable, safe and there is no risk of fire.The main thing is that there are no children or pets nearby. The baking sheet can stand on a stool or on the floor.
6. Start a low temperature hot air grill. Set the timer for one hour. After an hour, mix the product. Hold for 15 minutes and start the system again, before the product dries.

Important! If there is no air grill, try using a hairdryer, hanging it above the food and directing it to the right place. The disadvantage of this approach is that the hairdryer does not have a timer, so it can easily burn out. The solution to the problem is to use a thermostat from the old electric kettle or iron.

Of course, you don’t have to make anything, but there are more than enough difficulties with preparing a quality product. Inconvenient, difficult, energy-intensive, and safety is not up to par. Therefore, it is much better to spend time and make a dryer for vegetables and fruits with your own hands, as they say, “in the image and likeness” of the factory.

DIY home-made dryer for vegetables and fruits (almost like a factory)

The most difficult thing in the manufacture of the device is the correct selection of the power of the spiral. If you look at the video reviews of industrial-made devices, you can see: the case is made of plastic, the mesh is also. This means that the temperature is not so high. Therefore, it makes sense to first study the instructions for the purchased product, and then copy the dryer.

The initial data for a home-made dryer for vegetables and fruits will be as follows:

• Power 0.6 kW.
• The number of tiers is 5.
• The capacity of one tier is 1 kg.
• Timer, automation - not available.
• The maximum drying temperature is 70 degrees.

You will need:

1. Cooler from the computer system unit.
2. Nichrome spiral with a resistance of 90 Ohms.
3. Heat resisting plates from the hair dryer.

What to do with these materials to make a home-made dryer for vegetables and fruits:

• The best material for making the case is steel. It can be rolled up from sheet metal or you can use large cans from under canned vegetables.
• Food grade steel is also the best material for drying nets. It is impossible to solder, use connection on rivets.
• In the bottom of a home-made dryer for vegetables and fruits, a reflector is located above the outlet. It is designed to prevent fruits or vegetables from spiraling during the drying process.
• Attach a bimetallic plate with regulating means to the reflector. Only power the coil through this makeshift relay. Make a reflector from steel with a thickness of 5-6 mm.
• The approximate distance between the tiers is about 50 mm.
• The current for powering the processor cooler is constant. If you do not want to bother with the rectifier, use an asynchronous motor.

Important! Do not forget about safety issues (chassis grounding).

Do-it-yourself oven is ready!

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DIY solar dryer for vegetables and fruits

This is a simple and at the same time effective option. The sun's rays passing through a layer of transparent material heat the air in the tray. In accordance with the laws of physics, heated air rises, leaves through the cracks left in the roof. This contributes to good traction.

Important! Heating is faster if you paint the inside of the trays of the dryer for vegetables and fruits in a dark color. But you can not use ordinary paint in any case, since it emits toxic substances when heated. Much more environmentally friendly options - burn the tray from the inside. Coal or an aqueous solution of soot are suitable as dyes.

Rushing up, the heated air passes through the mesh trays on which the mouth-watering products are laid out.

Practice shows that a couple of hours is enough to dry, say, medicinal herbs. It takes longer to dry the mushrooms. But, if in the morning you loaded them into trays, then by the evening fragrant mushrooms for winter soup will be exactly ready.

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Stock footage

The manufacture of canned foods, which are clogged with supermarket shelves, involves the use of not too healthy food additives, as well as preservatives. Homemade dryer for vegetables and fruitswill become your assistant in the preparation of healthy, tasty products for the winter: gifts of the garden, kitchen garden and forest.