Simple: Just Add Water - Outdoor Gourmet Meals - WiseFoodStorage.com
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Loving my new food dehydrator & Food Saver!!
!! So far all that had been done in the Dehydrator has been the beef jerky that my son has been making. So I got the apples , diced them up, and treated them for a few minutes in some lemon juice. Then I remembered that I had some leftover strawberries and pineapples in the fridge and decided to do them too. I started the food dehydrator at 9:30 am and by 3:30 pm the apples were done and about 2 hours later the pineapples and strawberries were also done. Yay!! Then the fun part - I hooked up my Food Saver and got out the roll of bags that came with it. You have to make your own bags with the rolls, but with the heat seal thing on the Food Saver it was a breeze. I made 3 bags - put the stuff in them , stuck it on the machine, and sucked out all of the air. When the vacuum is done it automatically seals the bag with the heat seal. I love it. I had a little assembly line going on.
I can really see how this summer when I garden and go to farmer's markets these two items are going to be heavily used!!! I knew when I bought these at the time of year that I did , that I would not use them a lot. My son has been using the dehydrator a lot for beef jerky , but this time of year is not really a economical time to be buying fresh fruit and veggies. I do want to try some other type of things in it when I can. Like , for example, whenever I buy canned refried beans , we never use the whole can. Well , I have seen online where you can dehydrate them and powder them up. The add water to them when you want to reconstitute them. That could really save some money in our house. Usually a quarter of a can of refried beans gets thrown away in our house.
I diced the apples up because we love oatmeal in our house. Sometimes we add apples, strawberries, and bananas to it. Makes it yummy and gives you something different than just plain old oatmeal!!
Simple: Just Add Water - Outdoor Gourmet Meals - WiseFoodStorage.com
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
How Much Does it Cost to Use a Food Dehydrator?
A common misconception is that it is expensive, electricity wise, to operate a food dehydrator. This is not true, even though dehydrators use electricity to operate their heating system and fans for longer periods of time, sometimes up to twelve and eighteen hours.
Food dehydrators are used to dry various foods by eliminating the water within the food. The water content of food is very high, typically between 80% to 95% for various fruits and vegetables and 50% to 75% for different meats. In order to minimize dehydration time, best dehydration practices to follow include slicing food into 1/4 inch or less strips and evenly spreading the food throughout the unit's trays in order to maximize the amount of the food's surface that is exposed to the unit's heat and air flow.
However, even following best dehydration practices, a food drying process can take multiple hours. One temptation is to try and speed up the drying time by increasing the dehydrating temperature. This is not recommended and can result in case hardened food; that is, food that is dried and hard on the outside but moist and containing water on the inside. Case hardened food will spoil due to microbial growth.
So what do typical dehydrators cost to operate? Obviously the costs depend on the state and local area that you live in, however, within the U.S., on average, running a 750 watt unit for one hour would cost about 8 cents. Cost per state, per hour, for the same 750 watt unit varies from about 5 cents on the low end in North Dakota to almost 22 cents in Hawaii.
A typical dehydrator may run for twelve hours. As an example, assuming a dehydrator user lives in the state of California, a food dehydrator calculator can be used to estimate electricity costs required to run a 750 watt food drying appliance for, say, 12 hours straight. In this case the electricity cost would be about $1.21. In fact, most food drying units power on and off during the drying cycle so this would be a maximum electricity cost.
If the same Californian user bought about 3.7 pounds of apples at $1.29 per pound and dried those apples during that 12 hour time period, the user would have about 1 pound of dried apples and the cost of the dried apples would be $4.77. The total operating cost for one pound of homemade dried apples would thus be about $5.98. This homemade cost compares favorably to a well known national brand of dried apples that was recently selling at a major grocery store chain for $2.79 for a 5 ounce bag or a cost per pound of $8.93. Savings for homemade dried apples, made with a dehydrator, versus store bought - about $3.00.
Dehydrate your own dried fruit, dried vegetables and jerky at home using your food dehydrator. You'll continuously save money versus store bought dried fruit and jerky and obtain a return on the cost of the food drying appliance. Further, you can control the ingredients that go into your food (most store bought dried fruit and jerky contain excess sugars and salts) and make great tasting food.
Visit Food Dehydrator to learn how to dehydrate food and make beef jerky and dried fruit. Use our food dehydrator content and calculators to discover the benefits of food dehydrators and dried food.
Simple: Just Add Water - Outdoor Gourmet Meals - WiseFoodStorage.com
Food dehydrators are used to dry various foods by eliminating the water within the food. The water content of food is very high, typically between 80% to 95% for various fruits and vegetables and 50% to 75% for different meats. In order to minimize dehydration time, best dehydration practices to follow include slicing food into 1/4 inch or less strips and evenly spreading the food throughout the unit's trays in order to maximize the amount of the food's surface that is exposed to the unit's heat and air flow.
However, even following best dehydration practices, a food drying process can take multiple hours. One temptation is to try and speed up the drying time by increasing the dehydrating temperature. This is not recommended and can result in case hardened food; that is, food that is dried and hard on the outside but moist and containing water on the inside. Case hardened food will spoil due to microbial growth.
So what do typical dehydrators cost to operate? Obviously the costs depend on the state and local area that you live in, however, within the U.S., on average, running a 750 watt unit for one hour would cost about 8 cents. Cost per state, per hour, for the same 750 watt unit varies from about 5 cents on the low end in North Dakota to almost 22 cents in Hawaii.
A typical dehydrator may run for twelve hours. As an example, assuming a dehydrator user lives in the state of California, a food dehydrator calculator can be used to estimate electricity costs required to run a 750 watt food drying appliance for, say, 12 hours straight. In this case the electricity cost would be about $1.21. In fact, most food drying units power on and off during the drying cycle so this would be a maximum electricity cost.
If the same Californian user bought about 3.7 pounds of apples at $1.29 per pound and dried those apples during that 12 hour time period, the user would have about 1 pound of dried apples and the cost of the dried apples would be $4.77. The total operating cost for one pound of homemade dried apples would thus be about $5.98. This homemade cost compares favorably to a well known national brand of dried apples that was recently selling at a major grocery store chain for $2.79 for a 5 ounce bag or a cost per pound of $8.93. Savings for homemade dried apples, made with a dehydrator, versus store bought - about $3.00.
Dehydrate your own dried fruit, dried vegetables and jerky at home using your food dehydrator. You'll continuously save money versus store bought dried fruit and jerky and obtain a return on the cost of the food drying appliance. Further, you can control the ingredients that go into your food (most store bought dried fruit and jerky contain excess sugars and salts) and make great tasting food.
Visit Food Dehydrator to learn how to dehydrate food and make beef jerky and dried fruit. Use our food dehydrator content and calculators to discover the benefits of food dehydrators and dried food.
Simple: Just Add Water - Outdoor Gourmet Meals - WiseFoodStorage.com
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Free Kindle Books
Just want to let all of my readers know that Amazon has a huge list of FREE Kindle books. They are great ones too, for example Worldwide Effects of Nuclear War and many more. I have found some for my PC Kindle (which is also FREE) that will come in handy. Ones about gardening, canning, survival, military, and more. Check them out. They are free and useful.
Simple: Just Add Water - Outdoor Gourmet Meals - WiseFoodStorage.com
Simple: Just Add Water - Outdoor Gourmet Meals - WiseFoodStorage.com
Biggest Mistakes in Self Survival Emergency Preparedness
Preparing for an emergency survival can be a nerve wracking experience especially if these preparations are being made at the very last minute. Due to the unpredictable nature of life and our external surroundings, it's usually next to impossible to be able to predict such catastrophes and crises and be prepared for any self survival situation well in advance.
But with the high rate of catastrophic incidents such as the tsunami, earthquakes, volcano eruptions and even terrorist attacks have propelled the human minds to be readily prepared for any contingency in order to handle it better.
Whenever an unforeseen situation arises and you have to pack your bags and move out, the emergency can create a lot of panic and stress. As a result, one is certainly bound to miss on a lot of essential items while packing. Here are some of the biggest mistakes in self survival emergency preparedness that one can avoid by doing some fast thinking while on your toes:
· Since survival kits are of the utmost importance during any critical times. You have to be very careful about the stuff that is packed in it. You have to be choosy to ensure the kit is mobile and can accommodate all the essential items required for your survival. Try not to carry any unnecessary items that are of no use and will only add to the load.
· There can be numerous crisis situations that can push you into self survival mode. Naturally your survival kit must take these different scenarios into consideration. For example, a survival kit for an earthquake is very different for a kit for wilderness survival.
Of course, the kind of disaster or catastrophe will largely depend on your location. To make your work easier, you can ask survivalists in your area for the type of survival kits you should have ready in your home.
· Regardless on the kind of survival scenario it is, don't forget to carry a sufficient supply of water. You can easily stay without food for a day or two. But surviving without water can have fatal consequences for you and your family. So make sure that you carry enough water with you when you plan to move out of your home on a moment's notice.
· People often ignore the importance of tool kits and a handy weapon when preparing a survival kit. But you have to realize that certain tools such as scissors, knives or even a baton can be a lifesaver when you're out hunting and foraging for food. These tools can also be indispensable when your temporary shelter is located in the woodlands. You also have to remember to carry a lighter or few waterproof matches with you.
· Some spare clothes and food items are also indispensable especially if you need to move out on short notice. But don't forget to carry a portable tent with you to avoid exposing you and your family to the elements.
But your best tool is the knowledge and training you have within you. This is your best guarantee that you and your family will survive even if you run out of provisions while encamped in the woods.
Having an urban survival guide around when disaster strikes will make you and your family feel more prepared.
Visit Survival Guide for a comprehensive guide and all your survivalist needs.
Simple: Just Add Water - Outdoor Gourmet Meals - WiseFoodStorage.com
But with the high rate of catastrophic incidents such as the tsunami, earthquakes, volcano eruptions and even terrorist attacks have propelled the human minds to be readily prepared for any contingency in order to handle it better.
Whenever an unforeseen situation arises and you have to pack your bags and move out, the emergency can create a lot of panic and stress. As a result, one is certainly bound to miss on a lot of essential items while packing. Here are some of the biggest mistakes in self survival emergency preparedness that one can avoid by doing some fast thinking while on your toes:
· Since survival kits are of the utmost importance during any critical times. You have to be very careful about the stuff that is packed in it. You have to be choosy to ensure the kit is mobile and can accommodate all the essential items required for your survival. Try not to carry any unnecessary items that are of no use and will only add to the load.
· There can be numerous crisis situations that can push you into self survival mode. Naturally your survival kit must take these different scenarios into consideration. For example, a survival kit for an earthquake is very different for a kit for wilderness survival.
Of course, the kind of disaster or catastrophe will largely depend on your location. To make your work easier, you can ask survivalists in your area for the type of survival kits you should have ready in your home.
· Regardless on the kind of survival scenario it is, don't forget to carry a sufficient supply of water. You can easily stay without food for a day or two. But surviving without water can have fatal consequences for you and your family. So make sure that you carry enough water with you when you plan to move out of your home on a moment's notice.
· People often ignore the importance of tool kits and a handy weapon when preparing a survival kit. But you have to realize that certain tools such as scissors, knives or even a baton can be a lifesaver when you're out hunting and foraging for food. These tools can also be indispensable when your temporary shelter is located in the woodlands. You also have to remember to carry a lighter or few waterproof matches with you.
· Some spare clothes and food items are also indispensable especially if you need to move out on short notice. But don't forget to carry a portable tent with you to avoid exposing you and your family to the elements.
But your best tool is the knowledge and training you have within you. This is your best guarantee that you and your family will survive even if you run out of provisions while encamped in the woods.
Having an urban survival guide around when disaster strikes will make you and your family feel more prepared.
Visit Survival Guide for a comprehensive guide and all your survivalist needs.
Simple: Just Add Water - Outdoor Gourmet Meals - WiseFoodStorage.com
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