Easy Food Dehydrating and Safe Food Storage Paperback – October 1, 2012

Book covered the topic of dehydrating adequately.

I've been looking for a book like this for a while, a way to save and stock the pantry in case of emergencies with food that can actually be used on a day to day basis, as well. The problem with a lot of prepper books, for me, any way, is that my family wouldn't eat or use the stuff they recommend unless it's the end of the world. Literally.This is not really a prepper book, though. This is for anyone who doesn't want their garden produce to go to waste, or likes the idea of buying a bushel of fruit or vegetables when it's in season, and storing it for eating when it goes out of season. The directions are easy and well written. I REALLY appreciate that so many types of fruit and vegetables are talked about individually, and no chemicals are involved, so that organic food remains organic.It blew me away to learn that you can dehydrate melons, I mean, really? That's great. One disclosure here; I haven't tried any of this yet. Dehydrators aren't cheap, so I wanted to get a book first, but I'm ready now. While I love canning as much as the next person (especially bread and butter pickles), this method of food storage is a wonderful alternative, especially if the power were to go out for days and you can't keep frozen food frozen.Kudos also to the author for the professional look to this eBook. A lot of them have formatting that makes them a pain to read. This one is a pleasure.

Downloaded this yesterday (thanks for the Kindle freebie, author) and browsed. GREAT reference for those that are interested in long term food storage. I am already experienced at doing this and have done so for years, and even I found a new kernel of information or two.The one drawback is also a positive, so it kind of cancels itself out. That one thing is that every single instruction for dehydrating every single fruit or vegetable is basically the same, with few difference(s), and the last paragraph reminds you to rotate trays for even drying and a couple of other things. This becomes rather repetitive and annoying if you are reading this as a book. HOWEVER, since the table of contents is interactive and navigates the way it should, you have the option to click on the name of the fruit/vegetable you are interested in reading about, and it takes you right to it, so you are not seeing the same instructions over and over.Well done, author, and if you are new to dehydrating/putting up your own food, this is a great resource.

OMG! I felt like I was sitting across the kitchen table with Susan, sharing tidbits of information, even shared the failures (as we all have them),then setting it right!I have other fancier dehydration books but Susan's was fun, like reading a novel!Loved her format, casual but concise.Photos were black and white but who cares, job well done!A great read and inspiration, can't wait to pull out the old Excalibur dehydrator.

I've tried dehydrating foods off & on quite a lot in the past few years. The key word here is "Tried" without much luck. I came to believe that it was a lot more work than what it was worth. Susan changed my whole attitude on this job that I grew to hate. This book made me feel like my best friend was there beside me in the kitchen helping me every step of the way. Now it's not a job I dread it's a job that's fun. She explains everything so well that you just can't help but know exactly what she's talking about. I truly love her and her book. My dehydrator isn't A Fagor but I still catch myself singing "when the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, It's a Fagor!" You'll understand when you read her book. You won't be sorry you did! Thanks Susan!

Great book! Not only had how-to's of dehydrating, but had photos, suggestions, recipes, tips, and money-saving ideas as well. I like that it not only is packed with chapters about dehydrating fruits, vegetables and meats, but also about making fruit roll-up snacks, about drying herbs, and also about drying flowers for craft projects, etc. I also found the chapters on safely storing foods (both short and long term) very helpful. Far exceeded my hopes. This has become my "dehydrator's best friend"! This is a great book for beginners, like I was, but the drying time charts, recipes and ideas I will be using for years. Great purchase. I wouldn't hesitate to give this as a gift to anyone starting out in dehydrating, or even someone who wants to take it to the next level. This book is a keeper!

I purchased this book to go along with my first food dehydrator so I downloaded it to my kindle. (not a touch screen) First of all I was very happy to find how EASY it was to glance in and find out what I first wanted to know about getting started. Once I found what I wanted to dehydrate the instructions and information was very EASY to follow. The book is full of instructions, ideas, facts and all you need to know about food dehydration. I have dehydrated a pantry full of fruits and vegtables since. It is so EASY

Curiosity, is what made me by this book. I am very glad I did. I grew up with Smoking, and Home Canning, and often thought about trying dehydration, but was intimidated by my lack of knowledge. Not any more. Now I feel like I could succeed at it. It is full of usefully information, and step by step instructions. This is the most plainly written guide, and a blessing for beginners. It is worth the cost of the book, and the time it takes to read. I plan on keeping it handy for the future use.

This isn't what I was hoping for at all - this is more a blog entry than a book (written by a very enthusiastic dehydrator - enthusiastic to the point of obsession - there is a large couple of chapters on how inflation is going to go mad and how she is preparing and storing enough food to last her years.). Even dehydrating frozen peas and sweetcorn!!It also has a large section on bread making (having nothing to do with dehydrating at all!)Whilst there is no doubt this lady knows a thing or two about dehydrating, it is not a professionally written book and will leave the majority of people feeling as I do - that I have totally wasted my money.Don't waste your money.

In this book the author tells you about dehydrating just about any fruit or vegetable that you could imagine. And dehydration is a great way of storing food. But the individual chapters, for instance plums and apricots, are really exactly the same and the whole book could have been reduced to a few chapters on fruit, vegetables and smelly vegetables (onions etc.). It is not helpful on the size to cut each fruit so you learn this from practical experience and how some fruit dries faster than others. To be fair, every dehydrator must be different but this was really a waste of money, the points could have been covered in a few pages for less money and are available on the internet. I was hoping for some really useful tips, I got nothing from it.

The book is obviously written by a keen dehydrator with a lively blog but I felt the content was a little lacking. I have a big allotment set up and wanted to dry fruit and veg safely - I was looking for more technical information about food safety and specific storage lengths. Maybe a co-write with a nutrition / manufacture specialist? I guess I needed more theory and less step by step repeated on each type (which the author has explained as being thorough). Wondered what the specific reason for vac pack, then mylar, then tubs was - its probably a really good reason but I wasn't sure what. Also wanted to know if it was safe to dehydrate more complex foods for camping trips. Did like the dog chow bits!

I am new to dehydrating food and looked at various books before deciding on this one.The author has done a wonderful job. A simple approach to each subject. I knew I had chosen wiselyI highly recommend this book. Congratulations to the author.

Gives you a good insight into all aspects of food dehydration listing individual items of food and the relevent times needed and how to determine if the item has been fully dehydrated