How to dehydrate carrots

Save on space with the Breeze Dehydrator.

There’s only so many carrots you can keep fresh in the fridge or store in the freezer. Root vegetables take up a lot of space! Fresh carrots are about 85% water, so they are an ideal item to dry in the Breeze food dehydrator because they shrink down so much. If dehydrated correctly, carrots retain their colour and valuable nutrition for a year or more.

You can slice carrots into coins (as we have or dice or grate them.) Whichever style you choose, a pre-treatment is necessary. Blanching gives the most uniform results when working with large quantities of produce. A quick dip in hot water kills microorganisms that could induce spoilage and prevents oxidisation that causes loss of colour and flavour. It also shortens the drying and re-hydration time so don't skip this step.

NO WASTE

Did you know that carrot tops are beneficial and nutritious? Freshly picked carrot greens can be dehydrated and included in your next dehydrated super greens smoothie powder blend.

HOW TO USE DEHYDRATED CARROTS

Dehydrated carrots can be tossed directly into soups, stews and curries. Added to dried hiking and camping meals or rehydrated to be used in any recipe that calls for carrot.  

HOW TO RE-HYDRATE CARROTS

Cover the carrots with boiling water and let soak for 30 minutes (or more) until tender. The longer you let them soak, the more plumped up they become. 1 cup of dried carrots reconstitute to approximately 2 cups of carrot.

INGREDIENTS

Fresh carrots

METHOD

1.   Remove the carrots greens and ends.
2.   We recommend peeling the carrots however it is optional. Leaving the peel on may make the carrots taste slightly bitter, they also come out darker in colour and less orange.
3.   Slice, chop or grate the carrots. Whichever style you choose, keep the size consistent. You can use a variety of cutting styles but arrange on different trays so that you can monitor drying time and remove a tray if done. A mandolin makes slicing into rounds quick and easy. 3 mm thick is ideal. Note that small slices may fall through the dehydrator trays as they dry out.

4.   Small pieces or grated carrot must be arranged on silicon mesh liners.
5.   Blanch the carrots in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Less time for small pieces.
6.   After 2 minutes of blanching, drop the slices into ice water or run under cold water until they no longer feel warm.
7.   Arrange the slices on the dehydrator trays butting up close but not overlapping. Lay grated or finely chopped carrot pieces in a thin layer allowing for air flow.
8.   Pat the surface of the carrots dry with paper towel to reduce excess moisture.

9.   Set the Breeze food dehydrator’s temperature to 55°C / 130°F and the time to 8 hours to check in. Drying time for slices will vary from 8-12 hours and for grated carrots 6-10 hours. The dehydrating time will depend on the humidity on the day and the size of the slices. A properly dehydrated carrot will feel dry and click when dropped on a table. Larger pieces may have a little bend to them. If yours do not feel this way, put them back in the dehydrator for a few more hours.
10.  Turn the dehydrator off and let the carrots rest for another 1-2 hours to ensures condensation won’t build up inside your storage jars.
11.  Store in airtight jars in a cool, dry, dark place. For best quality use within one year but they will last longer. We recommend vacuum sealing for long term storage.

Let us know if you dehydrate carrots and how you use them.

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