Can You Dehydrate Food In An Oven Instead Of A Dehydrator?

Dehydrating foods is an excellent way to preserve food items. It can help extend the shelf life of fruits, vegetables, meats and herbs to months and even years. It is no wonder why drying is one of the oldest methods of preserving foods and is used by many to extend the life of perishables. In addition, it is also a superb way to make homemade snacks and dried foods for hiking and other outdoor adventures.

Can you use an oven instead of a dehydrator? It is possible to use an oven instead of a dehydrator to dry and preserve food. Though ovens do not actually dehydrate, rather they cook. Using your oven over a dehydrator can be beneficial as it can save you time and money (if you don’t already have a dehydrator). The best part is that you likely already have all the supplies you need in your kitchen already.

In this article, we will take a closer look at how to dehydrate food in an oven, what supplies are needed, the pros and cons of using an oven over a dehydrator and which are the best and worst foods to dehydrate.

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Table Of Contents

• How Does Dehydrating Foods Work
• How To Dehydrate Food In An Oven
• What Supplies Do You Need To Oven Dry
• Pros And Cons Of Using An Oven Instead Of A Dehydrator
• What Foods Can You Dehydrate
• Foods To Avoid Dehydrating

How Does Dehydrating Food Work

Dehydrating food works by using heat and airflow to draw out the moisture of food. The benefit of dehydrating is that it will allow food items to last longer as they are less likely to spoil or grow mould and bacteria without moisture.

There are many different ways to dehydrate food and types of dehydrators. A few methods include air drying, sun drying, oven drying and electric dehydrating.

How To Dehydrate Food In An Oven

It is quite simple to dehydrate food in an oven. The first step is to preheat your oven to the lowest possible setting. This is key to ensuring your food dries and does not burn from being cooked at too high of a temperature.

Next, cut fruit or vegetables into ¼-inch slices and place them on a baking sheet. To help fruits such as apples, bananas, pears, etc., from browning, soak them in a mixture of one cup of water and one tablespoon of lemon juice (or any acidic juice like pineapple) for five minutes before drying.

While oven times may vary, it can take anywhere from six to ten hours for food to dry. The juicier the food is, the longer it will need to dry out. Be sure to flip food periodically to ensure all sides dry equally.

What Supplies Do You Need To Oven Dry

There are not a lot of supplies required to dehydrate fruits, vegetables and meats in an oven. Chances are you already have all the items in your kitchen. Here is a general list of what you will need to get started.

• Oven
• Baking sheet
• Baking sheet mat (we recommend using reusable silicone liners to cut down on waste)
• Cutting board
• Knife
• Cooling rack
• Food items to dehydrate
• Lemon juice or other acidic juice (for fruits)

Pros And Cons Of Using An Oven Instead Of A Dehydrator

There are benefits and drawbacks to using an over rather than a food dehydrator. Before investing in a food dehydrator, it could be worthwhile to consider using your oven to dehydrate and preserve vegetables, fruits and meats.

Benefits Of Oven Drying

1. Does not require any additional equipment.

If you do not already have a food dehydrator, then using your oven is a great way to dry food without having to purchase any additional equipment. All you need is an oven, a baking pan and a cooling rack.

2. Does not take up any counter space.

Dehydrators can take up quite a bit of space for hours at a time. Using an oven can save you counter space, which is particularly beneficial for smaller kitchens.

3. It can make food crispier.

Since you are cooking rather than dehydrating, using an oven can help make food crispier than in a dehydrator.

Drawbacks Of Oven Drying

1. An oven does not take the moisture out of food.

Arguably, the most significant difference of using an oven is that, unlike a dehydrator, it does not actually take out all the moisture from food. Instead, it uses heat to cook and dry food.

2. Ovens can sometimes take longer.

The ideal temperature to dehydrate foods is around 140 °F, though most conventional ovens will only go as low as 160 to 170 °F. Since the majority cannot get a low enough temperature, it can sometimes take longer to produce similar results as a dehydrator.

3. Your oven could be occupied when you need it.

As it can take several hours to dehydrate food in an oven, you will not be able to use it until oven drying is complete. This can be inconvenient if you want to make dinner or any other food items.

4. It could cost you more to run.

A food dehydrator is more energy-efficient than using an oven. Therefore, it could cost you more to dehydrate foods in an oven than in a dehydrator.

What Foods Can You Dehydrate

Almost anything can be dehydrated. Here is a list of popular items to dehydrate at home.

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Low-Fat Meats (jerky, ground beef, pressure-cooked or canned meats and deli meats)
• Seafood (canned tuna and shrimp)
• Legumes
• Herbs
• Honey & Syrup
• Jams
• Grains & Pasta

Foods To Avoid Dehydrating

While almost everything can be dehydrated, there are a few food items that should not be as they will either not taste good, lose their nutritional value or have food safety issues. For example, fat does not dehydrate. Therefore, fatty foods will not be preserved properly and are likely to go rancid or spoil.

Here are a few additional items that do not dehydrate well.

• Dairy (cheese and milk)
• Avocados
• Butter
• Fatty meats
• Olives
• Eggs