Drying to preserve

Drying guide - How to dry

Guide - Why dry - Who can dry - What to dry - How to dry - Tables


How to dry?
It’s easier to do it than explain it: The four steps in drying

Zac, paff, click, wooosh!

1 - Zac: cut the product to be dried into slices no thicker than 1 cm, with actual thickness depending on their water content. In some cases they can simply be cut in half.

2 - Paff: arrange the slices in the baskets supplied and put them back into the tunnel.

3 - Click: switch on the dryer and regulate the heating element with the knob. If you are using a B-Master, you can also set the temperature for the drying process.

4 - Wooosh: a flow of warm air will dry the products and all you have to do is put them away once dried.

Timescale: how long does it take?
The three principles of drying

1 - Thickness:
the thinner the slice, the less time it takes to completely dry.
Every foodstuff has its own particular shape and size. At times even the same product can have different shapes and sizes. Suffice to think of tomatoes, ranging from mini cherry to plum varieties.
Our first rule tells us that the thicker the slices we put in the dryer, the longer they will take to completely dry.
We must obviously find the right compromise for each product between taste and time, in other words between thickness of slices and drying times.

2 – Water content:
the more water the product contains, the longer it will take to dry.
Just as for shape and size, each product has a different percentage of water.
Because drying is the process that eliminates the water content, it is obvious that the time needed to complete it will directly depend also on the percentage of liquid in the product.
As we cannot alter this variable in any way, unlike the thickness of the slices, all we can do is respect the time nature takes.

3 - Humidity:
the higher the air humidity levels, the long drying will take.
Another fundamental factor is where we decide to dry our products. Humidity in the air hinders the dispersal of water by the machine and as a consequence really slows down the drying process.
For this reason Biosec and B-Master machines should be used in dry rooms with a constant, not too high temperature and low humidity levels.

The heating element: a valuable ally

One last thing that will prove to be indispensable when drying your products is informed use of the knob that regulates the Biosec thermostat. Just above the on/off switch, this knob regulates the thermostat and controls the temperature inside the machine helping to further shorten drying times.

There are other variables that directly affect the process. For example the permeability of a fruit is an important factor for drying times. The thicker the skin, the longer it will take to dry. We have prepared two easy-to-consult tables that condense all this information and guide you through the first times you use your Biosec, with simple instructions and a few handy tips. 
You will realise on your own that once you have learnt the basic principles and become familiar with times, drying is child’s play.

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