Product Code: 2057853

KN128F

Electronic Food Dehydrator

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Please retain for reference.

Table of Contents

3 / Important Safeguards
4 / Dehydration – The process of preserving food
5 / What is reconstitution?
5 / Basic preparation tools
5 / Basic food preparation tips
6 / Filling the drying trays
6 / How to prevent foods dripping
7 / How long does it take to dehydrate food?
8 / General operating tips (including ‘Tray Rotation’)
8 / Care & maintenance
9 / Setting up your Food Dehydrator (including ‘How to stack the trays’ & ‘Storing your Food Dehydrator’)
10 / How to operate your Food Dehydrator
11 / Getting started
12 / Dehydrator ‘Troubleshooting Guide’
13 / Storing dried foods
15 / Reconstituting foods
16 / Fruit dehydration tips
16 / Pre-treatment of fruits
17 / ‘Fruit leather’ dehydration tips
18 / Vegetable dehydration tips
18 / Pre-treatment of vegetables
20 / Meats, fish, and poultry dehydration tips
21 / Making ‘Beef Jerky’
22 / Drying other items (flowers, herbs and nuts)
22 / Temperature conversion chart
23 / Servicing your Food Dehydrator

Many thanks for purchasing the Neostar® Electronic Food Dehydrator. We hope that you get many years of enjoyment from this product. To get the best use out of this food dehydrator, please read the following instructions carefully, and keep in a safe place for future reference.

/ WARNING!

Important Safeguards

Before using the Neostar® Electronic Food Dehydrator for the first time, please read these instructions carefully.

Do not operate this appliance on a flammable surface such as wood or fabric, or on a non-heat-resistant glass cooking surface or cutting board. It is imperative that an additional heat-resistant cooking surface such as tile or any surface protected with a heat-resistant finish at least the size of the unit, or larger, is placed underneath the unit. This will protect the surface beneath the appliance from the heat that can be generated by the Neostar® Electronic Food Dehydrator.

  1. Do not touch hot surfaces - always use handles or knobs.
  2. To protect against electric shocks, never immerse cord, plugs, or the base unit in water or other liquids.
  3. Exercise close supervision when used near, or by, children.
  4. Always unplug the Neostar® Electronic Food Dehydrator from an electricity outlet when not in use, and before cleaning, and allow to cool before attaching or removing parts.
  5. Do not operate if the cord or plug are damaged in any way, or if the appliance has malfunctioned or been damaged in any way. Immediately return the appliance to the nearest authorised service facility for examination, repair and/or adjustment.
  6. Do not use outdoors.
  7. Do not allow the cord to hang over the edge of a table or counter, or to touch hot surfaces.
  8. Do not place the Neostar® Electronic Food Dehydrator near, or on, a hot gas or electric burner, or in a heated oven.
  9. Use extreme caution when moving the Neostar® Electronic Food Dehydrator.
  10. Always plug the cord into the appliance before plugging the cord into the wall socket.
  11. To disconnect, turn control to OFF position. Only then remove the plug from wall socket.
  12. Do not use the appliance for other than its intended use.
  13. The food dehydrator is only for household use. It is not for commercial use.
  14. The Neostar® Electronic Food Dehydrator should not be used by children less than eight-years of age without supervision by an adult.
  15. The Neostar® Electronic Food Dehydrator should not be used persons by people with reduced physical, sensory or mental capabilities or lack of experience and knowledge using this appliance safely.
  16. Children must not play with this appliance. It is not a toy.

Please note: This appliance has a polarised plug (i.e. one blade is wider than the other). To reduce the risk of electric shock, this plug is intended to fit into a polarised socket only one way. If the plug does not fit properly into the outlet, reverse the plug. If it still does not fit, contact a qualified electrician. Do not attempt to modify the plug in any way.

Parts Description:

Tray (AS plastic) , Base and Base cover (PP plastic) , Lid (PS Plastic)

Technical Specification

Model No. / KN128F
Product Code / 2057853
Power Supply / 220-240V
Weight: / 2kg
Power Consumption / 250W 50Hz

Dehydration - The process of preserving food

For thousands of years’ people have been preserving foods by leaving them out in the sun to dry. Before chemical preservatives and modern appliances such as refrigerators, dehydration was the simplest way to store foods safely for later use, when food was scarce or out of season.

Applying modern science to an ancient art, the Neostar® Electronic Food Dehydrator brings you a controlled, predictable, and safe way to preserve foods at home.

The food dehydrator perfectly captures the fresh-picked, in-season flavour and nutrition of fruits, vegetables and meats. It is practical, economical and easy. Once dried, foods take up less space and are less likely to spoil. They weigh less, making them ideal for camping or backpacking meals. Dried fruits make delicious and nutritious snacks and dried ingredients for your favourite soup recipes are perfect for preparing last-minute meals.

Your Neostar® Electronic Food Dehydrator works by maintaining a constant temperature in the fan-assisted drying chamber. A constant stream of warm, dry air gently removes the moisture from the food. The result is perfectly dried food every time.

What is dehydration?

Dehydration is the process in which moisture is removed from food, allowing the dried food to be stored safely for later use. The main benefit over other methods of preserving food, such as smoking, canning and freezing, is that the food maintains its natural flavours as well as most of its nutrients.

Flavours become more concentrated as moisture is removed from the food, giving the dried food a more intense and delicious flavour. 95-97% of nutrients are retained (Food and Drug Administration - FDA) unlike canning, which only preserves 20-30% of nutrients or freezing, which only retains 40-60% of nutrients.

What is reconstitution?

Reconstitution refers to the process of adding water to the dried food. It is an integral part of dehydration. When soaked in water, the dried food absorbs the fluid and swells back to its original size, shape and texture, while retaining almost 100% of its original flavour and nutrition.

Basic preparation tools

You will need the following tools to get started:

·  Paring knife with stainless steel blade

·  Cutting board

·  Storage containers

Additional tools for making the job easier and faster include:

·  Food processor or similar appliance for faster and consistent slicing

·  Steamer and basket, or kettle and collapsible steamer for blanching

·  Blender for making fruit purée for fruit leather

·  A small notebook to keep track of times, recipes etc.

Basic Food Preparation Tips

To peel or not to peel?

Fruit and vegetable peel often contain much of the food’s nutritional value so, ideally, it is better to leave peel on if the dried food is to be eaten as snacks or baked into biscuits/cakes.

However, peel apples if they are intended for pies and tomatoes if they are intended for soups or stews. Generally, if you would normally peel the food for a specific recipe, peel that food before you dehydrate it.

Why cutting makes a difference

One of the most important factors for successful dehydration is how you slice your foods.

When drying fruits, try to cut all the slices a consistent thickness, so they dry to the same moisture level, at the same time. Thick slices dry more slowly than thin slices.

The skin of many foods naturally protects the food, but it can also hamper the dehydration process. During dehydration moisture escapes best from a cut or broken surface, not through tough skin. The larger the cut area, the faster and better the food will dehydrate.

·  Thin stalked vegetables such as green beans, asparagus and rhubarb should be cut in half long ways, or with an extreme diagonal cut to expose as much of the inner parts of the food as possible

·  Broccoli stems should be halved or quartered, depending upon diameter

·  Fruit should be sliced across the core and not down through the core. Always try to make thin, flat cuts

·  Small fruits like strawberries can be cut in half. Smaller berries should either be cut in half or blanched slightly to break the skin.

Filling the drying trays

When loading food into the trays, use the top surface of all the trays, ensuring airflow is maintained. Place the food in a single layer where possible. This is particularly important with more moist foods like banana and pineapple, but not quite so important with drier foods such as beans. If some of the pieces are still too moist when you are finished, it may be because they were covered by other pieces of food.

Because dehydration removes moisture, food shrinks as it dries. This can mean that, as the food (particularly chopped or shredded food) shrinks during the drying process, smaller pieces fall through the holes in the drying trays. To prevent this, line the trays with mesh tray inserts (available online) before laying out the food.

If you do not have mesh tray inserts, you can use nylon netting, needlepoint canvas, cheesecloth or similar coarse woven fabric. The fabric should be food safe, clean and able to allow air to pass through it. Take care when choosing fabric as it may be difficult to remove sticky foods and fabric particles may stick to the food pieces. When lining the tray, simply cut an opening for the tray’s central hole.

Please note: chopped food should be spread less than ½ inch deep. Use a fork to expose the mesh/fabric tray insert in several places to ensure proper air circulation.

Stir finely chopped food once or twice during dehydration to ensure even drying of all the pieces. To do so, turn the machine off, unplug, remove the trays and stir the food. Then reassemble and restart the machine according to the instructions.

How to prevent foods dripping

Some foods, such as very ripe tomatoes and citrus or sugared fruits may drip. If too much liquid drips into the bottom of the unit it can cause damage to your food dehydrator. In addition, drips from a tray above can change the flavour of foods on lower trays. To reduce drips, lay a towel out on the counter top, place the food on the drying trays and then tap the tray firmly several times over the towel to remove excess moisture, before placing them onto the dehydrator base.

To catch any remaining drips that may occur during dehydration, place fruit leather sheets (purchased online or from most good kitchen shops) on the bottom two trays. Alternate the sheets on one half of the two trays (i.e. the left side of the first tray and the right side of the second tray). Place the two bottom trays on the dehydrator base before placing the remaining trays with the food to be dried above them. When rotating trays, wipe the fruit leather sheets, but leave these two trays at the bottom of the stack of trays. When the food is no longer dripping, remove the fruit leather sheets from the two bottom trays to enhance airflow.

Do not use wax paper in place of the fruit leather sheets. The wax on the paper will melt at dehydration temperatures, which can taint the food or damage the dehydrator. Always remember to leave the centre hole of each tray uncovered.

How long does it take to dehydrate food?

Many factors affect drying time, making it impossible to give exact drying time. These include:

·  The moisture content of each food

·  The thickness or size of the prepared food

·  The humidity and temperature in the room where the dehydrator is operating

·  The density of the food

The food you choose, the age of the food, where and how the food was grown, how it has been stored on its journey to you (and other factors) affect how long foods take to dehydrate.

With a little experience you will soon be able to tell when you are slicing the foods just about how long it will take; which foods will dry soonest and which will take the longest.

For instance, tomatoes are normally quite juicy and their high moisture content will mean they take longer to dry. Cabbage, which has a relatively low moisture level, will take a much shorter time. Citrus fruits, such as oranges will generally take longer than apples for the same reason.

So how do you know how long to let the foods dry?

After the dehydrator has been running for a while, remove the trays and examine the food. Don’t be afraid to peek! This will help you learn about the drying process and how long it takes.

Check foods with higher moisture levels like fruits and meats periodically after the first four hours of drying time. Foods with a lower starting moisture content like herbs and leafy vegetables, or chopped and shredded foods may dry sooner so need to be checked after about two or three hours, and regularly after that.