Every mushroom picker can't wait for autumn. It is during this period that bay boletes, birch boletes, butter mushrooms, geese and boletes commonly known as porcini mushrooms appear among the forest floor. Have you managed to find any unique specimens this year? Are your baskets bursting at the seams with an excess of mushrooms? Or maybe this was your first mushroom picking and now you don't quite know what to do with the specimens you have collected? We have a simple solution for you! It's time to dry mushrooms. A food dryer will help you with this. See for yourself that this device will be useful not only in autumn.

 How to dry mushrooms? Learn proven solutions

Drying mushrooms is a great way to extend their shelf life and use them later, e.g. during Christmas. To dry mushrooms, you can use one of the proven methods:

• drying mushrooms in the oven - place the mushrooms on a rack or tray so that they do not touch each other. Set the oven temperature to 50℃ and turn on the convection. Drying will take several hours. Note: a long-running oven may increase your electricity bills, especially if you have a lot of mushrooms and dry them in several batches. Additionally, the oven is out of use during drying - so you cannot use it for other purposes;
• drying on a thread - a method known from childhood. Thread individual pieces of mushrooms on a thread and hang them in a sunny place (it can also be near a radiator). This is a very laborious solution, because the mushrooms often have to be adjusted on the thread. Additionally, it requires finding the right space;
• drying mushrooms in a dryer - the most convenient and easiest method of drying mushrooms. A dehydrator is a small household appliance for the kitchen that doesn't take up much space, and at the same time dries various food products effectively.

 How to dry mushrooms in a dehydrator? Detailed instructions

 Is drying mushrooms in a food dehydrator really that easy? Absolutely! However, if you want to know the exact instructions from the moment of preparing the mushrooms to removing them from the device, be sure to read on.

 Start by determining how to prepare the mushrooms for drying. When you bring all the specimens from the forest, first look at them carefully and make sure there is nothing poisonous among them. Also throw away any mushrooms that are rotten and worm-eaten. Note: you don't have to wash or soak the mushrooms before drying. Just clean them of the litter, e.g. with a slightly damp cloth.

 Now it's time to cut the mushrooms. You don't have to cut the smallest ones into pieces - dry them whole. For large specimens, separate the caps from the stems. Slice the caps, and divide the stems in half lengthwise. Your work is almost done.

 Now all you have to do is spread the mushrooms in the dehydrator so that they touch each other as little as possible. Finally, turn on the device and you're done.

 What kind of mushroom dehydrator? So choose the right device

 The way you set up your food dehydrator depends on the specific model of the device. So if you don't have a dehydrator in your home yet, it's worth remembering a few things in advance that you should pay attention to. These are:

•  the number of trays - the higher the number, the more mushrooms you can dehydrate at the same time. For a larger number of mushrooms, a dehydrator with four trays will work best,
• the maximum load - the higher the load, the more mushrooms you can put inside. The appropriate value is 2.5–2.8 kg per tray,
• timer – thanks to it, you can set the mushroom drying time, so pay attention to a wide range of hours (preferably from 1 to 48 hours),
• temperature regulation – mushrooms require drying at a temperature of 40–50°C. However, it is worth choosing a device with a wider temperature range (e.g. up to 70°C), thanks to which you will also be able to dry other food products in it,
• control and display – the most convenient and intuitive is digital control. Thanks to the panel, you can see all the settings on the display.

So which device is worth choosing? Pay attention to the Zelmer ZFD1005 dryer. The device has four round trays that you can set at two different heights. All trays are 32 cm in diameter, so they can hold even a large number of mushrooms. Importantly, you can easily remove them from the device and wash them under running water. This makes it much easier to keep the dryer clean. Another model worth considering is the Zelmer ZFD1010 food dryer. The device was manufactured in Poland from high-quality materials - the outer part is made of durable plastic. The maximum load of the dryer is 11.2 kg, which is as much as 2.8 kg for each of the four trays. So you can easily dry a large number of mushrooms or other food products.

 How to store dried mushrooms?

 When the dryer has finished its work, your mushrooms will be dried. Now you have one more very important task ahead of you – transferring the mushrooms to a suitable container. Remember that dried mushrooms should be stored in airtight containers, because they absorb moisture very easily. They can be made of sheet metal, wood, plastic or glass. However, note that if you choose a glass jar, it should be placed in a dark place.

Why is proper storage of dried mushrooms so important? In this way, they retain their excellent aroma and taste. There is also no risk that, for example, food moths will nest in them.

Drying mushrooms and more, or what can be dried in a dryer?

Mushrooms are not the only food products that you can dry in a dryer. Although a mushroom dryer is a common name, in reality, the use of this device is much greater.

A food dryer, because that is its exact name, can also perform other functions. Check what:

•  drying fruit in a dehydrator – you can put all fleshy fruits in the dehydrator, e.g. apples, plums, pears, bananas, grapes. You can later prepare e.g. Christmas compote from the ready dried fruit,
• drying vegetables in a dehydrator – these can be tomatoes, carrots, parsley, celery or leek. For example, dried tomatoes are one of the best additions to many dishes. You can prepare e.g. sandwich spread, pasta sauce or use them to stuff meat (tenderloins or chicken),
• drying herbs in a dehydrator – if you grow herbs in your garden or on your balcony, a food dehydrator will allow you to prepare great additions to many dishes. You can dry e.g. chamomile, lemon balm, oregano, mint, as well as poppy or black cumin.

 Drying mushrooms and other food products with a dryer is a very easy task. See for yourself by choosing our easy-to-use and convenient Zelmer ZFD1005 dryer or Zelmer ZFD1010 dryer.