How to Build a Food Dryer
(Page 6 of 8)
February/March 1993
By John Vivian
For a top vent, use your jigsaw to cut a hole in the center of the top (drill a blade-size hole on the inside of the scribed circle, insert blade, and go around). Make it the same diameter as the circle described by the moving blades of the muffin fan if you are using one. For unpowered, gravity-drying, cut out an 8"-diameter circle. From scrap plywood, cut out a circle an inch larger than the hole with a nickel-size bump on the rim. Center lid over hole, drill through the center of the bump and the underlying top panel; then fix lid to top with a small bolt so you can adjust size of the opening to control airflow and drying temperature.
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Finish
If you plan to dry fish or use hot spices on meat or in leathers, finish the inside of the box and the wood of the screens. Apply two or three coats of sanding-sealer, sanding each coat smooth. Then paint with several coats of white enamel or clear varnish so that the wood is shiny and impermeable as the inside of a refrigerator. For a kitchen furniture-like outside finish, sand, seal, and paint white. For a living-room finish, seal, stain (with a dark furniture stain if you plan to use sun power), and varnish.
Tree-Light Heat Supply
To power the dryer electrically, insert six small screw hooks, three inches apart into each side rail inside the base. Suspend a 25' string of Christmas tree lights tight between the hooks. Be sure that no bulb touches wood or a wire. Cut an inch-long notch into the bottom of the rear base board wide enough to run the cord through. At the middle of one side, drill a hole under the third-from-the-bottom drying rack rail to admit the probe. Mount the thermostat above it with screws provided. Lead the semi-flexible tubing into dryer through the hole, stapling loosely along the underside of the rail, and staple the end of the probe to the middle of the back panel — the element of the probe extending out into the dryer.
Using the Dryer
To assemble, set the base on a sturdy, flat surface, fold the hinged sides into a 3-sided box, and set into the base. Put on the top, insert racks, close door, and plug in the fan and lights.
As noted above, food will dry (slowly) in sub-freezing weather and — if given a high air flow — will dry at any warm temperature. However, the most effective drying-temperature range is 110 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Old-timers dried foods at high temperatures; however a temperature above 150 degrees will destroy nutrients. Indeed, recent research suggests that the lower the drying temperature, the more nutrients are retained. If you use a thermometer, juggle vent opening and fan speed to regulate air flow, so as to keep the temperature around 110 degrees Fahrenheit. When sun-drying in mid-summer, you may find that a high air volume is needed to keep temperatures from skyrocketing and cooking the food.
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