Dried Fruit "Added Sugars" Down The Drain!

Hello Nomad,

Well, speaking of drivel...

if a typical day for you two is so empty and devoid of anything better to do than fuss over cutting, peeling and arranging fruit in a dehydrator, then too bad for you.

Most people have better things to do, not to mention not needing or wanting yet another piece of kitchen junk taking up cupboard and counter space.

I mean, look at the size of this thing.... :whoa:

71VwnPj-zRL._AC_SX522_.jpg


Most people are not that into or serious about dried fruit that they'd fork out 40 or 50 bucks for something that's going to end up stashed away in the back of a cabinet for years before finally ending up at the local Goodwill.

Effing ridiculous.

I actually have a dehydrator and do dehydrate some of my own stuff, some of which I grow. You are exactly correct that it is a huge time-eater. You have to be ready to commit a lot of time and effort to creating your own dried food. It is a lot of work, and the results depend on how meticulous the work is done. Only the best fruits and veggies should be selected, right at their peak of ripeness. They need to be carefully washed, sliced, and arranged on the trays. And despite the picture, no piece can be touching another piece. There needs to be some air space between them for proper drying. The trays need to be rotated and checked regularly. Thinner pieces dry faster. They need to be removed while the rest needs more time.

Not only do the trays need to be rotated and checked regularly and the quickest drying pieces removed, the thicker pieces need to be flipped and repositioned. After a tray has been emptied, it needs to be soaked to loosen the stuck food particles so that it can be washed and dried before being refilled. Once the food has been dried, it needs to be placed in jars with the lid left open for a few days to complete the airing out process. Then the jars need to be sealed. Once the contents are used, the jars need to be washed and dried prior to additional use.

I cannot grow everything I eat, because I can only grow what grows in my local climate. This is true for any outdoor grower. Dehydrating food is a handy way to extend the season, but it is a time consuming process that most people do not have the patience or meticulousness for. Since it is not possible to grow everything I eat, I buy and consume dried fruit.

Much commercially available dried fruit comes with 'added sugars.'

I don't want the added sugar, so I used logic and found a way to remove the added sugar.

And it's not even sugar that is added. I am convinced it is really corn syrup.

There is nothing nutritious about corn syrup. This is not something people buy and add to their own food.

It is done to make it sweeter so people who are unaware will like it more and buy more.

Those who do it do not care about your health. All they care about is getting rich.

They don't care if you get heart disease and die.

Which is dumb, because then they lose another customer.

But you can't tell dumb people they are dumb. Especially when they think being dumb makes them more money.

psst. If you really want a dehydrator go to the Goodwill store and get it for a few bucks, and help out the disadvantaged. Greed knows the selfish rich won't do it.
 
Well, speaking of drivel...

if a typical day for you two is so empty and devoid of anything better to do than fuss over cutting, peeling and arranging fruit in a dehydrator, then too bad for you.

Most people have better things to do, not to mention not needing or wanting yet another piece of kitchen junk taking up cupboard and counter space.

I mean, look at the size of this thing.... :whoa:

71VwnPj-zRL._AC_SX522_.jpg


Most people are not that into or serious about dried fruit that they'd fork out 40 or 50 bucks for something that's going to end up stashed away in the back of a cabinet for years before finally ending up at the local Goodwill.

Effing ridiculous.
:laugh:

Agreed!
 
Hello Nomad,



I actually have a dehydrator and do dehydrate some of my own stuff, some of which I grow. You are exactly correct that it is a huge time-eater. You have to be ready to commit a lot of time and effort to creating your own dried food. It is a lot of work, and the results depend on how meticulous the work is done. Only the best fruits and veggies should be selected, right at their peak of ripeness. They need to be carefully washed, sliced, and arranged on the trays. And despite the picture, no piece can be touching another piece. There needs to be some air space between them for proper drying. The trays need to be rotated and checked regularly. Thinner pieces dry faster. They need to be removed while the rest needs more time.

Not only do the trays need to be rotated and checked regularly and the quickest drying pieces removed, the thicker pieces need to be flipped and repositioned. After a tray has been emptied, it needs to be soaked to loosen the stuck food particles so that it can be washed and dried before being refilled. Once the food has been dried, it needs to be placed in jars with the lid left open for a few days to complete the airing out process. Then the jars need to be sealed. Once the contents are used, the jars need to be washed and dried prior to additional use.

I cannot grow everything I eat, because I can only grow what grows in my local climate. This is true for any outdoor grower. Dehydrating food is a handy way to extend the season, but it is a time consuming process that most people do not have the patience or meticulousness for. Since it is not possible to grow everything I eat, I buy and consume dried fruit.

Much commercially available dried fruit comes with 'added sugars.'

I don't want the added sugar, so I used logic and found a way to remove the added sugar.

And it's not even sugar that is added. I am convinced it is really corn syrup.

There is nothing nutritious about corn syrup. This is not something people buy and add to their own food.

It is done to make it sweeter so people who are unaware will like it more and buy more.

Those who do it do not care about your health. All they care about is getting rich.

They don't care if you get heart disease and die.

Which is dumb, because then they lose another customer.

But you can't tell dumb people they are dumb. Especially when they think being dumb makes them more money.

psst. If you really want a dehydrator go to the Goodwill store and get it for a few bucks, and help out the disadvantaged. Greed knows the selfish rich won't do it.
Having done it many many times, jerky, it isn't that bad.. Yea, ideally things shouldn't touch, but if they do, in a hour or so, they'll shrink & pull away, first check just separate if a few are stuck..

If you like jerky, you should def give it a try..
 
Hello Bill,

Having done it many many times, jerky, it isn't that bad.. Yea, ideally things shouldn't touch, but if they do, in a hour or so, they'll shrink & pull away, first check just separate if a few are stuck..

If you like jerky, you should def give it a try..

Oh, yeah, had the same experience with things touching. They get welded together but can be separated. Drying happens better if some space is left anyway, as opposed to everything touching and not enough air flow. Takes time to detail out a tray to make sure things are spaced out nice and even but it's worth it. Besides, you'll be separating them either up front or after they get welded. That's why it's easier to do it up front.

I've also noticed that better results are obtained if the slicing is done the same way for every piece, all the same thickness. Uniform shapes and sizes work best. It pays to be meticulous with the slicing.

I haven't been a fan of jerky, but wouldn't be beyond experimenting. Although lately I've been trying to transition to just one meat meal per day. That's gonna take a while as I seek and experiment with alternatives. I already do fruits and nuts for breakfast, so I've eliminated one meat meal already. Now I just need some non meat ideas for lunch. Only problem is I am not a fan of pasta. Rice is OK if it has some kind of flavor, like rice and beans. I guess that's one idea right there.
 
Best of luck on your adventure-search..

Rice n Beans is great, especially if you do them NOLA style..

Wild rice is awesome.. Actually many of the blends are actually water grasses, & can be added to white or brown rice but cooked separately w/ white as white cook faster.
 
Best of luck on your adventure-search..

Rice n Beans is great, especially if you do them NOLA style..

Wild rice is awesome.. Actually many of the blends are actually water grasses, & can be added to white or brown rice but cooked separately w/ white as white cook faster.

Right on.

So - I guess this settles the question of why do raisins stick together in a big clump.

They're glued together with corn syrup.
 
Right on.

So - I guess this settles the question of why do raisins stick together in a big clump.

They're glued together with corn syrup
.
??? I had some this AM w/ oatmeal.... They were clumped as I opened those awesome Calif raisins a bit ago but there is no corn syrup in them-100% Calif raisins..
 
Best of luck on your adventure-search..

Rice n Beans is great, especially if you do them NOLA style..

Wild rice is awesome.. Actually many of the blends are actually water grasses, & can be added to white or brown rice but cooked separately w/ white as white cook faster.

Just made a batch of beans and rice. I could live a month on just those.
 
Hi Bill,

??? I had some this AM w/ oatmeal.... They were clumped as I opened those awesome Calif raisins a bit ago but there is no corn syrup in them-100% Calif raisins..

Ha! I just looked on the ingredients label of mine.

"0 mg Added Sugars, 0% of daily requirement"

Looks like I was wrong.

Right on! I'm always happy to admit it when I get something wrong.

Maybe they heard me, and people like me.

There used to be added sugars on raisins.

Now if they would just stop adding sugars to the cranberries, cherries, dates and blueberries, I could stop soaking them.

As for the clumps? That's just a theory. Looks like that happens naturally as well. Even when I dry my own fruit that happens. I would certainly expect that if these dried fruits are coated with corn syrup, they would be even more sticky than they already are naturally.
 
The food industry treats the public like we're a bunch of dumb neggers, adding sugar and salt to everything. If you like your diabetes, why can't you just sprinkle sugar on your food?
 
Just made a batch of beans and rice. I could live a month on just those.

lol. I have before, well mostly ate that. Poor in New Orleans that's what you got...

I made a big pot a month ago in my new inta-pot w/ some ham bone.. Yummy but now I can't eat as much as I want as I can have issues w/ all the purine acid in them, a real shame as I love making & eating them....
 
Hi Bill,



Ha! I just looked on the ingredients label of mine.

"0 mg Added Sugars, 0% of daily requirement"

Looks like I was wrong.

Right on! I'm always happy to admit it when I get something wrong.

Maybe they heard me, and people like me.

There used to be added sugars on raisins.

Now if they would just stop adding sugars to the cranberries, cherries, dates and blueberries, I could stop soaking them.

As for the clumps? That's just a theory. Looks like that happens naturally as well. Even when I dry my own fruit that happens. I would certainly expect that if these dried fruits are coated with corn syrup, they would be even more sticky than they already are naturally.

Yea, they do that w/ dried mangoes...

Really not necessary @ all, but they add it because it will increase sales....... Some slob eats 1lb bag of sugar coated fruit & thinks he earned a big desert tonight cause he's eatin healthy now............ Funny, if not so sad..
 
lol. I have before, well mostly ate that. Poor in New Orleans that's what you got...

I made a big pot a month ago in my new inta-pot w/ some ham bone.. Yummy but now I can't eat as much as I want as I can have issues w/ all the purine acid in them, a real shame as I love making & eating them....

The IP is a great invention, isn’t it? I make a super oatmeal mix using the pot-in-pot method. Mix everything in a pyrex bowl and place that on the trivet in the main pot. 13 minutes and you have your meal already prepared in a bowl. Nothing to clean up in the main pot.
 
lol. I have before, well mostly ate that. Poor in New Orleans that's what you got...

I made a big pot a month ago in my new inta-pot w/ some ham bone.. Yummy but now I can't eat as much as I want as I can have issues w/ all the purine acid in them, a real shame as I love making & eating them....

Oh noes, you have the gout??
 
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