How to Dehydrate Food Without a Dehydrator

If you suddenly find yourself with a bounty of fresh tomatoes or wanting to consume as many stone fruits as the month of July will allow, dehydrating and storing for later is an awesome way to save the summer. All it takes is a little patience and a low-temperature oven to remove as much water content from fresh produce as possible. It is easy to save peak-season produce at the height of their flavor without purchasing a dehydrator to clutter up your cabinets. Follow the guidelines below to start dehydrating foods and use the recipes provided as inspiration for your own DIY snacks and pantry staples.

Best Fruits and Vegetables for Dehydrating

Well-washed fruit such as halved strawberries, sliced apples, bananas, apricots (and other stone fruits) are great for dehydrating. Be sure to give the fruit a bath in a citric-acid solution (or lemon juice and water) to preserve flavor and color. Vegetables can be great to save as well; some veggies like carrots and broccoli need a quick blanch in boiling water to clean off any bacteria and preserve colors. In any case, make sure each piece is cut into the same shape to ensure even dehydration.

Dehydrate Using An Oven

Set a cooling rack on a baking sheet—the idea is that the cooling rack will promote dehydration and prevent liquid from pooling on a flat surface. Arrange fruits and vegetables on the rack in a single layer. Set your oven to its lowest temperature (180°F or lower) and place the baking sheet on the middle rack. Leave oven slightly open and ‘bake’ for a minimum of one hour, depending on the thickness of what you’re trying to dehydrate. Some fruits and vegetables will need more time, so check after every half hour or so. Properly dehydrated fruits will be slightly pliable, but not sticky to the touch.

Storage and Uses

Once you’ve removed all of the moisture from your foods, it is best to store them in an airtight container or a plastic bag with most of the air removed before sealing. They should be kept in a cool, dark space to keep as fresh as possible.

What types of fruits and vegetables are you looking to dehydrate this summer? Check out the recipes below for inspiration and get started dehydrating your favorite foods.

Fruit Roll Ups

Live Eat Learn

Homemade fruit leathers are one of the best ways to sneak fresh produce into your child’s diet. It looks and tastes like the store bought snack, but has no extra sugar or preservatives to worry about. Spread purées onto clean parchment paper and cut into strips with the paper for easy storage. Get the recipe.

Snap Pea Chips

Cotter Crunch

Forget buying a bag of these crunchy peas every week, they are super easy to make at home. Sprinkle with your favorite spice blends for an extra kick or a sweet and salty spin if that’s what you’re into. Get the recipe.

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Chips

Jennifer Meyering

One of the heroes of the oven dehydrator game is classic apple chips! Go on and slice the whole apple and you won’t even notice the seeds while snacking. Get the recipe.

Revamped Ramen

Fresh Off the Grid

Combine all of your favorite dehydrated vegetables with instant rice noodles and basic seasonings for an ideal DIY soup for camping and beyond. Get the recipe.

Tomato Chips

Running to the Kitchen

Take advantage of the season and consume all of the tomatoes you can get your hands on. Slices of beefsteak or roma tomatoes make great chips while halved cherry tomatoes rehydrate beautifully in olive oil or soups and stews. Get the recipe.

Dill Pickle Zucchini Chips

Euphoria Nutrition

Any subscriber to a vegetable delivery box can find themselves with a plethora of summer squashes. Make the most out of your bushel by dehydrating zucchini and yellow squash chips and tossing with your favorite seasonings. Get the recipe.

Eggplant Bacon

Minimalist Baker

Vegans rejoice—eggplant bacon is here to save your BLTs. Dehydrate thin slices of eggplant brushed with spices and oil for an umami bomb, ready from the oven in less than 30 minutes. Get the recipe.

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What Is the Difference Between Pesto and Chimichurri?

If you look at the hierarchy of roles in the traditional kitchen—as codified over a century ago by legendary French chef Auguste Escoffier—the saucier, aka the senior-level chef in charge of the sauce station, is among the most revered and important. Oftentimes the make or break element on a dish, sauces are a challenging, technically demanding art. “The marriage of craftsmanship and consistency,” wrote Escoffier. Even among the best of chefs they can take years, if not a career to perfect.

Which is why, when you come across a sauce that require little-to-no effort to make, like say pesto or chimichurri, you really should take a minute and appreciate the bone that’s being thrown your way. Taken at face value, the two could practically be twins. And while they do share several key similarities—both are blended, herb-based, no-cook sauces that have a variety of diverse culinary applications—they’re more fraternal than identical twins.

For one (big) thing, the herbs that give them their green are different. Pesto, which traces its roots back to Genoa, the capital city of Italy’s Liguria region, is made with basil. Chimichurri, meanwhile, is of Argentinian descent, and is typically a blend of parsley and oregano. Both include garlic in the mix, but as for the liquid that gives them their saucy texture, there’s a bit of an oil and vinegar separation—literally. Pesto calls on olive oil to bind together the classic combination of basil, garlic, Parmesan and Pecorino cheeses, and pine nuts. Chimichurri also uses a little oil (either vegetable or olive), but, crucially, adds in white vinegar to give the sauce its signature puckery tang.

Both are easy to riff on (pesto in particular is often modified to sub in greens like kale and arugula or swap walnuts for pine nuts) and play nicely in a wide range of recipes. Here are some of our favorites, from the traditional (chimichurri and grilled meat; pesto and pasta) to the more creative (no spoilers, keep reading).

Argentine Chimichurri Sauce

Chowhound

Classic Argentine chimichurri and grilled meat are like, total ride-or-die BBFs. The bright, textured parsley and oregano-based sauce is the perfect partner to grilled steak or chicken, both of which can be repurposed the next day in tacos. If meat isn’t your jam, this versatile salsa is also pretty sensational with grilled seafood (think thicker-cuts like salmon or swordfish, or juicy jumbo shrimp) or on grillable veggies like corn on the cob. Get our Argentine Chimichurri Sauce recipe.

Argentinian Chimichurri Butter Burger

Girl Carnivore

Most often, the sandwich side of the love affair between beef and chimichurri results in a lot of steak sandwiches. And no hate of course, but how dare we overlook the OG of beef sandwiches: The burger. This drool-worthy rendition features a double patty design that is bound together with a chimichurri compound butter that oozes out as it cooks. Get the recipe.

Kale, Mushroom and Chimichurri Baked Eggs

Wellness By Kristen

Think ‘chimichurri’ and ‘breakfast’ and your brain immediately goes to tacos (at least mine does), but as this recipe proves, it’s not the sauce’s only morning meal application. Here the herb-driven sauce is mixed with savory mushrooms and hearty kale to create good-for-you base for runny-yolk baked eggs. This has Impressive Brunch Menu written all over it. Get the recipe.

Fries with Chimichurri and Gorgonzola

How Sweet Eats

Well, whaddya know, chimichurri is as good on carbs as it is on protein (actually not surprising given that it’s classic pairing with empanadas). Instead of using the sauce for dipping, the tangy-fresh mixture is drizzled over the top of homemade fries alongside crumbled gorgonzola. Get the recipe.

Chimichurri Chicken Salad with Peaches

Zen Belly

The chimichurri in this quick chicken salad subs out the traditional oregano for cool mint, which works especially nicely with the pieces of juicy, sweet peach. Get the recipe.

Beet Crudo with Chimichurri

The Year in Food

And here you thought there was barely any time or opportunity for chimichurri to play with veggies. In this clever vegetarian take on a crudo, paper-thin slices of mixed beets are lightly marinated in the vibrant, zesty sauce. Light, healthy, no-muss starters don’t get easier or tastier than this. Get the recipe.

Easy Basil Pesto

Chowhound

It may not have the A-List celebrity status of marinara, but pesto is still one of the most iconic Italian sauces. A delightfully simple combination of fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, and Parmesan, it’s got that great little black dress quality that gives it the ability to go with just about anything. Tossed with pasta, slathered on pizza, schmeared on toast, mixed in with soup or rice or even eggs: The possibilities are endless. Guess it is easy being green. Get our Easy Basil Pesto recipe.

Classic Pesto Pasta Salad

Chowhound

Pasta is pesto’s most frequent culinary companion. For years, my go-to dinner party dish has been to toss it with spaghetti and garnish with crispy roasted potatoes and fresh green beans. It’s equally fantastic in less obvious pasta applications like lasagna, too. But when the weather heats up, I prefer the pungent, aromatic sauce as the base for picnic-perfect pasta salads. Like this one, which add in sweet cherry tomatoes and chewy pieces of mozzarella. Get our Classic Pesto Pasta Salad recipe.

Pistou Deviled Eggs with Ratatouille

Chowhound

The classic deviled egg (aka everyone’s favorite, poppable summer barbecue snack) is a perfect blank canvas kind of dish—easily adaptable to whatever culinary inspiration strikes you in the moment. For example, if you wanted to take it in a Mediterranean-French Provençal direction: you could blend garlicky basil pesto into the yolk mixture and garnish with ratatouille. Get our Pistou Deviled Eggs with Ratatouille recipe.

Summer Squash Pizza

Chowhound

Vibrant pesto replaces the typical tomato sauce in this light, healthy (as healthy as pizza gets, anyway) summer pie featuring sliced seasonal squash, red onion, and fresh mozzarella. Get our Summer Squash Pizza recipe.

Dutch Baby Pesto Breakfast Pizza

Host the Toast

The gauntlet has been thrown, ladies and gentlemen, this is what it looks like when your brunch dish game is on point: Savory, fluffly dutch baby base, bold pesto, torn pieces of salty prosciutto, creamy burrata, crisp strips of shaved asparagus, and baked eggs. Boom. Get the recipe.

Risotto with Kale Pesto and Bacon

Cooking and Beer

The classic Italian rice dish is reimagined in this recipe with a non-traditional pesto that adds walnuts, kale, chives, and parsley to the typical basil-Parm-garlic base. And of course chopped pieces of crisp, salty, fatty bacon are mixed in, because, why not? Get the recipe.

Pesto, Chicken, and White Bean Soup

Chowhound

Chicken soup takes a detour through Italy with this comforting, flavor-rich soup that improves upon the basic concept by adding in savory Italian sausage, punchy-herbaceous pesto, zucchini, and creamy cannellini beans. Get our Pesto, Chicken, and White Bean Soup recipe.

— Head photo illustration by Chowhound, using: Mexican Please/Damn Delicious.

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How to Make Wine Pops, the Coolest Summer Treat Around

Sipping a stiff red may be more associated with the snowy, fireside days of winter, but frankly, we’re already tired of the whites and rosés that are cramping our Sunday brunch style. Sure, wine is wine and we’ll never actually discriminate against most bottles, but it’d be nice to have more summertime options than, perhaps, the standard glass of basic bitch Pinot Grigio.

Ladies and gentlemen, may we present to you the wine pop, aka your new favorite (and innovative!) way to get drunk while combatting July humidity.

Freezing wine to create a sugary treat may seem like an intimidating feat, but it’s actually quite easy. In fact, you can probably sip your way through the cooking and freezing process, so long as your mindful of things like a stove’s open flame.

To start, you’re going to need to pick your poison. This is where we finally get to crack open that bottle of red we’ve been storing for fall, but you can, by all means, use the white or rosé you’ve been guzzling since May. Next, you’re going to need to select your summery flavor profile. We suggest a seasonal berry or fruit that will really highlight the complexities of the vino. (Or just something that will taste good going down, tbh). Red wine also happens to pair extremely well with chocolate, so here’s your excuse to melt that good stuff down and create the Fudgesicle of your dreams.

Though recipes vary, most will require you to mix your wine (cooked down on the stove if it’s red), fruit or other ingredients, sugar, and usually another liquid (either a basic simple syrup, juice, or citrus) in a food processor until it reaches your desired consistency. Keep it chunky if you enjoy noshing on bits of fruit. Keep it smooth if you want your tongue to do the talking. The beauty of the wine pop is that it is completely customizable, from taste and consistency to sweetness and alcohol level. From there, you simply pour the mixture into a custom ice tray or clever popsicle molds and freeze for a minimum of eight hours. That’s. It.

Don’t believe that you can do this yourself? We’ve rounded up five straightforward recipes that prove otherwise. The sooner your blend, the sooner you lick. And the sooner you lick, the sooner you cool down. We promise it’s worth the effort.

Strawberry Mojito Wine Popsicles

Renee Nicole’s Kitchen

Don’t be fooled: These don’t have rum. That doesn’t make them any less delicious, though. Fresh mint elevates everything, including your mood. Get the recipe.

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Red Wine Popsicles

Spoonful of Flavor

Honestly, we’d rather bite into one of these than an actual chocolate-covered strawberry. The addition of wine essentially makes them a multi-meal. Get the recipe.

Peach Wine Pops

Jennifer Meyering

Peach and white wine are legitimate BFFs. Nobody can and should come between them, especially with this sweet treat. Get the recipe.

Raspberry Frosé Popsicles

Three Olives Branch

Frosé is the summer trend that will never die. Bring it more life by tossing in raspberries and freezing it by the stickful. Get the recipe.

Blackberry Wine Pops

Since you’re hoarding those seasonal blackberries by the bushel, here’s another way to get rid of them. Cheers!

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McCormick Purchases Reckitt Benckiser’s Food Unit for $4.2 Billion

Beating off other suitors like Unilever and Hormel, US spices, herbs and flavorings manufacturer McCormick & Company has jumped in to buy the food unit of UK-based Reckitt Benckiser.

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Dog-Inspired Kitchen Tools That Are Perfect for Pet Lovers

They say that dogs are man’s best friend, but the same can be said about a slice of cheesecake or a delicious brisket. In fact, there are times when we prefer the latter: less responsibility and absolutely no barking.

For that fido-loving friend who also happens to love cooking and baking, why not combine the best of both worlds with these dog-inspired kitchen gadgets? They’re adorable, make perfect gifts, and could possibly enhance the quality of your meals (or at least the experience of making them).

From a corgi wine stopper to a bull terrier spoon rest, scroll down to fetch all of our unique finds.

“Corki” Wine Stopper

Amazon

We judge (ever so slightly) those who are in need of a wine stopper, but if you can’t finish a bottle (blasphemy), you may as well plug it with something adorable. And frankly, what’s more adorable than a Corgi? Buy it here.

Dachshund Ice Cube Tray

Amazon

If you assumed we’d toss in something hot dog-related to pay homage to the precious wiener, you thought wrong. That’s way too predictable! Instead, surprise cocktail hour guests with dachshund ice cubes. They’re quite the conversation starter. Buy it here.

 

Dog Kitchen Brush

Amazon

The irony of this tool is that it’s usually your dog that’s creating the mess, not cleaning it. Horrible wet dog smell not included (we hope). Buy it here.

Dog Kitchen Timer

Amazon

You’ll now know when it’s time to walk your four-legged friend and take the cherry pie out of the oven. Multi-tasking at its finest. Buy it here.

Dog Spatula

Amazon

One must “wag” the batter, not stir with this adorable Sur La Table spatula. Just don’t wag too much if you’re making a delicate soufflé. Buy it here.

Bull Terrier Spoon Rest

Amazon

You’d think this came straight out of a Marc Jacobs campaign, but credit goes to Amazon. It’s almost too cute to be covered with a marinara-splattered spoon. Buy it here.

Dog Paper Towel Holder

Amazon

Dog lover, cat lover, fish lover, whatever. You don’t have to love animals to buy this hilarious and quirky paper towel holder that’s perfect for a modern kitchen. Buy it here.

Dog Cast Iron Trivet

Amazon

Now that’s what we call a hot dog. Literally. Your pots, pans, and cookie sheets have never looked better. Buy it here.

Dog Rolling Pin

Amazon

They see you rollin’, they hatin’, especially when they find out your rolling pin has dogs on it and theirs doesn’t. Buy it here.

Dog Salad Serving Set

Amazon

Salads are typically one of the most boring dishes on the dinner table, but serving the greens with these utensils will have guests saying “bow wow.” Buy it here.

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Crostini With Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Burrata and Chive Oil

The building blocks of a classic Caprese salad are re-imagined in these summery toasts. First, cherry tomatoes are blistered in a skillet until bursting with juice. Then creamier burrata takes the place of the more standard mozzarella. And in place of basil leaves, a quick and easy chive oil adds an herbal accent. The result makes for a great snack or light meal. Get Recipe!

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La Brea Bakery Reserve Demi-Baguettes

This new loaf provides consumers with another great way to enjoy the true taste of real food that they crave, conveniently available at grocery stores across the country.

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Meal Kit Market: $5 Billion

Packaged Facts continues to project robust growth for delivery meal kits, the disappointing Blue Apron IPO notwithstanding.

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Tweaker Energy Drink

Featuring 110 calories, the product boasts B vitamins and contains 80 mg of caffeine.

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New Superfood Veggie Pasta

Cybele’s Free-to-Eat Veggie Pasta is vegan, kosher, grain-free, gluten-free, high-protein and NonGMO project verified.

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