How To: Dehydrate Potatoes

Dehydrating potatoes is one of the easiest things you'll ever do, that brings the most comfort in hard times.  It's a great way to preserve nutrients.

Step One:

• Wash and scrub your potatoes, you can peel them if you're so inclined.  

 I don't since all the greatest nutrients lie within the skin but it's completely up to you.

Step Two:

• Slice your potatoes without stressing that each one is identical to the other. 

Generally, as long as they are about the same thickness your project will be successful.  Even my food processor gets them all different thicknesses, but they still turn out, and even those that are like paper, don't seem to change the outcome. 

Step Three:

• Place the sliced potatoes in salty water.  When you can taste the salt in a drop of the water, there is enough, and let them soak while you slice away.

The salt keeps them from turning brown.

Step Four:

Boil salty water (same amount of salt as above), and place potato slices in the boiling water.  Let them simmer on a low boil for 3 minutes.
Step Five:

• Drain and let cool for 5 minutes

Step Six:

•  Place blanched potatoes on your dehydrator rack, and set your temperature for 135-145 for about six to eight hours.  

If you don't have a temperature dial, then just keep an eye on them.  Make sure they are dry enough to "snap."

 Step Seven:

• Let cool for at least a half hour, and then place in Mylar bags with an oxygen packet. And place in a cool, dry place.

You can also put them in Zippy bags without the oxygen packet. (I'm still using my potatoes from 1999, and they were stored in clear zippy bags only...but use common sense for the area you live in).  

Since I live in the Inter-mountain West we have very low humidity, but if you are living anywhere with higher humidity, play it safe and use a Mylar bag with an oxygen packet.  They're about .05-.10 cents apiece, and worth the peace of mind.  I get mine from Amazon.com.