Title:	Complete Dehydrator Cookbook: How to Dehydrate Fruit, Vegetables, Meat & More
	Author:	Carole Cancler
	Published:	April 28, 2020, Rockridge Press
	No. of Pages:	226
	Cover Price:	$17.99 Paperback, $6.99 Kindle

---

It’s always nice to put a little food away for the winter; sometimes our gardens produce way more than we can use. Complete Dehydrator Cookbook: How to Dehydrate Fruit, Vegetables, Meat & More by Carole Cancler is not only timely, but an excellent primer to help all of us dehydrate that produce for use when fresh isn’t available.

This cookbook is excellent in that it lists most vegetables and fruits that we deal with, and not only tells us how to dehydrate them, but also how to dry them and make them into aromatic powders. Drying herbs is also covered, and there are recipes to use the dried herbs in such as salad dressings. Also featured are leathers with dozens of fruits and vegetables, as well as instructions for good results.

Possibly the most impressive chapter in this cookbook is the one on drying meat and fish. There are recipes for classic recipes, but also for unique, innovative types of jerky that most of us wouldn’t think of, but that Cancler has perfected. The cookbook is worth purchasing for this chapter alone.

Another plus with this cookbook is that the author emphasizes the importance of safety and has instructions for safely dehydrating meat and fish, which could easily go bad if prepared improperly. There are also good troubleshooting tips on storing, and on what to do when dried food goes bad or gets bugs.

Once there are dehydrated foods in the pantry, using them is the whole idea. The recipes included are excellent and range from Classic Western Ground Beef Chili to Hungarian Goulash, to Thai Style Red Curry with Chicken. Once the dishes are prepared, there are instructions for drying them so that they only need to be rehydrated to serve. The instructions are easy to follow and turn out well. Unfortunately, there aren’t many photographs; while nobody cares what the dehydrated fruits, vegetables, and leathers look like, it would have been nice to have photos of the recipes.

All told, this is an excellent book for everyone who dehydrates, beginning and experienced.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.