# Best way to dehydrate onions



## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

I have about 40lbs of Texas Sweets I need to dehydrate.
Just received my Excalibur (9 tray w timer) and the onions will be my first 'victim'.

What's the best way?
Dice? If so how big?
Sliced? If so, how thin?

Do I blanch, salt or lemon juice them before I put them on the trays? Or do I just slice and dry?

Thank you so much.


----------



## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Dry then on the back porch is the number one "rule". 

I don't blanch just chop and dry. I can't think of anything I add salt to before drying and I never bother with lemon juice, things have never changed colors on me that much to bother with the extra step. Cut them any way you want, you can always snap them into smaller pieces when you use them.


----------



## Prickle (May 9, 2009)

I just chop and dry too. I don't pretreat with anything. Just don't chop them so small that they fall through the screen once they start to dry.

If you dry them indoors (which I do because it's too humid outside) your house will smell like a deli


----------



## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

I dice, lay mine out on trays and dehydrate. I dry mine inside and it smells lovely.


----------



## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I slice then dry them in a non running vehicle in the sun. 

Caution, if you use the Excaliber, you are going to have onion flavor in there for a while. So maybe plan to dry something like squash that onion flavor is ok with, not peaches or apples.


----------



## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

Cyngbaeld said:


> I slice then dry them in a non running vehicle in the sun.
> 
> Caution, if you use the Excaliber, you are going to have onion flavor in there for a while. So maybe plan to dry something like squash that onion flavor is ok with, not peaches or apples.


I WAS WONDERING THIS!!

So....
After the onions, maybe do a batch of basil, then a batch of zucchini to gently dial down the smell, before I put fruit in it!! Thanks for the hot tip!!


----------



## derm (Aug 6, 2009)

Should they be bone dry and brittle? I ran my diced onions for 12 hours on in the excaliber and they were still slightly leathery so then I ran them overnight on 95 degrees to make sure they were dry and they seemed about 95% dry, but not all of them could be snapped. This ok or am I going to have mold in the jars at some point?


----------

