Two of the most popular books on dehydrating food are "The Dehydrator Bible" by Jennifer MacKenzie and the "Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook" by Tammy Gangloff, while the most popular cookbook for backpackers is Linda Frederick Yaffe’s "Backpack Gourmet".
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The Top 7 Books on Dehydrating Food
If you’re looking for a fun and informative guide to teach you dehydrating techniques and recipes, look no further!
Here are some of the most popular dehydrating food books:
The Dehydrator Bible
“The Dehydrator Bible,” written by Jennifer MacKenzie, Jay Nutt, and Don Mercer, tops this list because of the sheer number of recipes it provides.
With over 400 guides for dehydrated meals and food storage, this book earns its title as a bible for preserving food.
The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook: The Complete Guide to Drying Food
Ultimate indeed! This book on drying food, written by Tammy Gangloff, her husband Steven Gangloff, and September Ferguson, has convinced over 4500 people to write a review on Amazon, with an astounding average of 4.6 stars!
This is a best seller in the food preservation book scene, with overwhelmingly positive customer reviews.
The Beginner’s Guide to Dehydrating Food
Not many cookbooks get a 2nd edition; the fact that Teresa Marrone has created a dehydrator recipe book that has earned one tells you everything you need to know about its popularity.
Complete with before and after photos to give you a visual guide to how it should look when you dehydrate fruit and veggies, this is one of the best dehydrator books on the market.
Mary Bell’s Complete Dehydrator Cookbook
This is one of the most popular, original books written on dehydrating food, and nearly thirty years later, it still stands up as a great book to own.
Technology has evolved since Mary Bell wrote this book, yet it is still an excellent option for those who prefer to do things the old-fashioned way.
Dehydrator Cookbook for Preppers
This is a good book for those looking to extend the shelf life of their nutritious meals. With the world feeling a little scary and turbulent, this book focuses on giving you the tools to prep meals for up to three years!
Dehydrator Cookbook for Beginners
Dorothy J Morgan has created something worthwhile here: a dehydrator cookbook for beginners! Learning a new skill can be intimidating, so any new dehydrators should add this to their wishlist.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dehydrating Food
Sometimes we all need something explained in a simple, easy-to-understand format. “The Complete Idiot’s Guide,” by Jeanette Hurt gives you a step by step, fool-proof manual to dehydrating food.
How to Choose a Dehydrating Cookbook
A useful way to check whether a cookbook is worth your time is to look at customer reviews. Look for books that have a high rating from many reviews – these have earned their stripes and can be taken seriously.
If you’re new to dehydrating, it’s a good idea to get books with many recipes. Dehydrating your garden harvest is one thing; knowing how to use those ingredients in stews, soups, jerkies and how to create delicious blends of flavors is another skill entirely.
Before buying any book, it can be useful to skim through the contents (this is easier if purchasing from a book store rather than online). That way, you can ensure it covers the ingredients you frequently have in stock.
Finally, make sure you check the book is well laid out and easy to use. An intuitive contents page and comprehensive index are must haves for quickly finding what you’re looking for in the kitchen.
What are the Most Popular Dehydrating Cookbooks?
The three dehydrator cookbooks with the most customer reviews on Amazon are:
- “Complete Dehydrator Cookbook”– by Carole Cancler
- “The Dehydrator Bible” – by Jennifer MacKenzie
- “The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook“ – by Tammy Gangloff
Best Dehydrating Food Books for Backpackers
Dehydrating food is a great way of creating hardy, easy to transport, long lasting backpacking meals. Keen campers and hikers should check out these titles for excellent dehydrated snacks and rehydration just-add-water meals that are perfect for your next adventure!
- “Backpack Gourmet” – Linda Frederick Yaffe
- “Recipes for Adventure” – Chef Glenn McAllister
- “The Dehydrator Cookbook for Outdoor Adventures” – Julie Mosier
Where to Buy Books on Dehydrating Food
The easiest place to buy books on dehydrating food is via Amazon. With a quick search, you can find a library of guides for dehydrating and other skills, such as pickling and fermenting. Books on Amazon also come in two formats: hard copies and e-books for Kindle or other e-readers.
However, shopping on Amazon does mean you can’t look through the book before purchase. For this reason and because it’s nice to support smaller businesses, going into your local bookstore can be a great way of finding cookbooks. Most good bookstores will even have a dedicated cookbook section.
Also, don’t underestimate the great American tradition of the yard sale! People often have all kinds of gems they’re saying goodbye to; if there’s garage sales in your area, it is worth it to look around and see if they are getting rid of any cookbooks.
Finally, if you can’t afford to purchase a book or simply prefer to borrow one, consider checking one out from your local library or create your own cookbook from recipes on Dehydrated Cookbook! Simply print the recipes, and use a three hole punch to add them to a three-ring binder!
Why Buy Books on Dehydrating Food?
In the internet age, with a million recipes available at the touch of a button, the questions is raised: why even buy cookbooks anymore?
There are a few practical reasons why the humble cookbook is still a must have for any kitchen.
Firstly, cooking is a messy business! Many people don’t want to tap away at their expensive phone or laptop when their hands are covered in various juices and ingredients.
Secondly, part of the fun of using recipes is making them your own! Those little tweaks and discoveries you find when you make a recipe multiple times can be recorded in a physical cookbook. It’s much easier to make changes or add notes with a pencil or pen in a physical book than on a web page.
Finally, one of the reasons people dehydrate food is in case of an emergency. If your power goes out for a week, you’ll be thrilled to have all those pre-prepped dehydrated ingredients… but how mad will you be if all the recipes are only accessible by internet? It’s definitely worth it to have a dehydrated cookbook around.