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preservation Air drying and dehydrator.

Hi guys, hope this the right section but just need couple questions answered:
 
When air drying, I mean hanging outside in the sun, do you cut the peppers open and deseed them? Or do you leave them as whole closed pods? I've got some hanging as closed whole pods and some deseeded. Ive had two of the deseeded ones form black mold inside. Are seeds good for keeping if they have been in the sun inside the pod?
 
If I buy a dehydrator, a cheap $30 unit or so, is it the same as air drying or will they come out different.
 
When I first started growing peppers, I would just hang em out to dry. I would also cut them open to prevent them from getting moldy. Last year I threw down forty dollars for a dehydrator and I like the results alot more. They dry faster and more evenly. A dehydrator is better for large amounts of chilies.
 
I dry pods in front of my air conditioner for seeds - intake sucks air across the pods.
 
For drying pods for eats,I smoke dry them mostly but use a dehydrator when needed.
 
ALWAYS freeze pods before drying,IF you don't need the seeds.
 
Freezing makes the water in the pods expand-breaking the pods cell walls.
 
It lets the thawed pods loose water a LOT faster with thick fleshed stuff especially.
 
IF you use a water smoker to dry your pods,leave the water pan empty.
 
With Rocoto/Manzanos I get it filled with water from the pods.
I have to REALLY watch the dehydrator or my counter top gets flooded with water/pod drippings.
 
I use the water/drippings for cooking.
 
Rice cooked in smoker drippings is great.
Use the drippings for BBQ sauce or whatever...
 
Cheers for the reply guys.
 
I think I'm gonna need a dehydrator. The air here is far too moist, the weather is humid and its been raining on and off. I've had to throw out a few of my peppers as they have grown mold.
 
I do need to collect the seeds, not from all of them but I do want some of each.
 
I will only dry small batches at once just to see how it goes and how they turn out. The naga 7's I have so far dry much better than the yellow morugas. All my yellow morguas have rotted while the naga7 has dried just fine. The walls of the moruga are 3 times thicker though so I imagine they retain moisture for longer thus taking longer to dry and rotting because the air is too moist.
 
I have had success drying some on paper towels in the kitchen but they took about 3 weeks and aren't completely dry just yet.
 
Cut them in half. Period.
Now you have twice as many pods. lol
When (if) you get a dehydrator, place the halved pods skin side down. It will not allow mold to grow and should be powder-ready in mere hours. Even just hanging them, cutting them in half will cut the dry time by 75%. Remove the seeds, or don't. Doesn't matter. I would before grinding into powder but thats just me. :D
 
I let thin walled peppers such as cayennes air dry. Thicker walled peppers will get mold unless you cut or dehydrate them. Dehydrators are definitely worth the investment. I mostly use one to dry my peppers. I also make spicy beef jerky with the dehydrator and other things.
 
unless whole dried pods are needed for resale purposes.... +++++ to cutting the pods in half!  Or More!!!  They take up less space in a dehydrator, dry faster by air or in the dehydrator.....
 
 
Depending on what the final purpose of the dried chillis are, you could run the fresh pods through a food processor slicer attachment and fit even more material in less space in the dehydrator.  Sliced chiles dry really well with all the surface area.
 
 
 
 
 
In thinking about why non-commercial processors dry chile pods, I can't think of any reason why a regular person would want to dry whole pods for home use.  They are going to be ground up anyway....so just cut 'em in half (or slice 'em), get 'em dry and the grind 'em to a powder or flake as desired.
 
Maybe if a person were doing some gift bottles of infused oils, maybe they'd what whole pods.  Other than that???  :shrug: 
 
I dry whole pods all the time. I prefer whole pods over broken up ones. I decide what I do with them later, which could include eating the whole dry pod or infusing it in alcohol or oil.
 
Awesome, cheers for the information guys!
 
Most, if not all the dried peppers, will be going into powders and flakes.
 
If I wanted to infuse them with alcohol and oil, do I do it with fresh pods? I have a bottle of smirnof vodka with two 7 nagas and a yellow bhut in there. I was told it will work because the alcohol will kill any organisms in there which could cause bacteria growth.
 
I'd also like to do the same with oil, I just need a large enough bottle to be able to jam half peppers into. Its useable and also looks cool!
 
My dehydrator(an el cheapo) should arrive in two days :D I'll also use it to dry some peach and apricots and maybe down the track I'll give some beef jerky a try.
 
If I had my peppers in the dehydrator at the same time as fruit, will the fruit take on the heat or fragrance of the pepper?
 
I prefer dried peppers for infusing (oils, alcohol, etc.) less water in the pods. Water and oil don't mix. lol
I have never dried peppers and fruit at the same time, but what would the harm be with chile infused banana chips? Hahaha
 
I too use a dehydrator.  Cut pods in half, then put them skin side down and let them dry.  Also, depending on the peppers being dehydrated, you may want to do it outside.  I do the Caribbean Reds indoors, and the missus always yells as the lovely scent does radiate.......
 
I see you have already purchased a dehydrator. If you decide you like dehydrating peppers, want to do it on a larger scale, and are a DIY type person, might I suggest you take a look at these plans?
 
Enjoy!
 
fresh or dry pods will work in alcohol, and it's best to have at least a slit in the pods so the alcohol can get in contact will all the surface area of the chile.  For oils, it's best to use only dry chiles.  If using fresh pods, especially whole pods, there is a chance of Nasties growing inside the pod even if it's submerged in oil.  THe oil will leach the capsaicinoids and flavor out of the dry chiles just fine.    
 
salsalady said:
THe oil will leach the capsaicinoids and flavor out of the dry chiles just fine.
+1

CJ gently warms the chiles and oils (to 180° F maybe?) on the stove before dumping it all in a bottle to marinate. I would never even consider using fresh chiles in oil. Yech!
 
Alright guys my dehydrator came today. The unit goes 35 to 70c. Whats optimal for peppers and how long should it go for
 
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