powder-flake Will frozen peppers produce good powders.

Sizzle Lips · Jan 18, 2016

I have an excessive amount of frozen peppers in the freezer...I want to use some up for dehydrating and making more powders.....
I usually dehydrate from fresh picked peppers....and powders are always good......will the frozen pods produce close to the same results as fresh pods do.
If so I guess just let them thaw and dehydrate as i always do.

romy6 · Jan 18, 2016

Yes they actually dry better frozen in IMHO .

SmokenFire · Jan 18, 2016

romy6 said:
Yes they actually dry better frozen in IMHO .

Agreed

Sizzle Lips · Jan 18, 2016

Thats what I like about this place.....thanks for the quick response guys......so you guys say they dry well....what about flavor or heat loss.....nothing to worry about.

rghm1u20 · Jan 18, 2016

romy6 said:
Yes they actually dry better frozen in IMHO .

SmokenFire said:
Agreed

Have you experienced this? How did you do: dehydrate the defrosted peppers, or you put them like this, frozen, into dehydrator?

romy6 · Jan 18, 2016

Sizzle Lips said:
Thats what I like about this place.....thanks for the quick response guys......so you guys say they dry well....what about flavor or heat loss.....nothing to worry about.

I see no heat loss at all

rghm1u20 said:
Have you experienced this? How did you do: dehydrate the defrosted peppers, or you put them like this, frozen, into dehydrator?

I wash them off in warm water and they thaw out in a matter of minutes . Then straight to my smoker for a bit ( you can skip this step ) and then I dehydrate at 100 for many days . Slower the less color loss .

rghm1u20 · Jan 18, 2016

romy6 said:
I see no heat loss at all

I wash them off in warm water and they thaw out in a matter of minutes . Then straight to my smoker for a bit ( you can skip this step ) and then I dehydrate at 100 for many days . Slower the less color loss .

Thanks for the answer.
How long is that "a bit" in the smoker?

sirex · Jan 18, 2016

Put a tray in the bottom to catch excess water. No matter how well you dry and drain there will be some excess.

romy6 · Jan 18, 2016

rghm1u20 said:
Thanks for the answer.
How long is that "a bit" in the smoker?

For me doing it my geeerage cause my wife and kids would ban me if I did it inside about 5 to 7 days ( very humid where i live ) . So many factors though . If you can crumble it in your fingers it is ready to grind.

Never had any excess water ever when dehydrating .

Scorched · Jan 18, 2016

I've got an entire chest freezer full of super hots I'm about to dehydrate myself. Have never done frozen pods. My cheap dehydrator gave up the ghost last year so I froze all this years pods. Just got a new Nesco Gardenmaster 1000 watt. Have 6 trays and going to see how many that holds. Might order a couple more trays. Want to get another dehydrator before next harvest season so I have 2 going full steam. Going to see how this Nesco works. Going to run it in the basement.

Does color really matter with frozen pods? Colors are already a bit washed out especially yellow and white pods.

pepperguy1 · Jan 18, 2016

Scorched said:
I've got an entire chest freezer full of super hots I'm about to dehydrate myself. Have never done frozen pods. My cheap dehydrator gave up the ghost last year so I froze all this years pods. Just got a new Nesco Gardenmaster 1000 watt. Have 6 trays and going to see how many that holds. Might order a couple more trays. Want to get another dehydrator before next harvest season so I have 2 going full steam. Going to see how this Nesco works. Going to run it in the basement.

Does color really matter with frozen pods? Colors are already a bit washed out especially yellow and white pods.

You might want to get a gas mask with that many peppers all at one time. :doh:

Your basement is going to be a real hot zone. :tear:

Sizzle Lips · Jan 18, 2016

Scorched said:
I've got an entire chest freezer full of super hots I'm about to dehydrate myself. Have never done frozen pods. My cheap dehydrator gave up the ghost last year so I froze all this years pods. Just got a new Nesco Gardenmaster 1000 watt. Have 6 trays and going to see how many that holds. Might order a couple more trays. Want to get another dehydrator before next harvest season so I have 2 going full steam. Going to see how this Nesco works. Going to run it in the basement.

Does color really matter with frozen pods? Colors are already a bit washed out especially yellow and white pods.

I have the Nesco Professional dehydrator....which is only 700 watts...had it three years now and use it steady for powders and jerky....came with 5 trays and I bought 4 more,they say 9 max.
I have run that thing loaded with all nine trays and it performed amazingly well....because of their patented converge a flow technology you dont have to rotate trays....but i still do....this dehydrator has been the cats azz so far. :dance:

pepperguy1 said:
You might want to get a gas mask with that many peppers all at one time. Your basement is going to be a real hot zone.

I do mine in the basement.......what a beautiful smell.

Rymerpt · Jan 18, 2016

I have a rinky dink walmart dehydrator that I use in the house. If the family no likey the smell they can just lump it.

D3monic · Jan 18, 2016

learn something new every day

geeme · Jan 18, 2016

Agree - how long it takes in either a smoker or dehydrator is almost anybody's guess. I use a dehydrator set at 90F to retain color. Both general humidity in your area and your house (like if you run a humidifier in the winter) play a role. So does the thickness of the chile pod walls - jalapenos have thick walls, as an example, so generally take longer to dry than thin-walled varieties like most chinenses. Also, in addition to a dehydrator's fan, is there much additional air flow in the area? A good breeze, whether from outdoors or a fan in the room, will make a difference. Agree also that the pods need to be brittle - easily crumble in your hand - before they're ready.

Burning Colon · Jan 18, 2016

it is how i have done it for years. sometimes it has taken 2 years to get enough pods to make a powder.

my naga and fatalii powders are killer. i get the tiny little vials from the dollar store and give them to the international workers my wife works with that claim they can't find peppers hot enough in canada.

i use the nesco fd80 dehydrator.

salsalady · Jan 19, 2016

it has been mentioned, but I want to reiterate to put a plastic tray (like what usually comes with the dehyrator for fruit leather) on the bottom tray when dehydrating frozen chiles, then stack trays of chiles on top of that.

When fresh pods are dehyrated, the moisture comes out at a more controlled rate over several days. When frozen pods defrost, they drop a TON of liquid all at once, it can get into the dehydrator motor, all over the counter, can even ruin the motor if enough liquid gets into the motor.

Another option is to let the peppers defrost in a colander and pitch the liquid. Or defrost in the refer in the ziploc freezer bags, then just open the bag and drain the liquid before putting into the dryer.

Lower temps will keep the color better if that is important. Oterwise, go for a bit higher temp and get 'em done quick.

Scorched · Jan 19, 2016

salsalady said:
it has been mentioned, but I want to reiterate to put a plastic tray (like what usually comes with the dehyrator for fruit leather) on the bottom tray when dehydrating frozen chiles, then stack trays of chiles on top of that.

When fresh pods are dehyrated, the moisture comes out at a more controlled rate over several days. When frozen pods defrost, they drop a TON of liquid all at once, it can get into the dehydrator motor, all over the counter, can even ruin the motor if enough liquid gets into the motor.

Another option is to let the peppers defrost in a colander and pitch the liquid. Or defrost in the refer in the ziploc freezer bags, then just open the bag and drain the liquid before putting into the dryer.

Lower temps will keep the color better if that is important. Oterwise, go for a bit higher temp and get 'em done quick.

That's one of the reasons I bought the Nesco Gardenmaster 1040. The fan is at the top. Figured wouldn't have to worry about stuff dripping down into the motor with the Nesco. I'll still take our advice and put the fruit rollup tray that came with it in the bottom.

AJ Drew · Jan 19, 2016

Our health official encourages freezing before dehydrating, but I think he is stuck on rules for jerky making.

sirex · Jan 19, 2016

Your humidity plays a huge role as well. I'm in Central FL sonits always suuuuuper high. I've tried out doors and its good for starting and getting a good amount of the smell out but its almost imperative that I finish inside if in want to ensure maximum water removal.