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DRYING BY
ARTIFICIAL HEAT
Drying by artificial heat is done in the oven or on top of a
cookstove or range, in trays suspended over the stove or in a specially
constructed drier built at home or purchased.
When drying with artificial heat a thermometer must be used. This
should be placed in the drier and frequently observed.
OVEN DRYING
The simplest form of Oven Drying is to place small
quantities of foodstuffs on plates in a slow oven. In this way leftovers and
other bits of food may be saved for winter use with slight trouble and dried
while the top of the stove is being used. This is especially effective for
sweet corn. A few sweet potatoes, apples or peas, or even a single turnip,
may be dried and saved. To keep the heat from being too great leave the oven
door partially open. For oven use a simple tray may be made of galvanized
wire screen of convenient size, with the edges bent up for an inch or two on
each side. At each corner this tray should have a leg an inch or two in
length, to hold it up from the bottom of the oven and permit circulation of
air around the product.
An oven drier which can be bought at a low price is shown in Fig. 5
.
Fig. 5. Commercial drier for use in oven. |
Fig. 6. Commercial drier which may be
placed on top of cookstove or suspended over a lamp.
DRYING ON TOP OF
OR OVER STOVE
An effective Drier for use over a stove
or range may be made easily at home. Such a Drier is shown in Fig. 9. For
the frame use strips of wood 1/2-inch thick and 2 inches wide. The trays or
shelves are made of galvanized wire screen of small mesh tacked to the
supports; or separate trays, sliding on strips attached to the framework,
are desirable. This Drier may be suspended from the ceiling over the kitchen
stove or range, or over an oil, gasoline, or gas stove, and it may be used
while cooking is being done. If an oil stove is used there must be a tin or
galvanized iron bottom 4 inches below the lowest tray, to prevent the fumes
of the oil from reaching and passing through the material which is be dried,
an to distribute the heat. A bottom of this kind may be easily attached to
any Drier, either home-made or commercial. A framework crane as shown in
Fig. 9 makes it possible for this Drier to be swung aside when not in use.
In Fig. 8 is shown another form of Homemade Cookstove Drier, more
pretentious than that shown in Fig. 9, but still easily and cheaply made. A
good size for this is: base, 16 by 24 inches; height, 36 inches. The
lower part or supporting framework, 6 inches high, is made of galvanized
sheet iron, slightly flaring toward the bottom, and with two ventilating
holes in each of the four sides. The frame, which rests on this base, is
made of strips of wood 1 or 1-1/2 inches wide. Wooden strips, 1-1/4 inches
wide, and 3 inches apart, serve to brace the sides and furnish supports for
the trays.
Fig. 7. Commercial drier for use on stove. |
