I make a chili sauce that I want to turn in to a seasoning.
I’ve made a few batches by spreading the sauce out on silicon sheets in a thin layer and baking it at a low temperature until it dries. Then I peel the dried sauce and blend/crush it until it reaches a powder like consistency.
This works well for small batches (though still not ideal), but it doesn’t scale well. If I’m trying to make a big batch, is there a way that would allow me to make more than 2 sheets at a time? Perhaps a technique where the layer of sauce doesn’t have to be so thin? I’m open to ideas and experiments.
I tried using a Nesco dehydrator – the top layers would dry, but be very difficult/impossible to peel off. The lower levels in the dehydrator don’t get hot enough to fully dry the sauce out.
Thanks in advance!
Best Answer
Ask around for someone who has an Excalibur or similar style tray dehydrator. One of these coupled with a silicone (or siliconized) sheet on each tray should get you where you want to be. You might want to add a thickening agent of some sort if your recipe does not have one already.
Why this style? The fan is across the back of the machine and blows evenly across all of the trays instead of the fan on top down through the middle type like the Nesco.
Good luck.