Dried Rosemary on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

I tend to be a dry-herb kind of guy, but sometimes a recipe needs fresh instead. To keep from wasting any unused fresh herbs I just toss them onto my Nesco Snackmaster Pro dehydrator and let them dry for later use. I needed rosemary for a dish I was making (rosemary grilled potatoes, using the rosemary as a skewer!), and had a few sprigs left. I could’ve kept the rosemary intact, but I opted to remove it from the sprigs instead. You can do it either way, there’s no way to really screw up dried rosemary on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro.

Dried Rosemary on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

I keep the dried rosemary made on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro in air-tight containers. So I remember what is what, I write the contents on a small piece of blue painter’s masking tape. The tape is great for marking items, dry or in the freezer or wherever. It peels off so easily, you never have to worry about fussing with it. I use the same tape to keep track of the trays in my dehydrator. Often you have to rotate them, and numbering them makes sure I do it correctly.

You can dry any fresh herbs in the Nesco Snackmaster Pro. Like cilantro, dill and basil.

Dried Rosemary on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro
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Dried Rosemary on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

Course Dehydrator
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Author Mike

Ingredients

  • Fresh rosemary

Instructions

  • Rinse the rosemary to remove any foreign material.
  • Dry well with kitchen towels.
  • Optionally: remove the rosemary from the sprigs
  • Place onto the Nesco Snackmaster Pro trays. Do not let the sprigs overlap.
  • Dry at 95 F for 6-8 hours. Rotate the trays every hour or so.
  • If drying whole sprigs, remove the rosemary from them.
  • Store in an air-right container.

Smoked Habanero Flake on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

Not too long ago I made a fantastic batch of red pepper flake using my dehydrator, a Nesco Snackmaster Pro. I use the spicy flakes on just about everything. But, I thought, nothing wrong with making an even tastier, hotter version. So I grabbed a big bag of red habaneros and proceeded to make smoked habanero flake on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro.

Smoked Habanero Flake on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

Smoking the habaneros, though not required, gives the flakes a fantastic slightly-smoky flavor and aroma, much more complex than if you just ground dried habaneros. And oh, yes, these flakes are mighty hot. You have to be careful handling the peppers, and trust me, when you grind them, do NOT put your face over the grinder when you remove the lid. I speak the truth here, it’ll get you! This is the real deal here. Wear rubber cloves if you have issues handling hot peppers. This smoked habanero flake on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro mean business!

I like to load up my dehydrator. To do that I picked up a handful of extra trays. They really add a whole lot more drying space! Since I have to rotate my trays, I write a number on each one on a piece of blue painter’s tape so I can keep track of them.

Smoked Habanero Flake on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro
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Smoked Habanero Flake on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

Smoking the habaneros, though not required, gives the flakes a fantastic slightly-smoky flavor and aroma, much more complex than if you just ground dried habaneros. And oh, yes, these flakes are mighty hot.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword dehydrator, nesco snackmaster pro, peppers, smoked
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 14 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 14 hours 40 minutes
Servings 1 pound
Calories 363kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds habaneros ripe, any color, preferably all roughly the same size

Instructions

  • Fire up your smoker. Add a few chunks of stronger wood, such as hickory. Do not use a fruity wood such as apple, peach, etc.
  • Add the habaneros to the smoker and smoke for 2 hours. You’re not looking to dry them (though you could given plenty of time), just get a nice smoke flavor.
  • Remove the habaneros and transfer to your dehydrator, set to 165 F.
  • Dry the habaneros until crispy, 8-12 hours (or more if they are large, less if they are smaller). Rotate the trays every 2 hours to ensure even drying.
  • Remove the habaneros and let cool slightly.
  • Remove the stems from the peppers.
  • Working in batches, transfer the peppers to a spice grinder with blades (do not use a burr grinder) and grind until the desired sized flakes are achieved.
  • Store in an air-tight container.
  • Note: The flakes will be mighty hot, so use sparingly.

Notes

You’ll need a smoker (wood, charcoal, or electric), a dehydrator, and a spice grinder (I use a blade-style coffee grinder) to make these smoked habanero flakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 2921mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 8636IU | Vitamin C: 1304mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 9mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Raisins on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

I’ve been having a blast with my new dehydrator from Nesco. I’ve been making a lot of jerky, so I figured I’d take a break and make something different. And that different is raisins on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro. They take a few days to dehydrate, but boy are they fantastic! Tender and sweet. Soooooo much better than store-bought.

Raisins on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

Raisins on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro are fun to make and eat! You can fit about a pound of grapes per tray (outfitted with screens). You should rotate the trays every few hours to guarantee even drying, but be careful rotating the trays when you first start out. Them lil grapes like to roll around!

After 2 days the smaller grapes may be dried completely, so check through the trays for any that are done.

Did you know that you can also make Fig Newtons on your Nesco Snackmaster Pro? They take a while, but boy are they ever great!

Raisins on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro
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5 from 1 vote

Raisins on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

They take a few days to dehydrate, but boy are they fantastic! Tender and sweet. Soooooo much better than store-bought.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword dehydrator, grapes, nesco snackmaster pro, raisins
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 days
Total Time 3 days 15 minutes
Servings 1 cup
Calories 313kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ripe grapes

Instructions

  • Remove the stems from the grapes.
  • Rinse under cold water.
  • Pat the grapes dry. The drier, the better.
  • Place grapes onto the dehydrator screens. Try to not let them touch.
  • Close the dehydrator and turn onto high.
  • Dehydrate on high for 24 hours, rotating the trays every 2 hours or so. Don’t fret if you don’t rotate the trays at night while you’re sleeping!
  • Turn the dehydrator down to 135 F and continue drying for a total of 3 days, rotating the trays every 2 hours or so. I like to move the grapes around a bit as they are drying to keep them from sticking to the screens.

Notes

You can fit about a pound of grapes per tray in the Nesco Snackmaster Pro. Do not overcrowd the grapes.

Nutrition

Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 866mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 299IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Bell Pepper Powder on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

Although I truly do love making jerky on my dehydrator. it’s actually not the main reason I bought it. I got it to dry herbs and vegetables to make my own spice mixes. This bell pepper powder made on my Nesco Snackmaster Pro dehydrator was my first attempt, and boy, is it ever amazing.

Bell Pepper Powder on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro


I cannot wait to use this bell pepper powder on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro in everything from omelets to chili. It has a great peppery sweetness to it. You could easily substitute it for black pepper in a lot of cases.

After drying the chopped peppers for 24 hours I ground them using a blade coffee grinder (not the burr grinder). Not all of the peppers would go thru the grinder (they were still a bit moist) so I returned them to the dehydrator for just a bit.

The final product went into Mason jars with lids and then vacuum-sealed using a jar attachment for a vacuum sealer. You just have to remember that after you open the jar to remove some of the powder you’ll need to re-seal it. No big deal and well worth the effort.

Also try making poblano pepper powder and onion powder on your Nesco Snackmaster Pro. They’re as easy as easy gets!

Bell Pepper Powder on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro
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Bell Pepper Powder on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro

This bell pepper powder was my first attempt, and boy, is it ever amazing.
Course Seasoning
Cuisine American
Keyword bell pepper, dehydrator, nesco snackmaster pro
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 day
Total Time 1 day 15 minutes
Servings 1 cup
Calories 148kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 bell peppers I was able to fit approximately 2 peppers per Nesco Snackmaster Pro tray

Instructions

  • Set your dehydrator to 135 F.
  • Rinse the peppers. Remove the stems and seeds and cut into chunks. If you are not using screen trays you’ll want to cut fairly large pieces so they do not fall between the trays.
  • Dehydrate for 18-24 hours. Rotate the trays every 2 hours if possible.
  • Once all the peppers are dry and a bit crisp remove and let cool.
  • Process the peppers in the grinder until they form a fine powder. If some pieces of pepper do not grind return them to the dehydrator for another hour or so until crisp.
  • Keep the powder in an air-tight container. I place mine in a Mason jar, cover it, then use a vacuum-sealer attachment specifically for jars to remove all of the air.

Notes

You’ll need the following. A dehydrator with screen trays (I use a Nesco Snackmaster Pro), a blade coffee grinder (not a burr grinder) air-right containers or vacuum-sealed jars (I use a canning jar attachment on my vacuum sealer) additional trays, if required (my Nesco Snackmaster Pro came with 5, I purchased more so I can have 8 or more trays going at once).

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 1004mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 14904IU | Vitamin C: 608mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.