Hi there,

I'm sure these will be absolutely stupid questions ~ but I can't figure out the answers and haven't comfortably found answers when I've tried searching...

1) Cashews ... I've read that soaking nuts is advised to release and remove the enzyme inhibitors but that, because cashews are so processed before they ever reach our markets, they can't be considered "raw." I've read that buying cashew pieces means you can not be purchasing "live" food. I've read that soaking cashews does / does not benefit digestibility... Regardless, I have soaked (6 hrs.) whole "raw" cashews and after thoroughly rinsing, put them in my dehydrator (bought from Gander Mtn. 2 months ago) at 105-degrees for24 hrs. Have I needlessly used electrical energy on the cashews? ?"ruined" their live-ness? ??? your input will be appreciated!

2) Bananas ... We absolutely love bananas and with family members spread across several states, take off on week-end trips somewhat regularly. So I thought to make "neat" (tidy, no-mess) snacks and using an egg-slicer to get slice-regularity, cut up 3 bunches of bananas that I put in the dehydrator at approx. 100 degrees for 24 hrs. (The dehydrator has a dial with marked temp points allowing it to be turned up/down.) At the end of that time I tried cooled 'nana pieces and they were sweet but kind of gummy-chewey. So I tried additional amounts of time...still chewey at +4 hrs., +8 hrs., +12 hrs... Do banana slices become crispy like potato chips in a dehydrator -- or am I doing something wrong???

3) Jennifer Cornbleet's almond - mock tuna...uses sunflower seeds and almonds that have been soaked. Has anyone tried this? Before I got the dehydrator, my SAD-family said they didn't care for the taste of the pate because it had a moldy flavor. I've been micro-attentive to Jennifer's recipe wanting to make foods that will please and gradually win over my SAD husband and children. So I've put the almonds and sunflowers (post soaking) through 12 hrs. in the dehydrator before making the pate. And added a few additional seasonings to the pate. But what I am concerned to know is: does this dehydration remove the live-ness of these nuts/seeds? and does it reduce the healthfulness of the pate?

I know this is a bunch of stuff. I've kind of been thrashing around in going raw self-education for months, now and I so want to "do it right" and fix meals and snacks that will be truly enjoyed by my family. So I do thank you for your input and again, I apologize for asking such potentially basic questions. But I have a great respect for what seems to be the experience and knowledge of members of this board and will look forward to your help.

thanks very much!!! ;-}

ps.....after wroking my "normal" Oster blender into the ground on green drinks, (etc.) finally saved enough to order the Vitamix 4200 and I am really looking forward to it! :~)

hi 1 student

i'm not sure if my input will be of any use or even desirable
but since u asked
i thought i'd just say that
i think dehydators are very controversial
i've heard how dehydrating things for long periods of time makes them moldy
i've also heard that due to this fact some people increase the temperature beyond what is considered the range for enyzmes being intact
yet some people will defend this higher range and say that it is necessary so as to not create mold

so... overall

i avoid dehydrators completely
and i just have a food processor ( which duels as a blender)
and a juicer

and that's it

i never dehydrate things

i think bananas are best eaten raw
when u make them into those potato like things

something just doesn't seem right or even fair ( i know that sounds silly but.. whatevs)

as for the cashew thing
yeah, most of them have been steamed and they label them raw anyhow.. god knows why .. i sure don't because they are blatantly cooked

if u want them raw.. u can get the from a raw food distributor
maybe ask them what process they use to get rid of the toxin before you get them

i love raw cashews without the dehydration because they are so beautifully mellow sweet and delicious tantalizing

i do believe that your dehydrating cooked cashews labeled raw just rendered them totally lifeless

but then again, they were probably lifeless to begin with

as far as sunflower pates go

i love making sunflower pates

but i would never dehydrate them ( don't have a dehydrator anyways)

i process the sunflower til they are like a powdery texture

then as a pate you can add flaxseed oil or hemp oil or whatever oil

and you can also add lemon juice, garlic, or whatever else spices

you can use it as a dip for vegetables like celery, goes great with red bell pepper

or it can be a pate for a lettuce wrap

look at Trive's lettuce wrap recipes.. they are great

anyhow.. not sure if i answered your questions satisfactorily

but this is my best response

dehydrators and dehydrated food aren't morally "bad" or anything

its just that

for me, i can never know that all those hours of not so hot heat under moist conditions will not produce mold

and also it takes out the water from the food
and it just seems like it is so much more difficult for the system to digest as a result of that

that is just my opinion

if you are using a typical egg slicer like the one im thinking then your banana slices were too thick .. the thinner the slice the crisper it will be its something you really need to play with

LaV brings up alot of good points

but they are fun to play around with

I learned about them many years ago and spent many years dehydrating and storing alot of food

looking back it seems like an awful lot of time spent , had i just ate it when i needed it i might have done something different with my time

well least i wasnt out at the bar getting drunk

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Hello...I think your problem with the banana chips is the type of bananas you are using. I purchase whole dried bananas from my health food store that have a chewy consistency. I think this is because the natural sugar and fiber content of the fruit keep them this way. Most other store purchased banana chips, for example the thick kind that are highly sugared and hard, are perhaps made from the green plantain bananas. They are harder and less sweet than regular bananas and can be sliced thinner because of these atributes. Keep in mind that sugar, natural or added, acts as a humecticant <-(spelling?) which keeps foods soft. As far as "truely raw" nuts, seeds, beans, and grains go, find a reputable dealer or health food store to purchase from...I hope this helps...Diana

1Student,

As for the bananas: I think those who say they were too thick are correct--if they're 1/4 inch thick or so, you'd have to dehydrate them much longer to eliminate enough moisture to get them crisp. Also, most commercially sold banana chips have been heat dehydrated, so they have a partly "baked" texture.

As for Jennifer Cornbleet's Mock Tuna: I have tried it and it seems to work well. The almonds and sunflower seeds must be as raw and fresh as possible. They need to soak for only a few hours(6-8) and then be rinsed well and air dried for a couple more. As long as the ambient air is dry and not too warm, this shouldn't result in mold.

As for dehydrating, in general: A raw foods dehydrator, such as an Excalibur, operates without producing much heat; it merely circulates warm air. So theoretically, things that are alive when they go in, are still alive but devoid of most moisture, when they come out. There are debates about whether dehydrated food is still truly alive or static, but we do know that most of the vitamins and co-factors, as well as enzymes, remain viable after properly done dehydration. The trick to it is to not dehydrate at a high enough temp to actually induce cooking, and to not dehydrate for a long enough time to induce mold growth. Low temps are not sufficiently high enough to kill/retard growth of pathogens, so the process itself must be quick. This is a dilemma, because dehydrating quickly seems to require high temps, as cooking quickly does. Here is the way around this:

[www.discountjuicers.com]

Lastly, as for cashews: Cashews have an impenetrable husk that is difficult to remove without steaming or chemical processing. Thus, there are few suppliers of truly raw cashews that have been painstakingly manually husked. They are expensive, but delicious, and can be found at raw foods websites like Sunfood or Natural Zing or Raw Guru, etc. Caution: raw cashews that have not been at least sundried can be toxic due to a resin they contain, which is neutralized by heat processing. So try to source ones that have been processed in the sun.

Good luck with everything : )

Tam that was interesting the article from Excalibur about the temperatures thanks for that !

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Jodi,

You are welcome! It's squirreled away in a series of links in the Marketplace section of this very site. I found it a couple of years ago when researching what dehydrator to buy because I, too, was worried about whether I was trading proper nutrition in for a neato gadget I might end up not using. I seldom use it, it's true, but when I do I am comforted to know I'm not eating dead things : )

1Student Wrote:


> 1) Cashews ... I've read that soaking nuts is
> advised to release and remove the enzyme
> inhibitors .... Have I needlessly used
> electrical energy on the cashews? ?"ruined" their
> live-ness? ???

Because most of what I prepare is usually on a whim and on the spur of the moment, I do not soak cashews or any nuts for that matter. The recipes come out fine and I do not notice any digestive challenges. Also, there are some recipes that specifically tell you to use unsoaked cashews.


> 2) Bananas ...they were sweet but kind of gummy-chewey.
> ... Do banana slices become
> crispy like potato chips in a dehydrator -- or am
> I doing something wrong???

I never tried getting crisp bananas in the dehydrator. What I have done is place them mashed and in a relatively thin layer to make a fruit leather. It ends up somewhat gummy-chewey while serving its purpose to eat as is or roll something into the strips.

> 3) Jennifer Cornbleet's almond - mock tuna
> ... what I am concerned to know is: does this dehydration remove the
> live-ness of these nuts/seeds? and does it reduce
> the healthfulness of the pate?

I've never thought about this, but I doubt this would have much if any of a negative impact.

> I've kind of been thrashing around in going raw self-education
> for months, now and I so want to "do it right" and
> fix meals and snacks that will be truly enjoyed by
> my family.

Just a suggestion: Don't be too obssessed about the nutrient content and quality of every single item in your ingredient list. Likely, you are doing much better than you were up until recently. Your body will be more than happy to show it's gratitude for the little or tremendous dietary progress made and it will be reflected externally as part of the new you.

Wishing you vibrant health