Animal, Nature, and Travel: Taste-bud Journey: Dehydrated Green Beans in Dehydrator vs Oven

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for dehydrating green beans in the dehydrator versus in the oven. It was inspired by watching several tutorial YouTube videos. After making the recipe for the first time, I since found the two videos I included near the end of this blog that had inspired me to not only try using my oven instead of the dehydrator, but I made a couple of further changes, as well, that thankfully, turned out much more successfully.

Conclusion: When dehydrating French Green Beans, I probably will always do this in the oven instead of the dehydrator as those thin stalks dehydrated a lot more successfully in the oven. The only other change to the recipe is that I think I will not only drain a can of green beans in the future, I will also rinse them well to try to rid them of the salt used by the manufacturer. That way, the only salt in this recipe will be the sea salt that I add.

VERSUS

Recipe

1 can of green beans.
1 tablespoon of onion flakes. (FYI - I used a lot more than that and regretted it afterward.)
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. (FYI - I used a lot more than that and regretted it afterward.)
2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour.
About 1 tablespoon of Sunflower oil
Cooking oil to season the dehydrator tray or oven cooking tray.

Please note: I got way carried away with the seasonings. Therefore, I have listed the amounts I should have used rather than what I mistakenly did.

Procedure that I should have done rather than the mistakes I made the first time around. I am only going to list the correct procedure rather than my mishaps.

Step 1: Open a can of green beans and drain them completely. Rinse the green beans to rid them of the salt used by the manufacturer. Then, allow them to air dry.

Step 2: In a flat container, mix together the whole wheat flour, sea salt, and onion flakes.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, stir in one tablespoon of cooking oil such as sunflower oil or oil of your choice. Stir until each green bean is coated with that liquid.

Step 4: Add the green beans to that container. Stir and mix together until you feel that each green bean is coated with the dry mixture, as well.

Step 5: Lightly coat the tray you will be using to dehydrate the green beans. If you are dehydrating them using a dehydrator, then season the mesh tray. If you are dehydrating them in the oven, then lightly season the silicone sheet you have used to line the cookie tray with.

Step 6: Spread out the green beans as much as possible on one or more trays. As much as possible, make them as flat as possible. In other words, try to make certain that there are no green beans piled on top of other green beans.

Step 7A: If you are dehydrating them in the dehydrator, set the temperature to 125 degrees Fahrenheit and dry for about 9 hours. You'll know they are done when they are crispy and dry to the touch.

Step 7B: If you are dehydrating them in the oven, set the temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. You'll know they are done when they are crispy and dry to the touch.

Step 8: Allow the green beans to cool completely before adding them to a storage container. Place an oxygen absorber in that container to help keep the green beans fresh and dry.

Step 9: Eat and enjoy! [FYI - Be sure to drink lots of water during and/or after eating these to prevent dehydration of your body. After all, all the liquid has been cooked out of the vegetables.]

Please note: In my opinion, the oven-dried French green bean chips came out way better than when dried in the dehydrator. I think this was partly because French Green Beans have such a thin stalk to begin with.

Check out the video for three different flavors of crispy green beans chips made by 'The Funky Spork.' I wish I had seen this particular video before making my recipe the first time; however, I think my recipe has promise, as well, as long as I don't over-salt the second time around.

Here is another video I found, after the fact, about baking crispy green bean chips. I am feeling extra inspired. I found it on a site called 'Tastemade by Jen Phanomrat.' It will open in a new window.

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.