Dehydration, Slow Cooks, and Long Bakes and Roasts

These processes take time, but a range of plug-in countertop appliances have been designed to make it possible, and potentially safer, to set and forget these 4-, 6-, 8-, or 12-hour preparations while at work or asleep.

Dehydration is used widely in raw cooking, but is also a great way to achieve a nice dry, crisp texture for crackers, crisps, and even fruit chips or kale chips. In order to remove the water from these without cooking, burning, or removing the color too much, the items should be spread in single layers, often with airflow above and below, and heated at a low temperature (typically 70°F to 100°F), for 8 to 24 hours, depending on the food.