Serves: 5

The Sun Oven can also be used as a food dehydrator. To do so simply turn the metal latches inward and let the glass door rest on them. This will allow the moisture to escape. I used pizza pans to dehydrate the tomatoes in the picture. They are kept separated by two custard cups. Cooling racks would probably work well, too. The important thing is to leave room for the air to circulate.

Once you've devised a way to fit the food in the cooking chamber, the trick is to keep the temperature low enough to dry it without cooking it. This is done by keeping the Sun Oven focused away from the sun and repositioning it every half hour or so to ensure that it stays that way. You'll actually need to keep an eye on it more than when you're cooking.

In my (somewhat limited) experience of Sun Oven dehydrating, the top layer will be done faster than the bottom. I remove the dry pieces and consolidate what's left as the day goes on, and if need be, I close the Sun Oven up at night and finish the process the next day. It has never taken more than two days to dehydrate a full batch; making solar food drying a perfect weekend project.

More Recipes from the Sun Oven Cooking Cookbook:
Assorted Solar Dried Fruits
Dehydrating Food using the Sun Oven
Solar Baked Crackers
Solar Dried Zucchini