SO 375 - Food Dehydrator ECG - Free user manual and instructions

Product Type	Food Dehydrator
Brand	ECG
Model	SO 375
Dimensions (approx.)	30 x 25 x 20 cm
Net Weight	2.5 kg
Power Supply	220-240 V ~ 50/60 Hz
Power	500 W
Capacity	5 trays
Main Material	ABS plastic, stainless steel trays
Adjustable Temperature	From 35 °C to 70 °C
Built-in Timer	Up to 12 hours
Main Function	Homogeneous dehydration via vertical air circulation
Maintenance and Cleaning	Hand-washable trays, wipe with a damp cloth
Safety	Overheat Protection
Spare Parts	Replacement trays available

Frequently Asked Questions - SO 375 ECG

How to use the ECG SO 375 dehydrator for the first time?

Wash the trays with soapy water, rinse and dry. Place the food in thin layers, set the temperature and timer, then start.

What foods can be dehydrated with this model?

Fruits (apples, bananas), vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini), herbs, mushrooms, meat for jerky, etc. Cut into uniform pieces.

What temperature to choose for fruits?

Generally between 50 °C and 60 °C. For vegetables, 50 °C to 55 °C; for meat, 65 °C to 70 °C. Consult a dehydration guide.

How long does it take to dehydrate apples?

About 6 to 8 hours at 55 °C, depending on the thickness of the slices and humidity level.

Does the dehydrator make noise?

The fan emits a slight noise, similar to a small desk fan, which is normal.

How to clean the dehydrator after use?

Unplug the appliance, let it cool. Wash the trays with a soft sponge and dish soap, do not put them in the dishwasher. Wipe the base with a damp cloth.

Can I leave the dehydrator running overnight?

Yes, thanks to the programmable timer, you can set a duration and the appliance will stop automatically. Make sure it is on a stable surface and away from flammable materials.

How to know if the food is properly dehydrated?

They should be pliable but without visible moisture. For meat, it should be fibrous and dry. Let cool before testing.

Does the ECG SO 375 dehydrator come with an instruction manual?

Yes, a user manual is provided in the packaging. You can also download it as PDF from the manufacturer's website or platforms like notice-facile.com.

What to do if the food does not dry evenly?

Ensure the pieces are similar in size, do not overlap, and that air circulation is not obstructed. You can also swap the trays halfway through.

USER MANUAL SO 375 ECG

Exterior view of a transparent ECG portable food heater with cooling fans and control panel (no text or symbols on the device itself)

SO 375

CZ

SUŠIČKA OVOCE

NÁVOD K OBSLUZE

SK

SUŠIČKA OVOCIA

NÁVOD NA OBSLUHU

PL

SUSZARKA DO OWOCÓW

INSTRUKCJA OBSŁUGI

HU

GYÜMÖLCSSZÁRÍTÓ

HASZNÁLATI ÚTMUTATÓ

DE

OBSTTROCKNER

BEDIENUNGSANLEITUNG

GB

FRUIT DEHYDRATOR

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

HR/BIH

SUŠILICA ZA HRANU

UPUTE ZA UPORABU

SI

SUŠILEC ZA SADJE

NAVODILA

SR/MNE

DEHIDRATOR ZA VOĆE

UPUTSTVO ZA UPOTREBU

FR

DÉSHYDRATEUR DE FRUITS

IT

MODE D'EMPLOI

ES

ESSICCATORE DI FRUTTA

CZ

1. The dehydrator cover
2. ON/OFF button
3. Temperature control
4. 5 drying trays
5. Base

It is possible to purchase additional drying trays (up to maximum 9 trays may be added to the dehydrator).

HR/BIH

Do not immerse in water! – Neponořovat do vody!

SUŠENÍ

Read carefully and save for future use!

Warning: The safety measures and instructions, contained in this manual, do not include all conditions and situations possible. The user must understand that common sense, caution and care are factors that cannot be integrated into any product. Therefore, these factors shall be ensured by the user/s using and operating this appliance. We are not liable for damages caused during shipping, by incorrect use, voltage fluctuation or the modification or adjustment of any part of the appliance.

GB

To prevent fire or risk of electric shock, you should maintain basic precautions when using electrical appliances, including the following:

1. Make sure the voltage in your outlet corresponds to the voltage provided on the appliance label and that the socket is correctly grounded. The outlet must be installed in accordance with applicable electrical codes according to EN.
2. Do not use the food dehydrator, if the appliance or the power cord are damaged. All repairs including cord replacements shall be performed by a professional service centre! Do not remove protective covers of the appliance, risk of electric shock! Check the appliance and the power cord regularly before use.
3. Protect the appliance from direct sunlight, contact with water and other liquids, to prevent possible injury caused by electric shock. Never put it in a dishwasher!
4. Do not use the food dehydrator outdoors or in wet environment. Do not touch the power cord with wet hands. Risk of electric shock.

5. Do not use the food dehydrator close to inflammable objects or underneath them, e.g. close to curtains. The surface temperatures close to the food dehydrator may be higher than usual when it is in operation. Place the food dehydrator away from other objects in a way that ensures free air circulation, needed for its proper operation. Do not cover the appliance's openings, there is danger of overheating.

6. Do not place anything on the top of the dehydrator and do not move it until it cools down entirely.

7. The dehydrator is designed only to dry food, do not put anything inside the dehydrator (e.g. paper, plastics) and do not store anything inside!
8. We recommend that you do not leave the food dehydrator unattended while the power cord is plugged in. Disconnect the cord from the electrical outlet prior to performing maintenance. Do not pull the cord from the outlet by yanking the cord. Unplug the cord from the outlet by grasping the plug.
9. Do not allow the cord to touch hot surfaces or lead the cord over sharp edges.
10. Do not leave the food dehydrator unattended when in operation.
11. Do not operate the dehydrator without the top part. Only with this part is the proper air distribution throughout the individual trays assured. Always use the dehydrator with all 5 trays, even if some should stay empty of food to dry.
12. Pay closer attention when you use the food dehydrator near children. Never let the children handle the appliance by themselves, protect them from the risk of electric shock, an appliance is not a toy. Be careful that the power cord does not hang down.
13. Do not place the food dehydrator on a hot surface and do not use it close the a heat source (e.g. hot plate, stove, radiator, oven).
14. It is necessary to keep the appliance clean at all times, because it comes in direct contact with food!
15. The recommended time of the operation of the appliance is 40 hours maximum.
16. The appliance is not designed to be used with timers or any other remote control systems.
17. Use accessories only approved by the manufacturer, otherwise you risk voiding the warranty.
18. Use the appliance only in accordance with the instructions given in this manual. This food dehydrator is designed for home use only.

The manufacturer is not liable for damages caused by the improper use of this appliance.

1. The appliance may be used by children 8 years or older and by persons with reduced physical or mental capabilities, if they are under supervision or if they have been instructed in the use of the appliance in a safe manner and understand the potential risks. Children must not play with the appliance. Children must not carry our cleaning and maintenance of the appliance, unless they are 8 years or older and under supervision. Children younger than 8 years have to be kept away from the appliance and its power supply.

Do not immerse in water!

DEHYDRATION

Dehydration is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. Food contains more or less water, which we remove in the process of dehydration. In the same time, you remove the breeding ground for mold and decay. It is possible to keep the dehydrated foods for several years after proper drying and under good storage conditions. Removal of moisture from the foods concentrates the aromatic compounds, which makes the foods tastier. The preservation is done in a natural way without using preservatives. No vitamins and minerals are destroyed. Even if you use to can or freeze food, drying will expand your options of storing fruit, vegetables, mushrooms, herbs and teas and it will enrich your culinary knowledge. In our geographical conditions, drying of food on the sun can happen more by chance. When drying food in an electric or a gas oven, which is not designed for it, the food “sweats”, because of reduced air circulation, juice drips and the food sticks to the tray. Moreover, it is very difficult to clean the oven off the burned juice.

Your new food dehydrator is faster and more effective thanks to the system based on physics. The airflow after intake is evenly heated and distributed in order to remove moisture content from food prepared on each tray. The moist air is drained through the openings in the lid of the dehydrator. This system allows drying at all levels, however for the uniform drying of the contents in the entire dehydrator, it is necessary to alternate the order of the trays, because the most intense drying occurs at the bottom level. Just before the dehydration process is finished, it is advisable to check the quality of the dehydration visually and by touch. According to your consideration, it is possible to sort out the food and increase the drying time.

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

Fruit and vegetables for dehydration should be fresh and fully ripe. It is not possible to obtain good quality dried food from old, bruised, poor quality fruit. Unripe fruit lacks colour and flavour which cannot be improved by drying. Overripe fruit is hard and woody or soft and mushy. Dehydrate foods fresh, in time and in the same time. Clean and wash fruit before dehydration, so that it is clean and free of chemicals. Look the fruit over and discard any which are spoiled, mouldy or damaged, otherwise they might spoil the whole batch. Remember, that during drying you will smell the aroma of drying foods, which is not pleasant for everybody.

Before first use:

1. Remove all packaging material from the dehydrator.

2. Place the dehydrator on a stable and heat resistant surface, away from other heat sources. Choose a surface considering the fact that it is not suitable to move the dehydrator to another place during drying. The load capacity of the surface has to bear the weight of the dehydrator including the prepared contents. There has to be at least 15 cm of free space around the appliance to ensure proper operation of the dehydrator.

3. Assemble the new dehydrator and let it run without foods for approximately 30 minutes. Then wait, until the dehydrator cools down. Wash the trays and the lid of the dehydrator with warm water and wipe the base of the dehydrator from outside with wet cloth.

PROCESS

1. Wash and dry all the foods before you prepare them for drying. Select only undamaged foods for preparation for drying, cut out the damaged places. Remove pits and cores from the fruit. Prepared fruit should be ripe, but not overripe.
2. The drying process will be even when you slice the food in evenly thick slices (about 0.6 cm). Thin slices dry faster, but remember that the drying process reduces their size substantially. Place the unpeeled fruit peel down, with the cut side on top. Place the uneven shapes on the side with the peel, not on the cut side. Spread the vegetables evenly in a single layer. Dry the herbs very gently. Remove only the stem, do not slice the herbs any further. You have to turn leafy herbs during the drying process to prevent sticking.
3. Spread the pieces evenly on the dehydrator tray, do not put one on top of another and leave spaces between individual pieces. Use about 85% of each dehydrator tray area to ensure proper air circulation.

Note:

To prevent browning of some types of fruit, we recommend that you pretreat the fruit before drying by immersing it into a solution of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a cup of water, then dry it with paper towel. You can replace the lemon juice with pineapple juice or with commonly available vitamin C. Some fruits have natural protective wax coating, e.g. figs, plums, grapes, blueberries, etc.

Immerse them in boiling water for 1–2 minutes, drain and immerse immediately in cold water and dry off. Slice and dehydrate. Pores in the peel open and the drying will speed up.

Blanching

Most kinds of produce should be blanched before drying. Blanching limits any change to appearance and taste of the treated products. It is scalding or boiling of fruit and vegetables for a short time (1–5 minutes). Place the prepared produce (e.g. carrots, celery) in a wire basket or strainer and immerse it in a pot of boiling water. Dry completely before putting it in the dehydrator.

Blanching in a suitable solution helps to preserve the colour of apples, apricots, figs, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums. The result will be sweetened candied fruit. It is necessary to try the effectiveness of these methods.

You can soak fruit and vegetables in these solutions:

• Compared to other methods, lemon juice and pineapple juice are the natural way how to preserve colour.
- Sodium sulphite: Buy the product for food preparation in the pharmacy.
- Citric and ascorbic acid add "a sour taste of vitamin C" to the product.
- Blanching in boiling water or steam
- Blanching in juice will help to preserve the colour of apples, apricots, figs, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums. The result will be sweetened candied fruit.

1. Set the required drying temperature with the temperature control. The minimum number of trays to ensure proper drying is 5!

Types of food Recommended temperature
Flowers 35 – 40 °C
Herbs 40°C
Baked goods 40 – 50 °C
Vegetables 50 – 55 °C
Fruit (apples) 55 – 60 °C
Fruit (pears) 55 – 60 °C
Fruit (apricots, peaches, plums) 55 – 60 °C
Meat, fish 65 – 70 °C

The drying temperature is only approximate, it depends on the thickness of the slices, the water content in the foods and other factors. You have to try which setting suits you until you are satisfied with the dried products.

1. Switch the On button to position I.
2. The trays at the bottom part of the dehydrator are exposed to warmer and drier air and the product dries faster. It is therefore necessary to change the order of the trays during drying (divide the drying time in two changes). During the drying, which might take up to 24 hours (fruit with peel – cherries, plums) change the order of the trays every 3–4 hours to ensure even drying throughout the dehydrator). Change the trays approximately as shown in the picture and turn them to the side by a quarter turn to ensure even drying.

START

TURN

TURN

1. Before testing the product, remove a handful of food from the dehydrator and let it cool for a few minutes. The hot product seems to be softer, moister and more flexible than in cooled state. The product must be dry enough to prevent microorganisms from multiplying and spoilage. Dehydrated produce must be hard and brittle. Dehydrated fruit should be leathery and flexible. The home dried fruit should be drier for long term storage than the commercially available dried fruit.

Fruit – flexible

Produce – dry, brittle

Fungi – leathery to brittle

Herbs – crumbly

1. Switch the dehydrator off after finishing the drying process, unplug from the outlet and allow it to coool.

Table for drying some foods
Fruit

Sort Preparation method	Spec. pretreatment	Dryness test, surface	Drying time in hrs.
Apples cut slices or circles, remove core	yes flexible 4–15
Apricots	cut in halves or quaters	yes	flexible
Fresh pineapple	peel and slice circles	-	flexible
Canned pineapple	slice, dry off	-	leathery
Ripe bananas	cut into 4 mm round slices or strips 4 mm thick	-	brittle, crisp
Pears	remove the core, cut in half or slice	yes	flexible, leathery
Strawberries	cut in half, small ones whole	yes	not dewy
Plums	halves or whole, with the pit or without	- flexible 5–24
Grapes incise, preferably a seedless kind	-	flexible, leathery	6–36
Cherries	whole, with the pits	-	leathery
Peaches	well ripened	yes	flexible, leathery
Citrus fruit slice or separate, the peel in strips for flavour	- flexible 6-36
Rhubarb use only fragile stems, after washing cut into 3 cm chunks	yes not dewy	4-16

Vegetables

Sort Preparation method	Blanching in min. Dryness test, surface		Drying time in hrs.
Artichokes	clean, cut in half	2-4	brittle
Asparagus peel, whole or cut into 2 cm pieces	2-3	brittle	8-36
Beans (green)	cut off ends, slice crosswise	3-4	brittle
Broccoli	divide into pieces, soak 1⁄2 hour in salt water	3-4 with tablespoon of vinegar	brittle
Cauliflower	divide into pieces, soak 1⁄2 hour in salt water	3-4 with tablespoon of vinegar	leathery
Savoy cabbage, cabbage	clean and slice into strips	2-3 in steam	leathery
Carrots	slice diagonally or across	2-3	leathery
Celery root	round slices	2-3	brittle
Cucumbers	round slices 1 cm thick	-	leathery
Onion, leeks	round slices	-	leathery
Herbs	remove stem, do not squash	-	brittle
Fungi	slice in half, or round slices	-	brittle

All times listed in the table are only recommendations, they may be very different depending on the properties of the product.

ADVICE AND TIPS

Fruit can be consumed in dried state. However, it is suitable as an ingredient for many recipes as well. If you want to use the dried fruit in the same way as fresh fruit, you have to soften it, that is, you have to return the moisture that was removed by drying. Soak the required amount of fruit in about the same amount of water (e.g. one cup of fruit in one cup of water – less water is better) and let it soak for about 4 hours (shorter time is better here as well). Then you can use the fruit in the same way like fresh in recipes. Early plums are low in sugar and therefore not suitable for drying.

We recommend that you soak vegetables before cooking. E.g. 1 cup of dried vegetables and 1 cup of water. Do not use more water than necessary to prepare meal. Do not let the softened vegetables stand too long before further use. The time of cooking of the vegetables is the same as with frozen vegetables. It is not necessary to soften vegetables before cooking soup. It is possible to reduce the dried vegetables for soups, sauces and salads to required size using kitchen appliances. It is best to use ground dried vegetables to prepare cream soups, sauces and baby food. Do not store more ground vegetables than you can use within 1 month, because the vegetables lose durability with longer storage.

Of course, you can mix and use the softened vegetables and fresh vegetables. Peppers may be ground or pulverized and stored in airtight jars for future use.

We soak the fungi (like vegetables) and use them like fresh ones. You can grind the fungi to use in soups and sauces.

The herbs do not need more treatment, except for crushing or grinding or the removal of hard parts.

Recipes at www.ecg-electro.eu

DRIED FOOD STORAGE

Allow the food to cool completely before storing it (otherwise it may spoil). Wait about 1 week before long-term storage. Pack smaller amount of dried pieces, so that you consume the whole package after opening. Store the dried food in resealable jars (do not use plastic containers) or in cloth or paper bags. Canning foil or bags with vacuum pump are very well suited for dried vegetable storage. Dried food may be stored at room temperatures. However, the best are dry, cool and dark places.

At temperatures of less than 10 °C , the shelf life extends 2 – 3x.

We recommend an occasional check of the stored foods. Self-adhesive labels indicating content and the date of drying ensures your control over storage.

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

Unplug the power cord from the outlet before cleaning or any other manipulation with the dehydrator. Clean the appliance using slightly moistened cloth. You can clean the individual trays and the dehydrator cover using a regular dishwasher liquid. The air intake opening (grid) on the motor has to be absolutely clean, free for air access. In the event of dirt or dust clogging the grid, clean it with a brush or using vacuum cleaner. Never rinse or immerse the base under running water.

Do not use rough sponges or cleaning powder. Do not immerse the appliance or power cord into water.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Problem Cause $ Solution
Motor does not work. Badly inserted plug in the outlet. Check the outlet connection.
The motor works, but the dehydrator does not produce heat.	Activation of the thermal fuse against overheating.	Unplug the power cord from the outlet.Allow the appliance to cool. If the dehydrator will not start heating up after cooling, contact an authorized service center.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Nominal voltage: 220–240 V\~ 50/60 Hz

Nominal input power: 250 W

Noise level: < 20 dB

USE AND DISPOSAL OF WASTE

Wrapping paper and corrugated paperboard – deliver to scrapyard. Packing foil, PE bags, plastic elements – throw into plastic recycling containers.

DISPOSAL OF PRODUCTS AT THE END OF LIFETIME

Disposal of electric and electronic equipment (valid in EU member countries and other European countries with an implemented recycling system)

The represented symbol on the product or package means the product shall not be treated as domestic waste. Hand over the product to the specified location for recycling electric and electronic equipment. Prevent negative impacts on human health and the environment by properly recycling your product.

Recycling contributes to preserving natural resources. For more information on the recycling of this product, refer to your local authority, domestic waste processing organization or store, where you purchased the product.

This product complies with EU directive requirements on electromagnetic compatibility and electrical safety.

The instruction manual is available at website www.ecg-electro.eu. Changes in text and technical parameters reserved.

08/05

SIGURNOSNE UPUTE

250 69 Klíčany, Czech Rep. e-post: [e-mail]

LT

K+B Progres, a.s.

U Expertu 91 tel.: [phone]

250 69 Klíčany, Czech Rep. el. paštas: [e-mail]

LV

K+B Progres, a.s.

U Expertu 91 tel.: [phone]

250 69 Klíčany, Czech Rep. e-pasts: [e-mail]