FD1211D - Food Dehydrator Healthy Choice - Free user manual and instructions

Product Type	Food Dehydrator
Brand	Healthy Choice
Model	FD1211D
Batch Number	PR3988
Number of Trays	5
Drying System	Coverage-flow drying system (no tray rotation)
Temperature Range	35°C to 68°C (adjustable)
Voltage	120 V ~ 60 Hz
Power Rating	500 W
Dimensions (approx.)	12.6 x 12.6 x 12.6 in (32 x 32 x 32 cm)
Weight (approx.)	6.6 lb (3 kg)
Exterior Material	Opaque plastic (vita-save technology)
Tray Material	Plastic (removable, dishwasher safe)
Control Type	On/Off power button and temperature setting
Safety Features	Do not use for more than 40 continuous hours; place on heat-resistant surface; never immerse base in water
Cleaning	Wash trays in warm soapy water; wipe base with damp cloth
Intended Use	Household use only; suitable for fruits, vegetables, herbs, meat, fish, jerky
Certifications	Not listed

Frequently Asked Questions - FD1211D Healthy Choice

How do I clean the dehydrator?

Always unplug and let it cool down. Remove trays and wash them in warm soapy water (do not use abrasive cleaners). Wipe the base with a soft damp cloth. Never immerse the base in water.

Can I dehydrate meat in this dehydrator?

Yes, you can make jerky from lean meats. Slice across the grain, remove fat, season, and dry for 2-8 hours until all moisture is gone. Ensure meat is fully dried for safe storage.

What is the temperature range?

The temperature is adjustable from 35°C (herbs) to 68°C (meat/fish). Other settings: 41°C for bread and yoghurt, 50°C for vegetables, 58°C for fruits.

Do I need to rotate trays?

No, the coverage-flow drying system eliminates the need for tray rotation. Heated air circulates evenly through all compartments.

How long does it take to dry fruit like apples?

Apple drying time ranges from 5 to 7 hours depending on thickness and humidity. Peel, core, slice into rings or segments, and dry until soft.

Can I use the dehydrator with fewer than 5 trays?

Yes, but it is recommended to keep all 5 trays on the unit (even if empty) and always place the top lid on to ensure proper air circulation.

How should I store dried foods?

Store in clean, dry glass jars with metal lids in a dark, cool place (5-20°C). Check for moisture during the first week; if present, dry again.

What should I do if the power cord is damaged?

Stop using the appliance immediately. The cord must be replaced by a qualified electronics repairer to avoid hazard.

Can I use oil sprays on the trays?

No, do not use oil sprays on the trays as they may damage the plastic and interfere with drying.

Is it safe to leave the dehydrator unattended?

No, never leave the appliance unattended when in use. Always supervise children and ensure the unit is on a heat-resistant surface.

USER MANUAL FD1211D Healthy Choice

Healthy outdoor food heater with multi-tiered transparent dish, showing fruit slices and a control panel (no visible text or symbols)

MODEL NUMBER: FD1211D

BATCH NUMBER: PR3988

PLEASE READ AND RETAIN THESE INSTRUCTIONS FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

It's no secret that we're all living faster – between work, travel and daily responsibilities, sometimes preparing healthy food can be more of a hassle than time allows us.

Enter our stylish, European-design food dehydrator. The perfect way to ensure healthy food is just a few simple steps away. Its ‘coverage-flow’ drying system eliminates tray rotation, while ensuring the heated air is circulated through all compartments for consistent, even drying across all levels.

Experience anything from delicious banana chips, all-natural fruit roll-ups and authentic beef jerky, with our dehydrator's 5-tray capacity. The opaque, 'vita-save' exterior will assist in blocking excess light from entry into the unit, preventing the destruction of the food's all-important nutrient content.

Whether you're growing your own, or market-hopping, our Food Dehydrator will remove all water content from your fresh ingredients, presenting you with an array of healthy-eating options without sacrificing on taste or nutritional value. Save space in the cupboard and extend the shelf-life of your delicious, nutritious snacks.

Let your food dehydrator lead the way, transforming one day's produce, to tomorrow's perfect snack.

INTRODUCTION

Dehydration is the one of the easiest and most efficient methods of food preservation. Food is exposed to heat and air to remove moisture. Lacking moisture, bacteria and micro-organisms are inhibited. Dehydrated foods can be preserved for extended periods without refrigeration and they have far less weight and bulk. It is ideal for children's lunchboxes and for camping.

Drying products is an effective way for its conservation.

Warm air of a fixed controllable temperature circulates freely inside the appliance between upper and lower lids, separate controllable removable sections and power base. That is why the products which are situated on the sections of the appliance are drying even and with minimum losses of health-giving vitamins.

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

IT IS NECESSARY TO PUT HEAT-RESISTING MATERIAL (CERAMIC TILES, THICK BOARD ETC.) UNDER THE APPLIANCE DURING USING IT OR PUT THE APPLIANCE ON TO THE HEAT-RESISTING SURFACE TO AVOID POSSIBLE INFLAMMATION

• This appliance is for household use only. It is not suitable for commercial use. It must only be used for its intended purpose.
• This appliance is for indoor use only, it is not suitable for outdoor use.
• This appliance is not intended for use by persons (including children) with reduced physical sensory or mental capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge, unless they have been given supervision or instruction concerning use of the appliance by a person responsible for their safety. Children should be supervised to ensure that they do not play with the appliance.
• Never leave the appliance unattended when in use.
• If the power cable is damaged, it must be replaced by a qualified electronics repairer to avoid a hazard. Never use a damaged appliance.
• The temperature of accessible surfaces may be high when the appliance is in use.
• Before use, check the voltage on the rating label matches the mains power supply.
• Place the appliance away from the edge of your worktop or table during use. Ensure surface is level, sturdy and dry.
• Do not let the power cable hang over the edge of the worktop or table, or touch any hot surfaces such as stovetops. Never pull or carry the appliance by the power cable.
• The appliance should not be placed directly onto a surface that may be damaged by heat. Never attempt to lift or move the appliance during use. Do not touch the hot surfaces, let the appliance cool down completely before cleaning.
  • Always unplug the appliance after use and before cleaning.
• To protect against electric shock, do not immerse the appliance, power cable or plug in water, or allow them to come into contact with water.
• Only use plastic and wooden utensils with this product to avoid scratching the surface of the heated plates.
• Do not use abrasive cleaners or scourers as they will damage the appliance.
• Never submerge the operating/heating element or the housing with the power cable
• in water, & do not clean these components under running water.
• Do not use for more than 40 hours continuously. After use, turn off the appliance, unplug the appliance and let it cool down.
• Do not operate with vent blocked or closed at any time as this will interfere with
• proper air flow.
• Do not use oil sprays on the trays.
• Improper use of the appliance can cause its damage and injury to its user.

USE OF THE APPLIANCE

Before using the first time:

• Unpack the appliance.
• Wash lids and sections of the appliance in warm soapy water. Dry thoroughly. Clean the base of the appliance using a soft damp cloth (do not put it into a water and do not wash it).
• Put the prepared in advance food products into the removable sections. Sections for products should be placed in such way to let the air circulate freely between them. Do not add too many products to the sections and do not put the products on top of each other.
• NOTE: always begin to put products to lower section first.
• Put the sections on to the base unit.
• Put the upper lid on the appliance. During drying the upper lid should always be on the appliance.
• Plug in the appliance and turn on the appliance by pressing the ON/OFF power button.
• Set the temperature of the dehydrator.

Temperature guide:

• Herbs 35°C
• Bread 41°C
• Yoghurt 41°C
• Vegetables 508°C
• Fruits 58°C
• Meat/Fish 68°C

NOTE: dry products following the guidelines of this manual.

1. When the temperature is set, the appliance will then begin the dehydration process.
2. When you finish using the appliance, turn it off by pressing the ON/OFF power button. Let the food products cool down. Put the dried food products into a container/package for keeping food.
3. Unplug the appliance.

NOTE: it is recommended to put all 5 sections on to the appliance during using it, no matter how many sections are empty.

Examples:

• The products are on the first upper section, other 4 sections are empty. Make sure that the upper lid is on the appliance.
• The products are on the first 2 sections, other 3 sections are empty. Make sure that the upper lid is on the appliance.

ADITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS

- Wash food products before putting them in the appliance. Do not put wet food products into appliance, rub them dry.

- Do not use the appliance sections if they are wet or have water in them, they need to be dry

- Cut off the spoiled parts of food products. Slice the products in such a way to situate them freely between the sections. The duration of drying products depends on the thickness of pieces into which they are.

- You can change the position of the sections if the food products on some of the sections have not dried our as well as others. You can put the upper sections down closer to power base, and lower sections you can put in place of the upper sections.

- To obtain a quality dried product, you must first ensure that the produce to be dried is of the highest quality available, both fresh, and fully ripe.

- Inferior or spoiled produce will produce a poor dried product. Unripe fruit will lack the necessary sugar content, and can have a bitter taste when dried, where as over ripened fruits and vegetables will dry to become either tough and fibrous, or soft and mushy.

- As a rule, you can think "If it's good enough to eat, it's good enough to dry".

- The duration of drying can depend on the temperature and humidity of the room, the level of humidity of products, thickness of the pieces etc.

DRYING FRUIT

* Tree ripened fruit will contain the most natural sugars and will produce the best dried product.

* Some of the fruit may be covered by its natural protective layer and that is why the duration of drying may increase. To avoid this, it is better to boil products for about 1-2 minutes and then put them in some cold water and dry them before adding to the appliance.

* Wash the fruit.

* Artificially waxed fruit should always be peeled. Peel other fruit if desired.

* Take out the pit/seed/core and cut off the spoiled parts.

* Slice into pieces which you can place freely between the sections.

* Some fruit can be pretreated for best results to prevent discoloration, see the pretreating section.

DRYING VEGETABLES

* Vegetables should be fresh and tender.

* Wash the vegetables.

* Peel vegetables if required.

* Take out the pit/seed/core and cut off the spoiled parts.

* Slice into pieces which you can place freely between the sections.

* It is better to boil vegetables for about 1-5 minutes and then put them in some cold water and dry them before adding to the appliance. This is to destroy enzymes which produce bad flavours during the dehydration process.

DRYING MEDICINAL PLANTS

* It is recommended to dry new leaves or stem cuttings.
* After drying it is better to put medicinal plants in paper bags or glass jars and store in a dark dry place.

DRYING MEATS AND FISH

* Fresh or frozen lean meat makes the best jerky. The lower the fat content the better.

Meats with high fat content like lamb and cured meats will have a shorter shelf life.

Pork must be well cooked before drying. Only use pre-cooked and processed ham.

* Take extra precautions when preparing meat for drying as is it more susceptible to bacteria than fresh produce.
* Wash hands, surfaces, utensils, chopping boards, crockery before and after handling.
* Slice meat across the grain to increase tenderness.

PRE-TREATING

To best maintain the colour, flavour, and vitamins of the food when drying, it may be necessary to pre-treat before adding to the dehydrator. Please note that pre-treating is not a necessity of using the dehydrator. Experiment with pre-treated and non-pre-treated foods to see what works best for you. Pre-treating the foods varies on its type:

Fruit:

Naturally acidic solutions like pineapple or lemon juice can be used to reduce browning of soft fruits like apples, peaches, apricots, and pears that occurs due to oxidation when their flesh is exposed to the air. Simply slice the fruit directly into the juice for around 2 minutes before placing on the dehydrator trays. Dry them before adding to the appliance.

- TIP: Why not experiment with different juices, spices, honey, coconut or other

flavours to create your own personalised dip

Some fruit like figs, grapes, prunes, blueberries, and cranberries have a naturally protective wax coating that will cause them to dry out very slowly and thereby lose a lot of their natural nutrition. For these fruit, it is necessary to dip them into boiling water for 1-2 minutes before placing in the dehydrator, dry them before adding to the appliance. This will make the skin more porous, speeding up the drying time and retaining more vitamins.

Vegetables:

It is better to boil vegetables for about 1-5 minutes and then put them in some cold water and dry them before adding to the appliance. This is to destroy enzymes which produce bad flavours during the dehydration process.

• Steam blanching is the preferred method if available. Steam the sliced pieces for 2-3 minutes until heated through, but not cooked enough to eat.
• Microwave blanching in a covered microwavable container with a small amount of water - refer to your oven's cooking chart for cooking times.
• Boiled blanching for 3-5 minutes can be used if the above two are not available.

Ensure that the slices are transferred to the dehydrator trays as quickly as possible after blanching.

STORAGE OF DRIED FRUITS

* Containers for storage the dried products should be clean and dry.
* For better storage of dried fruits use glass jars with metal lids and store in a dark dry place where the temperature should be 5-20 degrees.
* During first week after drying check if there is any moisture in a container. If yes, it means that products are not dried well and you should dry it again.

DEHYDRATING TIMES: FRUIT

The below times and preparation techniques are only a guide, personal preference can differ.

Name	Preparing	Condition after drying	Duration of drying
Apricot	Slice it and take out the pit	Soft	13-28
Orange peel	Cut it to long stripes	Fragile	8-16
Pine apple (fresh)	Peel it and slice into pieces or square parts	Hard	6-36
Pine apple (tinned)	Pour out the juice and dry it	Soft	6-36
Banana	Peel it and slice to round pieces (3-4 mm thickness)	Crispy	8-38
Grapes	No need to cut it	Soft	8-38
Cherry	It is not necessary to take out the pit (you can take it out when cherry is half-dried)	Hard	8-26
Pear	Peel it and slice	Soft	8-30
Fig	Slice it	Hard	6-26
Cranberry	No need to cut	Soft	6-26
Peach	Cut into 2 pieces and take out the pit when the fruit is half-dried	Soft	10-34
Date-fruit	Take out the pit and slice	Hard	6-26
Apple	Peel it, take out the heart, slice it into round pieces or segments	Soft	05.06.07

DEHYDRATING TIMES: VEGETABLES

The below times and preparation techniques are only a guide, personal preference can differ.

Name	Preparing	Condition after drying	Duration of drying
Artichoke	Cut it to stripes (3-4 mm thickness)	Fragile	5-13
Egg-plant	Peel it and slice it into pieces (6-12 mm thickness)	Fragile	6-18
Broccoli	Peel it and cut it. Steam it for about 3-5 min.	Fragile	6-20
Mushrooms	Slice it or dry it whole (small mushrooms)	Hard	6-14
Green beans	Cut it and boil till become transparent	Fragile	8-26
Vegetable marrows	Slice it into pieces (6 mm thickness)	Fragile	6-18
Cabbage	Peel it and cut into stripes (3 mm thickness). Take out the heart	Hard	6-14
Brussels sprouts	Cut the stems into 2 pieces	Crispy	8-30
Cauliflower	Boil till it becomes soft	Hard	6-16
Potato	Slice it. Boil for about 8-10 min	Crispy	8-30
Onion	Slice it into thin round pieces	Crispy	8-14
Carrot	Boil till becomes soft. Shred it or slice into round pieces	Crispy	8-14
Cucumber	Peel it and slice into round pieces (12 mm thickness)	Hard	6-18
Sweet pepper	Cut it to stripes or to round pieces (6 mm thickness). Take out the heart	Crispy	4-14
Piquant pepper	No need to cut it	Hard	8-14
Parsley	Put the leafs into sections	Crispy	2-10
Tomato	Peel it. Cut it into pieces or into round pieces	Hard	8-24
Rhubarb	Peel it and slice it into pieces (3 mm thickness)	Loss of humidity in a vegetable	8-38
Beetroot	Boil it, let it cool down, cut off the roots and the tops. Slice it to round pieces	Crispy	8-26
Celery	Slice it into pieces (6 mm thickness)	Crispy	6-14
Spring onion	Shred it	Crispy	6-10
Asparagus	Slice it into pieces (2.5 mm thickness)	Crispy	6-14
Garlic	Peel it and slice into round pieces	Crispy	6-16
Spinach	Boil till it becomes fade	Crispy	6-16
Champignons	Choose the mushrooms with hats which bend inside. Cut into pieces or dry whole	Hard and crispy	3-10

PREPARING POULTRY, FISH MEAT AND GAME ANIMALS

POULTRY

Before dehydrating, poultry needs to be fried until it is well cooked.

Dry for about 2-8 hours or till all moisture is gone.

FISH

Before dehydrating, fish needs to be baked in an oven.

Bake it for about 20 minutes with a temperature 200 degrees.

Dry for about 2-8 hours and till all moisture is gone.

MEAT AND GAME ANIMALS

Prepare: cut into small pieces and put into the appliance for about 2-8 hours or till all moisture is gone

Drying meat into jerky

• Slice meat evenly into 14'' thick slices across the grain to increase tenderness.
• Remove any excess marbled fat which will spoil during storage.
• Place meat slices into a sealable container layer by layer seasoning each layer with at least 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat.
  • Refrigerate for 6-12 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Place meat on paper towels to dry off excess oil before drying in the dehydrator.

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

• Always ensure that the appliance is switched off and cooled down before cleaning.
- Remove all trays from the base and wash in warm soapy water.
- Do not use abrasive cleaners or scourers as they will damage the appliance.
- Dry thoroughly.
- Repeat this process after each use.
- Do not immerse the base of the unit into water or any other liquid.
- Wipe the base when necessary with a soft damp cloth.

ENVIRONMENT

You can help protect the environment.

Please remember to respect the local regulations: hand in the non-working electrical equipment to an appropriate waste disposal centre. The packaging material is recyclable.

Dispose of the packaging in an environmentally friendly manner and make it available for the recyclable material collection-service.

LENOXX

www.lenoxx.com.au

1300 666 848

enoxxElectronics

enoxxElectronics

@LenoxxAustralia