Successful dehydration depends upon a slow steady heat supply to assure that food is dried from the inside to the outside. Drying is also an inexact art. Size of pieces, relative moisture, and the method selected all affect the time required to dehydrate a food adequately. Dehydrators with thermostats provide better control over poor weather conditions and food quality than sun drying. An effective solar dehydrator is the shelf above the back seat of a car.
Clotheslines are another popular drying rack for ears of corn and strips of jerky.
Colorful red chile ristras hung from vigas are practical as well as decorative. Prepared foods are placed on drying trays. Stainless steel screening and thin wood lath are good materials for home-constructed drying trays. As aluminum screening reacts with acids in the fruit, it is less desirable. Do not use galvanized, copper, fiberglass, or vinyl screening.