Things You\’ll Need
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Cutting board
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Sharp knife
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Colander
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Dehydrator
Cut leeks into round slices before dehydrating them.
Leeks belong to the same family as garlic and onions, but are a much more mildly flavored cousin. They work well in many dishes containing potatoes such as potato leek soup or potato leek gratin. They can also stand in for onions in many recipes in which the onions are cooked, as leeks are not generally eaten raw. If you enjoy leeks, dehydrate some for later use. You can either rehydrate these leeks later or add them, still dehydrated, to very wet recipes such as soups.
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Step 1
Place one of your leeks on the cutting board and slice crosswise. Each slice should be between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick, but consistency in size between the slices is more important than the exact thickness. Stop slicing when you approach the part of the leek where the first leaves branch away from the main stem. You should notice a difference in the ease of slicing or the sound your knife makes while slicing around this point. Stop as soon as this occurs. Repeat this for each leek you wish to slice.
Step 2
Put the leek slices into your colander and run cold water over them for several minutes. Leeks tend to accumulate dirt between their rings, so a thorough rinsing is very important. Separate the rings as you do this by pushing on the center of each ring. This will allow the layers to come apart so the water can thoroughly clean each leek piece.
Step 3
Lay the leek rings flat on your dehydrator trays, then stack the trays on your dehydrator.
Step 4
Turn the dehydrator to 100 F and dehydrate your leek slices until they are completely dry. This should take 18 to 20 hours depending on your dehydrator. Rotate your trays if and when necessary according to your particular dehydrator.
