Dehydrating Sage with the Ninja Air Fryer A451: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hello everyone! I hope you're all well. It's been nearly a year since I got my Ninja Air Fryer A451, and I absolutely love it. Today, I want to explore a feature I've never used before: the dehydrate setting.

Preparing the Sage

I have a bunch of fresh sage from my allotment. While some of you might suggest air drying, which is effective, it requires space to hang herbs. If space is limited, dehydrating in an air fryer is a great alternative.

Here’s how I prepared my sage for dehydration:

1. Wash and Dry: I washed the sage and removed any leaves that didn't look fresh.
2. Lay Flat: I laid the sage as flat as possible in the air fryer basket. You can weigh the leaves down with a small item or tie them with twine to prevent them from flying around.

Setting Up the Ninja Air Fryer

1. Temperature and Time: I set the air fryer to 60°C (140°F) and planned to dehydrate the sage for 3 hours. I decided to check every hour to monitor progress.
2. Placement: I made sure to place the air fryer away from the socket for safety.

Dehydration Process

• First Hour Check: The sage wasn't crispy yet but had a lovely aroma.
• Second Hour Check: After 2 hours, the sage was almost ready, with a nice crunch developing.
• Final Hour Check: Just over 2 hours in, the sage was fully dried and ready to be stored.

Storing the Dehydrated Sage

Once the sage was dehydrated, I carefully removed it from the air fryer and stripped the leaves from the stems. I then stored the dried sage in a pre-prepared, recycled jar. The dried herbs smelled wonderful and will be a handy addition to my kitchen.

Tips and Alternatives

• Alternative Drying Methods: If you don't have an air fryer, you can dry herbs naturally by hanging them, using a microwave, or an oven.
• Future Plans: I plan to dehydrate rosemary next and compare the results with naturally dried herbs on my allotment channel.

Conclusion

This was my first time using the dehydrate setting on my Ninja Air Fryer, and I'm very pleased with the results. If you've tried dehydrating herbs before, I'd love to hear about your experiences and any tips you have.

Stay tuned for more experiments and tips on air frying and dehydrating!