Everyone has a favorite pizza topping, and there are plenty of underrated pizza toppings you should try. But if you’re looking for an easy way to add flavor to any pizza, turn to your dehydrator. It’s the best way to dry out herbs and vegetables, such as garlic or onions, to form them into powders and seasonings perfect for adding a little excitement to the typical slice.
Yes, you can buy dried seasonings in the store, but when you want the best-quality version — and want to know exactly what’s in your food — there’s nothing better than making them from scratch. Luca Corazzina, the chef de cuisine at OLIO E PIÙ, tells Chowhound that certain powdered ingredients might work better than others. “I could see dehydrated herbs, garlic, or even tomato powder being interesting additions for finishing a pizza,” he says. If you’re looking for more unexpected pizza toppings, then get creative with what you dehydrate. “Ingredients like roasted mushroom powder, sundried tomato dust, or smoked chili powder could be great for adding a layer of umami or heat,” Corazzina says. “They’d be great sprinkled lightly just after baking for a creative twist.”
Read more: 16 Store-Bought Frozen Pizzas, Ranked Worst To Best
How To Use A Dehydrator For Herbs And Vegetables
Herbs in a dehydrator – Mariana Serdynska/Shutterstock
The dehydrator is a small kitchen appliance designed to remove moisture from foods at low temperatures. Some dehydrators work better than others, and removing that moisture prevents bacteria from growing, giving you long-lasting foods such as beef jerky, dried citrus, and seasonings. But it’s a slow process; dehydrated foods can take just a few hours or up to 36 hours to prepare, depending on what you’re dehydrating.
Fresh herbs should dehydrate at temperatures between 95 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit. They’ll need anywhere from two to four hours, depending on their moisture content. When they’re fully dry, you can add them to a food processor and grind them into powdered dried herbs, or crush them with a spice grinder. Garlic and onions, on the other hand, are thicker than dried herbs and might take longer. Chop or slice the vegetables thinly, and remove the skins before dehydrating them at around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. They might need up to eight hours to fully dry, but you can check them sooner.
Read the original article on Chowhound.
