Oats
Oats can be overlooked in the world of breakfast food, playing second fiddle to faster, convenient -- and oftentimes less healthy -- items. But packed with thiamine, iron and dietary fiber, this nutritional superstar deserves some recognition. A steaming bowl of fresh-cooked oatmeal is the perfect way to start your day, especially if you are trying to prevent or are currently dealing with heart disease or diabetes. Oats, via their high fiber content, are already known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream.

Oats, known scientifically as Avena sativa, are a hardy cereal grain able to withstand poor soil conditions in which other crops are unable to thrive. Oats gain part of their distinctive flavor from the roasting process that they undergo after being harvested and cleaned. Although oats are then hulled, this process does not strip away their bran and germ, allowing them to retain a concentrated source of their fiber and nutrients.

Different types of processing are then used to produce the various types of oat products, which are generally used to make breakfast cereals, baked goods and stuffings:

After oats have been cleaned, toasted, hulled and cleaned again, they become oat groats (which still contain most of the original nutrients). Oat groats can be cooked and served as cereal, or prepared in the same manner as rice and used as a side dish or in a dish such as a salad or stuffing. When steamed and flattened with huge rollers, oat groats become regular rolled oats (also called old-fashioned oats). They take about 15 minutes to cook. Quick-cooking rolled oats are groats that have been cut into several pieces before being steamed and rolled into thinner flakes. Though they cook in about five minutes, many think the flavor and texture are never quite as satisfying as with regular rolled oats. Old-fashioned oats and quick-cooking oats can usually be interchanged in recipes. Instant oats, however, are not interchangeable because they're made with cut groats that have been precooked and dried before being rolled. This precooking process so softens the oat pieces that, after being combined with a liquid, the mixture can turn baked goods such as muffins or cookies into gooey lumps. Most instant oatmeal is packaged with salt, sugar and other flavorings. Scotch oats or steel-cut oats or Irish oatmeal are all names for groats that have been cut into two to three pieces and not rolled. They take considerably longer to cook than rolled oats and have a decidedly chewy texture. Oat flour is made from groats that have been ground into powder. It contains no gluten, however, so for baked goods that need to rise -- like yeast breads -- it must be combined with a flour that does. Oat bran is the outer casing of the oat and is particularly high in soluble fiber, thought to be a leading contender in the fight against high cholesterol. Oat bran, groats, flour and Scotch oats are more likely to be found in natural food stores than supermarkets.

Food Dehydrators
Food drying or dehydrating is one of the most ancient, effective and nutritious ways of preserving food. In fact, early American settlers relied on the rays of the sun to dry foods such as corn, apple slices, currants, grapes and meat. Fast forward a few centuries and food drying techniques are still being employed, albeit through more modern devices like home food dehydrators. These small home appliances come in a wide variety of sizes and capabilities, and can dry everything from fruit, vegetables and meats to decorative arrangements, crafts and even pet treats.

Simple, reliable and easy to use, the low temperatures used in food dehydrators ensure that food retains its nutrients. And food drying doesn't use chemicals or preservatives -- so it's great for you and for the planet, too. Dehydrated foods are also high-energy, lightweight and compact -- they save storage space and are perfect for outdoor enthusiasts and on-the-go folks to carry along.

If you are an avid gardener and always grow more produce than you can consume during the summertime, a food dehydrator might be a good investment. You can stock up on dried vegetables and ensure yourself homegrown vegetable soup throughout the winter months. If you like camping and hiking, making your own trail mix is surely appealing. Large food processors can buy and dry produce much more cost-effectively than an individual consumer can.

Food dehydrators work by blowing air either up from the bottom heating element, or horizontally from a heater placed in one side. The horizontal flow has the advantage that you can dry a mixed batch of things without worrying about flavor mixing; your dried apples taking on the flavor of the beef jerky drying below them, for instance. If this isn't an issue, then the bottom-heating dehydrators should serve you adequately.

Food to be dried in a food dehydrator is sliced very thinly for faster drying, and laid out in single layers on thin stacking trays, which are vented to allow air to flow through them. The trays are loaded into the unit and then left to dry. Some items will dry quicker than others and should be removed or they will become brittle. Very juicy foods like oranges and tomatoes can take quite a period of time in the food dehydrator, and should not be mixed with quicker drying foods such as carrots and potatoes.

Advanced features of today's state-of-the-art food dehydrators include: a fan to circulate heated air, which greatly speeds up the drying process (models without a fan will take much longer to dehydrate); no tray rotation required during the drying process (this adds time and creates additional work); ability to add trays, which are offered as accessories (thereby increasing the amount of food you can dry at one time); and a thermostat that allows you to set different temperatures required in the precise drying of fruits, vegetables or jerky.

Additional accessories one might want to look for in a quality dehydrator: fruit roll sheets that prevent vegetable or fruit juices from dripping through from one tray to another; mesh screens to dehydrate herbs to prevent small pieces from dropping through the trays (some top-of-the-line dehydrators come with these included); and a good jerky gun sized for at least a pound of ground meat helps form the jerky strips to make beef jerky from lean ground beef.