'Nduja di Spilinga
Soft, spreadable Calabrian pork sausage made with a great deal of red chilli and fatty pork, stuffed into natural casings, sometimes smoked and matured while staying soft.
Equipment · Drying kilns and dryers
Screened shade drying herb cabinet
A mesh-fronted cupboard, or a stack of food-suitable trays, that dries herbs and leaves in shade out of rain and direct sun. It needs no heater; a low-power fan is an optional add-on.
What it is
A screened shade drying cabinet is a cupboard with a mesh front, or a stack of food-suitable trays, that sits in shade and lets air move through it. Its purpose is to dry herbs and leaves gently, sheltered from rain and direct sun, without a heater. A low-power extractor can be added to help the airflow when the cabinet is in a still place.
The principle comes from open hanging in shade, which is documented for biltong in South Africa and commonly done in winter for one to two weeks depending on conditions. The screened cabinet keeps that shade and airflow but adds a barrier against insects and weather, which open hanging does not provide.
Sources for this section
Screens and materials
The mesh is the part of the cabinet that touches the air and the product. The National Center for Home Food Preservation describes food-contact screens for fruit made of stainless steel, Teflon-coated fibreglass or plastic, and advises against galvanized hardware cloth, copper and aluminium. A second protective screen keeps insects out of the food-contact layer. The same guidance is written for fruit; its use for herbs is an extension that the sources do not test.
Screen aperture, frame section and fixing are not given by any source. A prototype should choose a mesh that keeps insects out without slowing the airflow too much, and it should check how easily the mesh cleans.
Sources for this section
Humidity and what the cabinet cannot do
Shade and airflow dry a product by moving its moisture into the air around it. A cabinet cannot do that when the surrounding air is already saturated. A fan can help the air move, but it cannot make up indefinitely for room humidity that is too high, so the cabinet suits drier days and drier rooms.
Which herbs, mushrooms and leaves need which drying conditions, how much volatile aroma and colour survive, and whether the dried product reabsorbs moisture after drying are not established for this cabinet. A tested process would need measured temperature, humidity and drying time for each product before anyone relies on it.
Sources for this section
History
Hanging biltong in shade is documented in South African practice, commonly in winter over one to two weeks depending on conditions. The screened cupboard builds on that practice but is not recorded as a historical object.
Equipment details
PowerNo power The cabinet works passively. A low-power extractor can be added to supplement ventilation, which makes it electric in that form.
How you get oneBuilt yourself No source gives a cut list or a tested build for this cabinet.
CareBrush the screens and trays clean between batches. Keep the cabinet off the ground and out of direct rain, and store dried product in sealed containers.
Made of
- Food-contact screen or mesh — Front and vents that let air in and keep insects out
Stainless steel, Teflon-coated fibreglass or food-grade plastic. Galvanized hardware cloth, copper and aluminium are advised against. - Protective outer screen — Keeps insects away from the food-contact screen
The sources suggest a second screen for insect exclusion; its material is not specified. - Food-suitable trays or shelves — Hold the herbs or leaves in the airflow
Tray dimensions and material are not given by any source. - Cupboard frame and cover — Shelters the product from rain and direct sun
Frame section and joinery are not specified.
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Insects and debris reaching the product
Open shade drying exposes the product to insects. The sources recommend a second protective screen for insect exclusion.
Hazard sourceUnsuitable screen material
Some metals in the screen can contaminate food. The sources name galvanized hardware cloth, copper and aluminium as unsuitable for food contact.
Hazard sourceUse a food-contact screen of stainless steel, Teflon-coated fibreglass or food-grade plastic
Control sourceAdd a second protective screen for insect exclusion
Control sourceDo not use this cabinet for meat or fish on the basis of herb drying. The sources advise against outdoor meat drying where heat and humidity cannot be controlled.
Dry herbs fully before storage in sealed containers. Moisture left in the product can reabsorb from humid air afterwards.
Limits
A fan cannot make up for room air that is too humid for drying. A cabinet in damp shade will dry slowly whatever its ventilation.
SourceThe sources advise against galvanized hardware cloth, copper and aluminium for food-contact screens.
Source →The sources advise against drying meat outdoors because heat and humidity cannot be controlled.
Source →Places
No source in this record establishes a place.
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Sources
National Center for Home Food PreservationMethod · Safety
Sun DryingFood-contact screens for fruit can be stainless steel, Teflon-coated fibreglass or plastic; galvanized hardware cloth, copper and aluminium are advised against.
A second protective screen suggested for insect exclusion.
Outdoor meat drying is advised against because heat and humidity cannot be controlled.
Cited in: Screens and materials; Humidity and what the cabinet cannot do
SciELO South AfricaHistory · Method
Biltong review (Jones et al., 2017)Biltong strips hung outdoors in shade, commonly in winter, for one to two weeks depending on ambient conditions.
Cited in: What it is; Humidity and what the cabinet cannot do