Drying is a mass transfer process resulting in the removal of water from an object. In technical contexts and in medicine it may also be called dehydration.
Drying may be both a natural and an intentional process.
The process of extreme drying is called desiccation.
There is very extensive technical literature on this subject, including several major textbooks and a dedciated scientific journal (Drying Technology).
Application of dry heated air (convective drying). This causes evaporation of the surface water, which is replaced by water from inside the solid until the whole has dried out.
Indirect or contact drying (heating through a hot wall), similar to above.
Dielectric drying (radiofrequency or microwaves being absorbed inside the material)
Freeze drying
Supercritical drying
Devices commonly called dryers are used for efficient drying of various things: hair after shower, candies at candy factories, semiconductor wafers
Most processes giving a solid product involve a drying step
Drying is often used to preserve food
Desiccation is used to obtain absolute alcohol
Check out the following recipes that are tagged "Drying":
Kolatki (Ukrainian Christmas Cookies, Kolachki, Kolachki, Paintbrush Sugar Cookies, Peanut Butter Puffs, Texas Barbecued Beef Brisket, Gingerbread Bears, Royal Icing, Cucumber Logs Filled With Black And Gold Humm, Fresh Mushrooms With Eggplant And Tomato, Royal Icing, Oven-Baked Rum-Raisin-Apple Graham-Cracker Pi, Sweet Potato Pie, Orange-Melon Sorbet, Appetizer Strudel, Filo Mushroom Pies, Ham Phyllo Rolls, Fried Won-Tons, Pumpkin Walnut Phyllo"Snails", Spinach, Walnut And Raisin Boreks, Sausage Triangles, Sausage Filled Wontons, Sweet-And-Sour Spring Rolls - New AMA Cookbook, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Cheese-filled Phyllo Pastry (cigarro Burek), Curried Shrimp Phylo Bundles, Curried Shrimp Phyllo Bundles, Crab Rangoon, Reduced-fat Crab Rangoon, B.C.Plum-Cot Leather, Fruit Leather, Corn Chips, Peach Leather, Traditional Soda Crackers, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Jerky A La Willie Rev., Jerkey Made From Turkey, Drying Great Jerky, Hamburger Jerky, Chinese Beef Jerky, Drying Barbecued Beef Jerky, Drying Frontier Jerky, Beef Jerky A La Willie, Western Barbecue Jerky, Western Jerky, Tofu Jerky, Venison Jerky, Smoked Hamburger Jerky, Smoked Turkey Jerky, Steve's Hot! Jerky
