Dehydrator has arrived- got questions/looks cheesy... [Moved from General Topics board]

[chef chicklet]

Well it arrived. I am not sure if I should be disappointed... Are they usually plastic, and sort of cheesy. I paid $39 and I'll keep if this is its usual look. Very light-weight, and directions read to not use it outside. I was planning on using it along side the convection oven, the ice cream maker (noise factor) and the fryer or does the temperature in the garage change things???
We might be at low 50s at times.

Also does anyone have a recommendation for a book I should purchase on recipes other than jerky.

TIA!~~~~ Sharon

[corgette]

As far as a search for new recipes, there seems to be a love for the food dehydrator amongst "raw foodists" who use it to create anything from the tame dried fruits and veggies, to complex recipes replicating corn chips and pizza crusts and the like.

As a disclaimer, I'm not a raw food person, nor even a vegetarian, and quite frankly, some of the food names and creations look a bit silly, but if you're looking for some recipes that make new and perhaps unique food creations, one of these books might be fun to check out of the library, or flip through in the book store for ideas.

[exvaxman]

Most these days are plastic, and not worth it. I have had an Excalibur for 20+ years until last Thanksgiving, and it was working until I replaced it with a HUGE unit from Cabella's black friday sale where I got the large $500 unit for under $200 (The cost of the plastic excalibur). If you are looking for a countertop unit, the excalibur lasted me for many years of use and was much better than my current unit for liquid fruit mixes.

[yayadave]

I just noticed in the Farm Journal Pie Book there's a recipe for dried apple pie. Another good use for the thing.

[meatn3]

I have had an earlier version of yours since the late '80's. I have never made jerky, but have used it quite a bit with fruits & vegetables. Advise about resale shops it correct - I have inexpensively added new trays in that way. As far as fruit discoloration, I have dipped in lemon juice, but have not felt need of anything else. Apples are slightly off color, but the taste is wonderful! FWIW- I have heard from friends who make jerky to have separate trays dedicated for that purpose - they say it is hard to get the smell out of the plastic. I never found the noise to be noticeable. I am also with the "keep it & try it" camp. I tend to use it for smallish batches, not for preserving large amounts of garden surplus, so it works for me. My only complaint is the round size makes for less efficient storage in my very small kitchen. If you find you need more in a dehydrator, her is a decent link: it won't paste, but google Cabela's - they have a good assortment in lots of sizes & prices.

[Nyleve]

Plastic, I think, is the standard for these things. Don't dwell on the looks - it will work fine. Mine doesn't have a fan (I wish it did) but it still does the job. I use it mostly to dehydrate mushrooms but have also made wonderful dried strawberries, apples, tomatoes and whatever else I have too much of.

Suggestion: after dehydrating whatever you're dehydrating, pack it into plastic bags and put in the freezer for a day or two. Because you're not actually cooking the food, there may be some insect eggs or whatnot that could survive the relatively gentle heat of the dehydrator. The freezing should kill anything like that. (Wild mushrooms are inhabited by a frightening selection of critters.) Afterwards, I store in glass jars on a dark pantry shelf. Bacteria is another story, but I've never heard of it being a problem in home-dried foods.

[chef chicklet]

Nyleve, thanks for the in depth response, it does look much different, and I am surprised they use plastic. But since it gets the job done, I'm okay with it.
I have a question though, for dried fruit are you putting any preservative or that product that prevents the fruit from darkening?

Great idea to freeze too, in the very small instruction booklet, it gave recommendations only for jerky. Also it advised to put the dehydrated foods (meat) in the oven on low for an hour... I guess they do a good job and unless you're planning to eat it "right away" its a good idea.
Here is the unit that I have made by Neco.
http://www.canningpantry.com/jerky-xp...

The majority of feedback I am receiving is from people that use it for veggies and fruit. I really hadn't thought about that use,(slapping my head) and now see it as even more useful than just for jerky!

Since the produce season is at the lowest now, I have some time to study this.
I really appreciate the tips. I also saw recommendations to use a food storage system. The jury is still out on that matter. Thanks again~

[Nyleve]

I have never put any preservative on fruit, tomatoes or mushrooms. But now that I think of it, I've dipped apple slices in lemon juice. Possibly if I did peaches or bananas, I might do the same to keep them from darkening. But it's only cosmetic - it's not a preservative per se.

Yeah pretty grim in the produce department these days. My dehydrator is sleeping until summer.

[anniemax]

Here is the general recipe book from Nesco/American Harvest: http://www.nesco.com/files/pdf/dehydrator_cookbook__digest_.pdf & a manual, with more recipes/instructions you might find helpful, even if its not the one for your particular dehydrator: http://www.nesco.com/files/pdf/food_dehydrator.pdf You can check more of the manuals at: http://www.nesco.com/customer_support/owners_manual_download/?lang=english

One thing you might want to think is that your dehydrator doesn't have an adjustable thermostat, like most of the other Nesco/American Harvest ones have. It is also a very low wattage, at 300w, compared to most of their other ones that have 500, 600 or more watts. The lower the wattage, the longer its going to take to dry anything; and only have the preset temp can be limiting, as its usually not as hot as you would want it for most things, nor as cool as you would want it for delicate things, like herbs. You might want to take a look at this one in person at WalMart if a store close to you carries it- the price range is the same as yours, though it has temp control & higher wattage: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produc...

And even though this isn't a great season for local produce, its still a good time to watch for marked down things like mushrooms & bananas so you can play around with dehydrating without a lot of pressure. Besides, dried mushrooms are great to have on hand, as are banana chips. I'm still looking for a couple more Nesco/American Harvest dehydrators at local resale shops, so I can increase the number of trays to 12 each on my 2 dehydrators- I have 7 trays for each now, which means a lot of the times I end up running only one with 12 trays.

[chef chicklet]

Walmarts, that is exactly the one that I was looking at! They never have it in stock except during the holiday, then they only last for a few days.

I don't know a thing about this wattage thing you mentioned. On the box, it reads 350 watts. You're right, no thermostat. I was under the impression that it needs to be set for 140, not higher nor lower for proper drying. So I need the thermostat, it helps with other things?
Crud.
You are serious at dehydrating foods, I love banana chips. Well I can ship it back, no problem, maybe upgrade a bit. I can seriously dry my own shitake mushrooms??? Great!
Thanks anniem for helping me. I sure wish now I would not of acted so impulsively!

[Nyleve]

My two cents. Just keep the one you have and play around with it. You'll know soon enough if it's something you'll get enough use out of to bother upgrading to a better unit. In the meantime, hunt garage sales and second hand shops - you never know what will come up. This really really isn't even close to rocket science. My dehydrator has absolutely no bells or whistles and it serves my purpose just fine.

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

I'm with Nyleve: as Alton Brown showed on an episode of Good Eats, you can construct a working food dehydrator out of a box fan and some cellulose furnace filters. They don't need to be fancy, they're doing a job that used to be taken care of by laying food on rocks in the sun!

Keep the one you have, play with it, see if you enjoy dehydrating things, and if later you feel like you want to upgrade, go for it. But play with the one you've got first.

[chef chicklet]

Nyleve and BFP, I hear ya, what you're both saying is insightful. I should walk before I run. I only paid $39 for it and by the time I ship it back, that would be half of what I paid.

People must get these for gifts, or think that dehydrating is fun, then don't use them. Pretty much like a lot of appliances.
My husband didn't think I'd use the ice cream maker..HA!
He asks me to make ice cream all the time (when not dieting)
I can really see him enjoying the tomato and fruit done this way and the jerky too!
Thanks for your voices of reason, appreciate it!

[Nyleve]

Have fun and let us know what you create.

[anniemax]

I had to become serious about dehydrating my own foods due to my allergy to corn & all its derivatives, as just about everything has corn in it now a days...and not all of has to be labeled. It means I have to make just about everything I eat from scratch from as basic ingredients as I can get.

I know herbs do better at lower temps, as do mushrooms; meat is one thing you want to make sure you dehydrate at a high enough temp. Sometimes it just nicer to turn it down a little if I worried I might over dry whatever fruit I have on it overnight- much nicer then when I use to have to get up during the night to check on my old dehydrator. You could keep the unit you have now and just keep your eye out for one of the Nesco/American Harvest with an adjustable temp at resale shops, since the trays are interchangeable, except for the Garden Master, which is larger. I've found 3 in the past few months, and I know when spring comes around, more will start showing up as people do their Spring cleaning. I've paid anywhere from $3 for one with only 2 trays, up to $8 for one with 7 trays & lots of other accessories. It was only recently that they switched to heater & fan on the top- I'm not sure if its such an improvement or if its just a marketing ploy to get people to buy a newer model...especially considering they haven't changed the Garden Master to a top mount unit.

And keep your eye out for a good deal on a Food Saver too- they really are worth it. I've had mine for 7-8 years and couldn't imagine not having it. Ironically, I came across an older model that lets me control when I seal the bag, if I want to do it early, for a couple bucks at a resale shop a couple weeks ago, so my original Food Saver will get moved to the basement for backup use now. I've also been coming across rolls of bags at resale shops too- a $1 a roll is way to cheap to pass up, even if I do have enough on hand for awhile anyways. The absolute cheapest way to use a Food Saver is by vacuum sealing canning jars- its a great way to keep dry goods safe & fresh, along with anything you dehydrate. The lids are reusable countless times, unlike with regular canning, so the only cost is your initial purchase of jars & lids, plus the 2 different sized jar sealer attachments.

[chef chicklet]

AnnieM you are a serious user of these machines, I can't imagine, it must be pretty awful having that sort of an allergy.
Gosh yes, you are right, everything has corn in it. So glad you have found something to help you. And now probably a few other people that might not of thought about a dehydrator for this reason.
I will keep a look out for trays. I read in the booklet ( It think) that dehydration should be no lower or higher than 140 degrees, but then it also suggests to throw the jerky in the oven for an hour, just in case. ok?

I am seriously going with the Food Saver, and this thread has convinced me, for dehydrating foods, it will protect my efforts. I plan on giving jerky to my boys and friends, along with the fruit and veggie chips. We have been a family that has always eaten those things with great enjoyment, we love good things to much on.

You have given me a wealth of information, I have trays and units at the 2nd hand stores here. I really hadn't given them much thought at the time, probably because I was looking for something else. Also a great tip about the bags!
Thanks again for all the info!!!

[Hooda_Guest]

I gave up on mine because of the noise problem but at the time, I did not have a basement like I do now. If I ever get another one, it is going to the far corner of the basement when it is used (probably when not used as well!)

[tzurriz]

That's how they all look. The best thing we do with ours is to dehydrate tomatoes from the garden. Slice 'em down, sprinkle a teensy bit of salt, and let the sucker run. All winter long we have homemade "sun dried tomatoes" for nothing, and they taste better too!

A word of caution. Be careful snacking on these. You can loose an entire season to a pesky brother-in-law who thinks you have invented the world's best chips.

We store 'em in plastic freezer bags. Throw 'em in soups, stews, and anything else you can think of. Yummy.

[chef chicklet]

In the freezer? And just salt? I would love to do this with tomatoes, what a great ideas, and tomatoes are so good for us.

Have you done this with fruit?

Tzurriz, thank you so much for answering, I am letting it intimidate me, just like the dang ice cream maker. Finally I got past the looks of it, and have had so much fun making wonderful ice creams. I think I was trying to talk myself out of it!

[tzurriz]

Yup, just salt. The salt is even optional. You wind up with sundried looking tomatoes. Depending on how thin you slice them, they can even look like red potato chips, which is why my BiL scarfed them down like a fiend.

It is the easiest thing ever.

I haven't tried fruit, because we don't have fruit trees. I will warn you that our bell peppers didn't dry really well, but the herbs turned out great. We don't freeze the herbs, just stick them in ziplocks in a cupboard. I'm not sure why we put the tomatoes in the freezer, but we do. They take up hardly any room. 10 lbs of tomatoes yields about 2-3 sandwich size ziplocks, but all the flavor is still there.

Don't let the dehydrator intimidate you. It is easier than pie. :)

Let me know how your fruit turns out if you try it.

[chef chicklet]

I will, probably around May this year. Apricots, cherries first on the list.
But can't wait to try the tomatoes, and herbs too. Thanks!

[BarmyFotheringayPhipps]

Every food dehydrator I have ever seen for home use, even the most expensive ones, has been made entirely out of plastic.

I think the issue for outdoor use isn't temperature but ambient humidity. I doubt using it in the garage would be a problem.

[chef chicklet]

Really. ok that is good to know, I see that it is instructing 12 hours and up for jerky, to ensure that the moisture is gone. I want to use it for fruit leathers, apple chips, and other fruits. I might just keep it.. thanks for the reply!

[Miss Needle]

Agh! Brings back terrible memories to when I purchased a food dehydrator off of TV during a moment of weakness. It definitely was cheezy and not well constructed. I ended up giving it to my parents who used it to preserve summer vegetables such as eggplant.

[chef chicklet]

Yes so true, I am debating on whether or not to keep or send back. I didn't spend all that much on it, so I guess it is what it is..Thanks for your input MN!