Author Topic: dehydrator  (Read 16376 times)

johhnyco15

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dehydrator
« on: October 03, 2015, 16:43:42 »
just got bought a dehydrator can any one tell me of any books that are good and any recipes as i know nothing and a dehydrating virgin
johhnyc015  may the plot be with you

leaningshed

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #1 on: October 03, 2015, 17:58:17 »
'Preserve it Naturally' which is published by Excalibur which is a near 200 page book full of techniques and recipes.ISBN 083595606-7. Obviously aimed to be used with their machines but regardless it is packed with good info.

The Web site is:

www.drying123.com

I picked my copy up from eBay for less than a tenner.

pumkinlover

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #2 on: October 03, 2015, 20:40:45 »
Let us know how you get on with the dehydrator, I keep thinking about one. Took about 24 hours in the oven to do some figs, then still too moist.

johhnyco15

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #3 on: October 03, 2015, 20:45:56 »
Let us know how you get on with the dehydrator, I keep thinking about one. Took about 24 hours in the oven to do some figs, then still too moist.
i have to admit this thing goes up to 72 hrs its 6 hrs to dry some raspberrys  and 15 hrs for toms so it is not for the impatient lol
 
johhnyc015  may the plot be with you

Jeannine

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #4 on: October 12, 2015, 08:41:32 »
I have an Excalibur and can reccomend that book whole heartedly.

If you ar thinking about buying there are basically two types.. one has the element and  fan positioned on the side, the other at the bottom. The first one is better, in dries more evenly as the heat does bot have to pass through trays to get to th e higher ones and it is also better for mixing food types in as reduces the chance of mixed flavours.

If you dry in the oven the temp cannot be above 140F  most ovens lowest is 170F so check your manual. If it is abobe 140F you have to be there waqtching it wioth a thermometer in siutu ready to osdpen the door for na few minute sfairly regularly to driop to the 140F.

There are some good plans on the net for free for making your own.
When God blesses you with a multitude of seeds double  the blessing by sharing your  seeds with other folks.

Melbourne12

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #5 on: October 21, 2015, 00:50:06 »
I have an Excalibur and can reccomend that book whole heartedly.

If you ar thinking about buying there are basically two types.. one has the element and  fan positioned on the side, the other at the bottom. The first one is better, in dries more evenly as the heat does bot have to pass through trays to get to th e higher ones and it is also better for mixing food types in as reduces the chance of mixed flavours.

...

Well, based on your good opinion, we've taken the plunge and ordered an Excalibur (though not the top of the range which are seriously spendy)  which should arrive in the next few days.  I'm looking forward to drying some of our vast number of apples which otherwise won't keep for more than a few weeks, and to making some candied peel.  Oh, and fruit leathers for children's snacks.

Jeannine

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2015, 02:45:55 »
Hi, well done, I don't think you will be disappointed, it may come with a couple of books, not sure over there but it is a great dryer, I have the largest size, perhaps a bit too big now.. I bought this one when I first came back as I had sold my other  one before I left Canada. When I looked into it there was a higher priced model that had a feature  I was unsure of and I seem to remember e mailing the company for more info to see if it was worth the extra. I don't remember what it was but I didn't get it, felt it was a bit too much bells and whistles.. I shall have to go on the site now to remind myself. XX Jeannine


Took a look.. it was the timer feature I didn't go for,it wasn't on my first one and wasn't sure what to do after giving it some though I remember thinking that  I would be looking at the doneness anyway rather than setting a time so I didn't get that one. I have the 9 drawer one, it is basic  black. I see now they have pretty coloured ones and clear doors, more bells and whistles I think if it puts the cost up.


The Excalibur booklet came with it .

 I also got  a much bigger book again by Excalibur called Preserve in Naturally, I seem to remember I negotiated that as a freebie as the US offered free shipping within the US and this book was a freebie special offer for a week or two. The Canadian  dealer didn't offer free shipping or the book so I said I would buy it in the US and pay the shipping to Canada as the US price was better so overall it was cheaper for me, they then matched the US price and sweetened it even further by offering me the 3 free Paraflex sheets so I bought it in Canada, got the free shipping and the book chucked in.
« Last Edit: October 21, 2015, 03:11:26 by Jeannine »
When God blesses you with a multitude of seeds double  the blessing by sharing your  seeds with other folks.

squeezyjohn

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2015, 10:38:28 »
I keep thinking about getting one too ... but there's a little niggle in the back of my head that keeps telling me that if drying your own food is the most natural thing in the world ... why do they need to invent yet another electric gadget to clutter up my kitchen so I can use even more electricity that is still mainly produced by burning fossil fuels in this country?

I know it probably doesn't use much ... but they must have had a way of drying things out before dehydrators and electricity was invented ... could I get similar results using the residual heat from our wood-burning stove?

daveyboi

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2015, 11:02:04 »
I know it probably doesn't use much ... but they must have had a way of drying things out before dehydrators and electricity was invented ... could I get similar results using the residual heat from our wood-burning stove?

One way was to use an oven on the lowest setting with the door partially open so I would assume you could rig something up to use the residual heat from your stove. Of course if you had an solid fuel range you just used the cool oven.

Another way often suggested is to use a solar food dryer during the cropping season to dry your excess produce.
Daveyboi
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squeezyjohn

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2015, 11:14:04 »
The solar dryer looks good ... I presume I'll have to make that myself ... such a shame that most things I'd like to dry seem to have a glut just as the sun disappears!

Jeannine

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2015, 12:24:41 »
Yep, the original way was the sun..but sadly we don't get enough of that. It does use very little and gives a finished product I can't make any other way as well. I make beef jerky and fruit roll ups and tons of dog biscuits, much better and cheaper that I can buy and I am certain more  power is used to make the commercial ones.


It is just another way of preserving and goes along with all my canning and my smoker, and of course my freezers.
When God blesses you with a multitude of seeds double  the blessing by sharing your  seeds with other folks.

Paulines7

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #11 on: October 23, 2015, 11:32:46 »
We have a glut of apples and plums every year and they are just left on the ground to rot so I have been thinking of buying a dehydrator after seeing this thread.  What could I do with all the apple rings or dried plums though?  I am diabetic so shouldn't eat that much fruit and certainly wouldn't be able to add sugar to them when I rehydrate them. 

Looking through the web for suggestions, I see that many people dry seeds, nuts and grains for grenola or other cereals. Unfortunately, I am not allowed cereals either on my very low carb diet. 

Would I really get use out of one and, should I decide to buy one, would it be an asset given my diet?  Any help would be much appreciated.... thanks.     

galina

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #12 on: October 23, 2015, 12:31:47 »
We have a glut of apples and plums every year and they are just left on the ground to rot so I have been thinking of buying a dehydrator after seeing this thread.  What could I do with all the apple rings or dried plums though?     

A bit of a thread drift, but you could juice the apples and let ferment without addition of sugar for a nice dry cider.  Don't think it has anywhere near as much alcohol as wine.

I have harvested my stevia leaves as the plant does not do much over winter, but hopefully resprouts again next spring.   Placed bamboo place mats on top of the radiator and the leaves on top.  Worked a treat, even though the heating is only on for a few hours.  I wonder whether thin apple rings could be dried the same way too?  Certainly other herbs could, except they are at their peak when we don't need heating.   :wave:

Melbourne12

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2015, 12:58:19 »
Well, our dehydrator arrived yesterday, and we've got the first results this morning!  The picture shows some candied peel, which has worked really well.

I think that the piece of kit that we've got is exactly the same as Jeannine's one.  They're being sold at reduced prices because the next generation of machines has just been launched.  But they're incredibly effective.

More pictures and description here: https://johnnorman.wordpress.com/2015/10/24/excalibur-4900-dehydrator/


Paulines7

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #14 on: October 24, 2015, 15:50:39 »
We have a glut of apples and plums every year and they are just left on the ground to rot so I have been thinking of buying a dehydrator after seeing this thread.  What could I do with all the apple rings or dried plums though?     

A bit of a thread drift, but you could juice the apples and let ferment without addition of sugar for a nice dry cider.  Don't think it has anywhere near as much alcohol as wine.

I have harvested my stevia leaves as the plant does not do much over winter, but hopefully resprouts again next spring.   Placed bamboo place mats on top of the radiator and the leaves on top.  Worked a treat, even though the heating is only on for a few hours.  I wonder whether thin apple rings could be dried the same way too?  Certainly other herbs could, except they are at their peak when we don't need heating.   :wave:

Thanks for your reply Galina.  We made cider a couple of years ago but as neither of us liked it, we gave it to our son.  We found it very fiddling and time consuming even using the juicer that we have.  Some of the apples will be juiced next week when the grandchildren come up.  It doesn't get used very much now as we bought it to make cider and fruit juices.  Having been diagnosed diabetic I am no longer allowed to have fruit juice.   :BangHead: 

We are still talking about whether we would get much use out of a dehydrator.   I certainly wouldn't spend much money on one initially and would get one of the cheaper models for under £40. 


lottie lou

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #15 on: October 24, 2015, 18:42:27 »
I dry courgette slices and tomatoes.  Really yummy

Jeannine

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #16 on: October 25, 2015, 05:44:03 »
Melbourne, 1 thing to tell you. The front of the machine just sort of hooks on to the top span but doesn;t fasten onto anything else. I have once or twice moved mine and the front has fallen off so be careful

Another thing, it is great for raising bread in.

I think you will enjoy it,,did you get the  Preserve it Naturally Book

XX Jeannine.
When God blesses you with a multitude of seeds double  the blessing by sharing your  seeds with other folks.

Melbourne12

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #17 on: October 25, 2015, 09:07:24 »
Melbourne, 1 thing to tell you. The front of the machine just sort of hooks on to the top span but doesn;t fasten onto anything else. I have once or twice moved mine and the front has fallen off so be careful

Another thing, it is great for raising bread in.

I think you will enjoy it,,did you get the  Preserve it Naturally Book

XX Jeannine.

I've noticed that the front doesn't lock in place, so we'll be careful not to let it fall onto the floor and break.

I thought that I'd see what the instruction booklet was like before getting any other books.  In fact the instructions are really basic, so I've now ordered Preserve It Naturally.

That's a very good point about it being a good bread proving cupboard.  Especially in the winter months, bread can take ages to rise, so a pleasantly warm environment could work wonders for the occasional sourdough!

Jeannine

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #18 on: October 25, 2015, 09:36:54 »
Hey I made sourdough tonight,  I make a sponge with my starter and keep it for 24 hours before I finish adding and preparing, the dehydrator is the perfect place to keep the sponge bubbling away. My starte which is years old I keep in the fridge and when I take it out it is cold of course but after adding the flour and water to make the sponge it comes alive quickly in the gentle warm of the dehydrator.


you won't regret it XX Jeannine
When God blesses you with a multitude of seeds double  the blessing by sharing your  seeds with other folks.

sparrow

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Re: dehydrator
« Reply #19 on: October 25, 2015, 12:07:45 »
That is a cracking idea Jeannine, thank you! I tried proving in my oven on the lowest setting but that was too high and it went sour.

 

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