Teaberry Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I'll be ordering a dehydrator soon, and I'm considering an Excalibur. The price is hard to swallow, but I have yet to hear anyone regret buying one. I've heard it can be noisy. Is this true? I'm also considering a Good4U which is a much better price. I'm not sure, but the fan on it may be somewhat smaller than on the Excalibur. It advertises as being quieter. http://www.rawguru.com/store/raw-food/good...dehydrator.html These dehydrators look large and bulky. Where do you keep yours? Also, for anyone who has seen an Excalibur before, which color is the most attractive? The black or the white? Thanks for your help. Link to comment
WormGuy Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I have a black Excalibur, and yes it can be called noisy. After a bit we got used to it. I have a six foot table along a kitchen wall with it, bread maker, jars, etc. It does takes up a fair bit of space. I would think the white one would be more noticeable, where as the black one kinda blends into the background here. John Link to comment
Teaberry Posted August 10, 2009 Author Share Posted August 10, 2009 What makes the noise, Wormguy? Is it the fan running? Does it just sound like a soft fan running? Or is it louder like a small vacuum sound? I have no clue where I'll keep mine. Link to comment
WormGuy Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I would say it's more like a bathroom fan running. John Link to comment
Violet Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I stick with the Nesco/ American Harvest since I can stack up to 12 trays. I am not limited by the number it comes with. I can get extra fruit leather sheets, extra trays, and mesh screens locally, too. Just something to consider. Link to comment
Prickle Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 The lady who makes the Dehydrate2store videos uses an Excalibur. You can see what it looks like sitting on her counter. In this one she has two side by side: http://dehydrate2store.com/videos/?id=45 Link to comment
pscathy Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I stick with the Nesco/ American Harvest since I can stack up to 12 trays. I am not limited by the number it comes with. I can get extra fruit leather sheets, extra trays, and mesh screens locally, too. Just something to consider. Violet, after your and a few other people's recommendation, I got the Nesco Gardenmaster also and I like it. I think it is kind of noisy, kind of like the dishwasher running in the background, and it runs for hours! But no biggee, and I got used to it. When I dried basil and it took 20 hrs, I put the Nesco out in the laundryroom :>) Link to comment
Violet Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Basil taking 20 hours ? Mine didn't take nearly that long. It was just several hours. Wonder why yours was like that. You did take the leaves off the stems, right ? Mine are individual leaves. Link to comment
Mea Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I'll be ordering a dehydrator soon, and I'm considering an Excalibur. The price is hard to swallow, but I have yet to hear anyone regret buying one. I've heard it can be noisy. Is this true? Thanks for your help. We purchased an Excalibur and i do not find it to be noisy at all. There is a whirrr from the fan, but nothing that grabs my attention ( like the grain grinder does ! ) The main drawback for us is the size. I have limited counter space... and the Ex. takes up a lot of that. I'm very happy with the machine. Mea. Link to comment
Crazy4Canning Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 I have 2 Excaliburs and I love them. Whichever one you get, there will be the noise of a fan. It shouldn't rattle, though. I'm glad you found something you can live with and like. Link to comment
etp777 Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Here's another vote for the excalibure. LOVe mine. I keep mine in the garage when I'm not using it (definitely have to make sure it's clean if you do this though ) and wipe out with a damp cloth again when I bring it in to use it. I do'nt dehydrate a whole lot lately though, so that works. I used to keep it in basement when I used it regularly. A ctually, will probalby do that again if I start using it. Put it in wine room, where exhaust can helpw ith fact that room is a bit cooler than I want. Hrmmm, interesting, hadn't thought of that before... Link to comment
pscathy Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Basil taking 20 hours ? Mine didn't take nearly that long. It was just several hours. Wonder why yours was like that. You did take the leaves off the stems, right ? Mine are individual leaves. Hmm, I did take most of them off the stems, and the instruction booklet said to split the stems so they would dry faster. I must admit that everything takes longer than I thought it would. The booklet that came with the machine gives time ranges of 6-12 hrs or 12-20 hrs!! What do I know :>). Does it seem long for peaches to take 9 hrs? It said to turn the temp down and dry the basil for 20 hrs. 2 weeks ago was my first try drying fruit, and I don't think I got it dry enough, so I put it in baggies, got as much air out as I could, and put them in the frig. They are not completely dry. I don't know if I can dry them some more, or if they are edible now, after being in the frig for 2 wks. When I buy store-bought dried fruit, it seems chewy, leathery, like peaches, apricots, even pineapple...but mine was either dampish or close to potato chips! The peaches I did yesterday went almost 10 hrs, and they are dry. Do you think I am doing something wrong? Do I need to keep experimenting til I get the knack? I tear a piece open and squeeze it and if there is a bead of moisture that forms, I keep drying. My H just sat down by me with the bag from the frig. ugh. the strawberries are the only thing that isn't WET. I am keeping the peaches in containers to shake for a few days, then will bag them up. They are thin and dry, taste is good. Just not sure how they are supposed to turn out. Link to comment
Violet Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Did you link to the booklet I recommend ? It is the same one we sell. http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Resources/PDFs/PNW0397.pdf You will find in there how to test for dryness, how to store, etc. If they are wet, they are not dry enough and need longer drying. The stuff in the store is sulfured and often has a sugar syrup soak, too. They are not the same as home dried foods. Especially banana chips. The store ones are plantains, sugared, and deep fried in coconut oil. Not the same food at all. Hope this helps. Be sure to follow the instructions on conditioning foods. My basil only took a few hours. I have the 500 watt dryer. How many watts do you have ? You will see peach halves can take 24 to 36 hours. I would not dry halves. Just slices of fruit for us. You will have to experiment some. However, some of it depends upon the weather, too. If it is humid it will take longer to dry. If you like yours more moist, then you can store in the freezer so they don't mold. If the fruit you have in the fridge shows no mold nor smells off, then you can dry some more. Link to comment
pscathy Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Did you link to the booklet I recommend ? It is the same one we sell. http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Resources/PDFs/PNW0397.pdf Sorry, I forgot you had given me this site before. I read it and will continue to refer to it. I think is will be a matter of getting familiar with how different home dried food is. I am conditioning my last batch of peaches with the ones prior which were a bit more leathery. They all taste good! I live in the SoCAlif desert, NO humidity to speak of :>) the link is for the dehydrator I bought. It is 1000 watts, so I wonder what I am doing wrong?? my dehdrator Link to comment
Prickle Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 These are great videos on dehydrating. http://dehydrate2store.com/videos/?id=45 She dries her stuff until it's crispy. She even dehydrates dried fruit from the store like raisins and apricots. The fruits we buy from the store are "dried" rather than dehydrated. Link to comment
Violet Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 pscathy, That is a great dehydrator ! It may take some time to get the timing down right. Be sure to dry the food, then take off a piece. Let it sit and cool a minute or so. Then try it . It wil be different as it sits there a minute or so. Then you can tell if it is how you want it. You can sulfur your foods, if you want, like the store ones. However, that is a reason I want to do my own foods, to avoid a lot of that stuff. You can buy some sulfite dip stuff at wine making shops. I have not tried them, though. Then, there is sulfuring where you heat the stuff in a box. Not for me. Too much of a hassle, plus not wanting the sulfur. I do agree about the food from the stores. They really are not the same products at all as what we do at home. Link to comment
pscathy Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 These are great videos on dehydrating. http://dehydrate2store.com/videos/?id=45 She dries her stuff until it's crispy. She even dehydrates dried fruit from the store like raisins and apricots. The fruits we buy from the store are "dried" rather than dehydrated. These videos are good. I am a visual learner, and since I don't have "gramma" to show me, this helps! Link to comment
pscathy Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 pscathy, That is a great dehydrator ! It may take some time to get the timing down right. I do agree about the food from the stores. They really are not the same products at all as what we do at home. Okay, I will just keep doing it and gain in experience and hopefully confidence. I'm with you, the fewer additives, the better. Per the dehydrator I have, they say I can add up to some ridiculous "leaning tower " number of trays (I think they say 30). I want to get some additional trays. What do you think is a practical number to stack? Cathy Link to comment
Prickle Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 My Nesco says up to 12 trays. Link to comment
Violet Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 I think the large one does go up to 30. It has more wattage than the Nesco one. Mine are 500 and will take 12 trays. With 30 you may need to rotate the trays some. Take the bottom ones and put the on the top, etc. It has a lot of good power. I have zucchini ready to put on in the morning, if I remember. I used my Cuisianart to slice it. Perfect thickness for drying. Sure was handy to do that. There are so many people who are visual and want to be shown how to do things in person or via video. That is why they love the preserving classes so much. Link to comment
Cricket Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 These are great videos on dehydrating. http://dehydrate2store.com/videos/?id=45 She dries her stuff until it's crispy. She even dehydrates dried fruit from the store like raisins and apricots. The fruits we buy from the store are "dried" rather than dehydrated. Prickle, this is an awesome site! Thanks for the link! I have to tear myself away from watching her videos and get busy canning carrots! Link to comment
Prickle Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 They're addictive, I keep checking for new ones. Link to comment
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