Good Dehydrating Tutorials

[Jeepers]

The website dehydrate2store has a lot of good information about dehydrating and some recipes.

 

Also if you go to Youtube and type in hydrate2store you will find her videos. I think she has about 9 of them. I like her videos and she really inspires me to get busy.

 

 

(website) http://www.dehydrate2store.com/

 

(Youtube videos) http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dehydrate2store++&oq=dehydrate2store++&gs_l=youtube.12..0.13986.13986.0.15725.1.1.0.0.0.0.53.53.1.1.0...0.0...1ac.JNKLHO-zFwY

[homeschoolshe]

Thanks for posting this! So I have a question.... Does anyone have another brand than the Excaliber? Is it worth the price? That is a lot of money! Not in the budget right now. Am I going to be seriously disappointed in using my m-i-l's cheapy with the fan on the bottom? I'm sure if I really like it, I will want to budget for a nice brand, but for right now, it's free for me to use.

[Amishway Homesteaders]

got ours cheap at thrift Shop-

Works Great for what we need and it may take a bit longer to dry but we saved a TON of money!

[Jeepers]

The Excaliber is top of the line. I couldn't afford one either and to be quite honest I don't know anyone in real life who has one. I got my dehydrator at Walmart. Actually I got 2 but that's another story. I figured I'd go inexpensive to see how I liked dehydrating before I sunk a lot of money into it. Also, I knew I'd probably use it a lot, but not 365 days a year.

 

Mine has the fan on the top with a tube thingy that goes down the center through the round trays. I have not had any problems with it at all and it dries my food just fine. It may take longer but I've never used anything else so I'm not sure. I pretty much ignore it for the first few hours then I rotate my trays because the ones on the bottom dry faster than the ones on top. It's such a slow process that it's hard to over dry. Although I have!

 

It would be nice to have one with a thermostat but at the time I couldn't find one. I've been using the same one for about 3-4 years now so I got my money's worth.

 

It is similar to this one but not exactly: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nesco-American-Harvest-Food-Dehydrator/15398566

 

 

 

Here is a post I did on drying peas in 2008 when I was a newbie.

http://mrssurvival.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=28055&st=0&p=220864&hl=+dehydrating%20+peas&fromsearch=1entry220864

[homeschoolshe]

Perfect! I'll use the cheaper one!

 

Definately going to start with some frozen peas! That story had me ROLLING!

[FarmLife]

I have several of the Wal-Mart specials and 1 American Harvest/Gardenmaster. Love the American Harvest one. It's got 8 trays (can hold up to 12) and a thermostat. Each tray came with a plastic grid AND a fruit leather sheet. I rarely use the Wal-Mart ones now. I love the thermostat option. I guess you could consider the American Harvest to be a mid-grade model.

[homeschoolshe]

Got 3 pounds of peas in this morning! I'm so excited! Yes, I'm easily entertained! Who needs tv?

 

 

I'll probably keep my eyes open for an American Harvester. I'll be checking that section every time I go to the GW Boutique! (Goodwill)

Edited July 13, 2012 by homeschoolshe

[kykate]

Got 3 pounds of peas in this morning! I'm so excited! Yes, I'm easily entertained! Who needs tv?

 

 

I'll probably keep my eyes open for an American Harvester. I'll be checking that section every time I go to the GW Boutique! (Goodwill)

 

Have fun with the peas, LOL!!

I have had an Excalibur for about a year now, and absolutely love it. I started dehydrating in 1999, with two of the bottom fan models, from the thrift store. They took SOOOO long to finish a batch. I can't tell you when I started saving money on electricity, vs the higher cost of the Excalibur, but I do know that it doesn't take nearly as long to dry food now, so I must be saving money, right? LOL!!!

 

Kate

[Jeepers]

Funny this post popped up. I just took my dehydrator over to my son's house tonight. He wants to do hot peppers. He usually does them in the oven but thought he'd do them in moms dehydrator faster.

 

I have two cheapy ones from Walmart so I still have one here. I told him if he'd use it often he could keep it. He's come a long way this year concerning food. Baby steps...

[The WE2's]

I two I use that I find work perfectly for me (and I do ALOT of dehydration of veggies and fruits) are my American Harvester that has 7 trays but can take several more, and my "biggie" is an Open Country Garden Master with 7 trays but can take up to 20+. Also have an oldie but working, Galloping Gourmet with 5 trays that I can use for garlic & onions etc., or in a pinch if I end up with more product and want to get it drying along with the others. I operate them in my enclosed back porch with the door ajar so I don't have any of the heat or odors in the house. The Excalibur looks awful nice, but alas, it's way out of my price range. I've read some negatives on it anyway, when you try to buy things for it. Anyway...this is my story and I'm sticking to it!

[Jeepers]

I told my son to run the dehydrator in the spare bedroom because of the smell of the peppers. I'm not sure how the dehydrator will come back to me. That pepper smell might stay in the plastic trays. He said bleach will take the smell out. We'll see. He might have just inherited a pepper drying only dehydrator.

 

It really doesn't matter that much to me though. I have another one just like it. It was a cheapy machine and I'm just glad he is getting into food preps.