Food Dehydrators: The Topic

[bonkboo]

How often do you use them?

[OliverB]

not sure if that's directed at me or above posts. I use it here and there, make dried things for school snacks mostly. Either planned or using up some apples that get wrinkly etc, banana chips are great too. I got that many trays so I don't have to use it too often, once the snacks etc are gone I get it out again, after a period of other snacks to mix things up a bit. Use it on a as needed or wanted basis, can't put a number on it.

[pbear]

FWIW, I also have a Nesco, it works fine and isn't difficult to clean IMHO. Bear in mind the temps used are pretty low compared to an oven. It's not like stuff is getting baked on. I spray with warm water, let sit a few minutes, then hit with dish soap and an ordinary kitchen brush.

I will say it may matter how happy I am with the Nesco that I don't use it all that often, maybe once a month. (Main uses for me are jerky, spiced nuts and glace fruit.) If I were using it every week, or even intense projects once a year (e.g., putting up an apple harvest), I'd probably get a more robust unit. For what I do, though, the Nesco is more than adequate.

[ChrisTaylor]

I've spotted some no-name dehydrators on eBay. Cheaper than the Excalibur but still has temperature control (35C to 68C, apparently) and enough capacity to do what I'm interested in doing. There's also a somewhat pricier Sunbeam one that can go up to 70C. I want a dehydrator but cannot justify the expense (more than double the price of the Sunbeam model) of an Excalibur. Even a second-hand Excalibur is costlier than these. I hold no illusions about the build quality of these cheaper models but is anything actually 'wrong' with knock-off dehydrators so long as they have temperature control/adequate capacity? 

[dcarch]

I've spotted some no-name dehydrators on eBay. Cheaper than the Excalibur but still has temperature control--------- I hold no illusions about the build quality of these cheaper models but is anything actually 'wrong' with knock-off dehydrators so long as they have temperature control/adequate capacity? 

 

There is nothing sophisticated about a dehydrator.

 

The fan is typically an induction or shaded pole motor fan, which will last forever.

 

The thermostat is a bi-metal mechanical switch, a low tech device.

 

The heating coil, typically nickel/chromium wire element running at low temperature.

 

 

dcarch

[ElsieD]

I am thinking about getting a dehydrator as I would like to make various kinds of jerky and possibly a few other things as I get used to using it. Fruit comes to mind. Any recommendations? I would also need a book so suggestions for that would be appreciated as well. Thank you!

[Deryn]

I love my 9 tray Excalibur. I also have a Nestle (round, stackable) and dislike it. It heats from the bottom whereas the Excalibur heats/fans from the back so it hits most of the trays evenly all the time. You have to rotate the trays a lot when using the Nestle. I never do with the Excalibur.

 

Mine also has a timer on it and a thermostat so I can set different temperatures for different kinds of things. Very useful to have the latter if you are drying meats one day and fruit/veg another since they should be done at different temperatures.

 

My suggestion is that you look for one like the Excalibur (if not that brand) - there are others these days that do the same thing and they may be cheaper.

 

I can recommend a site which hasn't actually been updated in a while - not sure if it is defunct but it is still there - dehydrate2store.com. I learned a lot from the videos, etc. there a while back. Ask here or in PM if there is something else you need to know about dehydrating and I will try to help you out, Elsie.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[Anna N]

I don't have the Excalibur but have access to it and have used it in the past. Compared to the cheap circular units it's Mercedes-Benz versus the Volkswagen beetle.

[Darienne]

Roughly speaking...how much money are we talking?  In US or Canadian dollars specified please.  Oh I mean for the Excalibur.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Darienne (log)

[Deryn]

I got mine a few years ago in the States but they are available in Canada - for about the same price in Can $ that I paid (which was in US dollars at the time).

 

You can buy a 4 or 5 tier Excalibur as well as a 9 tier - a bit smaller but if you are alone and not doing a lot that is probably enough. The 4 tier is on sale right now on the site below - and it is a great deal! You could look for 2nd hand ones but you might have trouble finding many since Excalibur owners generally love theirs and won't give them up easily.

 

Anyway .. I just did a quick web search for a dealer in Canada and found this - should give you an idea. http://www.greenhealthcanada.com/Excalibur_Dehydrators.html

Edited May 6, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[palo]

Peppers and tomatoes (cherry) are good dried - I have some from going on two years ago - re-hydrate and use in sauces etc. If they are really dry they should keep unrefrigerated, mine have, just add water to make them pliable and flavourable again - depending on their final use I've used wine. I've also done jerky - fat does not dehydrate well so I used lean round steak - came out okay but the secret is in the marinate - I used a teriyaki base and it wasn't that great. The jerky I kept refrigerated as it was meat and you know what they say about meat.

 

p

[andiesenji]

I've had Excalibur dehydrators since the '80s.  I've used them extensively for fruits, veg, jerky, as a proofing box for yeast breads, etc.

 

They last about 18-20 years so if you pro-rate the cost, they are cheaper than the less expensive models that have to be replaced every 5 years or so.

[Beth Wilson]

Great site Deryn!

 

Elsie, I noticed on the site it has the Dehydrator Bible for sale.  One of the authors Don Mercer is a professor at U of Guelph and I was lucky to have him as a professor here in Kemptville.  He travels the world helping developing countries work on ways to economically dry and store various types of foods to help alliviate starvation.  He was very interesting and shared some of his projects with us.  I am going to pick up a copy of that book and I am tempted on one of the smaller dryers.  One thing I know Don Mercer talked about drying spices and garlic :-)  Said his dog still won't go near  the drying shed he set up in his backyard a couple of years  after drying many batches of garlic.

 

I have looked in thrift stores in and around Ottawa, but all I seem to find is the round ones and their condition never seemed to be great so I haven't been able to pick up a reasonably priced one.  Lee Valley has this one    http://www.leevalley.com/US/garden/page.aspx?p=66386&cat=2,40733,44734,66386

[dcarch]

Make yogurt.

 

dcarch

[Darienne]

We have run through (and given away) several dehydrators in the last umpty-one years.  And now we have another one, gifted by our raw vegan daughter.   Salton, 5 tray, conventional style.  

 

She made some cracker things while she was last here and I take it she uses hers constantly and didn't realize that I already had one (now given away).   I've dried a number of things over the decades...and then ignored the dehydrator for months on end.  (Sort of like the bread machine, pasta maker, etc...all of which were given away)

 

I just can't seem to work it into our lives.  Help. 

[ElsieD]

Thank you all for responding. After reading your responses, I did some more digging and have concluded that while the Excalibur may be the Cadillac version for home use, it is more expensive that what I want to pay, as I don't see me using it a whole lot. I looked at the Lee Valley one then had a look at Costco. Both have Nesco models, Costco has the FD 80 which is a square one and Lee Valley has the FD61, a round one. The Costco one has 700 Watts, the Lee Valley 500. Both have a temperature control. Coatco charges $84.99 and Lee Valley $74.50.

Sorry to sound so stupid, but how does the difference in wattages affect the drying times? Is it quicker with the higher wattage? Is square better than round? The main thing I want to make is jerky.

Beth, I will keep that book in mind. There can't be many cookbooks that deal with dehydrated foods.

Edited May 12, 2015 by ElsieD (log)

[gfron1]

Mine is out of your price range, but a few features that I've learned are important to me (I use mine primarily, but not exclusively for cocoa butter warming): digital temp control in both F and C. Ability to turn timer off so it doesn't shut off automatically. Internal light is useless for me. Size big enough to handle my Silpats.

[radtek]

The round Nebco from walmart for around $30. I've had mine for at least 12 years. Works well, but in the garage- not inside the house. 

 

I like the looks of the Excalibur; looks perfect for the dehydrator fanatic who plans on using it a lot. 

 

Best for... Jerky. Onions. Herbs. Mushrooms. Garlic. Tomatoes. Peppers. Fruit and fruit-leather. Anyone make fruit-leather?

[Deryn]

Elsie - If those are the two models you are choosing between I think I would opt for the square one (from Costco) with the higher wattage. I think its capacity is larger, more will fit on each tray better than on a round one and it is a newer model. The reviews seem to be good - a number of people seem to have bought it for jerky and been very satisfied.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[Darienne]

The round Nebco from walmart for around $30. I've had mine for at least 12 years. Works well, but in the garage- not inside the house. 

 

I like the looks of the Excalibur; looks perfect for the dehydrator fanatic who plans on using it a lot. 

 

Best for... Jerky. Onions. Herbs. Mushrooms. Garlic. Tomatoes. Peppers. Fruit and fruit-leather. Anyone make fruit-leather?

Why the proviso: 'not inside the house'?

[Deryn]

Why the proviso: 'not inside the house'?

I can't speak for radtek, but, if one doesn't like the heat generated or the fan noise that could be why some use them outside or in the garage. Some foods will also generate quite a bit of aroma while drying - onions, garlic, perhaps even jerky - which may be pleasing or not depending on one's personal taste. The amount of humidity in the air when you are dehydrating can also make a difference to the drying times. And, of course, there is also the size of the beast - which may not exactly fit into one's idea of décor for days at a time. None of the above bothers me personally but I can see why some may choose to use the basement, garage, or even put the machine outside on the patio or the deck.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[Beth Wilson]

So I contacted Don Mercer regarding dehydrators:  Here is a bit of his response with some very good points to consider.

 

"This is an interesting quandary in which you and the folks in your discussion group are finding yourselves.

I do not mean to endorse one brand of dryer over any other, so please don't take my comments that way.

The Excalibur dryers are definitely top of the line.  They have a few minor drawbacks in their design.  With the square racks/trays and the airflow from back to front in the model I have, there is a need to turn the trays at regular intervals to even up the drying.  I also tend to move the trays from one position to another (i.e., from lower positions to higher positions) at least once during the drying process.  These are not really major issues.  I think cost may be the real concern for many people.

I have also used two of the Nesco / American Harvest round dryers.  These are the SnackMaster and the GardenMaster (FD-1040 Digital Pro Food Dehydrator).  I would recommend the GardenMaster unit over the Snackmaster one due to its wattage which affects the overall performance.

Think of the wattage of a food dehydrator just as you would the wattage of a hair dryer.  The higher the wattage, the more heat it produces to do the drying.  The GardenMaster unit I have has a 1,000 watt heater (i.e., 1 kilowatt) compared to a lower wattage for the SnackMaster.  If you run the GardenMaster dryer for 1 hour, it will use 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity and you can calculate the cost of drying on that basis.  While the lower wattage dryers (e.g., 500 watts) use half the electricity on an hourly basis, they take longer to dry things. While you may be able get the temperatures that you want, the volumetric airflow through the unit may not be all that high, which affects the rate of water removal from the products you are drying.  I would definitely go for a higher wattage compared to a lower wattage.  To me, the heater in a 300 watt dryer is a bit too small (or under-powered).

The round Nesco GardenMaster dryers work extremely well.  The heating is uniform due to the way the hot air is distributed through the unit.  It goes across the top and bottom surfaces of the stuff in the dryer (just like in the Excalibur dryers).  I like the top-mounted heating and fan unit which is easy to lift off and allow you to get to the trays; plus the digital temperature display and timer (this is a guy thing).  The round trays are easy to clean and wash in the sink.  You can even wash the bottom portion which collects drips sometimes.  With the Excalibur, you can wash the trays easily, but you need to wash out the bottom of the cabinet - which is not really a big deal.

The GardenMaster (and other similar Nesco dryers) are easily expanded by adding more trays.  Depending on what you are drying, you can actually expand these to quite a number of trays.

Some people don't like the round trays since they think you can get more on a square rack in the Excalibur dryer.  This didn't seem to be an issue for the work I was doing.  You may also find the Nesco units easier to store since they are not as large."

 

He has used all of the dehydrators so he shared some of his observations with me.  Hope this helps you to make a decision.  It certainly gave me a lot to think about.  He also mentioned his book has recently been revised (earlier this year) but he has not seen the latest revised edition in stores yet.  I think I might wait a bit on the book purchase to pick up the latest one.

 

[Deryn]

Thanks, Beth.

 

I have never had to move trays round in my Excalibur but I usually use a slicer to ensure all the contents are a uniform thickness and am also fairly careful to make sure that nothing overlaps (to ensure good air flow). If you are hand-cutting or have things of different thicknesses, make sure to place the thickest slices in the middle slots (in the Excalibur) or toward the bottom for the bottom up dehydrators. Rotating trays is easier/faster (in my opinion) with an Excalibur type of dehydrator (because each tray sits separately in a frame) than with the Nesco but having to rotate trays is not that big a deal either - unless you want a 'set it and forget it' machine or want to go on holiday while stuff dries.

 

Most of this is 'common sense', particularly for people who cook a lot and understand the basic nature and use for various foods.

 

I am not sure you need a dehydrator 'cook' book because, other than for perhaps jerky recipes (which are all over the web - and which may be of two types: extruded with a 'gun' or simple slices of meat), most items dried in a dehydrator tend to be single ingredients. You just need to understand the basics such as what temperature to use for each type of food, a general idea of how long that type of food may take to dry, how to know if it is dry (most foods should be dried to a crispy, 'cracks easily', state except if they are leathers or jerky), and how to store foods after drying and rehydrate later (if that is desired - you don't rehydrate some things - jerky for instance). All that information can be found easily online and most is fairly reliable. You-tube videos also abound.

 

Some fruits require a quick citric acid dip to keep their colour. Some foods don't dehydrate well (anything too liquid or with a high fat content) and others are fiddly to do (large blueberries and grapes, if whole, need to be pricked, for instance). But, once you get the hang of it, most is intuitive and won't require a book to guide you.

 

Don't try to dry meats in the same load as vegetables/fruits - since they require different temperatures. If you dry, for instance, potatoes, at too high a temperature, you will probably create a hard crust on the outside and the interior will never dry properly and will not rehydrate properly either. To dry something like sweet potatoes, it is best to puree them and spread them very thinly on a solid surface (rather than the mesh - you can use plastic wrap) and dry until crispy. At that point, you can break it up and put it in jars (with an O2 absorber if you want to store for a while).  

 

You can dry many leftovers - thick soups usually work quite well, and mashed potatoes spread thinly (again on plastic wrap or equivalent 'solid' surface) usually dry just fine too though you will, as with the sweet potatoes, need to turn them over at some point to ensure they are dry on both sides and all the way through. Cheese doesn't fare well in a dehydrator (it melts - ask me how I know) - but a bit of cheese in a casserole or soup is not a problem. Cheese by itself does great in a freeze-dryer. You can do (scrambled) eggs but I don't care for the result as a meal. Those do much better in the freeze-dryer. High fat items can be a problem for drying in both dehydrators and freeze-dryers. Avocadoes are not great dehydrated in my opinion (but good in the freeze-dryer).

 

Warning - if you really get into dehydrating foods, it can be addictive - and can be a progressive disease ... for me, it lead to having to also acquire a freeze-dryer!

Edited May 14, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[Beth Wilson]

After reading the freeze dryer threads I have a serious case of wanting one.  Luckily since I am in a little one bedroom place, my space budget will not allow me to get one.  A dehydrator on the other hand will fit nicely in my hall closet when not in use.

[ElsieD]

Beth, thank you so much for going to all that trouble. When next you communicate with Don Mercer please let him know that I appreciate his sharing his information with us. I will take a look at the Nesco Gardenmaster. One thing that appealed about buying the unit from Costco is their return policy. if you can believe it, they gave us a 100% refund on a PVR that gave up the ghost after 3 years and also a full refund on a pre-lit Christmas tree that we had used for three years when the lights suddenly went out last Christmas. Hard to beat a return policy like that. However, if the Gardenmaster is so much better than the Costco one I will consider it. As mentioned, I mainly want to do jerky for my husband. I may do a few things like berries in season but I don't see me doing a lots of other things. Of course, I may fall in love with the thing and start experimenting with all kinds of things, so who knows? It is probably better to cater to the possibility of using it more, not less.

I did not realize you were in Kemptville. We often toodle on over to the Farmer's market there on Sunday's. If you ever come to Ottawa and are looking for a lunch mate, let me know!

Edited May 15, 2015 by ElsieD (log)