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Good dehydrator?

RaynPJRaynPJ
in New to Raw

Me and my fiance have decided to try raw, at least for a while. Is it in our best interest to purchase a dehydrator or just try to purchase dehydrated foods? Any suggestions on the best dehydrator to purchase?

Comments

  • AlyssiaAlyssia

    I bought mine off of Ebay for under 100 dollars and it supposed to better than the Excalibur.

    good 4 u is the brand.

  • waterbaby12347waterbaby12347 Raw Newbie

    There are many other forum where dehydrator have been discussed.... If you look to the top of the page there is a box where you can type in whatever word you desire more knowledge.... Then just click the search button... Just like Google you get answers just for the clicking.... smile

    I have a stainless steel sausage maker... Hate the name but love the D...

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    You don't need one if you're just starting out, although they are loads of fun. We went a long time without one, so we made plenty of soups, sushi rolls/wraps, and raw pastas, which kept us interested. I suggest browsing recipes here or in books and if you notice that a majority of the dishes that appeal to you require one, and money is no object, then go right ahead. (A high-powered blender is the best tool to start with, though.)

    There is an eBay Excalibur store selling new, factory refurbished units for far less than elsewhere. If you do the search waterbaby recommends you will probably find the thread that mentions it.

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    P.S. Congratulations on taking this step, and taking it together! You will be a glowing bride and groom. (And you make a gorgeous couple.)

  • RaynPJRaynPJ

    Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'll def look into a variety of recipies.

    Thanks Suasoria for the nice compliments.

  • CorinCorin

    A good dehydrator review and website...

    http://www.raw-living-food-success.com/dehydrated-raw-food.html

  • RAWmen_NoodlesRAWmen_Noodles

    Just for the things I am doing now, I bought a cheapie from Wal-mart. It has done great for all of the breads and dehydrating that I have done. I have also done fruit leathers in it too. It is a Nesco and it has different temp settings. I did not want to buy an expensive one when I was starting out just to have it go to my appliance graveyard! Congrats on making the change!

  • bizinbluejeansbizinbluejeans

    Raw newbie here. Been looking at recipes and every time I find one I get excited about, I see "dehydrate...." Phooey. My oven gives me an ERR every time I try to set it at any temperature below 175.

    So there I was, ready to invest in a dehydrator at Target, when I remembered the temperature issue. So I stood in the aisle and called the 800 number on the side of the Ronco "As Seen On TV" box. 135 degrees. That one's out.

    Next, I stood in Walmart looking at the basic, $36 Nesco. Looked on their web site. 145 degrees. Out.

    Now I'm frustrated, dying for a dehydrator that's affordable and truly low-temp for raw foods, and I don't know where to turn. My search continues. Phooey. I wanted to make some crackers, like, NOW. LOL

  • bizinbluejeansbizinbluejeans

    And btw, what's the difference between the "VegiKiln," the "STX Dehydra" and the "Good 4 u?" They all look exactly alike!

  • TheFitnessFreakTheFitnessFreak

    I love my excalibur! I got mine from The Raw Food World. Just e-mail them and ask if they have any returns and they will sell it to you for a great price. Here's the link:

    http://www.therawfoodworld.com/index.php?ref=591&affiliate_banner_id=12

    Note: They usually get returned because people think they are too big and kind of loud. They are big and they are loud, that's just the nature of the beast:) I have mine in the garage on my dryer so neither of those issues are problems.

    Nicole

     

  • bizinbluejeansbizinbluejeans

    Nicole, that's a totally awesome idea! I may do that if....well, my husband just said he'll make me this one: http://www.k-clements.fsnet.co.uk/dehydrator.html but I don't know for sure if the temperature will be right, etc. Anyone have thoughts on this? If it doesn't work out, we can go with Nicole's idea, right? :)

    Thanks!

  • TheFitnessFreakTheFitnessFreak

    That dehydrator idea is actually from Angela Stokes who owns The Raw Food World with her soon to be hubby:) I had a different dehydrator before I got my Excalibur and it was slow at dehydrating, like twice as long. It was also hard to regulate the temp in it. I just got my new one two weeks ago and they had three in their store. Call and ask, hurry:)

    Nicole

     

  • emtpdmomemtpdmom Raw Newbie

    Biz, I've considered making a dehydrator, but always worried about temperature control as well. I'll be interested in your critique of the finished product and its performance.

  • kiwiandme Deletedkiwiandme Deleted

    Please just remember to find out if the plastic contains BPA. It's very bad for you!

  • PirawnaPirawna

    Store bought dehydrated food is so pricey, it is worth it to get a dehydrator. I got a cheapie round one from Walmart for only $40 to try it out before investing in a good one. It has a temperature control that starts at 90 degrees and up to 145 degrees. I really like it. So easy to whip up crackers and make wonderful entrees.

  • rubber duckrubber duck

    I'm curious to see who else has a homemade dehydrator? When my girlfriend and I broke up, she got the dehydrator (stainless steel sausage maker, great dehydrate, but expensive) and I got the juicer (breakups are tragic):-) I am currently on revision three of a homemade dehydrator. The first one, very similar to the one bizinbluejeans posted, but temperature control between the top and bottom was tough, had to cycle shelves, and I'm too lazy for that. Rev. two utilized birch plywood (to cut down on weight) and some stainless steel sheet metal screwed onto the inside surface of the plywood. I then setup a light bulb on top and on bottom with 12volt computer fans to circulate the air. Every 30min the fans cycle between in bottom/out top to out top/in bottom, works better but it's still hard to keep a constant temp, especially with people peaking to see what's new in the dehydrator (maybe I need to incorporate a window). Rev three will all be 12volt power run off of a solar cell, and I will install a thermocouple (electronic thermometer) connected to a rheostate (dimmer switch) to control the amount of light out put by the bulbs and therefore heat out put. I am hopping this will stablize my temperature. oh, I am using stainless steel shelving bootied from a comercial oven. I would like to hear about other people's setups before I progress with mine to see if I can incorporate some other ideas.

  • emtpdmomemtpdmom Raw Newbie

    EDIT: Pirawna -- I'm bumping this back to the top in the hopes that you will see it and share the brand name for your inexpensive dehydrator with temperature control.

    Thanks.

    ORIGINAL POST: Pirawna -- I'm excited that you found an inexpensive dehydrator with temperature control. Do you mind sharing the brand name?

    Thanks.

  • kiwiandme Deletedkiwiandme Deleted

    My husband made a wonderful dehydrator for us. It doesn't have a fan. It has one bulb at the bottom, with vents at the bottom and top. The heat rises. It usually stays at a perfect 108 degrees on all 6 trays! Plus, it is so beautiful like a piece of furniture! We are preparing to sell them. They will be very affordable. If anyone is interested please feel free to contact me.

  • emtpdmomemtpdmom Raw Newbie

    Will you be offering them through your Etsy Shop? I checked, just in case they were listed there, but didn't see them. One size only? What construction material? Price range?

  • PirawnaPirawna

    emtpdmom- The dehydrator I have is by Nesco. I bought it from Walmart, but they did not have it in-store, I had to purchase it online. But they had an in-store pick up option so I did NOT have to pay shipping. Just picked it up at the store when it came in.

    It came with four trays and one or two of those mesh sheets and the solid sheets that are like the silicone or Teflex sheets I guess.

    The only down fall is that it is round with a hole in the center, so pizzas are weird shape and near impossible to make workable "wraps." It MIGHT take longer than an excalibur as I notice my drying times take a bit longer than what is usually suggested on recipes. Otherwise I love it. I purchased more mesh sheets and solid sheets for it and extender trays for taller items so I started to do casseroles and little quiches.

  • bizinbluejeansbizinbluejeans

    Eeeee! My hubby just finished my dehydrator, a week before my birthday! I'm experimenting with some mushrooms overnight. He even installed some super-cool upgrades and t's been stable at 103 for the past two hours, which keeps me well under the 105 I was hoping for. I am SO excited and I can't wait till tomorrow when I can start making the much-awaited burgers, pizza crusts, taco shells.....life is going to be SO much more interesting now. Eeeee! :)

  • TheFitnessFreakTheFitnessFreak

    Yippee bizinbluejeans!!! You are now free to have tons of variety and fun:)

    Nicole

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