PatternReview.com online sewing community
Join our community of 579,252 sewists!
SIGNUP Membership is free and includes 1 free lesson
Login |
Join our community of 579,252 sewists!
Signup | Login
To participate in the PatternReview.com forums please Login or Join PatternReview
123 
Member since 5/22/04
Posts: 1082
Body Type:
Send Message
Posted on: 11/23/06 4:13 PM ET
I am interested in purchasing an electric food dehydrator. Has anyone used this appliance, and what did you think of the finished product?

Thank you
------
(Near the Hawkesbury River, Sydney, NSW, Australia, Earth, Milky Way)

If you have a white cat, never wear black.

Bernina 801 Sport
Bernina Aurora 440 Quilters Edition
Bernina 800 DL
  
Member since 1/12/04
Posts: 6312
Send Message
Posted on: 11/23/06 4:45 PM ET
We had one a long time ago. Used it a couple of times to dehydrate fruit. DH hated it for some reason. Everytime I would try to set it up and use it, he would start complaining. It was a plastic thing with layers. The dehydrator was a light bulb. A batch of fruit would take a day or so. The end product was fine.
------
Marilyn

January 2009 to January 2010 81 yards out and 71yards in January 2010 to the present 106.7 yards out and 146.5 yards in. January 2011 to the present: 47 yards out and 69 yards in.
  
Member since 3/3/03
Posts: 1524
Send Message
Posted on: 11/23/06 4:52 PM ET
In reply to Cat1
We have had one for several years. I think it's a Mr. Coffee brand, with several trays. We go in spells using it and we mostly make beef jerky with it. It works very well but the key is slicing the meat pieces into similar thickness and size...i.e., if you have some thick and some thin, they will either be too dry or too moist.

We used to do fruits occasionally, but haven't done that for awhile. DH never hit upon the right combo of fruits that worked best together and he never wanted to make just one kind at a time.

Are we glad we have it? Well, we love beef jerky and so does DS, so I guess so.

ETA: The one we have is a bear to clean. All those trays with little holes filled with pieces of dried jerky or teriyaki sauce - blech. I let it soak forever and it still needs a good scrubbing with a brush.

-- Edited on 11/23/06 4:55 PM --
------
Bev
  
Member since 10/19/05
Posts: 80
Send Message
Posted on: 11/23/06 5:02 PM ET
I pinched my Mom's which she didn't use.

I've only used it a few times. Drying times are not an exact science, so you have to keep an eye on it. I made some great dried tomatoes - they stay bright red - great on pizza. Some cranberries and herbs. If you're dedicated and fond of dried fruit, I think you could save some money and avoid the chemicals and oil they put on dried fruit. There are also passionate jerky makers out there.

If you have the space in the appliance graveyard (pasta maker, fondue pot, ice cream maker, waffle maker, slow cooker, deep fat fryer...) then go for it, especially if you find one at a yard sale.
  
Member since 9/12/05
Posts: 1707
Send Message
Posted on: 11/23/06 10:49 PM ET
In reply to Cat1
I've had an Excalibur for about 3 years now and really like it. We have a veggie garden each summer so it comes in handy and nothing goes to waste. We're a small family (just DH and I) so we'd be throwing or giving tons of stuff away if not for our dehydrator. I don't know about other brands. I researched these before buying and liked the features of this one the best. It's easy to clean, and is designed so that nothing can drip on the electrical parts. It's a bit noisy but I'm lucky to have a large laundry room so keep it on a table in there. Glad to not have it in the kitchen 'cause this thing is big and downright ugly. But it gets the job done! I've mostly used it for summer squash, herbs, and the tons of heirloom tomatoes hubby can't live without. (He's a major nut case for them and last year we had 37 tomato plants....can you imagine, for only two people. I've never seen so many tomatoes in my life. Even dehydrated I had a hard time finding enough room to store them all. This year I begged, pleaded, whined....he finally caved and only planted 12. )

Anyway, the Excalibur works differently that most others, uses something called the Parallexx Drying System. Their web site has a lot of good info on what you can do with a dehydrator. Some of the uses might surprise you. Oh, I've also done various types of fruits. Have yet to try jerky. This brand is pretty expensive but I've not had any problems with it. It's really designed to run 24/7. A cheaper one would probably die quickly under those conditions. Oh, I have to big baby (the 9 tray with timer.) I think that suggestion to find a yard sale one for a few bucks might be the way to go. You could at least see if you enjoy the process and the end product. If it suits you then upgrade to a better one.

Hope this helped!

------
“Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.”
~Garrison Keillor~
  
Member since 1/11/06
Posts: 207
Body Type:
Send Message
Posted on: 11/24/06 1:46 AM ET
I have a Gardenmaster dehydrator by American Harvest. I use it mostly for dried bananas. They kind of stick to the plastic trays and I used to take a fork to pry them off. Now I go outside and spray the trays with a spray type cooking oil (Pam) before laying on the bananas. I also have apples trees and dried alot of apples this year. I like mine and my daughter loves dried bananas. She's a picky eater so I'm willing to do this to get something good into her. I wash mine by laying the down in the top rack of my dishwasher. I am hoping next time I have to buy a dishwasher that the trays will stand up in one of those tall tub models.
  
Member since 5/22/04
Posts: 1082
Body Type:
Send Message
Posted on: 11/24/06 5:06 AM ET
Thanks everyone for your input. We have a vegetable garden (rebuilt to withstand the onslaught of possums, wallabies (small kangaroos) and neighbourhood male cats who urinate everywhere)

We also like heirloom tomatoes and for the second time we are growing Amish Paste tomatoes. I wish we had room for 37 plants - what fun

I was thinking about a dehydrator to deal with the surplus from our garden.


------
(Near the Hawkesbury River, Sydney, NSW, Australia, Earth, Milky Way)

If you have a white cat, never wear black.

Bernina 801 Sport
Bernina Aurora 440 Quilters Edition
Bernina 800 DL
  
Member since 9/12/05
Posts: 1707
Send Message
Posted on: 11/24/06 7:11 AM ET
In reply to Cat1
We have a problem with squirrels. I never thought they had an interest in tomatoes but we've caught them "red-handed", raised up on rear legs and holding a juicy ripe tomato with the front. I think it's really the moisture content that they're after. It's pretty arid here and they must be desperate for water sometimes. Anyway, that's hubby's theory.

Well, let's just say 37 is a bit much. Especially since I don't get much help once those bumper crops start rolling in. He thinks his job is done by then. Say what??? Never tried the Amish Paste. We've tried about 15 different varieties from the over 400 offered at tomatofest.com -- It's a lot of fun seeing all the different ones and reading the stories behind their names. They have a big event each fall in Carmel, California and someday I plan to attend.

Good luck with your garden! Let us know how it goes if you decide to go the dehydrator route.

------
“Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.”
~Garrison Keillor~
  
Member since 6/17/04
Posts: 362
Send Message
Posted on: 11/24/06 8:05 AM ET
I used to have one and used it to dry apples, bananas, cranberries, mangos, and papayas. The result was OK not not as good as commercial dried fruits, e.g. my banana chips didn't appear as flat. And you need to put lemon juice to prevent the color from getting black. After a few years, I threw the machine away because it took too much space and wasn't easy to clean.

I heard that people use it to make beef jerky but I had never tried that.
  
Member since 7/12/06
Posts: 2110
Send Message
Posted on: 11/24/06 8:19 AM ET
I have an American Harvester brand. It's in the garage on a shelf. I used to use it for fruit leather for the kids. I also used to dehydrate vegetables for the freezer for soups. It doesn't do as well as the purchased product. The colors and textures are different. I believe on cantelopes and melons, it condensed them to a very sugary chewy piece of candy. Bananas were tough. not crunchy. Good for powdering in the processer and then reconstituting with formula for baby food.

My kids are bigger and they chop or eat the product whole now. I might use it for drying flowers when I have more time.
  
123 
* Advertising and soliciting is strictly prohibited on PatternReview.com. If you find a post which is not in agreement with our Terms and Conditions, please click on the Report Post button to report it.
Selected Reviews, Classes & Patterns
Fancy Frocks Fabrics
Fine Designer Fabrics
Elliott Berman Textiles
High-end Fashion Fabrics
Specials!
Nature's Fabrics
Natural & Organic Fabrics
Specials!