 jrs13086 
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Joined: Aug 2012  CT, USA
 Posts: 10 Feedback: 0% (0) |
Posted: 8/7/2012 12:22:17 PM
THE IMAGE ABOVE IS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT |
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Posted: 8/7/2012 12:31:52 PM
My father had one of those type of dehyd. it didn't hold up very well.
we brought a heavy duty one and being using it . We make a lot of jerky and fruit. just my 2cent. |
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Posted: 8/7/2012 1:08:50 PM
I don't think there's anything wrong with using one of those inexpensive plastic dehydrators to start out with... I've got a similar one that's done pretty well for about four years now, with pretty heavy use. It's definitely got some wear and tear, though, and when we replace it'll be with a higher-quality unit. I like the looks of these, and the prices aren't bad.
Another project on my to-do list, though, is a homemade solar dehydrator. It's a shame to let all that sunshine the Midwest has been "blessed" with lately go to waste, just as much of the garden produce is ready to be harvested and dried. |
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Posted: 8/7/2012 1:10:56 PM
Whenever I make a batch of dried peach, all disappear.
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Posted: 8/7/2012 1:41:38 PM
Originally Posted By midmo:
I don't think there's anything wrong with using one of those inexpensive plastic dehydrators to start out with... I've got a similar one that's done pretty well for about four years now, with pretty heavy use. It's definitely got some wear and tear, though, and when we replace it'll be with a higher-quality unit. I like the looks of these, and the prices aren't bad. Another project on my to-do list, though, is a homemade solar dehydrator. It's a shame to let all that sunshine the Midwest has been "blessed" with lately go to waste, just as much of the garden produce is ready to be harvested and dried. I appreciate the link..... I would love to get something like that. My only concern is space. I am trying to do all this is my kitchen of my apartment and space is very limited unfortunately. |
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bcauz3y
I'm a Tactical penguin
Team Member
Joined: Oct 2009 AL, USA
Posts: 21740 Feedback: 100% (12) Link To This Post |
Posted: 8/7/2012 2:03:33 PM
Originally Posted By jrs13086: Originally Posted By midmo: I don't think there's anything wrong with using one of those inexpensive plastic dehydrators to start out with... I've got a similar one that's done pretty well for about four years now, with pretty heavy use. It's definitely got some wear and tear, though, and when we replace it'll be with a higher-quality unit. I like the looks of these, and the prices aren't bad. Another project on my to-do list, though, is a homemade solar dehydrator. It's a shame to let all that sunshine the Midwest has been "blessed" with lately go to waste, just as much of the garden produce is ready to be harvested and dried. I appreciate the link..... I would love to get something like that. My only concern is space. I am trying to do all this is my kitchen of my apartment and space is very limited unfortunately. Dehydrator Bible |
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Posted: 8/7/2012 2:20:34 PM
OP- this is a good site on dehydrating with some good ideas: Dehydrate2store
We love dried apples and of course deer jerky. I have also started dehydrating peppers and then using my coffee grinder to grind into powder and use for seasoning. There was also a good thread on dehydrating awhile back that me and several others posted some ideas and recipes but I am not able to find it right now from my phone. If I find it this evening I'll post a link for you. |
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Posted: 8/7/2012 2:24:14 PM
Oh and I also meant to say that while yes, there are better dehydrators out there ( I love my 9 tray Excalibur) there is nothing wrong with starting off with a cheaper one. If you start using it all the time, you will know when and if its time to invest in another one.
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cheez
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Joined: May 2011 TN, USA
Posts: 107 Feedback: 100% (78) Link To This Post |
Posted: 8/7/2012 2:35:56 PM
I have been dehydrating lots of stuff for years. Wore out a couple of the cheap units. Then I saw some dehydrator racks for sale at Cabela's. They are some kind of coated metal and stackable. Now I dehydrate in my oven at it's lowest setting. Works like a charm and about 1/4 the time.
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Posted: 8/8/2012 10:44:06 AM
Awesome. Thanks all!
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TheRedGoat
The bad influence...
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Joined: Jan 2001 TX, USA
Posts: 39827 Feedback: 100% (13) Link To This Post |
Posted: 8/8/2012 2:41:45 PM
Originally Posted By cheez:
I have been dehydrating lots of stuff for years. Wore out a couple of the cheap units. Then I saw some dehydrator racks for sale at Cabela's. They are some kind of coated metal and stackable. Now I dehydrate in my oven at it's lowest setting. Works like a charm and about 1/4 the time. link? Pic? TRG |
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Posted: 8/9/2012 3:24:23 AM
I have the same one as the link in the OP. I'm not going to pretend like I know what I'm talking about, but we've used it many times and have had no issues with it. It works well.
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Posted: 8/9/2012 9:41:46 AM
Good deal
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Posted: 8/9/2012 11:02:19 AM
I would suggest trying a small inexpensive unit. Just like anything new, you might not like it, so avoid a big investment. We started with a small Excalibur unit and bought another small unit so drying a larger batch wouldn't take forever. We now have the big outfit from Cabela's. It is the size of a small clothes dryer but will hold 35 pounds of meat when making jerky. The small one is always handy for small batches when you don't want to drag out the "oven".
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