Food drying - Dehydrators (merged)

larmy16

I am not sure if this is something which would interest you OS people, but at https://www.tchibo.co.uk they are selling a food drier for £24.99. I know the Americans go in for this method of food storage a lot. However it does look quite a large gadget so it would depend if you thought the benefit would outweigh the space it would take up!:)

If I have posted in wrong place, please forgive and move to relevant spot

I have a Tchibo close by and I must confess it was a one time obsession for gadgets, but they do seem to be of the highest standard and very reasonably priced and I have never regretted a purchase. I am now watching out for the return of the waffle maker - I resisted it last time!

frosty

Hi larmy16,
I think its a great idea,we have pounds of apples every year from our garden and you get to point where you run out of ideas to use them up.In the past i have wondered about drying them,I think I might give this gadget a try.

arkonite_babe

I checked the Tchibo website and couldn't see the drier maybe it's not on the website??

Mr_Proctalgia

Here you go AB

Click Here

Iguana

From a Friends of the Earth cookbook:

'Herbs, peas, broad beans, runner beans, mushrooms, plums,apples, pears and apricots and horseradish root can all be dried. Herbs can be dried by hanging in bunches in a cool dark place.

Spread whatever is to be dried on wire racks and use the oven after it has been turned off.'

Thats an abridged version, obviously you would need to prepare stuff first, although I have read somewhere else that is does take a long time.

FunkyFairy

I have one of these it is fab i would recommend it no end.

The reason i brought it was the i was using the oven to dry apples in which used alot of power.

This only uses pennies worth and you get great results.

Iguana

Theres also this link to a money saving tips page.

http://www.foe.co.uk/living/poundsavers/home_front.html

Iguana

frosty wrote:

Hi larmy16,
I think its a great idea,we have pounds of apples every year from our garden and you get to point where you run out of ideas to use them up.In the past i have wondered about drying them,I think I might give this gadget a try.

Why not freeze them?

SallyinWales

Dehydrating is great, you can do all sorts of things. We make a lot of venison jerky as well as drying fruit. If you have kids you can make fruit leathers with pureed fruit which they really like- bit like those horrid sugary winder things but without the sugar. Wouldnt be without ours

blue-kat

I have a big amercian dehyrdator, the Eccalibur, bought on ebay and use it to make flax seed crackers ( soak in water, whizz in the food proecessor with some garlic, onions, toms, herbs, put out in tablesppon sized blobs on teflex sheets, dehyrdate for 8 hrs or so, then turn over till dried through - yum and last for ages) , and also apple flapjacks made from whole oat groats.
next time I see tomatoes reduced, I'm going to try tomato crisps.

save even more and you make your own dehydrator for just the cost of a light fitting, some wood and few cake cooling racks
see
http://www.k-clements.fsnet.co.uk/dehydrator.html
-
Katya

frosty

Iguana wrote:

Why not freeze them?

I freeze some of them but I have one of those big american type fridge freezers,the freezer section is not that big and I need the space for meat ect.
I was thinking of buying a juice machine but I am not sure if I can be bothered with all the extra washing up ect.