Food drying - Dehydrators (merged)

[Deleted User]

the_cake wrote: »

Help, please!
I am having a courgette glut, so have been using my new dehydrator. Did a couple of loads: sliced them evenly using a mandolin thingy, dried them for 8 hours at 52 degrees in my circular dehydrator, moving the trays around about once an hour. As soon as they were finished and cool, put them in a Lock N Lock container. The smaller ones were quite crispy, larger diameter slices were more leathery. Went away for 10 days on hols., came back and they had all grown a white mould. Where did I go wrong? The humidity in the atmosphere was quite high, so I wonder if I just did not dry them for long enough. Should they have all been crunchy? Do I have to blanch them (I'm reluctant to do this as it seems a bit of extra faff ...)? All helpful suggestions would be hugely appreciated!

I dry courgettes all the time. No blanching and use a mandolin, like you. They take a good 12 hours at 125 F in the excalibur, which has a good fan and plenty of room. They are crunchy when finished and retain a good colour. I cool down and then pack.

Next time you could pack and leave the box out to examine for moisture under the lid the next morning, that is a good test for dryness

I am not drying much fruit or veg this year as I have loads left from 2012, all kept in the dark so in good condition. I am tending to use the dehydrator more for raw foods lately, like crispy buckwheat, granola and flaxseed crackers etc. It is on regularly

the_cake

Thanks so much kittie - I checked this morning and no moisture under the lid; they are much, much crisper than the previous ones I dried, so fingers crossed.

jem132

Hi I would like to buy a dehydrator. My question is where do I buy one from?? And what's roughly the costs involved please?
X

Ken68

I wouldn't think it cheaper than a freezer, though the enhanced taste of some fruit and veg does give it something unusual.
For example an Excalibur 5 tray is rated at 400 watts, so 2.5 hours for the price of whatever your electric kwh rate is, say 15pence. And some fruits need more than 20 hours to dry.
Worth comparing with Poundland price of ,say, dates at £1 per 500grams and cheap 'on offer' fruit.
Start small, I would say, something cheap off E Bay or even Freecycle/Freegle.

twiz21

I've just noticed a new dehydrator on Amazon by Andrew James.
It has 6 trays and a timer up to 48 hours, no need to rotate trays.
No idea of size, it's not stated. 12 month warranty.

£43 including p&p.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-James-Dehydrator-Adjustable-Temperature/dp/B00EAOFTZ8/ref=sr_1_8?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1377258030&sr=1-8&keywords=food+dehydrator

I looked on the AJ website but couldn't find it there.

I already have an excalibur but I'm curious about this one.

Ken68

Good price if the size is reasonable. "Spacious" means nowt.

twiz21

Ken68 wrote: »

Good price if the size is reasonable. "Spacious" means nowt.

Yes.
I've just emailed AJ to ask. Will post when I get a reply.

alltrustgone

It's also listed on bay of e, £34.99 and free delivery.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Andrew-James-6-Tray-Digital-Food-Dehydrator-Fruit-Preserver-Beef-Jerky-Dryer-/390640142740?lgeo=1&clk_rvr_id=509535197475&vectorid=229508

I think the seller there is AJ by another name. No dimensions given, so have asked the question.

Wow, that was quick, just had an email back, and they've given dimensions as:

"Length 49cm Width: 34cm Height: 27"




ATG

alltrustgone

edit: height 27" - the " is closure of quote from the email, not inches symbol !!

Ken68

Roughly comparing the K Star 10 tray at £114 has smaller trays,,,£11.40 per tray as against the Andrew James bigger trays....£6 per tray.
And Excals have 5 trays 15" sq and cost me two years ago £25O !