Motivation required

[Bedlam]

Many moons ago, just before i started fostering, i was inspired by our famous shopping thread to buy a  food dehydrator. Ofcourse I bought a huge great wonderful (aparently) machine.  Confession time, i havent used it. My intention was to make some concentrated powders for flavour boosts and jerky for DH.  How is everyone else going with their machine? What is your favourite use.
P S.  i would happily lend it to a perth forum friend, if anyone is interested.

[judydawn]

We all have good intentions of using the items we buy Denise but somehow life gets in the way with some of our purchases and they just become white elephants.  Your offer to lend it to one of your fellow Western Australians is very generous but having met you in Adelaide, that doesn't surprise me.   

[cookie1]

I bought a Sunbeam one Bedlam and tried to do tomatoes etc in it. I wasn't overly pleased with them as they went awful even though they were stored in the fridge. It is now in the linen cupboard.
I will be interested in reading how others have gone.

[achookwoman]

I have mine for years.  I have used it in the recent past, to make dehydrated sour dough,  but most successful are the fruit wraps.  Good when combined with the T M X to make the  pulpy stuff that you spread on the trays. No added sugar and the kids love them.  I don't like the taste of veggies dried in it.  Fruit is good and can be dipped in a solution of water with a squeeze of lemon. This prevents it from going dark.  I have also dried pasta in it.  I use this in soup.  I probably us it 3/4 times a year for about a week at a time.

[trudy]

Denise, I also brought one but mainly use it in Summer.  I seem to have bursts and just wish I had a place for it to live that was easier to get to as think I might use it more.  When mango's are out cheap I dry them as my Grandchildren love them and dried bannanas which they can eat quicker than I can dry them.  I just slice them, dip them into lemon or pineapple juice and dry.  I have brought a couple of books to give me inspiration.  I have also found that freezing the dried items seems to keep them at a nice texture and they don't take long to thaw.

[Emme]

I will hunt out the recipes that I have collected and post some.  I have done tomatoes with out the seeds, dried until brittle then blitz in the TM until a powder and stored in an airtight container, it was highly concentrated and I used it for soups, and flavouring casseroles etc.  I have also shredded Zuchinni with a mandolin into matchstick pieces dried and used those in soups and casseroles.  Great way to thicken them as they absorb the liquid.  Hope this may help

[droverjess]

Interesting thread.
I'd wondered about one of these I n due course, but now think not. Stick to pickling and freezing contents of garden and polytunnel when we have one. I think someone on here also dried things in their oven??

[fundj&e]

I have dried mushroom and lemons  then blitz to a powder
Wasn’t too keen on how the tomatoes turned out, I will blitz them  the next  time, to add to soups
I’m sure I have done other stuff ,I just can’t remember
I wouldn't replace it if it dies

[goldfish]

I often drop into a great fruit/veg market that's on the way home from work.  They often have a stand with trays/buckets of fruit and vegetables that have been deemed for some reason to be quite not good enough for the regular shelves.  I've often picked up a tray of red capsicums for a couple of dollars . . . and, of course, when I get them home . .now, what the heck can I do with them . . .
Came across this site - and that's where the current lot are going . . . . (except into the dehydrator and not the oven . . . )

http://vegeyum.wordpress.com/2007/11/05/dryingcapsicums/

[Bedlam]

Thankyou everyone.  Cookie I wish i had bought the sunbeam,mine is so big it only fits on my laundry benchtop.
GF, the capsicums sound delish when semi dried.  I found a recipe making  a thick tomato based sauce,onions capsicum herbs etc, reduce until it can be moulded into the back of a spoom then dehydrate like fuit leather.  Once ompletely dried blitz to a powder to add to dishes for flavour boost. 
Trudy, mango season coming up and our spud shed often sell by the carton ( which we usually demolish fresh) will try some of them and the bananas.
Chookie, my big girls would like me to make fruit wraps.  They feel deprived because a dentst told me they are bad for your teeth as the sugar stays around them and even though they pleaded i didnt relent.  Perhaps i will indulge them now.
Dj i think if you had an abundance of something in a vege patch possibly useful, my suggestion,look out for a second hand one!
Emme, i like the zucchini idea, we eat alot of them, it would be handy.
All in it was an item I thought i needed and realise i can live without. I regret getting such a large machine. Gumtree maybe?

[goldfish]

Bedlam - maybe it's a little like the TMX - the more you use it the more you use it kind of thing . . . 

[Bedlam]

I hope so GF. Although thermie has been used many times a day everyday since he arrived. Part of the family almost. No regrets there.

[Emme]

This is the last of my strawberries,cherries and zuchinni.  I use the cherries and strawberries in a breakfast bar slice that DH likes. The zuchinni in casseroles and soups

[Bedlam]

Thanks Emme, that looks terrific and i have a great supplier of strawberries. I now have the desire to use my big white elephant. I love this forum.

[achookwoman]

Emme,  vac packed is an excellent way to keep them.