excalibur food dehydrator

[trudy]

Thanks Fundj,  I seem to spend half my life checking out things I don't know about that are mentioned on the forum.  Who say's learning stops when you finish school!!!!!!!!!

[fundj&e]

so true, i am learning something new most days

sound like a good thread to start.  What did you learn  on the forum school today.

[judydawn]

If they are so good for you, how come they aren't sold already activated 

[faffa_70]

They are JD and they cost heaps more (of course!!) 

[judydawn]

As you would expect Kathryn - like others, I had never heard of them.

[andiesenji]

I think their science is a bit off.  Nutritionists who are actual medical doctors and have spent a lot of time studying human physiology, have been giving thumbs down to this idea for some years.

Raw almonds are easier to digest than "cooked" almonds and there are more nutrients available to the processes in the gut that extracts these.
Any processing of any nut that involves heat, inactivates some of the protein and renders the vitamin E and magnesium insoluable so those important nutrients pass through without being absorbed by the body.

Someone asked about "activated" almonds in my local health food store a few years ago and one of the owners, who has a PhD in molecular and cellular physiology from Stanford, was at the point of ranting.  She then quietly explained that this was something thought up by a merchandiser to make more money from selling something that had been processed cheaply, and sometimes, not processed at all, just sprayed with a weak salt solution and dried.  The company was put out of business in California but has continued to operate in states with less strenuous food laws. 

[Meagan]

Wellllll my dehydrator arrived on Monday and tonight I have finally had a chance to use it. It is currently dehydrating 9kg of tomatoes I have some great plans for it.  can't wait to make some kale chips and dried apple.

[andiesenji]

Congratulations, Megan.
Wait till you try freshly dehydrated banana "chips"  - there is no comparison between them and the commercial ones. 

[JuliaBalbilla]

OMG, I love this forum but it is going to cost me a fortune and cause me work    I WANT a de-hyrdrator now and we can buy Excalibur ones here.  We get cheap boxes of local tomatoes from March to November and it would be wonderful to de-hydrate them and store them in olive oil.  Have to work on DD's father to get her a TMX and now DH to allow us to have a de-hydrator.  I also love the idea of being able to use it as a warming drawer to get dough to rise if I am in a hurry. 

Thank you for your wonderful topics  - keep them coming even though it will mean Hard Work 

JB

[JulieO]

Great news Meagan, how long did it take to dry them?  I've bought a bag of garlic to slice and dry, some to mill into powder as I've used up the little I previously made.  Also onions and celery will be done at the same time I think.  Have fun. 

[andiesenji]

Great news Meagan, how long did it take to dry them?  I've bought a bag of garlic to slice and dry, some to mill into powder as I've used up the little I previously made.  Also onions and celery will be done at the same time I think.  Have fun. 

Julie, if you can get shallots at a reasonable price where you are, try drying a batch sliced about 1/8 of an inch.  The flavor intensifies as they dry and they are wonderful additions to soups and stews and I put them in rice, broken up into tiny pieces. 

As they combine the flavor of onions and garlic and some other more subtle flavors, they work well in hearty dishes. 

[cookie1]

We have a garden full of shallots. Perhaps I do need a food dehydrator after all.

[Meagan]

We have a garden full of shallots. Perhaps I do need a food dehydrator after all.

Drop them round to me Cookie 

[JulieO]

Julie, if you can get shallots at a reasonable price where you are, try drying a batch sliced about 1/8 of an inch.  The flavor intensifies as they dry and they are wonderful additions to soups and stews and I put them in rice, broken up into tiny pieces.  

As they combine the flavor of onions and garlic and some other more subtle flavors, they work well in hearty dishes.  

Andi do you mean the brown shallots (French) or the green ones known as spring onions in Sth Aust?  

[andiesenji]

The brown shallots.

I've dried scallions, the young green onions, but their flavor does not last well.

I've also dried chives - sandwiched between two layers of nylon window screen, otherwise they blow around - and they turn out well but also do not keep their flavor more than a few months. 

The brown (or red) shallots will keep their flavor for at least a year and I have kept them longer with good results.