excalibur food dehydrator

[fundj&e]

take it 

[obbie]

take it Astarra

[mcmich]

Accept the kind offer astarra, if you find you aren't using it after 6 months then return it or pass it on.

[nazar]

you wont know until you try it .
 my sons love the dried apple and tomatoe in there
and fig is anther fav

[andiesenji]

Astarra,  do go ahead and take it.  There are many more tasks you can do with it than just dry fruits and veg.

If you have crackers or cookies/biscuits that should be crisp but have become soft, the dehydrator will crisp them nicely.

If you don't already know, you can also make fruit "leathers" in it and they can be used for more than just snacks.
I no longer do any catering but I used to make cakes and take fruit leathers  that were  colored like jewels,  red, gold, purple, etc.,  cut them into strips with a pinking shears  and coil them into the shape of roses or cut them into petal shapes. 
I did this when an event would be outside in the heat and where ordinary cake decor would melt and deform in the heat.

And of course you can make jerky from various meats and poultry, but you can also take that dried meat, grind it fairly fine and add it to fruit "mincemeat" for pies, empanadas, little tarts, etc., for a savory/sweet combination.
In very cold weather, I take all the shelves out of one of my dehydrators and use it as a proofing box for yeast dough.  I have, in a pinch, used to to incubate yogurt when I had several batches going and my regular yogurt makers were in use.

For when I entertain a lot of people - in the cooler months - I put stacks of plates inside, turn it on medium to keep the plates warm - I stack them with the folded napkins in between so the napkins are also warm - I have linen, which in rainy weather tend to feel damp even when they are not.   

[Deeau]

I know this post has not been added to for a long time, thinking about getting a dehydrator to go with my Thermomix, should I jump right in and get something like the Excalibur 9 tray or start with say a round ezidry and see how much I use it, I don't plan to do anything life changing with it, just fruit ( son that loves dried mango and eats a packet too fast to justify the supermarket cost! ) and excess from the garden, I also like the idea of dehydrating potatoes to make homemade "instant" mashed potatoes sealed in vac bags  for my FIL so he can make easy mash for one rather than that dreadful packet stuff.
I am thinking that I would like to have something that I can keep well into retirement ( about 10 years off yet !) so upright cost is not the major issue.
Do those of you that bought them last year from this post still use them on a regular basis and if so which brand are you using?
Deeau
PS also like the idea of proofing bread dough in winter, instead of turning on my oven to do it.

[trudy]

Hi Deeau, no I haven't been sorry for buying mine.  It was one of the Excalibur ones and feel that it's great.  I would also recommend the books by Mary Bell and also the Dehydrator Bible by Jennifer MacKenzie for ideas and recipes.

[Jamberie]

Perfect timing Deeau and Trudy
Last weekend DH decided we needed a food dehydrator and got us the Sunbeam  for $87. It has 5 trays and a layer for fruit straps (like Roll-Ups) and three temperature settings. Only used it once so far, but so far so good. I'm going to see how much value we get out of it and then maybe upgrade if we need to (but so far I don't think I'll need to).

I just purchased the Dehydrator Bible too as I think the lack of recipes in the booklet that came with the machine is very limited. I need a real book to get me started and then I'll be able to adapt etc, thanks for the tip Trudy

[Bootobethin]

I bought the Ezi dry about 8 months ago. I have used it quite a bit and now need to add 5 more shelves. It is great for drying excess from the garden when things are in season. Herbs have dried well and lemons  and figs. I think it is worth having and I share it with my sisters so it is well used. I am looking forward to trying it when our fruit trees are producing.

[charlieboy]

I got the 9 tray Excalibur a few months ago.  I really only needed the 5 tray. Haven't used it for a couple of months - I will have to find some inspiration to get back into it.

[Deeau]

^{I got the 9 tray Excalibur a few months ago.  I really only needed the 5 tray}

Do you do both fruit and veg ? I was thinking of the 9 tray as when my veggie garden is productive again, I want to be able to dry that ( not that it is right now ) Maybe the 5 tray would be enough ? There seems to be about $100 difference in price and it is only 4 inches higher.
To be honest the idea of dried veg doesn't appeal to me ( this hopefully will change ) but then either does the idea of the prep involved with freezing and canning is out as I just dont have the time and think canned veg tastes yuk anyway.
 
Although I have not yet bought one I bought a book from amazon about dehydrating foods and some of the things they dry make no sense to me ie: cooking rice to dehydrate it and then it takes 30 or more minutes to redehydrate? WTF ? would you not just cook it from scratch?

Anyway any advise will be appreciated tips etc most welcome
Deeau

[andiesenji]

The first Excalibur I got (thirty years ago) was a 5-tray and it was adequate for a while.  Then I moved up here where I could have a more extensive garden, vegetables, fruits and herbs and could buy local fruits and bought one of the 9 tray models.  I bought a second 9 tray units when I began making candied ginger and glace fruits - as well as using them as proofers for big batches of dough (with the shelves removed) because it gets very cold up here during the winter and that was a less expensive option for me.

I slacked off on the amount of stuff I dry during the past year or so and gave one of the 9 tray units to a friend.  I still use the other 9 tray for apple slices, apricots, peaches, pears, plums, mango, the ginger, cranberries and other berries,  and I put macaroons in to "crisp" during the rainy season when they tend to get chewy and tough.  Also great for crisping lavosh, pita and other flat breads that also get tough when the humidity is high - not often but we do occasionally get some humidity. 

Last weed I made a big batch of dried celery and onions (chopped) to use in soups and stews. 

[Deeau]

Thanks Andiesenji....can I ask is the 30 year old 5 try still working after all this time?

It looks like it will just make sense to get the bigger one even if I dont always use it full

Deeau

[charlieboy]

Hi Deeau - I haven't really tried a lot yet however I have done fruits, vegies and activated nuts.  My favourite so far is sweet potato chips and garlic powder.
It is only myself and my daughter so that's probably why I don't use the 9 trays.  I did notice quite a difference in my power bill though which I can only attribute to the dehydrator.  I am thinking it probably costs more to run the 9 than the 5 but I am not sure

[andiesenji]

Thanks Andiesenji....can I ask is the 30 year old 5 try still working after all this time?

It looks like it will just make sense to get the bigger one even if I dont always use it full

Deeau

No, I used it up.  The 5-tray died after working great for twenty years.  I had it running constantly for several days and probably pushed it beyond its capability.  It was also outside on the deck during very hot weather.
I certainly got FULL value and then some from it.