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Thread: Food dehydrators??

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    Moderator charlie61's Avatar
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    Dizzy Food dehydrators??

    Do you own one? What brand/model? Are you happy with it?

    I'm thinking about getting into food dehydrating (I'm always trying to eat more and more raw foods). I don't eat gluten, so I'm looking to be able to make my own crackers/breads. I have no idea where to start!

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    I want one too. I'll be watching this thread, as I want to make my own salmon jerky.

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    Moderator charlie61's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    I know there's a vegan raw foodist on this site, but I can't remember her member name. Hopefully she'll stop in and give us some advice!

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    Featured Member Christany's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    ^^
    Kylea I think is into raw food dieting. Is that the one you're thinking of?
    Quote Originally Posted by markx View Post
    I'd have to have a "4 simease twin strippers gave me head and then lite themselves on fire" story to blow anybody's mind here.

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    Moderator charlie61's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    ^No, but I'd be interested in hearing from her as well!

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    God/dess Kylea2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    I've got an old Nesco food dehydrator & jerky maker similar to this:
    http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-American...9596111&sr=8-4

    Honestly, my only real complaint is that I wish it were bigger. A family member gave it to me & I thought it was huge at first, but now I know better. I make squash & zucchini chips for dipping into salsa or hummus in it, as well as other snacks. When you slice veggies up & put them on a tray it also seems like there is so much, but once they are dehydrated it's barely even a quarter of a sandwich bag full. My suggestion is to get the biggest one you can.

    I'd be looking at something with more tray space like:
    http://www.amazon.com/Excalibur-3900...9596381&sr=1-5
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    Moderator charlie61's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    ^ What would you recommend for me? I'm afraid to spend $200+ on an appliance when I'm not sure how much use I'll get out of it. The first one is more in my price range.

    So would you say that it actually is worth the extra money?

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    God/dess Kylea2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    I think it's worth the extra money. Do you have a friend you could borrow one from for a bit? Or maybe try getting one cheap off of craigslist before you invest in a large one.
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    Senior Member tronie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    Hey.. I'm possibly the vegan raw foodist you were referring to. We have an Excalibur 9-tray. Its a couple hundred dollar dehydrator. My recommendation is to get the basic much smaller Excalibur and try it out. See how much you use it. I am aware that there is also a brand called Good4U or something like that that is like the Excalibur but I cannot attest to its quality. I believe www.rawguru.com has some different dehydrators for raw foodist.

    Now hang with me for just a second as my ability to convey my thoughts eloquently has gone straight out the window since its 3:20am and the baby is still awake so I'm a bit .. umm.. frazzled.. but.. when purchasing a dehydrator for raw food you need to get one that allows you to adjust the dehydrating temperature. The general rule is that you cannot heat (or dehydrate) anything above 118 degrees as this kills the enzymes and the food is no longer raw. Most cheepo dehydrators dehydrate food at, I believe, around 150 degrees. That said for raw food stuff you have to invest in one that allows you to adjust the temperature, like the Excalibur. The good news is.. if you don't like it they hold their value very well and selling it on craigslist.com should be a snap. In fact.. you might want to check CL regularly to see if someone is selling theirs.

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    ^^^thanks! I'm not a raw foodist or even vegan, but I do eat as healty as possible. I never would have known about loss of enzymes when it goes above certain temperatures. I'm looking foreward to making my own salmon jerky, an all kinds of great snacks. Hello dried pineapple rings!

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    Quote Originally Posted by Kylea2 View Post
    I've got an old Nesco food dehydrator & jerky maker similar to this:
    http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-American...9596111&sr=8-4

    Honestly, my only real complaint is that I wish it were bigger. A family member gave it to me & I thought it was huge at first, but now I know better. I make squash & zucchini chips for dipping into salsa or hummus in it, as well as other snacks. When you slice veggies up & put them on a tray it also seems like there is so much, but once they are dehydrated it's barely even a quarter of a sandwich bag full. My suggestion is to get the biggest one you can.

    I'd be looking at something with more tray space like:
    http://www.amazon.com/Excalibur-3900...9596381&sr=1-5

    wow im an idiot...for some reason i thought you dried those squash things in the sun! and i was thinking to myself that you were really intense about your cooking. LOL!
    The best thing i have heard in a strip club to date:
    customer: we should get married right now! we should get a shotgun marriage!
    me: uhh... i think you are misunderstanding what a shotgun marriage means. A shotgun marriage means you knock me up and my daddy shows up at your door with a gun and forces you to marry me and raise the baby. You mean elope.
    customer: hmm... nah actually i will take the shotgun marriage. At least then we would be having sex.


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    Senior Member tronie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    Daniella_Marie ... yes, the enzyme thing is very important as enzymes are responsible for very vital functions of the body. When they are wasted breaking down food then they can't work on other things. This is important because food comes with enzymes to break itself down. When you don't kill those enzymes your body can save the enzymes it has. I feel like I'm not doing a very good job of explaining this but if you google the whole enzyme thing and raw food you will have a whole new understanding of your body and your food.

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    ^ I hear you on the enzyme thing (I've done a lot of reading about raw foods and whatnot), but the other day, my mom (a doctor) was like "No kind of heat will kill enzymes that your stomach acids won't kill the second the food hits your stomach." I couldn't really come up with a rebuttal for that...

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    Quote Originally Posted by charlie61 View Post
    ^ I hear you on the enzyme thing (I've done a lot of reading about raw foods and whatnot), but the other day, my mom (a doctor) was like "No kind of heat will kill enzymes that your stomach acids won't kill the second the food hits your stomach." I couldn't really come up with a rebuttal for that...
    That's something I would be interested in researching. Perhaps it is the chemical reaction that occurs when the enzyme interacts with the acid? Hmmm....
    I also wanted to mention using a crock pot to make your own bread since you mentioned that in your OP. I've made plenty of homemade tortillas in mine.
    Last edited by Christany; 07-20-2010 at 02:43 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by markx View Post
    I'd have to have a "4 simease twin strippers gave me head and then lite themselves on fire" story to blow anybody's mind here.

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    Senior Member tronie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    Quote Originally Posted by charlie61 View Post
    ^ I hear you on the enzyme thing (I've done a lot of reading about raw foods and whatnot), but the other day, my mom (a doctor) was like "No kind of heat will kill enzymes that your stomach acids won't kill the second the food hits your stomach." I couldn't really come up with a rebuttal for that...
    If that was the case the digestive enzymes in our stomachs wouldn't exist because the stomach acid would kill them as well.

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    Quote Originally Posted by Athenathefabulous View Post
    wow im an idiot...for some reason i thought you dried those squash things in the sun! and i was thinking to myself that you were really intense about your cooking. LOL!
    Haha! That's awesome!

    The rule of thumb I've always heard was that to be "raw" it had to be cooked at 115 degrees F or less - although I don't think 3 more degrees would really make much difference.
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    Featured Member Christany's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    Here's a list I came across of wheat and/or gluten free flours that will still help bind your bread together.
    http://www.wheat-free.org/wheat-free-flour.html

    I grind my own bean flour in a coffee grinder. I mainly use chickpeas for this, but sometimes mix in kidney bean, black bean, lima, blackeye peas, etc too (depending on what I have).
    Quote Originally Posted by markx View Post
    I'd have to have a "4 simease twin strippers gave me head and then lite themselves on fire" story to blow anybody's mind here.

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    Senior Member tronie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    Quote Originally Posted by Kylea2 View Post
    Haha! That's awesome!

    The rule of thumb I've always heard was that to be "raw" it had to be cooked at 115 degrees F or less - although I don't think 3 more degrees would really make much difference.
    Well there is a range. Some food can't survive over 105 degress others can go as high as 125 degrees. As a result I don't dehydrate anything above 105 degrees to be safe.

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    So are there any dehydrators under $100 that have a temperature gauge? I really don't want to throw $200 at an appliance that I might not use that often...

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    Senior Member tronie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    I just did a google search and came across this:

    http://www.amazon.com/Weston-75-0301...744420&sr=8-12

    I'm not familiar with it but it appears to have an adjustable thermostat. I would do a little research but it appears options are out there.

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    I have an Excalibur 9 Tray dehydrator... Like the one here http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/9...gular-prod.htm

    I've had it for about 3 years and use it all the time! One of the best appliances I have in my kitchen.

    $250 if you buy it directly from Excalibur... Or brand new on Ebay for $180

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    So y'all use your dehydrators, right? Could you list a few things you use them for? I'm afraid I'll buy one, use it twice, and then never again.

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    Do you have an herb garden at all? If you produce more than you can consume fresh, you can dry out the excess and make your own herbs and spices (I love thyme, oregano, rosemary, mint, and chamomile). We also have some amazing pick-your-own produce farms in my area. I like to stock up on strawberries and eat some fresh, freeze some, then dehydrate some for easy carry snacks. I've been borrowing my mom's dehydrator in the meanwhile but it's worth it imo. I try to eat fresh when possible, but it comes in handy for the excess that can't keep that long.
    Quote Originally Posted by markx View Post
    I'd have to have a "4 simease twin strippers gave me head and then lite themselves on fire" story to blow anybody's mind here.

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    I love these forums because you guys always inspire me to live healthier, but my boyfriend is stoked on this thread because he has been asking for one of these to make dried apples. I think I might surprise him with one of your suggestions

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    Default Re: Food dehydrators??

    ^ Check out this site: http://rawon10.blogspot.com/

    I always find it inspiring whenever I feel boxed in (as I'm always trying to incorporate more raw foods into my diet).

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