Food dehydrators

Would appreciate recommendations for one to buy as we've never used one or dehydrated anything, but this year having a bumper crop of apricots, apples, nectarines, chilis and other veggies and think it's time to start dehydrating away!
TIA

[Jenise]

Here is the most useless response you've ever gotten about anything: I have one that I purchased based on a reccomendation from I don't remember what magazine and I don't recall the brand and I can't even look it up because it's buried in the garage.

I do remember that I was most annoyed that I had to go to Walmart to get it, though.

I tried this once, but the fruit (apricots and tomatoes) went mouldy while in the dehydrator. It was quite good to dry out prawn crackers, from memory, but that was it.

Should be good for wild mushrooms

I tried this once, but the fruit (apricots and tomatoes) went mouldy while in the dehydrator. It was quite good to dry out prawn crackers, from memory, but that was it.

Well LOL, all the reviews I read on dehydrating make it sound like it's the best thing since-and including-sliced bread! And they imply that it's beyond belief that anybody would be without their pet dehydrator
I don't anticipate being quite as rabid an enthusiast but it seemed like a good idea to do some of the 'harvest' this way, and now having second thoughts.

Ever thought of making jam, Shel?

I just put Pete's apricot and nectarine jam recipe on my blog.

Celia

[Jenise]

I tried this once, but the fruit (apricots and tomatoes) went mouldy while in the dehydrator. It was quite good to dry out prawn crackers, from memory, but that was it.

Well LOL, all the reviews I read on dehydrating make it sound like it's the best thing since-and including-sliced bread! And they imply that it's beyond belief that anybody would be without their pet dehydrator
I don't anticipate being quite as rabid an enthusiast but it seemed like a good idea to do some of the 'harvest' this way, and now having second thoughts.

Never had anything go moldy. I've actually been quite successful with tomatoes, apple and pear slices, but perhaps my favorite use of all is to dehydrate salami slices into thin crisp garlicky meat wafers--oh boy.

Ever thought of making jam, Shel?

I just put Pete's apricot and nectarine jam recipe on my blog.

Celia

We hardly ever use jam celia, that's why I thought making dried fruit would give us a lot more options of what to do with them.

What brand dehydrator are you using, Jenise, and do you like it?

I'm sure your dehydrator will work fine. Mine was a 110v one which was going through a transformer to convert to our 240V - I suspect that's why it wasn't getting nearly hot enough. All it did was warm the air just enough for the very ripe fruit to go off.

We often buy boxes of fruit at the market when they're in season and have had great success with freezing them. Apricots, nectarines and chillies all freeze very well - we've just defrosted our apricots and nectarines and cooked them up. We vacuum sealed them first, then froze them. The stone fruit was cut in half and pitted, and all the fruit was washed first.

We've also had good luck with freezing apples. We peel and core them, then slice them up and dip them in a weak solution of vitamin C, which keeps them lily-white in the freezer.

Hey celia, love freezing everything in sight, and that's the problem and why we're trying to find an alternative, because we have 2 large freezers pretty much packed solid!

Hahaha...we do too, Shel. Although one is packed with flour!

We're actually off today to investigate a new frozen food wholesaler that a friend has put us onto - I ruthlessly emptied a whole shelf in the freezer in anticipation. If I could afford it, I'd have a walk in freezer and dedicated coolroom. Jenise, can you build one of these into your kitchen? If I can't have one, I'd love to enjoy one vicariously..

[Jenise]

What brand dehydrator are you using, Jenise, and do you like it?

If I knew where it was, I'd have given the brand to you in the first place. And I've liked it a lot, while admitting that I have absoluely nothing to compare it to. It has about five plastic trays that stack up, and the top unit holds a motor and a blower that are not unlike, by sound or function, a hand-held hair dryer. There are speed settings that allow you to control the velocity of warm air flow, basically, and it's consistent and the trays fit airtight. I'm not sure what else one needs from a dehydrator, and like I said, some mag--Saveur, maybe, or Cooks Illustrated--tested a bunch and reached the conclusion that this one was their favorite. Cost was about $60. Maybe when the stove gets pulled out of the garage this week and I can get around a bit better, I'll be able to pass along the brand name.

Hahaha...we do too, Shel. Although one is packed with flour!

We're actually off today to investigate a new frozen food wholesaler that a friend has put us onto - I ruthlessly emptied a whole shelf in the freezer in anticipation. If I could afford it, I'd have a walk in freezer and dedicated coolroom. Jenise, can you build one of these into your kitchen? If I can't have one, I'd love to enjoy one vicariously..

LOL--sadly no room for a walk-in freezer but love the idea!

Depending on the climate where you live and depending equally on the shape of your roof, consider partial dehydration by sun drying. In Tel Aviv where the humidity is high it works well but takes several days. In the Negevor Sinai where heat is high and huidity remarkably low, sun-drying can take as few as 8-12 hours. I may be wrong on this but I believe that sun-drying (anything from fruits to mushrooms, to tomatoes and to fresh herbs preserves more of the nutritional value than the use of a dehydratinc gizmo.

Right now on my roof garden about 40 kilos of tomatoes sundrying along with several kilos of freshly picked herbs.

Best
Rogov

[Jenise]

Jenise, can you build one of these into your kitchen? If I can't have one, I'd love to enjoy one vicariously..

Nope, my new walk-in pantry won't have a heater vent. Does that count?

Depending on the climate where you live and depending equally on the shape of your roof, consider partial dehydration by sun drying. In Tel Aviv where the humidity is high it works well but takes several days. In the Negevor Sinai where heat is high and huidity remarkably low, sun-drying can take as few as 8-12 hours. I may be wrong on this but I believe that sun-drying (anything from fruits to mushrooms, to tomatoes and to fresh herbs preserves more of the nutritional value than the use of a dehydratinc gizmo.

Right now on my roof garden about 40 kilos of tomatoes sundrying along with several kilos of freshly picked herbs.

Best
Rogov

Sounds positively primitive Daniel and too much like hard work!
Before those with an agenda have their way and turn off all the lights, think I'll go with the electricity option.

[Jenise]

Flies would be my concern!

Btw, Shel, I was able to locate mine. The brand name is NESCO.

Actually, flies were the problem with the prawn crackers, which is why the dehydrator is good. And those damn ants. Once the things stopped actually smelling like prawn crackers, then they were fine to go in the sun.