Food Dehydrators
#1
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Missouri
Posts: 3,430
Food Dehydrators
I am wanting to purchase a food dehydrator for one of my sons, but have no knowledge as to what to get. Do any of you have suggestions? A favorite brand? What size/how many trays? What should I look for to get something not too expensive, but built to last.
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Richmond, KY
Posts: 742
I have a Nesco with 6 trays. It has a fan motor than blows the hot air and drys things much faster than one that is just heat. I have been drying apples and have done 4 batches so far. I also use it for jerky. I got it at Walmart.
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Chula Vista CA
Posts: 7,403
My first thought was check at the thrift stores if you are not sure you want one. It seems a lot of people buy them then decide they take up too much room or too much work. A friend of mine had one so I used hers once. Discovered my family was not into the dried fruit.
#6
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Midwest
Posts: 5,051
Why? My husband had to have one.. I was not interested. He used it maybe twice (to make jerky...stinks up the house) and now it sits two years later...as I predicted. You can buy a lot of dried fruit for what you will invest in the machine, the supplies and the HOURS it takes to dry the fruit etc. I figure that he had $100 into a couple of batches of jerky. He bought a "small" one. Ha! Not so small. Takes up space.
Shop resale stores. You will likely find abandoned dehydrators barely used. Give them a go then decide if you want a new one. Sorry for the discouraging input. I also dont want a juicer taking up room. Too many appliances taking up storage space as it is.
Sandy
Shop resale stores. You will likely find abandoned dehydrators barely used. Give them a go then decide if you want a new one. Sorry for the discouraging input. I also dont want a juicer taking up room. Too many appliances taking up storage space as it is.
Sandy
Last edited by Sandygirl; 10-14-2014 at 02:43 AM.
#7
I have this one, too, and love it. We dry herbs, tomatoes, and peppers from the garden for winter use. At the end of the season, we dry the green tomatoes that won't have time to ripen, and crunch the dried tomatoes into soups. My husband does a few batches of jerky a year. We've had it for three years an it is still going strong! I paid thirty-something dollars for it--one of the best buys I've ever made.
#8
I have this one, too, and love it. We dry herbs, tomatoes, and peppers from the garden for winter use. At the end of the season, we dry the green tomatoes that won't have time to ripen, and crunch the dried tomatoes into soups. My husband does a few batches of jerky a year. We've had it for three years an it is still going strong! I paid thirty-something dollars for it--one of the best buys I've ever made.
I also have this one. I like to make fruit leather(so I know what is in it)make raisins,dry apples,strawberries,etc. I just like to dry my own even though it is more work so I know what is in and on them. I also bought my daughter this one when she got married and she likes it too.
#9
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Cordova,TN
Posts: 23
I have a Mr. Coffee dehydrator and use it all the time. My favorite thing to dry is homemade granola. It's quite easy and it only takes about 24 hours for it to dry. Christmas is the best time to buy one and Aldi stores offer them every so often for a really decent price. I would not pay more than $40. for one. I am going to dry some jalapeņos later today. Right now I have a batch of granola in and it's making a wonderful scent drifting through the house.
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