Dehydrator?

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Dehydrator?
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Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 13 8:55 am Post subject: Dehydrator?
Groupon is flogging a dehydrator for thirty quid, down from sixty. Someone suggests we get one. I have 15 hours to decide. You are the hive jury. Should I? I'm sure I could find plenty of uses for it, I guess I'm asking if it's any good.

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 13 9:09 am Post subject:
Did i miss a link to it? Cant really comment on it with out seeimg it but i would say at £30 you will make your money back in just drying over ripe fruit to mke snacks in a few months.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45434
Location: Essex

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 13 10:29 am Post subject:
I think it's this one: Compressified by the Link Fairy

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 13 10:42 am Post subject:

Ok here goes.
They only heat from the bottom and blow the air up throigh the trays, there is a hole in the center so that even if the bottom tray is compleatly covered in food some warm air will still circulate.
The bottom tray will dry long before the top so with my dryers like this i swop the trays bottom tray to top every hours or so for the first few hours, this seals the outside almost and makes for better, safer drying.
The round shape with a hole in the middle limits te size of things you ca put in there, making jerky is harder as you hace to cut tue meat into smaller peices but its fime for most fruits and veg, pineapples need mkre cutting up but if it just dpmestic occasional use and you are happy chopping then its a perfectly servicable dehydrator.
You dont have to swop the trays over but it will mean more even drying and a shorter time switched on.

VM

Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 1748
Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 13 2:33 pm Post subject:
We have been thinking about getting one, so will follow any comments with interest? Who else uses them?

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4591
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 13 3:08 pm Post subject:
I have one, packed up in a box, it was supposed to be for drying this year's harvest but... The courgettes I did get around to drying went mouldy but I presume that's my learning curve on how long to dehydrate things for. As a gadget it works fine (it was a £30 or £40 jobbie from Amazon).

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 13 10:40 pm Post subject:
An oven ot 50°c does for us.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 13 10:42 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

I think it's this one:

Compressified by the Link Fairy

It's certainly the kind of thing. No link provided, I'm afraid because of the unique way groupon works.

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Sat Nov 02, 13 10:52 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

tahir wrote:

I think it's this one:

Compressified by the Link Fairy

It's certainly the kind of thing. No link provided, I'm afraid because of the unique way groupon works.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 13 7:37 am Post subject:
Perfect, thanks. I couldn't do that without it providing a massive 'you must sign up' pop up.

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 13 9:28 am Post subject:
Good as any unless you want to spend over £100 and will do the job of preserving any surplus you have and meaning you can buy that 6kg of bananas in the reduced section for 30p amd actuly use them for somethimg other than banana wine..

Duane Dibbley

Joined: 12 Nov 2009
Posts: 95
Location: Between Newbury and Andover

Posted: Mon Nov 04, 13 10:19 am Post subject:
Mine paid for itself within a couple of months just drying mushrooms and cheap bananas.....well worth getting one

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45521
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 13 10:08 pm Post subject:
i dont know about that type but the excaliber ones pay for themselves in a few batches of glut to asset

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Thu Nov 21, 13 1:40 pm Post subject:
OK. It's here. Why can I not find a beef jerky recipe on site? EH?

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Thu Nov 21, 13 1:59 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

OK. It's here.

Why can I not find a beef jerky recipe on site? EH?

because people make it professionally and dont want to give away secrets ?
Base of most of my marinades is 200ml soy sauce per kg sliced beef. Add what you want to that and marinade for 24 - 48 hours before drying.
The soy sauce had the right amount of salt to work as a lreservative without having to dissolve table salt ect.
Have a look at www.wilddutch.co.uk and if you want any of my recipes just let me know, other than that im sure a kitchen wizard like you will have some you want to make.
Eta keep notes on how much of each ingrediant you put in, it all tastes very different when soaked int meat and dried, the chillies hotter, the herbs thend to be weaker but if you have notes you csn tweak until your happy.

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