dehydrator

Comments

• appifanie

  I have one and I actually don't use it much, nor do I like a lot of the things I dehydrate. I know there is potential to make awesomeness w/ a D, but we're just not friends, my D and me :D
• delaluna Raw Newbie

  appifanie, what kind of things did you dehydrate that you didnt like?
• sv3 Raw Newbie

  Not long after I got into raw, I bought a second hand 4 tray Excalibur. It was cheap off ebay and I used it loads to start with. After a while, my diet became much more simple and I ate mainly fruit and salad. I've now started to use it a bit more again although don't really bother with fancy gourmet stuff. I find it handy for crackers/bread, kale chips, buckwheaties, banana chips and drying soaked nuts, etc.

  I'm really pleased I bought it, but only because it's dinky and didn't cost me a fortune. If I'd bought a 9 tray at full price, I would be kicking myself!

  I can't think of anything I've made in my dehydrator that I didn't love! I've made some amazing desserts, lasagna, breads, crackers, chips, etc. I would say that it has helped me along the raw journey but I'm sure most people out there are doing just fine without one. It is a nice additional to have but by no means an essential. My blender and food processor get used daily, so they are much more important to me.
• delaluna Raw Newbie

  thanks sv3! I finally got one~ Kale chips, yum~
• camiheartsraw Raw Newbie

  I just got my 9 tray excaliber this weekend, and I'm glad I have! I have to travel for work and my honeymoon is coming up this weekend, and it's making it easier to prep food for the trip without worrying so much about getting it there! I have tons of food allergies and travelling was always a chore (and I love to see new places). Before I had to pack my suitcase with insulated lunch bags and now I have crackers, "bread", dried soaked nuts and dehydrated fruits to supplement whatever I can find there.
• LilEarthMuffin Raw Newbie

  i dont have one of my own, but i can borrow my aunts whenever i like.

  i find that its not really essential. i would much rather buy a vita mix than a dehydrator first.

   
• kmt205

  What's the best dehydrator to get? I mean what should I be looking for? Any help would be appreciated.

  Steve
• schmoopee Raw Newbie

  it's great to have a dehydrator for transitioning when you're craving chips, burgers, crackers... It really helped me get thru the first few month. I lean towards craving savory, salty foods rather than sweet. If you lean towards sweet cravings, you'd probably do fine without.

  Now I eat alot cleaner, juices and salads, so I mainly just use it for dehydrating nuts and warming food in the winter--oh, and the occasional pizza crust or coconut wrap.

  I have a 9-tray excaliber. I for sure would have been fine with the 4 tray instead. I got one of the discounted "factory blemished" ones from excaliber on their ebay site, looks and works perfect.
• appifanie

  retrying! i tried to post this a bunch of times but i kept getting a weird spam warning.

  i've made breads and crackers and chips of kale, banana, zucchini. i didn't find any of them really worth the effort.
• appifanie

  oh and i have a 6 tray good4u (aka the excalibur rip off). i got it from a company called evolution health, and they were very nice. my D didn't come with a timer, but now it has one! sad.
• delaluna Raw Newbie

  How do some folks warm up dishes like soups or liquid stuff in the dehydrator? Can I just take out the trays and use it microwave-safe bowl or plate?
• sv3 Raw Newbie

  Yeah, you could do that, although it would take a little while. I'm far too impatient so I just warm soups/sauces very gently in a pan on the hob.
• hooraw

  I was also considering purchasing a dehydrator, but it doesn't sound like I'll be needing one. It seems

  as if all of you eat fresh food most of the time and rarely consume dehydrated foods.
• delaluna Raw Newbie

  From your experiences, if you dehydrate soaked nuts overnight... does the nuts have a mild aroma similar to roasted nuts? Or, does it still taste like raw dried nuts?
• schmoopee Raw Newbie

  delaluna, the nuts do change flavor a bit yes. More roasted...I find it varies from nut to nut. They certainly change texture, I love the the crunchiness of sprouted almonds--those are soaked and then left to germinate for a day or so (rinsing 3 times a day). They have to be unpasturized nuts tho obviously.
• delaluna Raw Newbie

  I used to buy those roasted sesame tahini's, and it tasted so gooood~ but now the raw version is quite bland, especially when I try to make the black sesame tahini. I'm thinking if I sprout it, then dehydrate it, maybe it will give me a similar aroma? Will keep you posted :) My dehydrator is finaaaaly here today!
• schmoopee Raw Newbie

  if you're not 100% you can cheat in a few drops of toasted sesame oil for that roasted flavor--that's what I do.
• delaluna Raw Newbie

  hey folks, i need your help!

  i just got my dehydrator - i tried dehydrating bananas and cherry tomatoes - but they didn't turn out so well. I dehydrated them at 115 for 15hrs, but still not dry??? The cherry tomatoes (i cut in half) still had lots of water in it???

  I sliced the bananas super thin... should i turn the temperature higher?
• sv3 Raw Newbie

  The cherry tomatoes will probably take much longer as they have a high water content.

  I've done banana chips in my dehydrator and it can take a while, although by 15 hours, they should be nearly ready I would have thought. I can't remember now exactly how long mine took, sorry. I'd say to just keep them in and check them regularly.

  I wouldn't turn the temp up too much otherwise they won't technically be raw.

  (Some people turn the temp up high for the first couple of hours as it takes a while for the temp to rise, then turn it down after that.)
• dicenut

  Hi, thinking of getting a dehydrator, but I am worried about bugs, as I live in Maui can be very warm, any thoughts?