Dehydrators

[bothyman]

I am looking for a Dehydrator I missed the QVC one as I thought about it too long and missed it.

I have found this one does anyone have one if so what do they think of it??

There is one lower down but the spec looks the same so what is the difference why is there 40% off the lower one .

If anyone has a dehydrator gathering dust in a cupboard send me a PM I could be interested


MickT

 

[Toadflax]

I got one of these last Christmas and have been using it heavily for the past year. I would definitely recommend it, having produced jerky several times, and given stale fruit (mainly apples) a new lease of life as dried apple. I have also done dried mango and banana.

For the price, it does a good job.


Geoff

 

[Gwhtbushcraft]

ive got a westfalia dehydrator, it does the job blooming well and ive made many batches of jerky and fruit leathers. it is efficient and ive used it for drying shrooms, herbs and even tinder!
George

 

[Tripitaka]

Yep - got the £25 one with the two free knives and it works a treat! Only done jerky so far.

 

[Nagual]

Yup, you can't go wrong with Westfalia. Had one of these for nearly a year or so and think very highly of it. £25 plus postage can't really be sneezed at. I've done beef jerky, chicken, various fruits, carrots, onions, taters, soup, mince, chillie etc, all good. Mosty. I ended up burning the last load of soup I was drying.

 

[rik_uk3]

I'm sure I posted this link on another thread about dehydrators only last week

Been using this type for a few years now, work well


http://www2.westfalia.net/suche/ind...&suche=suche_hauptseite&suchstring=dehydrator

 

[Shewie]

What are folks reasons for buying them, I`ve looked at them a few times now but not got one yet. At the price they`re going for now it seems like a good time to buy.

I have a few questions though ...

Are you just using them to dehydrate food stuffs for taking on trips ?

Is the expense and hassle worth it for a few grams ?

What sort of grub do you knock up at camp with the dry ingredients ?

Are you using them to preserve foods you`ve either grown or foraged ?

ta

 

[Nagual]

What are folks reasons for buying them, I`ve looked at them a few times now but not got one yet. At the price they`re going for now it seems like a good time to buy.

I have a few questions though ...

Are you just using them to dehydrate food stuffs for taking on trips ?

Is the expense and hassle worth it for a few grams ?

What sort of grub do you knock up at camp with the dry ingredients ?

Are you using them to preserve foods you`ve either grown or foraged ?

ta

Basically anything you can eat can be dehydrated. Not everything you dehydrate can be rehydrated back to the same level of erm tasteness. For every gram you zap you are zapping 1 gram / millilitre of water ( ish ) Therefore you need to add 1 mil of water per gram you remove. This can mean huge savings in weight, not just a few grams, but a few kilos over several days. The best way to rehydrate is to add the same amount removed (check by weighing before and after dehydrating - remember 1 gram = 1 mil)and allow at least 1 hour to rehydrate if not more.

I use my dehydrator to prepare food for trips as above, but I make jerky a lot of the time, you will see a common thread running between these posts - the jerky doesn't last long! From basic jerky to lovely spiced stuff a few days or a couple of weeks is about the limit for it to last. Although I've deliberately kept some several months 'just to see' and it's been lovely.

You can do anything you like - mince, chillie, spag ball etc etc. as l;ong as you know what the weight was before and after - and realise that it's not going to be quite the same.

 

[rik_uk3]

The amount of water used to rehydrate does depend on what it is. For vegetables it makes no difference, just soak them, but be careful when re hydrating things like curry sauce or spag bol sauce.

The weight savings are tremendous and lets you perhaps take a wider range of food for your camp.

I use mostly frozen vegetables to dry. The reason for this is that the veg is already peeled, blanched and sliced and is often 'fresher' than fresh thats been sitting on a shelf a day or two. I literally take a 1kg pack of veg from the freezer and fill the trays of my dryer.

The frozen veg that I dry and gives good results are

Peas
Sliced green beans
Sweet corn
Sliced carrots
Sliced onions

Priced at between £1 and £1.25 a kilo at Iceland stores its great value

When you look at what was 5kg of dried veg sitting in a zip lock bag you will realise just what an asset a drier is

 

[bothyman]

I'm sure I posted this link on another thread about dehydrators only last week

Been using this type for a few years now, work well


http://www2.westfalia.net/suche/ind...&suche=suche_hauptseite&suchstring=dehydrator

Sorry Richard must have missed it

Many Thanks for all the replies and help.

Has anyone made one of those you make out of a cardboard box and a lightbulb or am I just being a cheapskate ???

MickT

 

[Shewie]

Basically anything you can eat can be dehydrated. Not everything you dehydrate can be rehydrated back to the same level of erm tasteness. For every gram you zap you are zapping 1 gram / millilitre of water ( ish ) Therefore you need to add 1 mil of water per gram you remove. This can mean huge savings in weight, not just a few grams, but a few kilos over several days. The best way to rehydrate is to add the same amount removed (check by weighing before and after dehydrating - remember 1 gram = 1 mil)and allow at least 1 hour to rehydrate if not more.

I use my dehydrator to prepare food for trips as above, but I make jerky a lot of the time, you will see a common thread running between these posts - the jerky doesn't last long! From basic jerky to lovely spiced stuff a few days or a couple of weeks is about the limit for it to last. Although I've deliberately kept some several months 'just to see' and it's been lovely.

You can do anything you like - mince, chillie, spag ball etc etc. as l;ong as you know what the weight was before and after - and realise that it's not going to be quite the same.

Thanks Nag, that`s just the kind of info I was looking for.

On the subject of jerky going off, how does that slimey stuff in the bags you can buy off the shelf last so long. Are they pumping it full of preservatives aswell then ?

 

[British Red]

Exactly that.Some things have a really improved falvour dried too.

Try dried pineapple as a trail snack for example - heaven!

It is wel worth it for garden gluts and also to avoid all the gunk as you have noted previously

Fruit is worth it too. Go round a market at closing time and go for pineapple, kiwi, mango etc. Costs a couple of quid a tray and take em home and dry em - result!

Red

 

[Nagual]

Thanks Nag, that`s just the kind of info I was looking for.

On the subject of jerky going off, how does that slimey stuff in the bags you can buy off the shelf last so long. Are they pumping it full of preservatives aswell then ?

Erm not sure if I read that right or not, but I ment that the jerky most people make on the forum doesn't last long as it's so damn tasty! I've had dried cheap cuts of beef sitting in a non air tight jar for months with no ill effects. Once the meat is properly dried it should keep for a ong time, keep it in an air tight container and it will last even longer. Food goes off coz all the little micro-whatsits have a field day living on moist whatever and breathing air. If you remove the moisture you are removing their home. Sort of. A google will no doubt turn up a much better explaination that mine.