Heads up - Cheap Dehydrator

[rik_uk3]

Got mine from a friend, he'd had it a year and not used it

 

[Moonraker]

Same here Simon.

Anyone have links to any cheap dehydrators? Cheapest i've found in the UK is about £80

Any sign of yours yet Toddy?

Well I have put in an order on the 'Wait List' and if enough people do maybe they will get some more

If I find any decent price ones I will let you know Marts.

 

[Jerky Meister]

here are a few on offer at ebay

http://search.ebay.co.uk/dehydrator_W0QQfkrZ1QQfltZ9QQfromZR8

we have6 of the excalibur 9 tray ones, if you can afford it i highly recommend it, dries jerky in about 6 to 8 hours

 

[bothyman]

A Jerky book

>> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jerky-Delic...42481/ref=sr_11_1/202-8106155-5496634?ie=UTF8

MickT

 

[Toddy]

Mine finally arrived this afternoon , thus the messages
I bought apples, bananas, papaya, mango, pears, strawberries, chestnuts, and a coconut, and himself has been peeling fruit all evening
I'll report back on the results.

I agree, it's bigger (wider) than I expected......I think it's going to have to go out in the workshop, it takes up as much room on the worktop as the breadmaker but not so tall.
Any idea where we can get spare trays? or the sheet ones for fruit leathers? It comes with six trays but I'm fussy about not mixing meaty dishes with veggie ones and I've got venison for HWMBLT to try jerkying.

atb,
Toddy

 

[Moonraker]

I have been looking for a cheap dehydrator and have found these on QVC:

http://www.qvcuk.com/ukgasp/framese...mNumberRedirect.asp&country=uk&txtDesc=823860

I have not used one, so dont know what they are like, but at just over £32 delivered, I figure its worth a go

Looks like they are back on sale at QVC and for the same Introductory Price (not Waiting List)

QVC - Item 823860 - Total Chef Food & Flower Dehydrator

Item Number 823860
Total Chef Food & Flower Dehydrator with 50 Recipes
QVC Price £29.50
Introductory Price £26.78
UK Postage & Packaging £5.45
Save! Buy two or more & save on postage and packaging
Enjoy your five a day every day, the delicious way, courtesy of Total Chef! This food dehydrator has a built-in fan that enables faster results and even distribution of dehydration. The results are endless; not only can you make mouth-watering snacks with fruit and vegetables but you can make pot pourri from flowers, as well as creating sumptuous seasonings. You even get fab recipes, so you can going straight away! Measurements: length: 33cm (13"), depth: 33cm (13"), height: 20.3cm (8"). Circumference: 103.7cm (40.8"). It comes with five plastic trays.

My wait list order still says 'waiting for stock' but I ordered another and just waiting for the order to 'Process' and see what the delivery situation is.

happy dehydrating

 

[Marts]

Cheers for the heads up Simon. Got my order in finally

 

[Moonraker]

Cheers for the heads up Simon. Got my order in finally

Nice

Maybe we should have a BCUK QVC Dehydrator Owners Club

 

[Marts]

A dehydrate-off? Interesting.....

 

[Moonraker]

A dehydrate-off? Interesting.....

Yes. I was going to say a 'Dry Off' but feared it may be misconstrued

 

[AndyP]

These are back on sale..

Just ordered one...

 

[Moonraker]

These are back on sale..

Just ordered one...

Like I said....

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showpost.php?p=219505&postcount=46



Got mine a few days ago, quick delivery (within 3 days). Initial efforts with jerky confirm them as a very effective dryer. Also trying apple & cinnamon which is currentlyu filling the house with a wonderful aroma

One thing I would say, it is quite vigourous and the bottom trays get quite hot, so you need to watch times as others have noted as it dries more quickly generally than the supplied leaflet might suggest. Also make sure you rotate the trays (i.e. bottom to top etc) to ensure even drying as recommended. Not a problem for 'snap' dry finish. I intend using a timer plug when I get a better feel for the dryer.

One thing, the leaflet talks about 'vents open' but I see no other way of controlling the air flow (which works on air blown in and around the trays and convection)? Also a 'storage' position with the lid inverted? haven't worked that out yet.

It says 220-240 volts ~50Hz on the label on the bottom. Not sure how that compares for energy usage with an oven for example?

 

[AndyP]

Ok.

Now Ive got her on oreder..

What from your experiences would you consider the best, not the cheapest cuts of meat to go for..?

And also, are we restricted to beef..? or can we do the same with lamb/pork etc..

Cheers Guys,
Andy..

 

[Moonraker]

Ok.

Now Ive got her on oreder..

What from your experiences would you consider the best, not the cheapest cuts of meat to go for..?

And also, are we restricted to beef..? or can we do the same with lamb/pork etc..

Cheers Guys,
Andy..

I would avoid pork jerky because of the dangers of Trichinosis which require cooking to prevent. Most other things can be used for jerky but make sure the meat is as fresh as possible. Turkey and chicken are used a lot in the States, as is venison and also I have seen fish jerky recipes. Why not a veggie jerky.

Best cut I have used was local, organic fillet steak But I have found a good butchers with great rump which I like as I prefer a reasonable chewy texture and costs only £3.99/lb. I get them to cut it thin and then bash it thinner to tenderise a bit and ready for marinating which is where the real fun starts

JM posted a nice illustrated guide for jerky in a dehydrator here;

Dry Jerky

he wanted it dry and crisp to last but just adjust the time to preference. His marinade is very nice I tend to use chilli a lot and chinese five spice. Next lot will go into the smoker too before final drying without too much messing.

 

[clcuckow]

Why not a veggie jerky.[

I have got Just Jerky by Mary Bell and she has four Vegetarian recipes with titles like:

Vegetarian Jerky
Easy Taco Jerky
Teriyaki Jerky
and
Tastes-like-meat Jerky

As you might expect they are all based on soy protein.

One think for those that have bought this particular dehydrator. Do you think that QVC are just covering their backsides with saying that it is for dehydrating fruit, veg and flowers? Does the instructions that come with it say that is is suitable for meat and it look like it does not have a temperature control so what temp is it set at assuming that it is thermostatically controlled.

I am very tempted to upgrade from my oven for my jerky and homemade dehydrated meals.

 

[Moonraker]

I have got Just Jerky by Mary Bell and she has four Vegetarian recipes with titles like:

Vegetarian Jerky
Easy Taco Jerky
Teriyaki Jerky
and
Tastes-like-meat Jerky

As you might expect they are all based on soy protein.

One think for those that have bought this particular dehydrator. Do you think that QVC are just covering their backsides with saying that it is for dehydrating fruit, veg and flowers? Does the instructions that come with it say that is is suitable for meat and it look like it does not have a temperature control so what temp is it set at assuming that it is thermostatically controlled.

I am very tempted to upgrade from my oven for my jerky and homemade dehydrated meals.

The leaflet/ manual supplied with it also gives instructions for making meat jerky.

I don't have my digital thermometer here so can't confirm the temperature. It heats air sucked in through the base and vents it indirectly up through the trays via an internal fan. It uses convection to pull the heated air up through the trays and out of four vent slits in the lid (you can feel the air coming out). You can hear the fan at work though it's not too loud.

Like I said it gets quite hot on the bottom part and they recommend rotating the bottom tray/s to the top etc during drying. The jerky I did was around 5-7 mm thick and it dried to pliable/ brittle in around 6 hours.

For the price it offers an easy to use unit, easy to clean and efficient use of heat/ energy. I reckon it could easily handle more than the supplied five trays. Not sure if I can get more though. It's quite a decent size too;

20 cm tall complete (five trays and lid mounted) and 33 cm diameter.

The manual also gives instructions for preparing fruit and drying both fruit and veg as well as meat and flowers.

 

[clcuckow]

Great Moonraker,

That has sorted my old folks pressy for me this Chrimbo.

The leaflet/ manual supplied with it also gives instructions for making meat jerky.

I don't have my digital thermometer here so can't confirm the temperature. It heats air sucked in through the base and vents it indirectly up through the trays via an internal fan. It uses convection to pull the heated air up through the trays and out of four vent slits in the lid (you can feel the air coming out). You can hear the fan at work though it's not too loud.

Like I said it gets quite hot on the bottom part and they recommend rotating the bottom tray/s to the top etc during drying. The jerky I did was around 5-7 mm thick and it dried to pliable/ brittle in around 6 hours.

For the price it offers an easy to use unit, easy to clean and efficient use of heat/ energy. I reckon it could easily handle more than the supplied five trays. Not sure if I can get more though. It's quite a decent size too;

20 cm tall complete (five trays and lid mounted) and 33 cm diameter.

The manual also gives instructions for preparing fruit and drying both fruit and veg as well as meat and flowers.

 

[Glen]

How economical are dehydrators? I have made jerky only once in the oven, but Im reluctant to do so again due to the huge electric bill.

I'll attempt to get one of these http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20061113.p.Energy_Monitor.ar2 devices next week, in which case I can give you a reasonable answer for the model discused in this thread.

 

[Glen]

Just stuck the dehydrator on the measuring device.

The power consumption is around 280Watts, which works out at around 3.5 hours per Kwh unit. You'll have to check how much your electricity supplier charges per unit but a rough guide would be about 10p give or take a couple of p.

 

[JFW]

Just a wee heads up for all those that missed out on this - QVC have these back in stock.
Check the first link in original post.

Cheers

JFW