Just wondering if anyone can recommend a dehydrator and vacuum sealer? I was looking at Andrew James?!
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Recommend a dehydrator
- Thread starter Jonbodthethird
- Start date
Ive been running the andrew james solid for about a month in preparation for our arctic trip. Still going strong. the trays have a bit melting and cracking though. To be fair though ive dehyrated 8kg of meat and 14kg of veg plus a load of fruit. I dread to think what it would have cost me to buy the same amount of mountain house. Still all works though.
For most things the little ones around £30 are fine. Great to use, easy to work, good results and a straightforward introduction to it all.
Those who have the next level up with thermostatic controlability and timing reckon they're worth the money if you find you get the use out of them.
My little £30 one is still going strong, gets used in bursts of activity (gluts of fruits, drying veggies for camping, etc.,) but still spends most of it's life in the box. It's a very good tool, and has paid for itself dozens of times over. If it died tomorrow I'd buy another one.....if I were doing more though, I'd step up and buy one of the thermo control type ones.
There doesn't seem to be much difference among the ones around the £30 mark, pretty much interchangeable tbh.
atb,
M
Those who have the next level up with thermostatic controlability and timing reckon they're worth the money if you find you get the use out of them.
My little £30 one is still going strong, gets used in bursts of activity (gluts of fruits, drying veggies for camping, etc.,) but still spends most of it's life in the box. It's a very good tool, and has paid for itself dozens of times over. If it died tomorrow I'd buy another one.....if I were doing more though, I'd step up and buy one of the thermo control type ones.
There doesn't seem to be much difference among the ones around the £30 mark, pretty much interchangeable tbh.
atb,
M
My andrew james has a thermostat too and was 39.99 from amazon. The one Steve links too is identical to mine with a different name on
I've got the Andrew James bigger 10sqft dehydrator. Thermostat and timer. It's been on since mid Oct and done quite a few kilo's of food now. It's paid for itself now easily and my dried meals are the best I've ever had. There's a kilo of poached Pollock with tarragon and parsley in it right now.
No problems with melting yet but I've never had it on max temp (70c).
I don't own a vacuum sealer yet but I'm close to pulling the trigger on john lewis model.
No problems with melting yet but I've never had it on max temp (70c).
I don't own a vacuum sealer yet but I'm close to pulling the trigger on john lewis model.
Andrew James it is then. I'm going to buy the digital thermostat control. Was in my mind to have a thermo anyway but now it's set in stone because I've just bought one lol.
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Go to advanced search and search for dehydrator and you'll find your question has been asked lots and lots of times.
http://www2.westfalia.net/shops/hou...clid=CI2ZwNiOkLwCFQgHwwodHjIAGQ&art_nr=521419
Works very well, if your going out of the house then plug it into a timer socket.
http://www2.westfalia.net/shops/hou...clid=CI2ZwNiOkLwCFQgHwwodHjIAGQ&art_nr=521419
Works very well, if your going out of the house then plug it into a timer socket.
Will all the answers on those threads be up to date Rik?
Are there no new users with valid input?
Are there no new models on the market?
http://www.nesco.com/products/Dehydrators/Dehydrators/FD-75PR-5-Tray-Snackmaster-Pro-Food-Dehydrator/session_6aa5ea55d95f/
I love mine and have done jerky, pasta, chili so far!
I love mine and have done jerky, pasta, chili so far!
Well, the search is a good starting point for someone who can then ask more focused questions? I answer posts that have been asked many times but I do wish people would do a bit of homework instead of just asking the same old questions, best rucksack, best sleeping bag, best tent, best dehydrator et al. I suppose its a reflection of the times we live in where why bother researching when you can just ask a question.
Sorry to be a pain but my main idea which I couldn't find on here was about the Andrew James dehydrators. Needed to know about there reliability and performance.
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Take no notice I'm a grumpy old git with a bug in dark place about 'same old same old' posts/threads. If you do an advanced search it does come up a few times and with good reviews, also look at
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-Jame...16917&sr=1-1&keywords=james+andrew+dehydrator
http://www.naturalveganecomom.com/2013/03/adventures-in-food-dehydrating-andrew.html
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-Jame...16917&sr=1-1&keywords=james+andrew+dehydrator
http://www.naturalveganecomom.com/2013/03/adventures-in-food-dehydrating-andrew.html
A bit of a thread resurrection but things move on and the Andrew James versin (is he a real person?) no longer seems available.
On @mazon, around £30-35 seems to get you a 240/250w dehydrator with a timer and variable temperature setting (older threads suggest that earlier models didn’t have timers or temp settings?) with unfamiliar brand names, probably all made in the same Chinese factory - not that this is necessarily a bad thing.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dehydrator...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
https://www.amazon.co.uk/VonShef-Ti...T7M2DN8QKS0&psc=1&refRID=7E1CE8YCNT7M2DN8QKS0
Around £60 gets you what looks like similar spec but just a slightly bigger version.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TLL9...aWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1
Unfortunately, the specs don't seem to include an useable area on each model - it should be possible to work it out from footprint x number of trays. Is the bigger worth the extra money or would be better to buy the smaller one and then a second one if extra volume needed, not much extra cost?
Anyone used any of these (or similar) models and what features and specs are useful and is it better to have a clear or opaque cover?
Cheers,
J
On @mazon, around £30-35 seems to get you a 240/250w dehydrator with a timer and variable temperature setting (older threads suggest that earlier models didn’t have timers or temp settings?) with unfamiliar brand names, probably all made in the same Chinese factory - not that this is necessarily a bad thing.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dehydrator...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
https://www.amazon.co.uk/VonShef-Ti...T7M2DN8QKS0&psc=1&refRID=7E1CE8YCNT7M2DN8QKS0
Around £60 gets you what looks like similar spec but just a slightly bigger version.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TLL9...aWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1
Unfortunately, the specs don't seem to include an useable area on each model - it should be possible to work it out from footprint x number of trays. Is the bigger worth the extra money or would be better to buy the smaller one and then a second one if extra volume needed, not much extra cost?
Anyone used any of these (or similar) models and what features and specs are useful and is it better to have a clear or opaque cover?
Cheers,
J
I've got the stöckli dörrex dehydrator, with thee trays but I'm thinking of getting a few more. It can take up to 10 trays.
High trays are good for mushrooms and other tall things. Removable trays is great if you don't want to use the full capacity, compared to a fixed size box with trays I mean.
Temperature regulator is a must, timer is great.
High trays are good for mushrooms and other tall things. Removable trays is great if you don't want to use the full capacity, compared to a fixed size box with trays I mean.
Temperature regulator is a must, timer is great.
Well my wee simple one has dried 8kgs of apple rings this week
It doesn't have a timer, it doesn't have a thermostat, I just change the bottom ring to the top through the day. I turn the rings over and they're perfect when done. That's probably the last big batch drying that I'll do of apples until next Summer. I made six small kilner jars of the apple spread from the juice I got out of the skins and cores too. So, all good stuff.
Honestly, I'm surprised that the simple one has lasted so long. It's not pristine, but it's still working as well as it did when we first bought years ago, and we have, and do, use it.
I don't do meat in mine though, but did use the same model that my brother had for meat and it worked very well indeed. The dried meat was guzzled so fast that I worried about their digestive systems
I think buy to your budget and see if you do use it beyond an initial burst of enthusiasm. There are an awful lot that end up stashed away as 'good things' that don't even get used once in a blue moon.
Oh, and good advice....keep the box. It holds all the trays, lid, etc., tidily and cleanly and dust free.
I hope you have fun with it and it does prove useful I know that if mine died I'd buy another.
M
It doesn't have a timer, it doesn't have a thermostat, I just change the bottom ring to the top through the day. I turn the rings over and they're perfect when done. That's probably the last big batch drying that I'll do of apples until next Summer. I made six small kilner jars of the apple spread from the juice I got out of the skins and cores too. So, all good stuff.
Honestly, I'm surprised that the simple one has lasted so long. It's not pristine, but it's still working as well as it did when we first bought years ago, and we have, and do, use it.
I don't do meat in mine though, but did use the same model that my brother had for meat and it worked very well indeed. The dried meat was guzzled so fast that I worried about their digestive systems
I think buy to your budget and see if you do use it beyond an initial burst of enthusiasm. There are an awful lot that end up stashed away as 'good things' that don't even get used once in a blue moon.
Oh, and good advice....keep the box. It holds all the trays, lid, etc., tidily and cleanly and dust free.
I hope you have fun with it and it does prove useful
I know that if mine died I'd buy another.M
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Might be able to find it second hand somewhere. Lots of people seem to get dehydrators and then never use them.Looks good but a bit more than I was thinking of spending.
But fair enough.
We bought the Andrew James dehydrator about 4 weeks ago. On their website it is listed as out of stock, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t be getting more in sooner or later.
We bought ours direct from:
https://www.andrewjamesworldwide.com/rectangular-food-dehydrator-p181
We bought ours direct from:
https://www.andrewjamesworldwide.com/rectangular-food-dehydrator-p181
