Which Dehydrater ... Or Even Do I Bother

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jennyjj01
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Which Dehydrater ... Or Even Do I Bother

Post by jennyjj01 »

I'm of two minds: Buy a dehydrator and a few sacks of veg from the wholesaler, or... Just buy some deydrated veg.

I'm thinking mostly Onions, Carrots, Tomatoes and Celery... The stuff i use everyday.

I see dried onions in my local supermarket and wonder if I really want the expense and smell of doing my own dehydrating,

So... Assuming I buy one, which one? Some of the cheap 30 quid ones have poor amazon reviews and plastic trays seem a problem, but prices soon leap. So far, I'm tempted by a £117 one... https://www.amazon.co.uk/SousVideTools- ... geNumber=2

Opinions and recommendations, please.
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defender130
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Re: Which Dehydrater ... Or Even Do I Bother

Post by defender130 »

I was originally tempted to get an excaliber 9 tray but it is now nearly £400 so as and when funds allow i think i will plump for this biochef arizona 10 tray instead

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BioChef-Arizon ... tray&psc=1

If you want to dehydrate stuff then a dedicated dehydrator would seem better than just buying a few dehydrated foods as you know exactly what you are dehydrating rather than having something dehydrated that's bought with a load of additives in it as well
jansman
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Re: Which Dehydrater ... Or Even Do I Bother

Post by jansman »

I have a cheap 30 quidder. Had it 3 years or more and use it for drying fruit from the garden, tomatoes from the polytunnel ( a lot of tomatoes), and leftover bread for fishing bait. It does the job nicely.
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Deeps
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Re: Which Dehydrater ... Or Even Do I Bother

Post by Deeps »

Mine was about 50 quid (xmas prezzy so don't know exact details). Just a 5 tray simple thing and I've had loads of use out of it. After the initial expense its just the price of the veg and we quite often buy it going out of date. I've done herbs on it too, buy cheap plants and pull the leaves off. I also do dehydrated meals to take up the hills, mostly Quorn mince based like chilli or bolognese but I've done curries too.

I know it sounds odd but I find it really satisfying, I've got a fair amount stuck away but I keep adding to it.
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Jamesey1981
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Re: Which Dehydrater ... Or Even Do I Bother

Post by Jamesey1981 »

I have a cheapo vonshef one, cost about 25 to 30 quid, bought a cheap one to see how much use I got out of it and so far I've had it three years.

The clear plastic trays irritate me as it's pretty fragile but as long as you're careful washing them then there's no reason it won't last, there's not much to a dehydrator really.

Metal racks would be nice though, they'll be ok in a dishwasher.

Mine gets used for dehydrating meals for hiking and making beef jerky mainly, but I also dry a lot of apples from my tree to preserve them and I do other dried fruits because i like them, dried galia or cantaloupe melon is amazing.
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Deeps
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Re: Which Dehydrater ... Or Even Do I Bother

Post by Deeps »

Jamesey1981 wrote: Fri Jan 04, 2019 9:26 pm I have a cheapo vonshef one, cost about 25 to 30 quid, bought a cheap one to see how much use I got out of it and so far I've had it three years.

The clear plastic trays irritate me as it's pretty fragile but as long as you're careful washing them then there's no reason it won't last, there's not much to a dehydrator really.

Metal racks would be nice though, they'll be ok in a dishwasher.

Mine gets used for dehydrating meals for hiking and making beef jerky mainly, but I also dry a lot of apples from my tree to preserve them and I do other dried fruits because i like them, dried galia or cantaloupe melon is amazing.
Hadn't thought about dried melon, that'll be on the list, cheers mate.
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Jamesey1981
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Re: Which Dehydrater ... Or Even Do I Bother

Post by Jamesey1981 »

It's the sweetest thing ever, really good though. :)
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pseudonym
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Re: Which Dehydrater ... Or Even Do I Bother

Post by pseudonym »

defender130 wrote: Fri Jan 04, 2019 6:04 pm I was originally tempted to get an excaliber 9 tray but it is now nearly £400 so as and when funds allow i think i will plump for this biochef arizona 10 tray instead

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BioChef-Arizon ... tray&psc=1

If you want to dehydrate stuff then a dedicated dehydrator would seem better than just buying a few dehydrated foods as you know exactly what you are dehydrating rather than having something dehydrated that's bought with a load of additives in it as well
Check ebay, that's where I got my 9 tray one from for less than 1/2 price
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Arwen Thebard
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Re: Which Dehydrater ... Or Even Do I Bother

Post by Arwen Thebard »

Got ours on Freecycle of all places, about three years ago. I dont think it is an expensive version but it seems to work fine and does get a lot of use in our household. Wouldn't want be without one now, especially for the amount of space it saves in the pantry and freezer.
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Deeps
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Re: Which Dehydrater ... Or Even Do I Bother

Post by Deeps »

Jamesey1981 wrote: Fri Jan 04, 2019 10:09 pm It's the sweetest thing ever, really good though. :)
Bought a couple to give it a try, got an couple of pineapples for a quid too, they're good in the dehydrator too.