Rawkinlocs/Anyone who knows

[lavendarJ]

I remember a while back you posted a website where I believe you purchased a "saladaccio" from. Could you please list that website again. I remember it being a great price. I was trying to hold out for the spiral slicer on Alissa's site but it is still out of stock and I am finally at a place where I want to be more creative with my meal prepartion. Also, can anyone recommend a dehydrator that is reasonable. From what I've heard, the Excaliburs seem to be great. I am just not sure if I'll be using the dehydrator very much at all and didn't want to pay $200 and then just have it sitting there. Then again, I guess I could try ebay.

Thanks:)

[JinxieKat]

I got my spiral slicer from amazon at a very good price. I was able to get the Joyce Chen one which I've heard more good reviews off than the other types. It works great!

As for dehydrators as long as you don't have your heart set on perfectly square crackers and don't mind being a bit creative with the 'thicker' recipies you can do just fine with one made by Necco. I'm pretty sure it is Rawkinlocs that uses that brand as well. I've made crackers, pizza crusts, dried fruits and veggies, etc. in it just fine. The round shape makes it hard to make perfectly square crackers, but they still taste good! You also have to make smaller pizza crusts and stuff because of the hole in the center of the trays for air flow. They come with mesh screens and a solid tray for fruit leathers. They don't have teflex sheets, but I've been doing my breads, crackers and such on the mesh screens with no problem. Unless the item is very liquidy your fine with the screens. Some will stick to the screens if you try to take the item off before it is done, but not alot and the clean up is still easy.

Hope that helps!

Jinx

[Rawkinlocs]

Hi LavendarJ,

I got my "saladacco" (which is the same as the Spiral Slicer and makes angel hair) from Alissa's site. However, I *think* you might be referring to my thread about having found a "Spirooli" (which makes strands larger more like spaghetti) at a great price and a great shipping (?) price...http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18184&highlight=spirooli

As for dehydrators, I owned a Nesco American Harvest long before finally getting an Excalibur. It's under $50 (or sometimes right at or a little above $50 depending on where you get it) and just be sure it has a temp. control. I used it and worked it to make MOST dehydrated recipes that people make in the Excalibur. The only thing I wasn't able to do was fit a pan in there. But as far as making taller items like a loaf or something, they do sell accessories such as the "Convert-a-Tray" to fit taller things in them at their website - http://nesco.com and at http://everthingkitchens.com and I'm sure other sites as well, but those are the two I'm most familiar with.

Other than that, if you really want an Excalibur, you could try eBay or Craig's List or something to get it less than what most sites sell it at.

[lavendarJ]

Thank you:)

[mongomango]

http://www.kitchenfantasy.com/shopping_cart/Salada.html

[Lazarita]

As I was browsing through this thread, I was reminded of the fact that I really want to buy a dehydrator and recently I came across some information in Gabriel Cousens book that suggested that new research indicates that dehydrating initially at a higher temperature (145 degrees F) and then lowering it after an hour or two wouldn't damage the enzymes. Of course, all the other books I've ever read about raw foods say otherwise.

Has anyone come across this information and wondered? I'd love some feedback.

[Sharon in Colorado]

As I was browsing through this thread, I was reminded of the fact that I really want to buy a dehydrator and recently I came across some information in Gabriel Cousens book that suggested that new research indicates that dehydrating initially at a higher temperature (145 degrees F) and then lowering it after an hour or two wouldn't damage the enzymes. Of course, all the other books I've ever read about raw foods say otherwise.

Has anyone come across this information and wondered? I'd love some feedback.


Yes - I didn't know whose idea it was orginally, but many sweet things I was making in the dehydrator were coming out bitter and nasty tasting. It may have been RP or someone else who posted about it fermenting in there from such a low temp and then it started to make sense. So I start out at 125-135 and then lower it after a couple of hours.

Just recently Revvell had an interview with Nomi Shannon who compared it to roasting a turkey - you aren't going to roast a turkey at 135, no, you would roast it at 350 until the turkey gets to the proper temperature.

And so it makes sense to me, to dehydrate initially at a higher temp for an hour or two and then turn it down once the outside is sealed.

Now - I am sure you are thinking right now - is this going to "denature" the outside of the food? Probably, but then again if I am that pure, maybe I wouldn't be dehydrating my food anyway.

[Lazarita]

I personally have trouble eating raw eggplant. That's why I started dehydrating...there were just certain things that I missed...like crackers and bread...lol

But you are right, the raw food purists often don't eat dehydrated recipes. I become a purist in the Spring and Summertime. When the cold sets in, I occasionally have dehyrated recipes...especially if it's really, really cold...