Dehydrators?

[Rawmichelle]

Hello, I am wondering if a dehydrator is absolutely necessary to eat Raw? I know many recipes call for a dehydrator. Where does one purchase this? Are they expensive? Well, thanks!
Rawmichelle

[Lilith]

If you aren't quite ready for the investment you can make one with a box fan, few celulose a/c filters & bungie chords.

[menat]

Mine just got in the mail. I tell you that 9 tray dehydrator is huge, bigger than my microwave. I don't have much food in the ice box to try any recipes so I will just cut up some apples and tomatos tonight just to test out.

[Revvell]

Hello, I am wondering if a dehydrator is absolutely necessary to eat Raw?

No, it's not.



I know many recipes call for a dehydrator. Where does one purchase this? Are they expensive? Well, thanks!
Rawmichelle

Expensive would depend on your definition. If you wish to purchase a good one, please go to Alissa's site and purchase from her. www.AlissaCohen.com

Revvell

[justinesmith]

It's not necessary but it sure is nice. You can use the sun in the summer (I recognize that this is not an option this time of year) but I have never regretted getting one. I've also found that it saves me money in the long run because I'm not spending any money on the prepackaged raw crackers and things at the HFS. Good luck! :)

[EZ rider]

I don't have a dehydrator and am not in the market for one. Dehydrating is great for some people but I like my raw foods as fresh and simply prepared as possible. I have been eating fresh raw since August 1st and enjoy eating the raw foods absolutely as fresh as I can get them. HTH

[menat]

It is expensive as hell for me. I never paid lots of money for cooking stuff before. The main reason why I don't own a Cuisinart yet. But I decided to buy it because I am not a person of money and I thought that my raw food section budget at Whole Foods was making me broke at the end of the month. And I get tired of trying to carry Tubberware bowels for dinner and lunch in my bag everyday.

I guess in the long run, if you purchase a lot of chips, crackers, granola bars and fruit chips, then you could be saving money spending on the dehdrator to make the foods yourself. I can't wait to see if I can make my own potato chips instead of purchasing a $3 bag every time at the store.

As for size, I assume that most dehdrated stuff is, duh, not wet, and quite small. So it will be easy store in small ziplock sandwhich bags instead of carrying plastic containers with you wherever you go.

[Marin Mom]

I love my dehydrater and duplicate the crackers and granola I buy at the HFS. So much tastier and fresh. But it is noisy! I keep it in the garage because it keeps DH up. It's also good for sunburgers, cookies, breads.

Be sure to order the teflex sheets too for the liquedy recipes.

Cindy

Raw 4 months today!!!!!!!!

[lore-ah]

I have one I got for $75 or so, with plastic trays which work in place of Teflex sheets. Ideally I'd like to have one that Alissa sells but it's not in the budget right now!

Also not in the budget but I'm dying for one: Vita-mix :(

[Rawmichelle]

Hi Lore-ah, where did you get a dehydrator for $75...i really want one but my budget is tight as well. Yeah, i also want a vitamix!!! They are so cool!
Rawmichelle

[Frugal Raw]

We have a vitamix and a food processor. No Excalibur yet, and while I could live without one, hubby won't be able to go 100% raw until we have one to make breads, pizzas, cookies, etc.

I think it depends on how simply you're willing to eat.

[Rawmichelle]

Excalibur? Is that a juicer? All i have right now is a juicer and an old blender! I want to start green smoothies but i know you need a powerful blender for that right?
Rawmichelle

[joyfulGIRL]

If you do get one, don't get a cheap one. That's what I did. I would have rather waited and saved for an excalibur. The cheapie is so inconvenient, small and I have to cut little parchment paper rings everytime I want to use it.

[lore-ah]

Hi Lore-ah, where did you get a dehydrator for $75...i really want one but my budget is tight as well. Yeah, i also want a vitamix!!! They are so cool!
Rawmichelle

My husband bought me this baby:

http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-American-Harvest-FD-75PR-Dehydrator/dp/B000FFVJ3C/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1196123743&sr=8-1

Actually it's gone down in price since we got it. It has a temp control and seems to work just fine. Not kind you can get from this site, but one day!

[lore-ah]

If you do get one, don't get a cheap one. That's what I did. I would have rather waited and saved for an excalibur. The cheapie is so inconvenient, small and I have to cut little parchment paper rings everytime I want to use it.

I did that for a while, but then ended up using the fruit roll trays it came with. I'm sure it's not the same but I've had ok success so far. Did yours come with those?

[Eva]

Hi Michelle...

Excalibur is a brand of dehydrator. It's pretty much the top of the line, and because the temperature is adjustable (which means you can set it to 118 degrees or below), the food is still "raw" by most people's standards.

I didn't get one until a couple months ago, and I had lots of bad experiences screwing up recipes. I finally have the hang of it now! It's fun being able to make things like crackers to fill the craving for stuff like chips and salsa or other dips....

BUT it's not necessary. I would buy a food processor and/or a decent blender before buying a dehydrator since they cost about $130-$230 for a good one.

As for your question about the green smoothies... you could just cut up the veggies a little better... and be patient... but you can make them with a blender that's not too great until you're able to get a better one. :)

[maui_butterfly]

i'm telling you, you don't need fancy, expensive equipment to go raw. start simple, and add to your arsenal as you can.

i made green smoothies daily for months in my $30 oster blender, and they weren't noticeably different than the ones i do in my new vitamix (thanks, mom!), they just took a bit more stirring/poking/prodding. while i love my vitamix, it didn't revolutionize my life the way i thought it might. i eat substantially the same. the only thing different is the banana "ice cream" my daughter and i enjoy almost nightly... frozen bananas mixed up in the vitamix to the consistency of ice cream :)

a friend gave me a cheap dehydrator, and i don't use it very often, but i can do some things. and i've got my "excalibur fund" going, and eventually hope to add that, but if i never do... oh well. still raw.

my point is you can do this thing immediately with whatever resources you can bring to bear (even if its just a good paring knife!), and as you go along you will slowly build your resources up. same way you added to your cooked kitchen arsenal (maybe you bought some good knives one year, or a new cuisinart, or a set of nice pots and pans) you will develop your raw kitchen arsenal. in the meantime, look at it as a fun challenge to your resourcefulness! necessity is the mother of invention... you'll be surprised how creative you can get with your recipes when you have limited tools to work with, and that discovery process will serve you well in your raw foods life.

good luck and welcome to the path!

[okorolina40]

hi there -

just bought an excaibur today after being 5 months raw. my main reason for getting it is to put to use all the pulp created when hubby and I juiced our fruits and veggies. Hubby has no clue whats in the freeer cause I freeze it all for my eventual purchase, which has been a long time coming. I agree with a previous post that it is not necessary, but it will greatly help my hubby experience raw with transitional foods. I actually enjoy bringing little baggies and bowls to school .. I am less likely to forget my food that way!

By the way, there is a great web special going on at the excalibur site, if anyone is in the market for one. if you order before Nov 30 you get a 10 yr warranty on all 5-trays and up, along with free fedex shipping and some other goodies...

Hope that helps -- dont feel pressure to get it though -- raw is a process and time will help all transitions. If you dont like spending time on raw recipes, then some of the simpler recipes like flax crackers and such may appeal to you. Other more complicated dishes, like the enchiladas and the calzones, may be a little more work . Otherwise, simple raw I think will do in any situation :)

I love to cook, so I eventually got nostalgic over prepping for some sort of "oven" experience. So I am looking forward to making things again, without destroying all the nutrients before I eat it!


Blessings,

Rawnaija

[spiralgirl]

Rawmichelle,

No a dehydrator is not necessary but after two months raw I got an Excalibur 9 tray with timer which I would recommend. Mine is in use 3-4 times a week at least. It just allows you more variety with raw foods.

Also you could use the oven if it goes to a low temp like 100 degrees.

[klomasius]

I have a small circular dehydrator, and like others, I think it's not necessary to have in a raw lifestyle, but is a good piece of equipment to widen the variety of foods you can make.

Dehydrators are good to make foods that are similar to the taste or texture of cooked foods (eg, breads and crackers, dried tomatoes etc.) and help many to 'keep on track' with raw.

Here in my country we don't even have pre-packaged raw foods such as crackers, dips, sweets etc in the health food store so if I want anything like that I have to make it myself, so having a dehydrator is really handy.

Also, we buy up big on fruits and veg in season and dehydrate things such as tomatoes when they can be bought cheap. This saves heaps on getting store bought dried fruits and veg and you know what's gone into them (i.e. no preservatives).

So it's up to you, but do your research and have a look around for the best type for you with whatever budget constraints you have.

Hope this helps!

[Rawmichelle]

Thank you everybody!!! I now know that while cool to have, a dehydrator is not 100% necessary just starting out! I have a nice juicer and i think i wll purchase a new blender as well...ok, stupid question: a smoothie needs a blender right? Is it just cutting up stuff and sticking it in the blender? What consistency does the smoothie have to be? Is it good to mix green with fruit? Thanks guys!
Rawmichelle