Which Dehydrator?

[livin]

1. Which dehydrator do you use?

2. Which dehydrator is recommended for small kitchen (little counter space, no storage space)?

I never considered buying a dehydrator until this week when I continued to read simple recipes that people are raving about (esp. the Kale Chips). This morning is the first time I have ever looked up one online & I have no idea what to look for.
I don't like spending much time in the kitchen, so anything I prepare has got to be quick and easy.
In the past, most of my meals have been eaten at/from a restaurant!

I see that excalibur is having a sale this month and wonder about these three:
5-Tray SMALL GARDEN-Excalibur 26 hour Timer #3526T - $209.95

5-Tray SMALL GARDEN-Excalibur #4500- 220/240v International Model - $219.95

5-Tray SMALL GARDEN-Excalibur #4526T220- With 26 Hour Timer 220/240v International Model - $239.95

[MelissaO]

I would say go for an Excalibur- get the most drawers you can afford.

I have a good4u 6 drawer, it is only me that is raw and if I could have afforded it I would have loved to have had a 9 drawer excalibur.

Why?

You can take out the drawers and put larger items in there. According to an email I have from the company they are both UL and CE certified. They have also been around forever.



I have been looking on Ebay and there were some really great deals on there for the 9 drawers some with free shipping too.

[livin]

Thanks MelissaO. I was so happy to get a little counter space when I got rid of my microwave that I don't really want anything with much height or width. I also just splurged on a new Vitamix, so cost is a big factor.

Do you use yours often?

[livin]

One of my friends (not raw) said he uses a cheap old dehydrator from Wal-Mart to make jerky & dry herbs without using much counter space. I just finished my green smoothie fast and had kale chips on the brain; So, I ran out to Wal-Mart to get a cheap starter dehydrator to serve my purpose. Guess what? There were NO dehydrators there. (For today, I'm trying to see if I can make the oven work to dehydrate kale chips) I do see a Ronco and another (maybe Nesco) on Wal-Mart's website.

Has anyone used one of those Wal-Mart dehydrators before?

I see on another thread that most people are recommending the Excalibur 9-try, just as MelissaO recommends here. I'm really concerned about the counter space (and the cost).

[MelissaO]

My Dad has a Ronco - it gets WAY too hot and the round ones are kind of hard to work with.

I have made the kale chips and they are very good. My 6 tray good4u is actually shorter than my microwave and takes up less counter space too. I moved my kitchenaide mixmaster and put the dehydrator in it's place. My husband is still SAD so we will not be getting rid of the microwave anytime soon.


My dehydrator just arrived not too long ago - I have used it several times. Overall I am glad I have a dehydrator.

[katacykls]

Hello I have a 4 tray excalibur and I like it. It is practical and easy to work with, it came with mesh and teflex sheets. Like Melissa I would also recommend to get one becasue there is always going to be some recipe you are going to try out that involves the use of one-so you might as well get one.
Also, try checking out some recipes that you want to make that way when it arrives you can actually feel like you are putting it to use. I recently made
Cocophoria-coconut jerkey-mix equal parts of nama shoyu, olive oil and curry powder and dehydrate for 6 hrs-from Matt Amsden of Euphoria loves Rawvolution.

And, now I'm working on "Falafel Croquettes" and soon I will be making a tasty Barley bread :)

[Coolexplosion]

The Ronco is typically the worst of the big 4 (Excalibur, Good4U, and Nesco are the other three). I have a Nesco and for me who is someone that can't use much counter space and won't dehydrate excessively, it's perfect. It was only around $50.00 so, that was another plus.

[juliebove]

I have the Nesco. It works fine but I did have to buy a lot more trays and sheets for it.

[Coolexplosion]

I have the Nesco. It works fine but I did have to buy a lot more trays and sheets for it.

Do you have the fruit roll sheets or the clean-a screens? If it's the latter, how do they work?

[Eva]

I have had both the 4-tray and the 5-tray. The 4-tray takes up MUCH less space. It's not the difference of the one tray; it's all of the dimensions. My mom and I are both using it and are both raw. It's fine, but we don't use it all the time, mostly just for things like pesto-stuffed mushrooms, almond pulp to almond flour, crackers.

It is not sold everywhere. A lot of places only sell the 5 and 9 trays. It's about $105-$120, much less than the others.

[beany]

I put my 5 tray Excalibur in the oven of my floor model stove . I just left one shelf for the bottom and put the dehydrator on it.That way I can pull out the shelf to get at the dials in the back. I also took off the oven door and what teflex sheets I don't use, slides under the bottom shelf. It also has the timer. Last summer my DH bought me the 9 tray. Real handy when holidays come around and the garden harvest comes in.

[DebB]

Just a side note - I made kale chips for the first time last week. I used both dino and curly kale. I have the 9 tray Excalibur and I had to remove the tray above the curly kale tray as mine was too curly to fit. I had no problem with the dino though, it fit fine.

Just another thing to consider when you decide how many trays you want. *Ü*

[MelanieM]

I have had both the 4-tray and the 5-tray. The 4-tray takes up MUCH less space. It's not the difference of the one tray; it's all of the dimensions. My mom and I are both using it and are both raw. It's fine, but we don't use it all the time, mostly just for things like pesto-stuffed mushrooms, almond pulp to almond flour, crackers.

It is not sold everywhere. A lot of places only sell the 5 and 9 trays. It's about $105-$120, much less than the others.

Eva, do you find a difference in the amount of time it takes for something to dehydrate in the 4 vs. 5 tray? I see that the watts are different for each, and I'm wondering if that factors into the efficiency of the unit. I see the 4 also has a smaller fan, but I suppose with a smaller space that's somewhat irrelevant/to be expected.

[Eva]

It takes a little longer to get to the desired temperature in the beginning, it seems. I turn it up to 155 for the first hour, then immediately turn it down to somewhere between 105 and 115, depending on the recipe. This helps immensely. I'm sure that the 4-tray uses a lot less energy than the others, and I like the door better. It seems to close more properly.

[MelanieM]

Thanks Eva! That's very helpful. :D

[rsloan]

There is a place on line that has the Excalibur 2900 9 drawer for 179.95 with 5 free non stick sheets and free shipping to the US. I am not sure if I am allowed to list their name here...but I would be happy to share the information. This is the least expensive I have seen online.

[rsloan]

sorry, the one I listed is the one without free shipping and without free sheets.... the other is 209.95.

[RawFoodGuy]

I would say go for an Excalibur- get the most drawers you can afford.

I have a good4u 6 drawer, it is only me that is raw and if I could have afforded it I would have loved to have had a 9 drawer excalibur.

Why?

You can take out the drawers and put larger items in there. According to an email I have from the company they are both UL and CE certified. They have also been around forever.


I have been looking on Ebay and there were some really great deals on there for the 9 drawers some with free shipping too.

You can take trays out of the Good4U dehydrator too. They are coming out with tray blanks in the future, but meanwhile I just use aluminum foil to close off the front when I remove trays. Good4U is a much better deal, and their new models now have 40-hour digital timers. The Good4U self-closing front design lets air flow better over the trays making things dry faster and more evenly, so you don't have to rotate trays like you do with the other guys! Also, the fan is not even half as loud on the Good4U.

I just got the new Goo4UU dehydrators in on my website! You can use my coupon (FD10T-20) for $20 OFF the 10-tray model. They include 2 nonstick sheets but I give you 50% off additional sheets if you want them. Also, for RawFoodTalk members only, you can order a pack of 4 or 8 nonstick sheets at at price without having to buy a new dehydrator:

Check the new models out at http://www.rawfoodlife.com/good4u10.html

To buy 8 nonstick sheets at half off, go here:
http://secure.ultracart.com/cgi-bin/...=RAW&ADD=TEFL8

To buy 4 nonstick sheets at half off, click here:
http://secure.ultracart.com/cgi-bin/...=RAW&ADD=TEFL4