thickness of food for the dehydrator...

[Mindy Sue]

I was just wondering if anyone has any helpful hints on how to get things that go into the dehydrator an even thickness. I am not new at dehydrating at all, but everything that I make is so uneven in thickness and it drives me crazy. :eek: I want my dehydrated food to look like this:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=47173

[Dianne K.]

I
have been eating raw for 1 year now ,but just getting my excaliber dehydrator next week .I have some of these books like Gabriels book.Now I need to have fun.Thanks for all the great info in one spot.I just printed them.

[Krayton]

don't know any other way to put it. If you have dough, use a spatula with a bowl of water. dip the spatula into the bowl of water before using to spread the dough. If that doesn't work, then the dough is too thick and you need to soften it with either water (preferably) or a little (very little) oil. Hope this helps.

Paul

[Veganforlife]

I totally get what you mean about the thickness judging by the tray slots. I always use my hands for flattening, shaping, scraping, etc. And I have found that water works better than oil on my hands when shaping the recipes...

[anniez]

I read somewhere that a good thing to do when making burgers, etc. is to use a jar lid lined with plastic wrap, and use that as a mold. I haven't tried that yet but it sounds like a good idea.

My biggest challenge is crackers. I have a terrible time with them! I use my fingers dipped in water to spread them, but then of course the water makes them wetter and thus a longer drying time. I find I have better control this way than using a spatula.

I love the Excalibur because you can leave trays out and then you can make things thicker. Of course, the thicker they are the longer they take to dry.

I have seen on videos and DVD's people spreading crackers and they make it look so easy. Maybe if I made crackers everyday for awhile I could get the hang of it!

Annie

[Green_Woman]

I make my cracker doughs a little more liquidy than "normal" dough, and spread it thin with a spatula. :D Also, for crackers, the thinner the better! That's why I call them wafers now. :D

[RawKnitster]

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn214/RawKnitster/Trowel.jpg
This is the best tool I have found. It is like a spatula, only firmer, and no handles. Using the flat edge with an even pressure allows me to get cracker and chip batter perfectly smooth and impossibly thin.

It is actually a bread making tool. I got it years ago as a promotional gift form Red Star Yeast. If I didn't have it I might be using one of my husband's masonry trowels. ;)

For cookies or other items that I want a uniform size, I use a scoop like an ice cream scoop, only it is the size of a Tablespoon. To flatten cookies I use my fingers covered with a piece of plastic wrap to keep the dough from sticking.

Practice helps! :)