Can I use the oven instead of a dehydrator?

[RawPride]

Hi, I do not have a dehydrator and I can not afford to buy one right now. But I really want to start making bread and crackers and cookies and that sort of stuff. Can I use my oven instead? I am not that hardcore of a raw foodist, so can I "bake" the foods in the oven or do I have to have the ovendoor open and wait for many many hours?

I do not have those teflex sheets, I can not find them in any stores either (I'm from Norway), any suggestions on what I can use instead?

Thanks! :)

[Revvell]

If you do a search here under " oven dehydrator " you'll find a LOT of information from people who've done it; are doing it and how they're doing it. :)

[OnMyJourney]

Well, the oven settings don't go down low enough for you to say that your food is still raw if you keep the oven door closed. I'm not sure what you mean about being a hardcore raw foodist, but my guess is you're eating raw food for the wonderful health benefits...and if you "cook" the raw foods, well...they won't be raw. :confused:

I was reading on here somewhere today, don't recall which thread that someone read an article that posted that raw foods lose more nutrients and/or enzymes when exposed to higher levels of heat when they are still damp/wet than they do once they are dryer. I think I'm remembering that correctly. Given all of that, my vote would be to turn it to the lowest setting possible and leave the door ajar. If you had a dehydrator you'd have to wait a prolonged time period for many things as well.

I certainly understand your excitement...as I want to make some chips and crackers and things very badly myself. I might give this oven trick a try (lowest setting and door ajar) soon as an experiment and see how it goes. But I'd hate for you to have it on warm, which is what? About 170-200 degrees or so? And completely undo your whole purpose.

[TheRawPilgrim]

It depends on your oven. Even on the lowest setting, the door all the way open and a fan blowing just outside the door (to draw out the warm moist air) my oven got too hot to dehydrate without killing the enzymes :( . I'm giving up and buying an Excalibur :o

[streetsurfer]

Through the use of a higher wattage bulb in an ovens light socket (if possible to do so safely), or a separate lamp cord placed in the oven for a lower heat source, you could be able to use an oven to dehydrate in. With venting by propping the door open with a dish towel wedged in, careful monitoring by frequent checks of the temperature, and choosing the right bulb wattage to adjust the temperature, it can be done. Keeping the door open to prevent pinching a lamp cord is also important. You may wish to pre-warm the oven slightly above your target temperature, just as you would a full dehydrator. Other things may still apply like turning the food as needed, assisting the airflow near the oven door, etc. Though I have not done this with raw food dishes yet, I have dehydrated in an oven with this method in my SAD past. Think safety first and disable an electronically controlled oven, or even turn off the gas valve if there is a chance someone could attempt to or accidentally turn it on.