Can I cool my dehydrator down to "raw"?

[BeingK8]

Calling all raw "engineering" geniuses! I need your clever ideas.

I really want to try some cool-sounding recipes I've found but a temp-controlled D is out of my budget right now and I was just given a Ronco dehydrator. It's the round type with no temp control and the website says it's temp is 133.

Do you think there's a way I could cool it down, say with a fan?? Would the temp be low enough if I only dry in the top rack (it's got 7) and don't rotate down the whole way, to be raw?

My mother and I were discussing this and she is frustrated with me that this is even an issue, but she does NOT "get" raw. If it's not raw, I don't feel like wasting the time prepping and drying or the energy running the D. It seems quite pointless.

Thanks!
Kate

[CathyA.]

Not sure. Try it out. Do you have a thermometer? You could put it in the dehydrator and see.

[BeingK8]

Not sure. Try it out. Do you have a thermometer? You could put it in the dehydrator and see.

I've been trying to google concepts, but to no avail yet. Tried things like, "raw Ronco dehydrator," "ambient temperature thermometer," "ambient temperature raw dehydrator thermometer," "raw food dehydrating ambient temp. thermometer," "cooling drying temp Ronco" and every variation therein with different word order, punctuation (a question mark) and a variety of other search key words.

I know I can find something. Seriously, people developed hydroponic window farms and box-fan-HVAC-system-filter dehydrating units because they didn't have or want Excaliburs. I can do this. Somehow the answer will come to me just as the dehydrator did - by putting the intention to the Universe and then letting go of attachment. If I am meant to dehydrate, it will all come together! ;-)

[michigan roman]

you know how on ceiling lights you can install dimmer switches

i wonder if you could buy an extension cord with a dimmer switch / dial built in . and if that would control how much electricity flows to dehydrator thusly allowing you to control temp

or connect a dimmer switch to a wall outlet and plug dehydrator into that outlet

maybe you could cut a control switch off a old heating pad and splice it into the dehydrator cord

[MysticTree]

you could ask at the local college that trains electricians if they'd be interested in a project and if not interested in a project at least tell you whether it is possible.

[Shona]

I have one of those dehydrators. I found it at the pawn shop after giving up on ever finding a dehydrator anywhere! LOL I go the simple route because I like my life to be as easy and fuss-free as possible - simply prop the lid ajar when it feels like it's getting too warm. Actually, being rather absentminded, I've been known to forget that I've propped the lid, and it stays that way for quite a while. Doesn't seem to hurt anything though.

[BeingK8]

MIRoman, WAAAAY too technical for me! LOL! But, it DOES sound like it would be fun to try and figure it out. I guess having a D that's kinda useless as a raw tool now, I wouldn't be any worse off if I botched it and had NONE.

MysticTree: NOW we're uncooking! I like that idea a TON. In fact, I have a good old friend who is an electrician and was trained there. Brilliant guy. I'm gonna FB him.

Shona: If all else fails, this is the route I figured I'd take. At the very least I could use it to taste the recipes and see if they're even worth trying to get an expensive D with temp. controls.

[Mary Kay]

I knew someone who also used to prop it up...You could use cups, or cut toilet paper rolls...LOL, or tin foil balls..or build legs out of popsicle sticks or twigs....or....well, prop it up, have an airspace and stick a thermometer in there to check on the temp.

I used to make yogurt in a crock pot. The lowest temp it went to was 140 F, so I propped it up with a small inverted cup....perfect 110 - 115.

HTH,

Mary Kay

[BeingK8]

I knew someone who also used to prop it up...You could use cups, or cut toilet paper rolls...LOL, or tin foil balls..or build legs out of popsicle sticks or twigs....or....well, prop it up, have an airspace and stick a thermometer in there to check on the temp.

I used to make yogurt in a crock pot. The lowest temp it went to was 140 F, so I propped it up with a small inverted cup....perfect 110 - 115.

HTH,

Mary Kay

Oh that DOES help! That's a great idea! Ideally, I'd like to rig this one on my own, without too much technical messing around, splicing wires and whatnot. Just wanna put stuff in maybe top two trays,AWAY from heat source in bottom, point a fan at it, prop it up and open and go at it.

The longer I think on it, the more it seems that it should hopefully work. If people are recommending drying in an oven with the door open and this thing only even GOES to 133, I think I could get the temp down around the food, hopefully.

Do you need a special thermometer? This was something I didn't know. Do I want to stick it into the food like we did in our old days of roasting meat or do I need some sort of ambient temp thermometer? I'd get the kind that goes in a fridge, if it reads high enough, but not sure since it's intended for cold. I could google the ranges or check kitchen supply stores, I suppose. Sounds like a yogurt therm would work tho. Just not sure if I check the air around the food or the inside of the slices themselves.

Anyhooo, thanks Mary Kay for the suggestion!

[streetsurfer]

I think an IR (infrared) thermometer (available for a few dollers at places like harbor freight) pointed at your food would be helpful. It should be able to differentiate between the temp of the tray/dehydrator and the food.

While 133 sounds high, I'd suggest that this does not mean your food will reach that temperature until it is nearly depleted of moisture. Evaporation has a cooling effect. As moisture is leaving your food it will be lower in temperature than the surrounding temperature.

I think lifting and allowing good airflow is a good idea. Also provide unblocked free space above or wherever it exhausts. Having said that, I think the thermostat will continue to cycle on to keep it heating, opposite your efforts to cool it. I think any kiind of rheostat would need to be placed within the internal circuitry, rather than in the cord. Reason being, if placed in the cord, it would also serve to slow down the fan, which would just be counterproductive to lowering the internal temps.

this idea may help too......dry normally until nearly finished. You may be able to keep your food near 120 until the end stages. Then cycle the dryer on and off via a timer. ten mins on, ten mins off maybe.

I really don't think you'll be losing that much nutrition using it. I say use and enjoy it, while saving for a nicer dryer down the road.

[Shona]

Regarding temperature ... Ani Phyo writes in one of her books (Ani's Raw Food Essentials, I think) that you can tell by touching the food if it's too warm. The food should feel about as warm as your own skin. Regular body temperature is around 98F/37C, so that seems like a pretty good suggestion. Ani has also said that she doesn't dehydrate anything above 104F.

[BeingK8]

I think an IR (infrared) thermometer (available for a few dollers at places like harbor freight) pointed at your food would be helpful. It should be able to differentiate between the temp of the tray/dehydrator and the food.

While 133 sounds high, I'd suggest that this does not mean your food will reach that temperature until it is nearly depleted of moisture. Evaporation has a cooling effect. As moisture is leaving your food it will be lower in temperature than the surrounding temperature.

I think lifting and allowing good airflow is a good idea. Also provide unblocked free space above or wherever it exhausts. Having said that, I think the thermostat will continue to cycle on to keep it heating, opposite your efforts to cool it. I think any kiind of rheostat would need to be placed within the internal circuitry, rather than in the cord. Reason being, if placed in the cord, it would also serve to slow down the fan, which would just be counterproductive to lowering the internal temps.

this idea may help too......dry normally until nearly finished. You may be able to keep your food near 120 until the end stages. Then cycle the dryer on and off via a timer. ten mins on, ten mins off maybe.

I really don't think you'll be losing that much nutrition using it. I say use and enjoy it, while saving for a nicer dryer down the road.
You know some things I would never have thought of about where to make modifications. Hence the reason I wasn't gonna do that myself but would consider having someone else do it! LOL
And the bolded part, this isn't going to be an energy efficient way to dry food for sure, but is my thinking way off here, that the heating element WILL stay running constantly because it will never be able to get to 133 if I have it propped open and have a fan blowing and all that jazz? Yea, counterproductive energy-wise, but seems possible that I could maybe find the right rigging to make this work at a reasonable temp.

Regarding temperature ... Ani Phyo writes in one of her books (Ani's Raw Food Essentials, I think) that you can tell by touching the food if it's too warm. The food should feel about as warm as your own skin. Regular body temperature is around 98F/37C, so that seems like a pretty good suggestion. Ani has also said that she doesn't dehydrate anything above 104F.
Yea, I'd LOVE to not dry anything above that, but I haven't come up with a reasonable means of doing so yet and until I have a few extra bucks, I wanna try some of these recipes! I'm too excited to wait! I live in Southeastern PA and our weather is far too humid to dry outside. I'll have mold city.

I do love Ani's philosophy because she says things, too, about how you might still have some cooked and it might be because you're drying in an oven, but it's still way better than eating some of the other things you COULD have chosen to eat. So if I try some crackers and breads and they're technically cooked, I'll at least get to know if I really like them enough. For all I know, I won't even enjoy dehy. foods and so an Excal won't be necessary. Who knows!

[BeingK8]

So, here's an update: It's totally working!
I use only the top 3 trays and I put stacks of legos in between some of the lower levels to raise them and allow more heat dissipation.
I had a thermometer at home (who knew?) and check the temp periodically and it's never been above 105 on any of the used trays so far.

Now, it IS taking a LOOOOONG time to do things like raw breads, because often the temp is in the 80's or maybe as high as 95, but I've made kale chips, some crackers (that were NASTY) and I'm doing some bread. The kids won't leave the bread alone, though, so it may never make it to it's final state! They ate it doughy and moist for lunch today.

[michigan roman]

ya the time and hassle just isnt worth it to me to get into dehy'ing

if i ever did it'd have to be with a huge design like 2' x 3' trays 4 levels
so i could make huge batches that last for weeks and be done with it

wouldnt be too difficult to make own trays / box / heating element for like 50bucks , just have too much other stuff to deal with to get to it

[Mary Kay]

Well, glad it's working for you! LOL, If it's something your kids like, it's also (almost) counterproductive, because you'll stay up late after they've gone to bed, and then get up in the morning to find out that the little boogers have emptied out your dehydrator!

And what someone else said about leaving it at 133 (without legos!) for the first hour or so, is a worthwhile suggestion. Many people, if making something really wet - like breads etc will start out with a high temp for like the first hour or so because as the moisture is drying out, it is staying cooler than the air temp. So just because the air temp is 133, the very wet temp inside your food is well below that until it has evaporated.

I would keep it closed for the first hour or so if doing really wet stuff, but not stuff like kale chips or other delicate things. This also helps to reduce the chance of something getting moldy by drying too slowly - if it's a really wet thing.

I got moldy fruit leather once by drying at 105 the entire time.

HTH,

Mary Kay

[BeingK8]

yea, I was kind of pleased that it worked fine with no mold drying for that long. I might do what you're saying with other breads - start closed and then open up after a few hours so it doesn't happen in the future either.