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Farm Kitchen:  Dehydrator  |
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antoinette
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Toni
East Freedom
PA
USA
826 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 18 2012 : 3:12:13 PM
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Hi Ladies,
What kind do you recommend, and where to purchase it. I need to get one for my honey for Christmas. |
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edlund33
True Blue Farmgirl
1503 Posts
Marilyn
Renton
WA
USA
1503 Posts |
Posted - Nov 18 2012 : 3:32:07 PM
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I have two dehydrators made by Excalibur. One was my parents' and is now over 30 years old, and the second one we bought a couple of years ago so we could dry twice as much at the same time. They trays are washable and there is a thermostat to control the temperature. The new one even turns off after a set length of time. www.excaliburdehydrator.com
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
http://blueskyanddaisies.blogspot.com
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Nov 18 2012 : 5:59:06 PM
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Hi Toni! I bought the Nesco Gardenmaster last summer, used it only a couple of times and then the fan/motor started making a horrific noise. Luckily I was able to return it. It wasn't very easy to clean and it didn't dehydrate the foods evenly (although that MAY have been because it was a faulty machine). I loved dehydrating so much, though, that I jumped in and purchased the Excalibur 9-tray and I absolutely LOVE it! I didn't buy the one with the timer because I'd much rather watch it myself. My main concern with the timer was that the machine could shut off at an inopportune time when the food wasn't completely dry, and if I forgot about it (relying on the timer), food might not be dry enough or overdry or something. ANYHOW... The Excalibur dehydrates very evenly and you get so much more space in the trays because the fan is at the back (with the Nesco machine, the fan was at the top and air flowed down through the middle of the trays, so drying space was lost, drying was definitely NOT even, and drying times for the same foods varied depending upon which tray it was in, which means you might need to be vigilant and rotate the trays, even though the directions will tell you that you don't have to.). Also, the clean up is very, very easy with the Excalibur. I'm not sure if it's because of their mesh sheets, but NOTHING seems to stick to them - they're so much better than the Nesco trays, which really did require soaking. I basically handwash the trays and screens in warm, soapy water, and then use a huge beach towel to dry them (they're pretty big), but I am pretty sure you can clean the trays in the top of the dishwasher or just handwash and let everything air dry. I do not yet have the paraflexx sheets for making fruit leathers because I'm still fairly new at this, but hope to add those next summer. I absolutely hands down recommend the Excalibur. It really is the best! Oh - and I did buy mine on ebay. At the time I purchased it, it was just a better deal than on the Excalibur website, but it did still have the Warranty. I would definitely watch the Excalibur site at the link Marilyn provided, though - they often have really great packages and special offers with their machines. You can also find the Excaliburs on various other sites out there, and each seem to have their own specials going right now, so with a little extra homework, you really could come up with quite a good deal.
I hope this helps a little. I know how tough it is to decide - it was really tough for me, too. Good luck!
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Nov 18 2012 6:05:29 PM |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
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antoinette
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Toni
East Freedom
PA
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Nov 19 2012 : 6:40:18 PM
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| Thank you ladies for the input on the dehydrators!! I will be looking into the excalibur. |
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Farm Kitchen: Dehydrator |
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Dehydrator
