Does anyone use a dehydrator?

[leol2]

Thinking of buying one but looking to see if they are worth it. Any opinions or suggestions?

[DavidNorcross]

On my list and will probably invest this year. We raise a large garden and will use to preserve.

[Mark V]

I have one. It is in the back of a cabinet now. I have made good and bad beef jerky with it. Like everything else, it is knowledge and experience as to what to expect. I have not done enough to get consistent results, especially with different cuts. A friend makes better jerky with his convection oven.

[ILMsmoke]

I make probably 500lbs(pre dehydrated) of jerky a year work with this dehydrator. It's done well for us! https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ava.../177CFD10.html

[rickgregory]

Yep. Need a new one. Consider what you'd use it for - fruits, jerky, etc?

[Debra]

leol2 IF you are going to use it for jerky or salmon or nuts? We finally discovered the Big Chief Smoker. It has a bad rap in the ratings department because many users did not do their research and bought it thinking it would be a good meat smoker. It is NOT and was never intended to be. Used as it is intended it is far superior to any dehydrator we have ever used. 6 to 7 hours to the absolute perfect jerky or smoked nuts or salmon. We were shocked when we brought it home and unwrapped it the first time. It seems to be cheaply, lightly built but after 6 or 7 well used years it is still in excellent shape.

https://www.smokehouseproducts.com

[Oak Smoke]

I think mine is an Excalibur. It has 9 trays with removable liners. It has done everything I’ve ask of it. I like the fact that the blower is in the rear, not underneath, it’s so much easier to clean than the old fan on bottom one I had before. I’ve made Jerky, dried quite a few spices with it, dehydrated some ripe bananas, they were incredible. I looked on line to see what brand mine is because it’s stored in my outbuilding right now. While looking I came across some freeze dryers, they look good. It wouldn’t be hard at all to get serious MCS for one of those.

[Attjack]

Yes, I dry my Italian plums every year. Before I started smoking I would make jerky with it too.

[Bruceski44]

I love using mine for fruits, primarily pineapple, apple and peaches which are all delectable. Plus you can rehydrate the dried product using whatever you want to change the flavor. I also bought the solid trays which I use to make fruit leather (rollups) for my grandkids. Just whir the fruit up in a food processor with a little water and sugar and it'll dry perfectly. Far easier than cutting small fruit like strawberries into smaller pieces to dry. Some berries need to be blanched to break through the waxy coating or skin. Some fruits should be soaked in ascorbic acid (I just used chewable vitamin C tablets dissolved in water) to keep them from discoloring. It'll keep in the fridge for a long time. Just be sure it's dry enough before bagging or you'll end up with some nasty mold.

[Rocinante]

I got this cosori dehydrator last Fall and have used it a lot since then. Works great with veggies and fruits and not to mention jerky. The wire racks are nice and it is pretty solid and easy to use.

[DavidNorcross]

I am looking at this one along with Excalibur

[lostclusters]

Here is Alton Brown showing us how to make a dehydrator. Sorry about the 30 sec commercial:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/...=amp_playvideo

[Bruceski44]

I recall seeing that episode, IIRC he uses furnace filters and a box fan. I haven't tried it myself, but have some concerns about food safety when using room temperature air to dry with. I usually ran my dehydrator at 135 degrees F for fruit. Seems safer, but IDK.

[Spinaker]

I do not think they are worth it. I have one and never use it anymore. When I am making jerky, I just smoke it all the way until the meat is dehydrated. Or you can use your oven, especially if it has a convection fan.

Just my $.02

[rickgregory]

I mean... the question isn't whether one of us thinks it's worth it... it's what you, leol2, is thinking of doing with one. For the occasional batch of jerky, I'm with Spinaker. But if you like to make a lot of jerky regularly, an especially if you also want to use it for tomatoes, fruit in late summer, etc? Worth it.

Keep in mind that there are decent dehydrators that at or under $100. It's hard to justify the pricey ones unless you know you'll really use them a lot. Look at one of the Nescos for example.

[Bad Hat BBQ]

My wife uses a smaller one for garden veggies and herbs; love the dried onions & spices

Never used it for Jerky....Cosori is the brand and it works for us

[Catmandu]

I have a Cabellas dehydrator (which I believe is made by Weston) upper end model with 12 trays. I used to have the bigger 24 tray model but sold it a while back. I have only used them for jerky, and I'm very happy with the results.