Nuwave for Dehydration ?

AlittleSalt · November 16, 2014

This past spring, it seemed like most of the seed selling sites had ads for the Nuwave oven or the Nuwave hotplate thing. My brother bought the Nuwave oven, tried it, and quickly tried to talk me into taking it. I finally took it a few days ago because I have a bunch of peppers I would like to make into chili powders. I looked at the instruction manuals and the recipe book. The book briefly tells about dehydrating meats and fruit, but not vegetables.

So, as most of my threads have been like this year, a question:

Have any of you used the Nuwave oven to dehydrate peppers or tomatoes?

Because of freezing temperatures, I have green tomatoes that I'm unsure of what to do with, and 3 of 5 varieties of peppers. I oven dried all the banana peppers and ground them into chili powder. They were the plain banana peppers (Not Hot or Hungarian Wax.) The chili powder from them has a small amount of heat and it tastes nice.

The other variety of peppers that I know what I want to do with is TAM Jalapeno. I'm going to cut them in half and smoke them with oak wood.

The other three are Anaheim, Serrano, and Tabasco. I dried a pan of red Serrano peppers and ground them into chili powder. Getting the powder a couple feet away made me sneeze, eyes watered, and that closing of the throat feeling. But it also smelled so good.

Any ideas or info is much appreciated.

Rockporter · November 18, 2014

I'll chime in because I have a friend that owns the Nuwave Oven and personally by hearing her talk I couldn't see that as being a viable dehydration method of vegetables. The heat of a NuWave oven is quite hot and the air blows quickly around the food. It seems to me unless you can program if for 135 degrees and keep the air from blowing things around it may work but I am not sure I would chance such a thing.

I take it you need a dehydrator and I know they are expensive because I bought one of the Excalibur brand and currently have pumpkin dehydrating in it. After using the Excalibur I wouldn't use anything else. I had one of those round and stackable tray dehydrators and it over processed things on the lower two trays even though I moved trays around. I haven't had any problems with the Excalibur and I can use it to proof dough as well.

Maybe you could try a small handful of your least favorite pepper to give it a trial run?

Hermitian · November 18, 2014

I own an L'Equip 6-tray dehydrator and just love it. The Excalibur is definitely a step up from it: an enclosed oven with removable trays. Being able to proof dough in it is quite an endorsement!

Rockporter · November 18, 2014

Make yogurt, jerky, dehydrate veggies, fruit and herbs, make fruit rolls, dry nuts plain or with seasoning, pasta, recrisping stale crackers, cheese, drying photographs, whole meal preparation for rehydrating while camping, hunting, etc.

This thing is quite efficient and has so many uses that I will never use it for. Like drying photographs but I just might get into the rest of everything it can do.

I had never heard of the L'Equip, it looks like a nice dehydrator and certainly cheaper than the Excalibur.

Rockporter · November 18, 2014

I have a white Excalibur with timer. It is $299.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond, if you sign up for their emails you can get a 20% off coupon to buy it in store. This would knock the price down by around $58 plus some change. No guarantee it is in store though and I am not sure the coupon can be used online or not. I don't remember where I bought mine, it's been awhile.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stor...h-timer/207851

**coronabarb** · November 18, 2014

Hmm, never thought to use it to rehydrate things like crackers n chips. I live in Oregon ;-) ;-)

Rockporter · November 18, 2014

Recrisping in the Excalibur directions are

Crackers, Chips, Cookies and Cereals

No need to throw them away when they have become stale. Recrisp these items by placing them in a single layer on the drying trays and dry them for 1 hour at 145 degrees/63celcius.

**coronabarb** · November 18, 2014

Thank you! Excellent!

Rockporter · November 18, 2014

My pumpkin came out perfect from the dehydrator, I ground my dried pumpkin in the Vitamix and have 1 cup powder which will make 4 cups of hydrated pumpkin. I have 1 1/2 cups of cooked pumpkin I didn't dehydrate in the refrigerator from the medium sized pumpkin I baked yesterday. So, I will get a total of 5 1/2 cups of cooked pumpkin and get to store four of those cups in a sealed mason jar on the shelf of the pantry. I like that idea.

I'm glad you started this thread and hope I didn't just totally take it over, lol.

Hermitian · November 18, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockporter

My pumpkin came out perfect from the dehydrator ...

Now that's a really great idea, esp. applied to other cucurbit cooking varieties. Thanks for the inspiration!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockporter

In the spring
at the end of the day
you should smell like dirt

But I smell like dirt everyday

FarmerShawn · November 18, 2014

Well, I must second the endorsement of the Excalibur dehydrators. I now have two of the nine-tray models. The second one I got from the company reconditioned (at a substantial discount), and it is fully as good as the one I got new. I mostly dry tomatoes, but I also dry peppers, apples, leeks, popcorn if it needs it, and have done applesauce into leather. I've tried a bunch of other stuff, but those are the things I've liked best.

Father'sDaughter · November 19, 2014

I'll add yet another endorsement for the Excaliburs. I bought a five tray model (although sometimes I wish I had gone with the larger one). I originally bought it for drying tomatoes, but the last two years I've used it mostly for peppers, herbs, shallots and garlic. I'll never buy store bought garlic powder again, and I love the different varieties of pepper powders. Shallot powder is also becoming a favorite!

And thanks for the tip on freshening up stale crackers, cookies and chips.

Rockporter · November 19, 2014

Isn't if funny how we all have something in common other than tomatoes, lol.

We need to figure out what to do with our produce from our gardens, lol.

Labradors2 · November 20, 2014

I love my Excalibur which I bought this fall.

I havedehydrated tomatoes, peppers, apples, onions, zuchini and eggplant, and have made some successful sweet potato chips and kale chips as well as some unsuccessful beet chips.

I can't wait for next year to dry some more goodies in the Excalibur!

Linda

Worth1 · November 20, 2014

Heck I can just string peppers and other things up in the house and they dry.
I guess I'm lucky.

Worth

November 16, 2014	#1
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Nuwave for Dehydration ? This past spring, it seemed like most of the seed selling sites had ads for the Nuwave oven or the Nuwave hotplate thing. My brother bought the Nuwave oven, tried it, and quickly tried to talk me into taking it. I finally took it a few days ago because I have a bunch of peppers I would like to make into chili powders. I looked at the instruction manuals and the recipe book. The book briefly tells about dehydrating meats and fruit, but not vegetables. So, as most of my threads have been like this year, a question: Have any of you used the Nuwave oven to dehydrate peppers or tomatoes? Because of freezing temperatures, I have green tomatoes that I'm unsure of what to do with, and 3 of 5 varieties of peppers. I oven dried all the banana peppers and ground them into chili powder. They were the plain banana peppers (Not Hot or Hungarian Wax.) The chili powder from them has a small amount of heat and it tastes nice. The other variety of peppers that I know what I want to do with is TAM Jalapeno. I'm going to cut them in half and smoke them with oak wood. The other three are Anaheim, Serrano, and Tabasco. I dried a pan of red Serrano peppers and ground them into chili powder. Getting the powder a couple feet away made me sneeze, eyes watered, and that closing of the throat feeling. But it also smelled so good. Any ideas or info is much appreciated.

November 18, 2014	#2
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	I'll chime in because I have a friend that owns the Nuwave Oven and personally by hearing her talk I couldn't see that as being a viable dehydration method of vegetables. The heat of a NuWave oven is quite hot and the air blows quickly around the food. It seems to me unless you can program if for 135 degrees and keep the air from blowing things around it may work but I am not sure I would chance such a thing. I take it you need a dehydrator and I know they are expensive because I bought one of the Excalibur brand and currently have pumpkin dehydrating in it. After using the Excalibur I wouldn't use anything else. I had one of those round and stackable tray dehydrators and it over processed things on the lower two trays even though I moved trays around. I haven't had any problems with the Excalibur and I can use it to proof dough as well. Maybe you could try a small handful of your least favorite pepper to give it a trial run? __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~

November 18, 2014	#3
Hermitian BANNED Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vista, CA Posts: 1,112	I own an L'Equip 6-tray dehydrator and just love it. The Excalibur is definitely a step up from it: an enclosed oven with removable trays. Being able to proof dough in it is quite an endorsement! __________________ Richard _<\|\|>_

November 18, 2014	#4
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	Make yogurt, jerky, dehydrate veggies, fruit and herbs, make fruit rolls, dry nuts plain or with seasoning, pasta, recrisping stale crackers, cheese, drying photographs, whole meal preparation for rehydrating while camping, hunting, etc. This thing is quite efficient and has so many uses that I will never use it for. Like drying photographs but I just might get into the rest of everything it can do. I had never heard of the L'Equip, it looks like a nice dehydrator and certainly cheaper than the Excalibur. __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~

November 18, 2014	#5
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	I have a white Excalibur with timer. It is $299.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond, if you sign up for their emails you can get a 20% off coupon to buy it in store. This would knock the price down by around $58 plus some change. No guarantee it is in store though and I am not sure the coupon can be used online or not. I don't remember where I bought mine, it's been awhile. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stor...h-timer/207851 __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~

November 18, 2014	#6
coronabarb Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7 Posts: 2,821	Hmm, never thought to use it to rehydrate things like crackers n chips. I live in Oregon ;-) ;-) __________________ Corona~Barb Now an Oregon gal

November 18, 2014	#8
coronabarb Tomatoville® Recipe Keeper Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Roseburg, Oregon - zone 7 Posts: 2,821	Thank you! Excellent! __________________ Corona~Barb Now an Oregon gal

November 18, 2014	#11
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	Well, I must second the endorsement of the Excalibur dehydrators. I now have two of the nine-tray models. The second one I got from the company reconditioned (at a substantial discount), and it is fully as good as the one I got new. I mostly dry tomatoes, but I also dry peppers, apples, leeks, popcorn if it needs it, and have done applesauce into leather. I've tried a bunch of other stuff, but those are the things I've liked best. __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

November 19, 2014	#12
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I'll add yet another endorsement for the Excaliburs. I bought a five tray model (although sometimes I wish I had gone with the larger one). I originally bought it for drying tomatoes, but the last two years I've used it mostly for peppers, herbs, shallots and garlic. I'll never buy store bought garlic powder again, and I love the different varieties of pepper powders. Shallot powder is also becoming a favorite! And thanks for the tip on freshening up stale crackers, cookies and chips.

November 20, 2014	#14
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,895	I love my Excalibur which I bought this fall. I havedehydrated tomatoes, peppers, apples, onions, zuchini and eggplant, and have made some successful sweet potato chips and kale chips as well as some unsuccessful beet chips. I can't wait for next year to dry some more goodies in the Excalibur! Linda

November 20, 2014	#15
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Heck I can just string peppers and other things up in the house and they dry. I guess I'm lucky. Worth