Dehydrating

[Jeannine Anne]

Thank you, that is what I had before I went overseas for several years..good to hear it is the one to get again XX Jeannine

[Jeannine Anne]

Hi again, need help.

I am just on the point of replacing my Excaliber , The one I had before was a small one that |I had bought used some years ago so they may have changed.

Looking on the website, the US site shows a model with a timer, the Canadaian site does not offer this option..is is a good thing to have?

The one I am going for is the large heavy duty one, 3900 ( or 3926T with the timer)

There are all kinds of options available, polyscreen packs, non stick Parafelx sheets etc, which of those do you all think are good/not so important.

I am just on the point of buying, if I go for the timer model I will have to pay shipping from the US, without the timer model so it is important I find put about the value of this option.

I would appreciate any help you can give me.

Oh and the Nesco Harvester one is on sale at Johnnys, I did think about it ...

XX Jeannine

[kath]

I recently purchased the 9 tray Excaliber 3900 without the timer and I don't think it's a problem not having one. If you already have a separate timer for turning lights on/off, etc. you could hook it up to the 3900 if you want it to turn off when you're not home or in the middle of the night. I try to keep things simple- maybe someone else has experience with the bells & whistles.

Mine came with 9 polyscreens- not sure why you'd need more. You absolutely have to have as many of these as you have trays to dry anything that's cut in pieces. If you want to try liquidy, gooey stuff, you'd need the paraflex sheets- mine came with one or two but I haven't used them yet. They'd be good for tomato paste, fruit leathers, etc.

I was worried it might be too big, but I manage to fill it up every time I use it. It dries most things very evenly. The Nesco would have been too small for me.

kath

[Boutique Tomatoes]

I have the 3926T, but have found that dehydrating times are variable enough that I seldom use the timer except for doing jerky.

[Jeannine Anne]

Thank you both for yor replies, glad to know the timer isn't a big deal.

Kath the polyscreen thingies do come with it, I just looked again. The Paraflex thingies don't although on the US site they are giving one free with orders this week.

Would either one of you suggest they are a need be..if so how many do you think?

The Canadian site does not have them on offer. The dehydrator is on sale on both sites but no shipping to me in Canada so the better buy for me is the one without the timer. They then work out about the same I think.

I have a call in to the Canadian site to ask if they will match the US offer for freebies, worth a try.

I love TV, I always get great answers. Now if you can all tell me which is the best upright vacuum cleaner to buy..!!

XX Jeannine

[JamesL]

Originally Posted by Jeannine Anne

Thank you both for yor replies, glad to know the timer isn't a big deal.

Kath the polyscreen thingies do come with it, I just looked again. The Paraflex thingies don't although on the US site they are giving one free with orders this week.

Would either one of you suggest they are a need be..if so how many do you think?

The Canadian site does not have them on offer. The dehydrator is on sale on both sites but no shipping to me in Canada so the better buy for me is the one without the timer. They then work out about the same I think.

I have a call in to the Canadian site to ask if they will match the US offer for freebies, worth a try.

I love TV, I always get great answers. Now if you can all tell me which is the best upright vacuum cleaner to buy..!!

XX Jeannine

Jeannine,
If you haven't bought a dehydrator yet and cost isn't an issue, take a look at the Sausagemaker (TSM)D5. I have been looking to get a new one and stainless steel for a little more money seems like it might be worth it. Has a higher wattage than the Excalibur too. They make a 10 tray as well, but it seems like a monster.
http://www.sausagemaker.com/32765d-5...erly32700.aspx

Reviews
http://www.amazon.com/TSM-Products-S...owViewpoints=1

Upright vacuum - I have the Dyson DC 40 - bagless, works great. If you have pets, the DC 41 Animal.
I almost bought the Miele Bolero, but I wanted bagless.

[kath]

Jeannine, my guess is that I got the one(?) paraflex thingy free, too- probably the same "deal". I haven't used it yet so it's not a need for me, but I don't know what you might use it for. I think you can buy them separately later from more than one place so I think I'd go for the free shipping and see if you need them later. Asking to match the US offer is a great idea.

Sorry, we've got central vac.

kath

[Boutique Tomatoes]

My paraflex sheets are still unused in a roll somewhere on a shelf, I imagined myself making fruit leathers and such so I bought a bunch with the machine on a special offer.

Now that I'm thinking of it I may try making strawberry fruit leather though, if I can get the kids to pick the berry patch. If I have to pick them again I'm going to make a strawberry liqueur.

[rockhound]

I'd skip the timer. After all you're going to be checking it often, right?

[Jeannine Anne]

Thank you for the exra help. I just paid for the Excaliber before I checked here so it is done now. I got all the freebies that the US site was offering and free shipping within Canada so I think I have just what you have Kath. The lady here told me they don't sell the one with the timer because it is just a clockwork one and it easier to use the plug in one from the store, cheaper and easier to replace .

So it will be here in a few days.

Thank you re the vacuum cleaner, I too am leaning towards the Miele. I have had Dyson in the past when we were over in the UK for a few years.My husband is the vacuum guy in this house and he hated it, in fact he gave it to my son when he got married. Maybe they are better now. I want something really powerful. I liked the idea of the commercial Eureka that ther hotels use but it is no longer made. Oh well next weeks treasure hunt!!

Thank you all again, you are a great bunch.

XX Jeannine

[kath]

Happy to help, Jeannine- hope you love it!

kath

[harveyc]

I read this thread and just started drying about 5-6 pounds of Sungold cherry tomatoes (cut in half). Also thought I'd post a link to some UC Davis information: http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8116.pdf

[Tom Atillo]

My tips for dehydrating tomatoes are: wrap them in cheese cloth and spin dry them in the washing machine first (get's rid of major moisture fast). Next you dry newspaper or more paper towels in your dehydrator. You will need to check to see when they are almost dry often. when you can wrap one in plastic wrap without seeing steam, add these to whatever dish you want.
Side note: The dried toms can bye pulverized in a blender and used for many culinary projects. The resulting tomato powder can really boost the crappy bland taste of many summer tomatoes!

[Tom Atillo]

Opps I meant "winter tomatoes" just add the powder to salsas or wherever you requier the boost in flavor.

[Hotwired]

I have tried a lot of dehydrators, and the Excaliber is in my opinion the best one on the market. I don't always use a dehydrator. I find that a microwave does really nice on a lot of herbs. I also use Alton Brown's poor man's dehydrator (box fan) http://imageshack.us/a/img521/1066/fankr.jpg . It really makes the house smell nice, but the "poor man's dehydrator" assumes you have a box fan, bunjy cords, and furnace filters. My favorite method of preserving parsley and basil is ice-cubes in a vacuum bag http://imageshack.us/a/img231/1032/vacseal.jpg . Whenever I make sauce or Scampi, I toss in an herb icecube, seal up the bag, and pop it back in the freezer.

http://www.hotwiredgardens.com/pdf/U...ving_Herbs.pdf