Food Dehydrators. | TheaterFire

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fatcatleah@reddit

I bought a new 9 tray Excalibur in 2009. Still working and use it alot during the summer for garden veggies.

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PCOwner12@reddit

Which models of Excalibur or Nesco do you recommend?

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Azzungotootoo@reddit

Stumbled on here, I've also had my excalibur for years, and I can recommend this excalibur model

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I think it’s best to do your own dehydrating if you’ve got the time, obviously if you’re in a crunch then just buy them. It lets you pick and choose what level of dryness you want/works best for whatever you’re making. The store bought ones sometimes have preservatives and those get tricky to work with in terms of interactions with what you’re putting in them.

In terms of equipment, go for something compact like the Nutrichef one. Doesn’t take up too much counter space and it’s quiet. I would suggest getting a little metal stand for it too cos you can’t put it on a flammable surface like your counter (tends to heat up a lot). And you don’t want your stove occupied for hours on end. I’d also suggest looking up the right temps and timings for dehydrating different foods, its temp control’s pretty steady so you should be good to go. Honestly, not a hassle to clean either, just go one tray at a time.

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Madafahkur1@reddit

If you're thinking about getting into dehydrating, it honestly seems like such a good idea for prepping, cuts down so much on waste and you can control exactly what goes into your food. A lot of ppl seem to like the NutriChef food dehydrator, it’s pretty simple to use (basically just one button) and has stackable trays, which sounds nice if you wanna do different stuff at once like fruits + meats separately. Plus being able to control the temp up to 180°F helps with getting even drying without babysitting it too much.

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FudHeart@reddit

I highly recommend the Cosori Stainless. It’s simple to operate, has plenty of space, and the trays are sturdy and easy to maintain. The adjustable settings make it versatile for different types of food, and the quiet operation is definitely a plus. Overall, it's a reliable choice for everyday use.

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Apart_Ad2669@reddit

Im an advocate of dehydrating food at home. Mostly because I like to know exactly what goes in my food, and avoid unnecessary preservatives. I majorly do it when i can get stuff at a cheaper price and store it for the off season time , or for road trips/camping trips. I found this incredibly quiet one : NutriChef Electric Food Dehydrator. Less expensive and less noisy than the excaliber for sure, and does everything it needs to.

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PlasticSchedule6349@reddit

I highly recommend this one. It’s simple to operate, has plenty of space, and the trays are sturdy and easy to maintain. The adjustable settings make it versatile for different types of food, and the quiet operation is definitely a plus. Overall, it's a reliable choice for everyday use.

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Posts or comments that are posted to numerous other subreddits at the same time of posting will be considered spam and removed. The purpose of this forum is to facilitate discussion, not to farm karma, links, etc.

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OrganicBookkeeper121@reddit

I highly recommend this cosori. It’s easy to use, has a large capacity, and the stainless steel trays are durable and easy to clean. The adjustable temperature and timer make it versatile for all kinds of food. Plus, it’s quiet, which is a nice bonus.

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KountryKrone@reddit

I got both of my Excaliburs off eBay for cheap. I have also seen them used, as well as a few Cabela's ones on FB Marketplace. I'd check there before spending on a new one. All of the parts for Excaliburs can be bought from the company site.

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ehleesi@reddit

I'd also love to know any model recommendations you have!

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KountryKrone@reddit

The only ones I've used are Excalibur. They me ade others that were branded under different names for different companies also. If you see one that looks like an Excalibur, you can go online and find out if it is.

The Cabela brand ones are pricey, but I think the have done the same thing. They are also large and you have to heat all the air whether you need to or not. That's why I like having a 4 tray and a 9 tray.

I hope this helps

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PCOwner12@reddit

Which models of Excalibur or Nesco do you recommend?

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climbthemtns@reddit

From a quick read of the comments I saw one mentioned of vacuum sealing dehydrated foods. I'm just getting started in the prepping world and researching whether to get a food dehydrator (the one I'm looking at here in Australia has hooks on top for doing Biltong as well) or make a biltong box myself. I started with the idea of just doing biltong, but then I saw this dehydrator that can do biltong and started wondering if I should also dehydrate (have a very big veggie garden).

And I just bought a vacuum sealer, so thinking that after dehydrating various food types, wondering if shelf life would be extended by vacuum sealing (and maybe throwing those packs in the chest freezer since we generally have extra room there; would that even add to shelf life>?)

Cheers from Australia

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DwarvenRedshirt@reddit

You might be better off with a dedicated Biltong box than a dehydrator if you want to make a good amount of Biltong. Dehydrator for the garden veggies. Biltong usually takes a longer time than beef jerky (half a week to a week) at a lower temp, so you may not want to wait for the Biltong to get done before you do your plants.

Vacuum sealing with mylar or jars would last longer. Vacuum sealing with Foodsaver type bags are usually rated for a couple years because the bags fail over time. You do need to be careful if you're vacuum sealing higher moisture content items (and not freezing/refrigerating), since they may grow botulism in 0% oxygen at room temperature. Also, if you're vacuum sealing pointy things, you have to be careful because it may pierce the bags.

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climbthemtns@reddit

Brilliant insights. Thanks, mate. I had a feeling I should go for a designated biltong box. Cheers

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DwarvenRedshirt@reddit

I have had an Excalibur 9 tray Dehydrator for years. I used it to dry meats and veggies for soups for prepping. Fruits/beef jerky for snacks. I have a HarvestRight now (last 2 and half years) and use that mainly for my prepping food. Excalibur is mainly for fruit rollups and beef jerky now (when I use it). You can't really do beef jerky in a freeze dryer.

For the most part, the dehydrated items are more 'damaged' and 'shrivelled' than the freeze dried. This isn't necessarily bad, in that you can put a lot more in a jar (freeze drying usually keeps the shape more, so you can't put a comparable amount in a jar without breaking things). If you're using them in soups or other meals, the looks are less of an issue. If you're trying to eat it alone, it might not be as appealing.

Unless you put a bit more work into it, dehydrated foods still have a decent amount of moisture in them. Nowhere near the low amount from freeze drying. Example, take a dehydrated apple slice and it's usually flexible. Take a freeze dried apple slice and it snaps in half.

This means that they will last longer than fresh, but won't usually last long (ie. decades) in storage. This is part of why the usual recommendations on storing dehydrated food is 2 years or so. Some can be stored longer term with oxygen absorbers, etc. But in general it's not a stick it in a closet and forget it type of deal.

Dehydrators are substantially cheaper than freeze dryers though, so if you're limited in cash flow, you really only have that as a choice.

A lot of the equipment/processes you use for prepping food for a dehydrator would be used preparing food for a freeze dryer.

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climbthemtns@reddit

I just posted a comment about vacuum sealing dehydrated foods for extended shelf life (and maybe throwing those packs in the freezer). what are your thoughts? TIA

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DwarvenRedshirt@reddit

It probably depends on the foods. I would note that dehydrated foods aren't usually zero moisture (unlike, say freeze dried foods). So that moisture would come out in the defrost cycles (assuming your freezer is an auto-defrost freezer), damaging food over time with freezer burn. But in general, cooler temps will let foods last longer. Also, I'll check your other post, but freezer vaccum bags like Foodsaver's are only rated for a couple years (usually the sides fail, releasing the vacuum).

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climbthemtns@reddit

Ah, I did not know about foodsaver seals eventually failing. thanks for your insights. Looks like dehydrating food then is good for short-term purposes.

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Whouners5@reddit

Great question! Dehydrating foods at home definitely gives you more control over what goes into your food. For that, ChefWave's Electric Food Dehydrator is a wonderful option I can recommend; it's versatile, easy to use and maintain. It allows you to dehydrate a wide variety of foods precisely and in reasonable time. The only con might be the space needed for keeping it but the benefits far outweigh this minor issue in my opinion. Both methods have their benefits though, it all boils down to individual preference and available resources. Happy prepping!

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smsff2@reddit

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Stairowl@reddit

My dehydrator is one on my favourite kitchen tools.

I have an Excalibur 9 tray it has multiple settings so can do delicate things like herbs all the way up to making jerky. I can proof bread in it (when it's too cold for a good rise on the bench) and make yoghurt. Totally worth it to me and I do use all the settings. It has (as the name suggests) 9 trays so can fit a lot in at once. Also it's square and I prefer that over the round ones that I feel tend to waste space.

I also have a like 30 fruit trees so we dehydrate ALOT. It's my preferred method of preserving fresh fruit and veg as it takes up less space than canning and easily lasts until next harvest or longer with minimal effort.

You can make fruit leather to further reduce the space preps take and it makes a great travel snack.

You can rehydrate food and while it's not as good as fresh it's great for cooking without that vinegar or sugar taste you get from canned.

I also use a spice grinder to make vegetable powders. Again, saves on space buy also makes it easy to sneak extra veg into things (especially if you have fussy people you cook for). E.g. 1 tablespoon of powdered kale is about a salad bowls worth and is much easier to put in a casserole or smoothie.

We love home made jerky. Prep it properly and it lasts ages (well actually an 8 litre tub last us around a mo th but that's more because everyone eats it than because it goes off) and I way cheaper than buying.

We have solar panels on the house so even if I a have the dehydrator running pretty much constantly from spring to autumn we don't really notice it energy wise.

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PCOwner12@reddit

Which models of Excalibur or Nesco do you recommend? Freeze dryer?

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Stairowl@reddit

As I said, I have the Excalibur 9 tray. I haven't tried anything else because I'm very happy with it.

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ResolutionMaterial81@reddit

I don't use dehydration for long term storage foods. Mostly buy commercial Freeze Dried, though I have several friends with one or 2 freeze dryers who occasionally do bulk FD jobs for me...normally in exchange for part of the results.

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PCOwner12@reddit

Which freeze dryer?

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ResolutionMaterial81@reddit

I believe all are Harvest Right Large Pro Freeze Dryers.

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Darthtagnan@reddit

I have a Cosori box-style unit with 6 racks. I mainly use it as a way to not waste anything that I either have too much of, or won't use what remains before it spoils. I do greens and grind into powders, or making vegetable bases like Trinity or Mirepoix. I also dry some chilies and potatoes. Some veggies I blanch before dehydrating, others I do not. It's also great for making beef jerky, although I do prefer a real smoked jerky.

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PCOwner12@reddit

Which model?

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HotIntroduction8049@reddit

we dehydrate for fun....beef jerkey, camping stuff, fruit rollups and of course weed gummies.

get any old basic food dehydrator to start and learn. prob lots of free ones in your community

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madams22@reddit

Wait…dehydrate the gummies you buy at the weed store OR you make your own with a dehydrator?

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HotIntroduction8049@reddit

make my own.

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keigo199013@reddit

I dehydrate as a hobby.

I make snacks for myself, family, friends, and treats for my dog. I also dehydrate veggies for quick soups at work. My nieces enjoy the dehydrated marshmallows I make.

If you hike/backpack, it's a great investment, IMO.

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aquaganda@reddit

Canadian here, which would you buy (or neither)

Cabela Pro 12 Tray on sale for $239 CAN

Or wait to see if Excalibur 9 goes on sale?

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Fair-Equivalent-8651@reddit

I have a dehydrator and I really don't use it. It takes a lot of time and energy, and the end result can be "fun". The shelf life will generally be longer than the same non-dehydrated food.

Just make sure you aren't confusing "dehydrated" with "freeze dried". We've had people in here before thinking a dehydrated apple will be good for 30 years.

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Flakeinator@reddit (OP)

I know freeze dried is what the emergency food companies do. Dehydrating isn’t close to that. I was curious about if people find it worth it and do they keep some around for in case of emergency or for a BOB.

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Realtemplar1@reddit

I find them fun as well. As others have said, it’s work and energy for what? One year of fun snacks. I garden and basic have all m6 veggie and potatone needs met. Can or freeze stuff. Canning is work and energy but you just store and good for years, same with freezing. Freezing needs power of course but…

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Fair-Equivalent-8651@reddit

If you want to keep it in your BOB, you'll have to cycle it out every few months. Some people do keep some for emergency food but it's definitely one of the options that you need to rotate through. If that sounds appealing to you, go for it!

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joshak3@reddit

What did you mean by calling the end result "fun" in quotes? The quality of the dehydrated food was disappointing?

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Fair-Equivalent-8651@reddit

I mean that if I want an apple, I'd prefer a fresh one. A dehydrated one might be a fun snack, or maybe to take along on a multi-day camping trip.

But it's got a shelf life measured in months. Given the effort and energy required to dehydrate it, it isn't something very useful to me.

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Mothersilverape@reddit

My dehydrator isn’t anything special. It’s a cylinder 6 shelf unit with 2 extra mesh and liquid trays and I’m not always using it. I might use it for 5 months of the year. It’s good for shelf preserving extra garden produce,berries,cherries, apples, or other foods.

I just put it away for the winter. Right now I am dehydrating the last of our garden tomatoes after first roasting them in the oven to make sun dried tomatoes for long term storage.

I dehydrate a mix of spicy peppers in the autumn and run them through the spice grinder and that mix makes such a flavourful addition to so many dishes. t smells glorious.

This year I dehydrated extra garden strawberries and bell peppers, to use if winter cooking and baking. I don’t like to waste foods, so when I have too many dehydrating them is a perfect way to preserve them. These I leave sliced and cubed stored in vacuum sealed mason jars. The jars can be resealed after I remove some. a lot of peppers ( about 16-24 peppers) can br fit into one mason jar. Dehydrating store bought bananas didn’t work for me. That was about the only failure so far.

I also dehydrqte tomato powder from tomato peels, kale and Swiss chard are dehydrated and powder is made to add extra colour, flavour and nutrition. These gets used a bit at a time as a spice. But I consider them as “stored” food. I keep smaller amounts of these in the kitchen in leftover store bought spice jars for daily cooking but more is stored in longer term storage.

One thing I really enjoyed the final product of, was dehydrating candied orange slices with peels as the peels started to get a bit leathery. I added a bit more sugar when grinding this up through the spice grinder, and it is so nice to add it, sprinkled on whipped cream in a dessert or to use in baking or drink mixes.

Beef jerky is a favourite too. But often I use the oven on low to make it as we prefer to make much larger quantities. But if some extra beef is left over it goes in the dehydrator.

Spices like thyme, rosemary, basil, dill, parsley get dehydrated and used and some larger jars of spices are stored for over a year. I did dehydrate extra diced onions thqt I don’t currently use, for longer term storage.

i don’t see any downside other than not every single thing can be dehydrated successfully. (As happened with my banana experiment.) It didn’t make banana slices into crispy banana chips, as I expected. Buy the dogs enjoyed eating the final product of “chewy” banana slices.

I will often turn it on in the late afternoon evening and let it run overnight and check it in the morning.

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BallsOutKrunked@reddit

If you grow food I can't imagine not having one. Like if you have apple trees there's no way you're eating all those apples fast enough. You're either selling them, making cider, giving them away, or dehydrating them. Even just having a few rosemary plants, you need to try that stuff out.

It takes a lot of space, up there with my pressure canner. So if you're space impaired maybe don't use it.

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kjudimjr@reddit

I am more of a homesteader than a prepper. I guess knowing how to live off my property makes me a prepper as well. I have a cheap round Nesco dehydrator. I have had it at least 25 years. It's great for jerky and dehydrating herbs and vegetables.

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mistresselevenstars@reddit

My All American sun oven works as a dehydrator. I have also seen Aaron Fletcher repurpose a hanging rack with a net to use as one too

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kkinnison@reddit

I got a big 1-shelf one to make Beef Jerk and dehydrate apples.

also useful when there is a really good deal on some produce at the store. so i see it as a cost saving device, pays for itself after a year or so.

dried fruit is an amazing snack and sadly it doesn't usually last long as part of my preps

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GoldDestroystheFed@reddit

I purchased a big one from cabelas, basically a small commercial unit, & it works well. The round ones with trays that stack on top of each other will always be subpar compared to a like the cabelas. Gotta have good, even airflow & if you go a size up you can leave more space to allow more even drying.