>>>>From: <Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com> Subject: [Paddlewise] Food Dehydration So, what do I need to look for in a food dehydrator? Temperature range? Number of trays? Special features? A particular brand (or one to stay away from)?<<<<< I've done quite a lot of dehydration over the years. Having started out with doing it in the oven, and then with a homemade unit using light bulbs for heat, and then finally a commercial model, IMHO it's well worth it to buy a commercial unit. I recommend getting one with a fan and especially an adjustable thermostat. I use the Harvest Maid model ( http://www.nesco.com/products/product.phtml?category=300 ) and really like it. It's fast, very controllable, has good air flow and is easy to expand. I started out with the basics, then added additional trays. I like to dry complete dinners (e.g., tamale pie) and other things that start out soupy (like spagetti or apple sauce), and have found the plastic trays (Harvest maid calls them "No-Spill Fruit Roll Sheets") to be very handy since they are solid on the bottom with raised edges. That way you can you dry meals till they're no longer soupy, and then transfer to the regular slotted drying trays (where they dry faster). Quick tip: Some soupy stuff (like salsa or spagetti sauce) gets sticky as it dries, so it's helpful to wipe a thin coating of oil on the trays before starting (a lesson learned the hard way). Incidentally, I've found salsa reconstitutes with no detectable loss of quality at all. Evan Woodinville, Washington *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> I highly reccomend dehydrating. www.backpacker.com has some top notch > dehydrated recipes as does www.outdoorsmagic.com you will find links in > their technique or food section. I just checked out the backpacker site during my lunch break. It had some great stuff on dehydrating and recipes, plus a lot of other just neat stuff. I'll check out the other site tonight, at home. Can't wait! Thanks Rick *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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