Thinking about getting a food dehydrator

[shadowpaints]

so i have been thinking of buying one for a long time.... i like the idea of having lots of dehydrated food around like

Fruits
Veggies (?)
beef
Chicken (anyone done this or is it easier to can?)

suggestions! please

 

[Zanna]

I have 2 Nesco, American Harvest dryers that I have been using a lot for over 15 years. Super simple, very inexpensive, easy to clean, can be found at almost all dept. stores: Fred Meyer, Walmart, etc. They come with 3 or 4 trays, you can buy extras, I dry 12 trays of goodies at a time on each dryer. I just do fruits and veggies (grapes, apples, plums, peaches, tomatoes, peppers, etc.). We do all of our venison jerky and any other meats/fish in the smoker so I have no experience with their use for that but they do come with a recipe book that has jerky in it. They are a little noisy (kind of like a hair dryer) and make the house very humid (we live in a tiny hayloft apartment). Hope this helps!

 

[annaraven]

I have a nesco FD50 snackmaster. I love it. I got it used at a garage sale years ago. I do potatoes and apples on it often.

 

[SallyF]

We have one and use it for all kinds of vegetables and herbs. Had an overabundance of cherry tomatoes year before last, so I just cut them in half and put them on the trays. They were delicious. We ate them like chips, threw them in sauces, and just pigged out on them.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

beef jerky & fish jerky
I was thinking of trying a shredded vegetable mix for winter soups.

 

[Chick named Lola]

I also use my to dry sweet pot. slices...the dog LOVES them!

 

[GAGE]

I have two and make several batches of venison jerky every year.

 

[Lesa]

I think you will enjoy having one! I love to do my cherry tomatoes- I add them to pizza all winter. The organic cherry tomatoes at the store are 4-5 bucks a pint!!! So, not only do they taste great, they save money! I would not say it replaces canning- but as appliances go, it is a handy one to have!

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

I use mine all of the time. I don't really like to can, so I dehydrate most of what we grow, and even things I buy on sale! Fruits, veggies, beans, corn, crackers, etc.

One of the easiest ways to get veggies into my kid is to take dehydrated veggies, grind them into a powder and sprinkle in something dark, like pizza sauce. I have a ton of canning jars, and label them. Keep in the dark.

You'll be addicted. And there's lots of info online for how long to dry. I usually go too long, which isn't bad. But somethings I dried 3 years ago are still ok, and they are just in baggies!

Enjoy!

 

[redhen]

Soo... what all can you dehydrate with these things?