# Food Dehydrator



## DU99 (23/7/13)

in process of buying a Food Dehydrator anyone tried this model or this unit or is there better but *not expensive*


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## Crusty (23/7/13)

DU99 said:


> in process of buying a Food Dehydrator anyone tried this model or this unit or is there better but *not expensive*


I don't own either of these but I have a Sunbeam 10 tray model.
The problem with all round dehydrators is they always dry unevenly so you have to rotate the trays from top to bottom every 4 hours or so.
This is a real pain in the butt especially if you don't cut your food perfectly, same shape & thickness.
The square dehydrators like Excalibur shit all over the round dehydrators & they have the fan in the back of the unit so no need to rotate trays.
The problem with them is the $400.00 + price tag. If you have the coin, the Excalibur is by far the best food dehydrator on the market.


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## djar007 (23/7/13)

Saw this one today. http://www.oo.com.au/Prinetti-Food-Dehydrator-Dri_P135147.cfm?cm_mmc=email-_-Newsletter-_-2013-07-23-50-Hot-Deals-_-null&[email protected]&utm_source=oonl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailynl


another
http://www.oo.com.au/Commercial-Food-Dehydrator-Dry_P133286.cfm?cm_vc=prodPZ1CS


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## Cube (23/7/13)

OO is good. www.dealsdirect.com.au are also good. Lots of same product just their brand sticker on items.


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## Edak (23/7/13)

djar007 said:


> Saw this one today. http://www.oo.com.au/Prinetti-Food-Dehydrator-Dri_P135147.cfm?cm_mmc=email-_-Newsletter-_-2013-07-23-50-Hot-Deals-_-null&[email protected]&utm_source=oonl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailynl
> 
> 
> another
> http://www.oo.com.au/Commercial-Food-Dehydrator-Dry_P133286.cfm?cm_vc=prodPZ1CS


That second one looks pretty good. Not too expensive either... Might look into getting one of those.


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## givemeamash (23/7/13)

I have a round one and foe the low price it does a good enough job. Had some good jerky and tomatoes out of it. My heater and fan is at bottom, top mount seems odd as hot air rises, or am I being too simplistic here???


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## Phoney (23/7/13)

Mine's octagonal!

The brand is Lumina, got it from Aldi. I've only used it a few times drying chili's and hops but it seems to do a good job. If anything it took a bit longer to dry than it says it will take in the manual but that's no biggie. I only need to shuffle things around every 12 hours or so, or take out the dried stuff and leave the wet stuff in for longer.

The heater / fan unit is at the top but it pushes down a tube in the centre and then it disperses down the bottom and rises through the trays.


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## MashPaddler (23/7/13)

I know you said but not expensive, however like many things, you really do get what you pay for. If you are going to put $ down on a dehydrator, go for an Excalibur model. It will last you much longer with a quality build, worth putting some $ away for a better quality unit and waiting an extra month or two.

I had a similar round one before to those posted above, and got frustrated having to turn both jerky and rotate the racks throughout the drying process to get some sense of even drying, and then the fan heater blew within 18 months of irregular use. Excalibur are more expensive up front but they are a quality unit in my opinion. I got the 9 tray as we dry some of our fruit harvest, strawberries etc, but the 5 tray will do the job too. Link below is an example but you could shop around and find it cheaper. 

http://www.echolife.com.au/products/excalibur-5-tray-food-dehydrator-with-26-hour-timer.html

Either way it is a must have in my kitchen


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## apoole (24/7/13)

I have one of these - if it does from overuse I'll upgrade to an Excalibur. http://m.harveynorman.com.au/sunbeam-food-dehydrator.html


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## apoole (24/7/13)

*dies...


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## sp0rk (24/7/13)

DU99 said:


> in process of buying a Food Dehydrator anyone tried this model or this unit or is there better but *not expensive*


I'd go the Ozplaza one out of those two, primarily for the adjustable temp
I've got an Aldi dehydrator, with adjustable temp
A friend has a no name brand one that isn't adjustable and we both agree my jerky comes out better even with the same recipe


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## MashPaddler (24/7/13)

apoole said:


> I have one of these - if it does from overuse I'll upgrade to an Excalibur. http://m.harveynorman.com.au/sunbeam-food-dehydrator.html


Lol that is the exact same model I had! Admittedly it did keep me in jerky until the untimely burnout.


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## Dan Dan (24/7/13)

I have a sunbeam one, and I've made some pretty good jerky on it, but it is a PITA to keep rotating the trays. It also feels a bit flimsy, and the fan at the top seemed a bit strange to me too. It's good, but not great. Just need 100 more racks to keep up with demand for jerky!


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## apoole (25/7/13)

I figure if its used enough to kill it I can justify an Excalibur.


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## DU99 (26/7/13)

Read a bit of info.the size of the fan unit makes a difference also..most of the round ones are only 250w,where the box type are more 600-800 watt


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## gordo_t (26/7/13)

Like a few others here, i too had a Sunbeam (round) model, I've had two so far as the fan died on the first one. I ended up upgrading to the Excalibur in the end, i've only used a few times so far but am pleased with the purchase. Get a drier with a timer though, it certainly comes in handy.


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## browndog (26/7/13)

I have this Airite 10 drawer model, it can dry about 3kg at a time, works a treat.






cheers

Browndog


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## kalbarluke (26/7/13)

I got a cheap one from Aldi for my birthday. It caught on fire on its first use. Luckily I was in the room at the time. Got the receipt from my relative, got my money back and spent it on beer.


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## Ross (30/7/13)

Just ordered the Excalibur 5 tray. Thanks for the info guys, can't wait to start using it.


Cheers Ross


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## DU99 (30/7/13)

thanks for all the advice,will hold off and save a bit more or suggest to the family to buy for birthday.
.


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## Superoo (9/9/13)

If anyone here is making jerky with their dehydrator, I can supply you the simplest / easiest tool to cut the meat consistently.
Its simply a rectangle of food grade acrylic, laser cut.

You dont have to partly freeze the meat first.

I've been using one for about a year, and thought I'd make them available to AHB members.

You simply sit the meat in the middle, then run your sharp knife along the top of the rectangle, and it creates a perfectly cut slice, exactly the same every piece.

You also use the centre piece to gently push down on the meat to protect your fingers from the knife, it works well.

It is also really good for trimming the fat off of the outside of a cut of meat, reducing waste.

I can supply these in 4.5mm or 6mm, again, it is food grade acrylic, and safe to use, plus very easy to wash afterwards.
Colour is clear or black, depending on what we have at the time.

Cost including postage below...

4.5 mm - $15
6 mm - $17

Cheers,
Chris


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## punkin (9/9/13)

You'll have to explain to me how it works (although i have a slicer so won't be buying)


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## bradsbrew (9/9/13)

Ah so you are cutting from the bottom of the meat, makes sense now. Good idea. Do you get any plastic shavings after awhile?

Cheers


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## shaunous (3/11/13)

I got the el cheapie lumina fixed temp model. Done my first batch Friday, jerky lasted 2hrs, it was awesome.

Threw it on at about midnight, turned in off at 8am, no rotating trays, didn't touch the thing, turned on, went to sleep, woke up turned off and Yummo. None of the meat dried inconsistently, and I had a few tough judges, was beautiful. Maybe if I was awake I'd rotate the trays, only because I'm a fiddler, but It didn't need it. I had all 5 trays jam packed, could not get any more on.


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## LeeSanchez (21/3/14)

A Food dehydrator refers to a emphasis that removes close from aliment to aid in its preservation. A Food dehydrator uses a calefaction antecedent and air breeze to abate the accept adequate of foods. The accept adequate of Food is usually complete high, about 80% to 95% for altered fruits and vegetables and 50% to 75% for altered meats. Removing close from Food restrains altered bacilli from growing and abasement food. Further, removing close from Food abominably reduces the weight of the food. Thus, Food dehydrators are acclimated to canteen and extend the shelf activity of altered foods.


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## wally (21/3/14)

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