Chef Glenn's Food Dehydrator
Actually, those are my old boots. I didn’t have the nerve to soak my new boots in the sink just to see how long it would take them to dry out. I propped the boots up with a paint stick with the open tops facing into the fan and heating element at the back of the unit. I’m pleased to report that these soaking wet boots dried out in four hours.
Since the experiment worked so well, I now routinely put my boots into the dehydrator for an hour when I return home from hiking. Drying the sweat out of boots before you put them in a dark closet prevents the growth of mold and fungus. No more worrying about your Armani suit smelling like stinky boots. OK, Chef Glenn wears hiking pants, not Armani, but I do appreciate an odor-free closet. I can fit my boots into my Excalibur Food Dehydrator because the trays slide in and out rather than stack. Dry boots are nice, but we’re talking about drying fruits and veggies- and lots of them.
The photo shows 9.5 pounds of strawberries on nine trays. I waited for strawberries to go on sale and saved twenty bucks off the regular price. In the summer, I load up the dehydrator with surplus tomatoes from my garden. I also combine foods in the dehydrator. Peppers, onions, and mushrooms go in at the same time on a regular basis. The 15” x 15” trays in my Excalibur hold more food than the round stacking trays with holes in the center found in most dehydrators. More capacity means less overall time spent running the dehydrator and greater savings when foods go on sale.
When I dehydrate drippy foods like chili and stew, I cover the trays with non-stick Paraflexx® sheets.
To make Bark and fruit leather, I pour a puddle in the middle and spread the liquefied fruits and vegetables from corner to corner. It's easy with plenty of surface area to work with and no hole in the center or side walls to get in the way of my spatula. The trays slide in and out, so checking on the progress of food as it dries is a simple matter.
The nine-tray Excalibur model #3926T has worked exceptionally well for me. Having a Paraflexx® sheet available for each tray is very handy. The Excalibur folks also wrote the book, Preserve It Naturally- The Complete Guide to Food Dehydration which includes outstanding photography, charts, and instructions to show you how to dehydrate food. Visit http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com to learn more. Before I traded up to the Excalibur, I owned a Ronco® Dehydrator, which had no fan. Without a fan, you will grow a beard waiting for six bananas to dry. Air circulation is critical for efficient drying. Here are some features to look for in a Food Dehydrator in addition to a fan: Adjustable Temperature Control- Different foods require different temperatures. Timer- You may need to set your dehydrator to shut off while you are asleep or at work. Top or Side Mounted Heating Element and Fan- Drippings and crumbs clean up easily which is not the case with some bottom mounted units. Horizontal Airflow- Units which blow air through the trays rather than across will require frequent tray rotations and make it impossible to make Bark and Fruit Leather. (Air can't pass through the non-stick sheets) Capacity- More capacity means greater savings when produce goes on sale and less time running the dehydrator. Ease of Use- It is easier to check on food with trays that slide in and out rather than stack. A hole in the middle of the trays gets in the way when spreading blended fruits and vegetables for bark and fruit leathers. The Nesco-American Harvest Gardenmaster® and L’Equip® Food Dehydrators are available at many websites. L’Equip® comes with six rectangular stacking trays and can be expanded up to 20 trays. Gardenmaster® FD-1010 comes with four round stacking trays with a hole in the middle and stacks up to 30 trays high! (Not recommended for short people) When it comes to ease-of-use, I’m not sure the tower approach stacks up. I’ve never tried it, but imagine trying to peek in on your peaches on tray number three with seventeen trays stacked on top. Oops, the bananas were on tray number three. Where the heck are the peaches? These models are good values if you don’t need to add more trays. When I did the math, I determined that purchasing the extra trays needed to bring these units up to the capacity of the Excalibur Food Dehydrator would have cost me more. On the other hand, giving up capacity and ease-of-use for a lower initial price was tempting to a frugal guy like Chef Glenn who squeezes the last gram of toothpaste from the tube with vice grips. I labored with the decision to part with a little more cash for the Excalibur. After weighing the benefits, I plunked down my money and have been cranking out nutritious, homemade backpacking food ever since. And, my boots smell better. Top of Page – Chef Glenn's Food Dehydrator
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Are those Chef Glenn’s boots in the food dehydrator?
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