Dehydrators Complete Reviews
I have my own garden and small orchard. After my harvest a few years ago, I decided that I was tired of bottling and freezing everything and what I really need is a food dehydrator. Canning or putting food into bottles is really very time consuming and costs a bit of money for all of the supplies. After a few days of jamming or bottling, my legs and back were acking so bad. With freezing fruits and vegetables, you always run the risk of freezer damage and there is also the matter of space.
It’s taken me quite a bit of time, but I have been experimenting and trying different brands of food dehydrators and different ways to accomplish my goal. I have tried the Excalibur food dehydrator and the Nesco food dehydrator. Both are equally great machines, but after reading all of the food dehydrator reviews, I got thinking that I needed a commercial food dehydrator to accomplish what I really needed to do. I just have way too much food that needs processing.
One other thing I tried was a homemade food dehydrator. Where I live, the summer temperature easily gets to 115 degrees during the summer, and sometimes hotter than that. I went by my local hardware store and bought a board. They will cut the board to any length you want for free, so i got it cut in 2′ sections. I then came home and drilled 1″ holes all around half of the boards. I nailed them together and stretched a piece of mesh over the top and tacked it in place. Voila! I now have my own homemade food dehydrator!
This worked really well except for making food dehydrator beef jerky. For this reason, I still needed to purchase a commercial food dehydrator. Food dehydrator beef jerky is much easier than trying to make it on my own homemade food dehydrator. Insects were drawn to the meat and it didn’t dry as fast I would like.
One other great reason for buying a brand name food dehydrator was that each machine comes with great food dehydrator recipes and food dehydrator instructions. These are things that you wouldn’t be able to get on your own by having a homemade food dehydrator. You would be spending hours online searching for the same information that comes with a commercial food dehydrator which is all packaged.
The bottom line is that my homemade food dehydrator is really great for thin sliced fruits and vegetables. In the end, I had to get another board cut in the same lengths with mesh over the top, but without the side holes for ventilation. I placed this 2′ x 2′ square over the top of the other square. This was ideal for keeping flies and other insects off of the food I was trying to dehydrate.
A dehydrator such as the excalibur food dehydrator or the nesco food dehydrator is great for everything else. If you life in a climate that isn’t as hot as where I live, then this type of commercial food dehydrator would work better for you. Honestly, you'll really love the design model of Nesco dehydrators, check them here http://www.nesco.com/products/Dehydrators/
It’s taken me quite a bit of time, but I have been experimenting and trying different brands of food dehydrators and different ways to accomplish my goal. I have tried the Excalibur food dehydrator and the Nesco food dehydrator. Both are equally great machines, but after reading all of the food dehydrator reviews, I got thinking that I needed a commercial food dehydrator to accomplish what I really needed to do. I just have way too much food that needs processing.
One other thing I tried was a homemade food dehydrator. Where I live, the summer temperature easily gets to 115 degrees during the summer, and sometimes hotter than that. I went by my local hardware store and bought a board. They will cut the board to any length you want for free, so i got it cut in 2′ sections. I then came home and drilled 1″ holes all around half of the boards. I nailed them together and stretched a piece of mesh over the top and tacked it in place. Voila! I now have my own homemade food dehydrator!
This worked really well except for making food dehydrator beef jerky. For this reason, I still needed to purchase a commercial food dehydrator. Food dehydrator beef jerky is much easier than trying to make it on my own homemade food dehydrator. Insects were drawn to the meat and it didn’t dry as fast I would like.
One other great reason for buying a brand name food dehydrator was that each machine comes with great food dehydrator recipes and food dehydrator instructions. These are things that you wouldn’t be able to get on your own by having a homemade food dehydrator. You would be spending hours online searching for the same information that comes with a commercial food dehydrator which is all packaged.
The bottom line is that my homemade food dehydrator is really great for thin sliced fruits and vegetables. In the end, I had to get another board cut in the same lengths with mesh over the top, but without the side holes for ventilation. I placed this 2′ x 2′ square over the top of the other square. This was ideal for keeping flies and other insects off of the food I was trying to dehydrate.
A dehydrator such as the excalibur food dehydrator or the nesco food dehydrator is great for everything else. If you life in a climate that isn’t as hot as where I live, then this type of commercial food dehydrator would work better for you. Honestly, you'll really love the design model of Nesco dehydrators, check them here http://www.nesco.com/products/Dehydrators/
If you’re interested in drying food, the Excalibur 2900 Dehydrator could be a great option. This machine makes drying food easy and hassle free. No need to worry about swapping trays around, burning or not drying the food. You willalso find other reviews such as http://happyhomereports.com/meat-dehydrator/ that highly recommend using Excalibur 2900 for dehydrating meat and making a home made jerky.
It can be used to dry vegetables, fruits, meats, bread, poultry and more. If you’re a fan of jerkys and fruit leathers you can definitely do that too.
The Excalibur 2900 has 9 trays with a total drying area of 15 square feet. Excalibur are one of the top brands for food dehydration. Their dehydrators are made in America and have innovative technology that makes food dehydration fun and easy.
Their trademarked horizontal airflow system ensures that the food is evenly dehydrated and therefore there is no need to swap the trays around. See the best deal Food Dehydrator Critic could find.
It can be used to dry vegetables, fruits, meats, bread, poultry and more. If you’re a fan of jerkys and fruit leathers you can definitely do that too.
The Excalibur 2900 has 9 trays with a total drying area of 15 square feet. Excalibur are one of the top brands for food dehydration. Their dehydrators are made in America and have innovative technology that makes food dehydration fun and easy.
Their trademarked horizontal airflow system ensures that the food is evenly dehydrated and therefore there is no need to swap the trays around. See the best deal Food Dehydrator Critic could find.
A lot of the other food dehydrators have heating fans at the top or bottom which cause certain trays to have more heat than others. This can become a pain when you need to keep swapping trays around to even out the heat.
The great thing about the Excalibur 2900 is that you can easily remove trays so that larger items fit. Typically if it doesn’t fit you would need to chop it into small portions.
This gives you more flexibility and variety in what you can use your dehydrator for. Some of the more common larger items are rising bread, making yogurt, drying out flowers etc.
The Excalibur 2900 Dehydrator has eliminated the hassles – just remove a tray and you’re ready to go. The Excalibur is constructed from FDA approved plastics that:
There is also an adjustable thermostat that allows you to set the temperate between 95º – 155º F. You will need to use different temperatures depending on what you’re cooking.
The great thing about the Excalibur 2900 is that you can easily remove trays so that larger items fit. Typically if it doesn’t fit you would need to chop it into small portions.
This gives you more flexibility and variety in what you can use your dehydrator for. Some of the more common larger items are rising bread, making yogurt, drying out flowers etc.
The Excalibur 2900 Dehydrator has eliminated the hassles – just remove a tray and you’re ready to go. The Excalibur is constructed from FDA approved plastics that:
- Are incredibly strong (can even get hit with a sledgehammer and won’t break)
- Are safe and won’t cause health risks.
There is also an adjustable thermostat that allows you to set the temperate between 95º – 155º F. You will need to use different temperatures depending on what you’re cooking.
Excalibur 2900 Review Specs
One of the biggest major recurring benefits I see is that the Excalibur 2900 Food Dehydrator ensures the food is done to perfection. No need to swap trays or worry about some being under cooked or burned.
If you’re looking to cook large amounts then be sure to check out the Excalibur Dehydrator 3900. Having the flexibility to dry larger foods easily by just removing some of the trays increases user satisfaction. Also the FDA approved plastic used, does not cause health risks which is always good to know.
- The Excalibur 2900 dehydrator is a machine that is built to last many years
- 15 square feet of drying capacity
- It includes 9 Polycarbonate Trays with polyscreen inserts included.
- Excalibur 2900 size: 19 x 17 x 12.5 inches
- Horizontal airflow technology ensuring evenly dried food without swapping trays
- Adjustable thermostat ranging from 95º – 155º F
- Removeable trays to increase the drying chamber size
- Includes a instructional manual with over 50 recipes - Easy to clean - 5 year extended waranty
One of the biggest major recurring benefits I see is that the Excalibur 2900 Food Dehydrator ensures the food is done to perfection. No need to swap trays or worry about some being under cooked or burned.
If you’re looking to cook large amounts then be sure to check out the Excalibur Dehydrator 3900. Having the flexibility to dry larger foods easily by just removing some of the trays increases user satisfaction. Also the FDA approved plastic used, does not cause health risks which is always good to know.