tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Oct 7, 2017 9:47:02 GMT 10
In the interest of building up useful resources here that are easy to find again, I was hoping perhaps anyone who uses a dehydrator could post a review here - what you like about it, why you chose it, limitations, etc.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Oct 7, 2017 10:05:59 GMT 10
SUNBEAM FOOD LAB DT6000
I bought this earlier this year on special at Myers for about $130 but it’s usually closer to $199.
It is a rectangle shape, which is something I was definitely after, and has 6 trays. The trays are plastic, and it comes with one finer mesh screen and one solid mat for fruit leathers, etc. I enquired about more mesh screens from spare parts but they were really expensive so I bought cut-to-size mesh from eBay very cheaply.
Tray sizes - measured where the food sits, not the outside of the tray - is about 27x30cm. Printed on top of the machine is a table showing the temp to set for different things, including yoghurt and bread proving. The times and temps are set digitally. There is a fan at the back and the instructions say you don’t need to swap or turn trays.
I’ve used it for lots of vegetables and fruit, but no jerky. It works beautifully - I just set it to run overnight and some of the next day.
Up until recently I never turned or swapped trays, but I realised that some trays do have spots that dry a bit slower, so I’ve taken to swapping them around once during the drying, which is very easy, and it does dry everything quicker.
I also use it for bread proving in the baking tin. I use a very long tin, and it is tricky to fit in, but I can do it. I’d like the machine to be a fraction bigger to fit bread more easily as I love it for bread proving. I love that the timing is completely predictable.
Overall, this is a great machine, and I would highly recommend it. Having said that, now that I have used it so much, I would love a larger dehydrator. I considered just a second one of these, but I’d really like the extra space inside for my large bread tin and trays of rolls. I also worry that eventually I’ll get a crack in one of the trays as they seem flimsy, but they haven’t cracked yet and I’ve used it quite a lot, so that might not be a problem. I would be swayed toward one with metal trays/racks if it wasn’t too much more expensive though.
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Post by prepette on Oct 7, 2017 12:33:20 GMT 10
I have a Sunbeam Master Series Food Lab and love it. I make yoghurt in it, prove bread, make jerky, dehydrate loads of fruit and veggies. I never waste anything !
I bought it after quite a bit of research. I was also worried about the plastic trays but have not had a problem either, I am just a bit careful with them when I wash them.
I bought some mesh from bunnings and use that on my trays. I love that it has rectangle trays as this fits way more than round trays I find. 6 trays is a good number, you can do a large amount at a time.
I find it dries everything nice and evenly, I never move my trays around. I do wish I could set it for longer than 10 hours but it's not a big hassle to do so I just reset it for another 10 if need be.
I love that it's nice and small, I used to have a round dehydrator with a fan that went down through the middle and it was so noisy. I barely notice this one is even on. It is quite large but I thankfully have a great spot to put it.
I have a whole shelf of dehydrated goods in jars with oxygen absorbers in my pantry made with this dehydrator. I'm a massive fan of this dehydrator and have found it really good, would highly recommend it. If you're going to be serious in your dehydrating it's great to leave out all the time like I do. Given it's size it'd be a pain to bring out and put away often I think.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Oct 7, 2017 13:31:32 GMT 10
I do wish I could set it for longer than 10 hours but it's not a big hassle to do so I just reset it for another 10 if need If you're going to be serious in your dehydrating it's great to leave out all the time like I do. Given it's size it'd be a pain to bring out and put away often I think. I’m not sure what model number yours is. It sounds the same as mine except for one point which I’m just mentioning incase anyone is comparing with a view to buying one. With mine the timer can be set for a lot more than 10 hrs. I usually set it for 12-14 and I’m not sure the max, but possibly 20?? And I definitely keep mine out. I have a small folding table in the sunroom which is near the kitchen. No room in the kitchen. |
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Post by doomsdayprepper4570 on Oct 13, 2017 19:13:04 GMT 10
I think mine is a harvest maid from new zuland.
Does a good job and you can run 20-40 trays on it depending on your ceiling height.
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tomatoes
Senior Member
Posts: 1,065
Likes: 1,089
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Post by tomatoes on May 24, 2018 9:45:28 GMT 10
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Post by Peter on May 24, 2018 18:33:52 GMT 10
I use the Ezidri Snackmaker FD500 - www.ezidri.com.au/Products/EzidriFoodDehydrators/Snackmaker.aspx - for the following reasons: 1) I have 15 trays that can be used at the same time for big batches, 2) I have a number of spacer rings; these can be placed between trays to increase the height of each section. Great for leafy veg 3) I have mesh inserts for very fine items, 4) I also have some other [non-permeable] inserts for fruit leathers and some of the more runny ingredients, 5) Although round, the trays are of decent size (especially when stacked 15 high), and 6) It has 3 preset temperature settings. I've had this thing for years and swear by it. I also have a biltong box (and I'm currently building a cold smoker), but they're stories for another time. |
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