http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-FD-37A-American-Dehydrator-400-watt/dp/B00CS5ZI6G
Since then I have been dehydrating up a storm. I didn't buy the extenders because we are a house of 2, and didn't think I needed the extra space...yet. I haven't done meat, I am not a huge meat fan, and I have yet to dip into the fruit roll up aspects of the dehydrator, but I've been doing fruits. Banana's (as seen above), strawberries and apples (so far). To me, my electric bill hasn't shot up from the use, it's much cheaper then buying it in the store, I know exactly what is going into my food and the fruits go great in our home made granola (see previous post) or just for healthy snacking. The dehydrator comes with instructions, drying times etc. There are some recipes and tips out there on the web too.
So how do I prepare my fruit?
I take a gallon zip lock bag and put it in my 4 cup measuring cup, this holds the bag easier, clearly you can come up with your own way.
I melt 1 packet of my favorite sweetner (splenda) in a tbsp of warm water and then add that with
1/4 cup of cool water, 1/4 cup honey to the bag and stir! I drop the fruits into my bag as I am chopping and then shake them all up when I'm done and place them on my racks. When I did apples, I added a squirt of lemon juice (to stop browning) and approx. 1tsp of cinnamon to give it the apple pie flavor in my marinade. (SOO YUMMY!) I usually coat my racks with vegetable oil to avoid over stickiness but if I am feeling lazy I just use a butter spray. Both works fine. Dehydrate according to the times in your book or online.
Some tips I enjoy:
-You don't have to marinate the bananas like the ones above. I was going for a "caramelized" aspect and think I got it. The first time we did bananas there was no marinade, they came out good, but needed a little something extra. I think I got it this time ;)
-I shut the machine off every 2 hours for about 10 minutes just to let the process kickstart again.
-You don't have to rotate the trays, but I do, especially because of the marinade.
-If its looking done, try one! Your mouth knows best.
Enjoy :)
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