Food Dehydrator

ptt49er · 09-15-2008, 08:29 PM

So my wife wants a food dehydrator...and me being the handy man kind of guy I am, building one myself sounds pretty good.

I've seen a few built out of a cardboard box lined w/ aluminum foil and using a light bulb for the heat source.

But what I'm thinking is using hardboard, glueing the aluminum foil to it. Using a light bulb or some other source for heat. Getting an electrical box for switches and running fans from an old computer to provide air flow.

Or should we just buy one? Atleast if I build it I'll have the bits and pieces to use for something else, where the dehydrator will be just that. I'm scared it'll end up a heavy paper weight or a great dust collector.

JackLeg · 09-15-2008, 08:47 PM

Bring all your stuff over, on racks, and we'll put it in my solar kiln and let it do its thing!!

Or not!!

ptt49er · 09-15-2008, 08:52 PM

MAN OH MAN!!! Jackleg you hit the nail on the head!!!

So how hard do you think it'd be to talk the wife into letting me build a food dehydrator that's big enough to dry jerky for the entire neighborhood in one shot? And of course when it's not drying food it might be able to dry a few hundred board feet of lumber!

DaveO · 09-15-2008, 08:58 PM

I bought one years ago to dry some food to take on one of my legs of the AT thru hike. I paid about $20 for it. It worked great. For that kind of money you would spend a lot more time making one. If I can still find it you can have it (providing the Pony Express can get it to you) I don't think I am going to be doing any fast-packing in the near future because I've gotten fat, old, have kid, and like to spend my free time in the shop

Dave

Gofor · 09-15-2008, 10:22 PM

My dad used to have a "L'il Smoker" brand thing that he used to dry smoke chickens and fish. It consisted of a box made out of the aluminum faced rigid insulation like you use for a house, had aluminum angle to hold the racks, and basically had a hot plate coil and little cast iron pan to put the wood chips in. (had a couple of vents with covers to adjust the heat). I ate a lot of smoked northern pike and lake trout (from fishing trips to Canada) as well as various jerky that he made in it and it lasted him for years.

Point being, the aluminum faced insulation may be all you need instead of trying to keep aluminum foil glued to hardboard, or used inside the hardboard to keep in the heat.

Go

ptt49er · 09-15-2008, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by DaveO

If I can still find it you can have it (providing the Pony Express can get it to you)

DaveO, THANKS MAN! If you can find it and Jeremy doesn't mind could you send it back with them after the shop crawl? If not no big deal, it's already in the budget to get one. It's just a matter of running to the store.

Mark, My lovely bride has pretty much decided she wants a "real" one. Apparently something I cobble together doesn't count as real.

Anyone have any good recipes or ideas that were/are good in a dehydrator?

tryingtokeepmyfingers · 09-15-2008, 10:33 PM

ok I would say spend time building something else and just buy this http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/

the five tray
http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/5...gular-prod.htm

is all your really need unless you are going to do tons and tons all the time

the 9 tray is what I have but really I would have been happy with the 5

this is one of the top rated units and I had a cheap round as seen on tv one before I upgraded to this and it is like night and day

Hi I saw you are in charlotte also

ptt49er · 09-15-2008, 10:36 PM

I'd seen good reviews on those. I'm trying to reason with myself that we'll actually use it enough to make it worth getting a nice one. I don't want to get a cheap one only to replace it b/c it's horrible or gives up its ghost too quickly.

What all do you dehydrate?

JackLeg · 09-15-2008, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by ptt49er

I'd seen good reviews on those. I'm trying to reason with myself that we'll actually use it enough to make it worth getting a nice one. I don't want to get a cheap one only to replace it b/c it's horrible or gives up its ghost too quickly.

What all do you dehydrate?

Man, don't you buy no "ugly" or cheap dehydrator! For a mere $1200 you can have one that will take all the food you can load in it PLUS 800 bf of lumber!

I've got the plans!!!

ptt49er · 09-15-2008, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by JackLeg

Man, don't you buy no "ugly" or cheap dehydrator! For a mere $1200 you can have one that will take all the food you can load in it PLUS 800 bf of lumber!

I've got the plans!!!

You're BAD!! But if I built my own I wouldn't be able to come get lumber from you!

I wish I had the room to build one, there's too much shade in my backyard anyways.

Mike Davis · 09-15-2008, 10:45 PM

I have been wanting an Excalibur for a few years, I keep hoping I'll find a good deal on one.

I guess I'll have to bite the bullet sometime.

If you look around their website I think there are some recipes there. I don't want to look, I'm kinda chilled out about it for now.

tryingtokeepmyfingers · 09-15-2008, 10:45 PM

Originally Posted by ptt49er

What all do you dehydrate?

Fruit leathers are the best .. just blend the fruit up pineapple, apple, pear anything really and pore it out on a tray lined with a tray lined with this http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/P...gular-prod.htm. The sheets are a must have and they are what seem over priced but you could not do it other wise.

also make vegan meatloaf and veggie burgers and chips

really you can do alot with it if you are looking to use it to eat more vegitarian or vegan and I guess the other end of the spectrum would be making lots of jerky

but our whole family has cut out or cut way back animal products from our diet and all out health has improved and feel so much better

ptt49er · 09-15-2008, 10:53 PM

Erin's (my wife) is on a kick to dry fruits and stuff for our one year old to eat. After seeing him eat up $5 worth of store bought dried food I'm on board.

I've always been a meat guy, but I wouldn't be against trying something vegan. But you'd have to give me the best recipe you've ever tasted.

Mike, am I wasting time hunting for one? Amazon and Ebay both seem to follow excalibur's website pricing pretty closely.

I'm guessing this might end up being my graduation present.

tryingtokeepmyfingers · 09-15-2008, 11:00 PM

Originally Posted by ptt49er

Erin's (my wife) is on a kick to dry fruits and stuff for our one year old to eat. After seeing him eat up $5 worth of store bought dried food I'm on board.

I've always been a meat guy, but I wouldn't be against trying something vegan. But you'd have to give me the best recipe you've ever tasted.

Mike, am I wasting time hunting for one? Amazon and Ebay both seem to follow excalibur's website pricing pretty closely.

I'm guessing this might end up being my graduation present.

Most of the store bough stuff has extra chemicals in them also -- sulfur dioxide and other that you do not need to put in the homegrown stuff

also read this book or buy it for your wife.
http://www.amazon.com/Disease-Proof-.../dp/0312338058

or here you can browse in on google books

http://books.google.com/books?id=o2S...result#PPP1,M1

DaveO · 09-15-2008, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by ptt49er

DaveO, THANKS MAN! If you can find it and Jeremy doesn't mind could you send it back with them after the shop crawl? If not no big deal, it's already in the budget to get one. It's just a matter of running to the store.

Mark, My lovely bride has pretty much decided she wants a "real" one. Apparently something I cobble together doesn't count as real.

Anyone have any good recipes or ideas that were/are good in a dehydrator?

You got it Buddy, I'll start the hunt in the barn o' storage first thing in the morning. How convenient it is that Jeremy is coming my way in two weeks

Dave

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