Posted on 02/21/2014 7:14:27 PM PST by Kartographer
I have that Excalibur. The fan at the back has several advantages. You don’t need to rotate the shelves and food or liquid won’t fall in the motor. I really like mine.
The STX looks good.
I just checked e-Bay and they are about $150 there.
All of my friends have dehydrators kind of like that one. Some of my friends even have odd dehydrators they picked up at yard sales for $5. They all seem to work well. Because I always need a Huge dehydrator, my first one was homemade, totally out of wood. The one I have now is 100% stainless steel (even the trays). It is the largest one available from Sausage Maker tm. A hint: most of us made or purchased unbleached muslim napkins to line the bottom of our trays. Instead of working hard washing your trays between batches, you just toss the muslim napkins into the washing machine.
I have no experince with Excalibur I use a Nessco, but I’ve seen post by fellow FReepers who do use Excalibur.
Excalibur owners your thoughts?
Thanks Kart. Wife and I bought each other non-traditional wedding anniversary gifts. I got a berkey clear water filter system and she got a rocket stove. Both of us are elated. For her birthday, She wants an ANPVS-14 for her AR.
Our own government is trying to disarm us. Thus far the Constitution has prevented this (just barely), but we are losing this fight. The time is coming when the government itself will come for our guns, and label those of us who resist as criminals and/or terrorists.
If you are not yet armed, by all means do so now. When you do, you will find the ammunition you need is literally ten times (or more) expensive than it was six years ago, and you may have trouble even finding it.
PARTIAL SOLUTION: Consider air guns for practice purposes and small game hunting. The cost is still within reach, and the quality is outstanding. Given the problems with ammunition cost and supply, some web sites that used to sell only firearm ammunition are now advertising pellet guns as an affordable alternative for practice and small game hunting purposes.
A high quality pellet rifle costs less than a medium quality hunting rifle and is more accurate. Ammunition is still plentiful and cheap although there are a few spot shortages.
Side Note: Air guns are not considered firearms. Hence they can use built in noise suppression. Many are quiet enough that the neighbors will not even hear them.
“Looters deserve what they get. Same for those who dont get the heck away when a crowd starts to form.”
Kinda hard to peaceable assemble that way.
It happens to us all....
I still appreciate the tip.
It’s the sort of thing that makes you think “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?”
Are BB guns any good for small game hunting? I inherited one from my grandfather last year. It freaks my dad out because it’s shaped like a rifle. I’d like to get some use out of it other than plinking cans.
How do you keep the food from gluing itself to the muslin? Or is it just for foods that don’t glue themselves as they dry?
BB guns are generally not powerful enough for hunting small game. If you are a good enough shot you can kill small pests with them, but a more humane choice would be a pellet rifle.
BB guns are excellent for practice. The cost is very low, and plinking can be fun. “Killing” cans is teaching a skill at the same time.
Once you move up to pellet rifles you have a lot more choices and a lot more power to work with. Some can reliably take down a coyote, and the most powerful can take down a deer.
I use the napkins for ALL foods. The ones with high sugar do glue to the napkins, just as they would glue to the racks. But, food is a lot easier to peel off the napkins than the racks (some lint might come off the first go round, but then the napkins get slicker and slicker). I started doing the napkin thing because the racks on my dehydrator are so big, they are a pain in the behind to wash, I bought a special tub just to wash them. Also, I remove more water from my food than commercial operations: I have blueberries 8 years old and just as good as new. I would not trust commercially dried blueberries to last that long.
Thanks, I’m putting a pellet gun on my wishlist now :) I definitely need something quieter than my “real” guns. Hyperacusis is great for locating game, but horrible for shooting!
One of my favorite treats is candied fruit. Simmer in a sugar syrup, let it soak in the syrup for a few days (you can make the syrup progressively stronger if you want), then dehydrate. Very tasty, but I have to use the fruit roll-up tray.
It started as a way to show my nephew what “sugarplums” were, and kind of grew from there. I wasn’t able to make any this Christmas because my dehydrator conked out.
I did try parchment paper, the juices soaked through it and then dried so solid I had to soak it in water to get it off the fruit.
Silicone sheets is a good idea. I’ll watch for some on sale.
After I get a new dehydrator, of course. No point in cutting them to fit the broken one :)
I would probably enjoy your candied fruit. I love all fruit prepared any ol way.
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