dehydrators New Commercial Dehydrator

I just bought a new dehydrator for myself for my birthday.
It's an Excalibur and has 9 trays. Plenty of room for drying chillies!
Has anyone else got one? Am trying to test to see if I put it on a low setting if the seeds will still be viable. I have been told they are but want to try it out for myself.

Here is a pic of it. Am drying some chillies from my garden.

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In mine Dehydrated seeds die ! I have tried to germ many dehydrated seed. Sometimes you get lucky and get one or two.
But for seed sales - NOT viable seeds once they go through.
I wish it were that easy!

I have setup drying racks outside ! - just 2 fly screens setup on glass table. 2-3 days of sun bring them in at night in front of fan.

Nice dehydrator ! Mine is tiny in comparison ! :(
 
chilliman said:
In mine Dehydrated seeds die ! I have tried to germ many dehydrated seed. Sometimes you get lucky and get one or two.
But for seed sales - NOT viable seeds once they go through.
I wish it were that easy!

I have setup drying racks outside ! - just 2 fly screens setup on glass table. 2-3 days of sun bring them in at night in front of fan.

Nice dehydrator ! Mine is tiny in comparison ! :(

I've been told it all depends on the heat.If it isn't that hot then it is just like the sun drying it. Does yours have a thermostat? How long did you give it to germinate, didn't you only just buy one yourself?
Mine takes over 12 hours to dry especially if they aren't cut up.
Anyone else tried?
 
I didn't actually say anything about selling the seed. I don't sell my own seeds because I haven't done anything yet to prevent cross pollination. What I grow is jus for myself. Am setting up a hydro shed for my superhots but will have to tie some special material I have around the flowers to make sure they don't cross pollinate but haven't got to that stage yet!

What does UV do?

The dehydrator in simple terms is basically a container that blows warm air over the pods and recirculates, it takes such a long time because it is on a low heat. It isn't set at a high temperature so I thought it wouldn't cause any damage.
Oh well only one way to find out for sure!
 
The Excalibur is known for retaining natural enzymes and nutrients. One of the main reasons i bought it was of because how healthy it is to use. It doesn't destroy any living enzymes meaning you are getting all the benefits from the food still. It is actually a really healthy way of living and a lot of people just live off eating these raw foods because cooking destoys all the good organisms.

Some info from companies selling the Excalibur :

Specifications:

7" FAN
600 Watts
Weight 23 lbs
9 - 15" x 15" Trays
110V, 60 HZ
Unit Dimensions: 12 1/2" H X 17" W x 19 "D
15 Square Feet of Drying area
Adjustable Thermostat
85 - 155 degrees
The Excalibur dehydrator is reputed to be the best dehydrator for preserving the nutrient & enzyme levels of "living foods".

What are LIVING FOODS?
"Living foods" contain living enzymes. Excalibur's ADJUSTABLE THERMOSTAT lets you dry foods at temperatures LOW enough to keep enzymes viable. In fact, the Excalibur retains “living enzymes”. Several leading experts have verified and endorsed Excalibur's ability to preserve living enzymes in properly dehydrated foods.

The best technique for retaining the enzymes is to set the Excalibur on 105ºF/40ºC setting throughout the entire cycle. That way the food temp will never go above 120ºF/48ºC even after it is dry.

Excalibur dries BETTER, FASTER & SAFER thanks to our Hyperwave™ Fluctuation Technology
Ordinary dehydrators produce constant, unchanging heat causing “case hardening,” a dry surface with moisture trapped inside — a perfect environment for yeast, mold, and bacteria growth.
Excalibur’s Adjustable Thermostat lets you take advantage of Hyperwave Fluctuation (changing heat through the drying cycle) for faster, better, safer dried foods.
As the temperature fluctuates up the surface moisture evaporates. Then as the temperature fluctuates down the inner moisture moves to the drier surface. The food temperature stays LOW enough to keep the enzymes active, and the air temperature gets high enough to dry food fast, overcoming yeast, mold, and bacteria growth and spoilage.

The World’s Best Quality Most Versatile Dehydrator Ever!
With removable trays, you can dry just about anything!
Dishwasher safe trays are equipped with removable inserts - loading and unloading is a snap, and cleanup is easy
Removable trays let you customize drying space for small or large items
eg; 1.25 litre yogurt which is impossible in a stackable dehydrator
Lots of drying space, so you handle large volumes up to 10 times faster
With the adjustable Hyperwave™ thermostat you have total control

The adjustable thermostat lets you fine tune to the exact temperature you need
Units are available with a 26 hour timer for added versatility
The Excalibur Dehydrator Design Superiority
Electronics are back-mounted so spills won’t bake on
The adjustable Hyperwave™ thermostat allows precision drying
Removable, dishwasher-safe trays are easy to load; leave some out for drying bulky items
Economical; just 6¢-7¢ of electricity an hour
 
It does depend on the amount of heat for seeds. I dry my peppers "low and slow" and I can germinate the seeds.
As for the Excalibur, they are great units and several members use them, I just wouldn't really call it a commercial unit. Do a search here, there has been some discussion about them
 
Yeah I had just realised after posting that there are more expensive ones you can get that are commercial. I guess the one I got is top of the line home use. You can buy stainless steel trays for it though, which would basically make it commercial?.

Still have some chillies drying. Even though it says to cut them up I wanted to dry some whole. Geez must be about 24 hours by now ( lost count had to turn dial a few times, don't wanna leave it too long before checking)
 
First of all it's not big enough to be called commercial, plus the commercial ones are much more effective.
 
Omri said:
First of all it's not big enough to be called commercial, plus the commercial ones are much more effective.

That is what I just said. When I ordered it I thought it was cos I had read so many different things and got mixed up.
Anyway the main thing I wanted to know was if the seeds were still viable, not whether it is commercial or not! It is still better than a small round one with a hole in the middle of it!

But really it doesn't matter to me. It seems like it works great and have had heard lots of good things about it so I am happy.
 
Heard good things about it, too. viability of seeds is directly linked to the temperature they're exposed to. if you can set the temperature as you wish, there's no problem.
 
Omri said:
Heard good things about it, too. viability of seeds is directly linked to the temperature they're exposed to. if you can set the temperature as you wish, there's no problem.

Cool, well that is what I thought but just wanted to hear from others experiences with the same one.:)

(Would have changed the heading of the thread if I knew how!):?:
 
That is the same one I've got. A great, great unit. I have used it for over a year now and I do both peppers, tomatoes and jerky in it. IMO it's the top of the line without spending loads of $$$
 
Pepperfreak said:
That is the same one I've got. A great, great unit. I have used it for over a year now and I do both peppers, tomatoes and jerky in it. IMO it's the top of the line without spending loads of $$$

Good to hear! I would like to make some jerky also but haven't done it before. ANy tips wuld be great. Have seen some on the forum but if you have same machine that would apply better to me.

I was reading the FDA for making jerky and it says that it needs to be at a certain temp then another temp but also with humidity. Do you put a bowl of water in yours? This was for commercial prep though!

Still cost a fair bit though..that is why I had to get it for my birthday, couldn't justify it to the other half otherwise :)
 
Jerky making is easy and your Excalibur should have basic instructions for making it in the owner's manual. I will probably get shunned for saying this, but what the hay...Starting out I would suggest buying a jerky mix. This way, you would have the right amount of 'cure' in with the seasonings. Here I what I have done and everyone that has tasted my jerky raves about it.

First, buy about 1-2 pounds of English roast or top sirloin. I always have my butcher slice it 1/4 inch (it is easier to have them slice it than risk my fingers)

Next follow the directions for what ever Hi Mountain Jerky Seasoning, here is the Link My favorite is the Inferno and the Mesquite. I usually tweak the seasoning by adding some of my own pepper powder into the mix.

Then after at least 24 hours of marinading in the fridge, place the meat slices on the racks, you don't want them touching. Set the Excalibur to 155 degrees Fahrenheit. I usually check mine and blot off any fatty oil that rises on the meat and they are usually done in about 4-6 hours.

Have fun and after a while, you will have your own recipe that you just love.
 
Pepperfreak said:
Jerky making is easy and your Excalibur should have basic instructions for making it in the owner's manual. I will probably get shunned for saying this, but what the hay...Starting out I would suggest buying a jerky mix. This way, you would have the right amount of 'cure' in with the seasonings. Here I what I have done and everyone that has tasted my jerky raves about it.

First, buy about 1-2 pounds of English roast or top sirloin. I always have my butcher slice it 1/4 inch (it is easier to have them slice it than risk my fingers)

Next follow the directions for what ever Hi Mountain Jerky Seasoning, here is the Link My favorite is the Inferno and the Mesquite. I usually tweak the seasoning by adding some of my own pepper powder into the mix.

Then after at least 24 hours of marinading in the fridge, place the meat slices on the racks, you don't want them touching. Set the Excalibur to 155 degrees Fahrenheit. I usually check mine and blot off any fatty oil that rises on the meat and they are usually done in about 4-6 hours.

Have fun and after a while, you will have your own recipe that you just love.

Thanks for that. I Would like to buy the acid? (forget proper name) and add my own seasonings though. Just need to find out how much to use in relation to the meat.
Will probably try to make some next week perhaps
 
Pepperfreak said:
Jerky making is easy and your Excalibur should have basic instructions for making it in the owner's manual. I will probably get shunned for saying this, but what the hay...Starting out I would suggest buying a jerky mix. This way, you would have the right amount of 'cure' in with the seasonings. Here I what I have done and everyone that has tasted my jerky raves about it.

First, buy about 1-2 pounds of English roast or top sirloin. I always have my butcher slice it 1/4 inch (it is easier to have them slice it than risk my fingers)

Next follow the directions for what ever Hi Mountain Jerky Seasoning, here is the Link My favorite is the Inferno and the Mesquite. I usually tweak the seasoning by adding some of my own pepper powder into the mix.

Then after at least 24 hours of marinading in the fridge, place the meat slices on the racks, you don't want them touching. Set the Excalibur to 155 degrees Fahrenheit. I usually check mine and blot off any fatty oil that rises on the meat and they are usually done in about 4-6 hours.

Have fun and after a while, you will have your own recipe that you just love.

lol- I just started to import these KITS find them on my site under jerky candice IN STOCK at the moment ! Onto my Third batch now of INFERNO with EXTRA HAB powder ! It is a huge HIt sold heaps to friends and family after the first samples went out the process has not stopped always either curring or cooking ! ! Each kit dose about 8KG of meat.
 
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