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preservation 1st Dehydrator

Z

zappa883

Just bought what appears to be an entry level Salton unit from W-Mart. Instructions are vague and unit only has an on/off button. No idea how hot it gets. Has a lid with an adjustable vent.

Anyone other addict have or tried one of these ? Says to dehydrate for 5-12 hours until leathery. The planet I'm from, leathery is not dehydrated ?
 
they must refer to tomatoes for leathery. dehydrated peppers are supposed to be almost crunchy and breaks up easily.
 
it wont last you ayear they are cheap and dont rdy well. the trays made from cheap plastic that will be damaged from first time use
 
Walmart here in the USA quit selling dehydrators 2 years ago they told me. This one may not be top of the line but will give you some experience this year. That will help you decide if you want to go bigger and better in the future, we all have to start somewhere. Choose what fits your budget even if it doesn't have all the bells and whistles.
 
Hey Zapper, check out Canadian Tire's website and you will see reviews on this cheap dehydrator, I am in the market for a dehydrator and started doing some research.

The walmarts in my area also do not sell dehydrators, check out Basspro or Cabellas for other brands of dehydrators with some more advanced features; when I purchase it will most likely be the open country brand with adjustable temperatures from Basspro but like you(being shrewd) I am waiting for it to come on sale. It comes with the finer screens to allow one to dry smaller items including herbs so they don't fall to the bottom of the box. The salton unit seems to focus on dehydrating other fruits like apples and bananas. I wouldn't get full use out of an excaliber brand and find $275 a bit steep for something that would sit idle most of the year.

Now as to how to use the salton, put the sliced pods into the dehydrator, plug it in and walk away, after about 6-8 hours rotate the trays, keep checking the pods until dry enough grind up(you are going to have to do the pinch test to see if the pods crumble using your fingers), I am guessing the pods should be dried in 2-3 days in the salton. Key is to keep rotating the trays. I use to use a neighbours older brand(may have been a Ronco) it was similar with only a heater and no fan, herbs would take about 3 days.
 
Gloria, I think we been through this one before, Amazon is not always Canadian friendly. So, what did they do, they set up an Amazon Canada site, what's the problem - not all products that are available on .com are available on .ca. Dehydrators being one of them. So, you start with the basic price of the unit, then add the lower canuk exchange rate, then you add in shipping costs as the free shipping that's available in the US is not available to canada, then you add on an import fee(assuming they will even ship the product to canada due to import laws). Soon the cost of the unit is higher than if you just bought it in Canada. Nesco is readily available here, just expensive.

But, I do agree the Nesco FD-75 is a nice unit and the FD-80 being square adds to the storage convenience.......... who ever designed the round dehydrator anyways.
 
Ah - I hadn't read about Amazon and Canada. Good to know. But heck, I've always wanted to visit Canada, just haven't made it yet. Maybe I should order one then bring it to you!
 
So far no complaints at all with said unit. Had it drying away all weekend with whatever was ready and still have a huge sive full of orange habs and already 1-lbs or so dry, 1/2 lbs of misc chili's and a big bag a garlic. Tried a few Bhuts but want to finish off the orange as the seeds are going black.
All in all, no complaints as yet...
 
A little late now, I came across this thread while searching, but "Cayne's The Super Warehouse" in the Toronto area sells 2 different Nesco dehydrator models. I got one of them for Christmas. :cool:
 
If ya don't have a fan, and I don't... hell mine don't even have a switch, but i do crack the lid to lower the temp, and it preserves the color better.
 
Jasper said:
A little late now, I came across this thread while searching, but "Cayne's The Super Warehouse" in the Toronto area sells 2 different Nesco dehydrator models. I got one of them for Christmas. :cool:
Click to expand...

caynes is amazing. i go there a few timers a year just to look around. the place is huge and filled with housewares.

if you plan on drying your peppers for years to come then i would invest in an excalibur dehydrator. best on the market imo.
 
I use one of the NESCO units to dehydrate my tomatoes and peppers. Use the lowest temperature setting, or they "cook"! I slit the peppers to dry them crisp, otherwise they rot. Tomatoes, I slice into 1/4-3/8" slices and because of the sugar in them, they are usually still pliable when dry. (Freeze them tho preserve these, as they do not store long term and remain with their color.) Also, stack no more than six or so trays of tomatoes, because it slows down the process and they mold.

I dehydrate beans, carrots, bells, and whole lot of garden produce...
 
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