Re: OT Re: seeking dehydrator option guidance

[Guest guest]

So when you only need to do a small batch, which trays do you use? Does it matter? And do you find that you need to rotate the trays 180 degrees midway through the cycle? I read somewhere that with the fan at the back, sometimes the food at the back of the trays can get dehydrated at a faster rate than the food at the front of the trays.FrannyOn Mar 30, 2011, at 10:20 AM, Lea Ann Savage wrote:

I agree with Kim that if the noise and space are not an issue - I'd go ahead and get the 9-tray (it is what I have). You might not need all of the space, but when you DO want to do a lot of dehydrating, the space is there when you need it…

Blessings,Lea Ann SavageSatellite Beach, FL(321) 773-7088 (home)(321-961-9219 (cell)))><'>www.VitamixLady.comwww..com<))><

On Mar 30, 2011, at 11:13 AM, Kim Bassett wrote:

We have a 5 tray, which is great for us since we have a small open living room/kitchen area. The fan of the 9 tray is louder plus we don't have a spot for the tall 9 tray in our kitchen....BUT, if space and noise is not an issue it is worth every penny to buy the 9 tray....If I had a spare room to put it in or had a larger kitchen I would have gotten the 9 tray. There are many things I dehydrate that has height higher than the space b/n the trays, so I can't dehydrate as much at one time for those things. If you want to make yogurt this may be an issue.

You'll make the right decision I know,

Kim

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> to all you dehydrator pundits (or just anyone who has had any experience with a dehydrator)...

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> I'm about to take the plunge and buy a dehydrator. I've about settled on an excalibur... but I'm on the fence between the 5 tray and the 9 tray. I just can't decide if I need the 9 tray.

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> Here are the factors...

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> We're a small family (4 of us). I'm growing a garden for the first time in my life (I have a black thumb, so my expectations are modest to say the least, but I have the notion that my desire to grow organic fruits and veggies can uplift me and turn my black thumb to at least a brown-ish color). My husband is a backpacker, so I would like to dehydrate some of that which I grow in my garden for his backpack meals. My kids (my 13 year old son especially) love dehydrated fruit, so I will be doing a lot of that. Plus, I will be making a lot of beef jerky, as my daughter has celiac disease, and it's next to impossible to find gf jerky (and that which I have found tastes nasty). I also plan on giving a go at making yogurt and kale chips, hence the design of the excalibur is the best choice (from what I understand of what I have read about different options).

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> So my quandary is the size. The 5 tray or the 9 tray? Do I actually need the size of the 9 tray model? Also, the motor of the 9 tray has a 600 watt motor, while the 5 tray has a 440 watt motor - will that make much of a difference for me?

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> While the 9 tray isn't all that much more expensive, I don't want to spend money on a larger size if it's not really what I need just because it's bigger (I know, I know, everything's bigger in Texas...), but then again I don't want to get the smaller size and then later regret that I didn't get the larger one.

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> Any wise words of advice?

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> Franny

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