Food dehydration and storage

[TheLily]

I've been looking into the wonderful world of Food Dehydrators and am already lost!
They vary in price so what should i be looking for here?Any ideas?

Also,i've been looking at a vacuum packing system and haven't got a clue there either!

Basically,iwant to be able to to make fruit leathers and dried fruits,herbs etc and store them for as long as possible.
Any ideas what i should be aiming for?

Thanks....(a very confused Suzannah )

[sheena]

I can understand why you are feeling confused, there are so many out there and the prices vary so much - you will have to have a good look through the internet to compare prices as they can start from £25ish up to stupid money!!

I have a stockli which was a bit on the expensive side and a bit noisy but does everything that I wanted from a dehydrator and you don't have to use sulphur or additives with it and it cuts down on my refrigeration costs in the long term.
But, have a good look around - I seem to remember someone saying in a previous thread that you can pick up one from www.westfalia.net from £25.
Happy hunting, it will be worth it in the long run when you are producing lots of yummy goods.

[Thomzo]

I bought a cheapo from Westfalia. The main aim was to dry the produce from my garden so I haven't really used it much. I did dry some yellow-stickered bananas and strawberries when I first bought it and it worked really well. I don't know how it would cope with lots of produce but it did the punnet of strawberries in just a few hours and they were lovely.

Zoe

[janemiss]

I too bought a cheapo one from westfalia, thinking that if it turned out to be the best gadget i'd ever bought i'd invest in one of the big excalibur models (couple of hundred quid) but i've got to admit ive stuck with the cheap one. I have mainly used it for drying herbs and tomatoes to pack them in oil. I dont much rate the dried banana's done in it, strawberries were OK mushrooms did ok but turned a mucky colour but if you grind them up to use as mushroom seasoning you dont notice that anyway.
I went mad for one but ive got to admit the novelty has worn off slightly, so for about £35 inc P&P it didnt really break the bank.
hope this helps a little

[Cornelian]

I bought the best dehydrator that I could. I dehydrate just about anything I can get my hands on. Mine is a round one which can expand to 30 trays and yes I have and use all 30! I do have a vacuum sealer but I rarely seem to use it - fruit and vegies will last fine in an airtight glass jar - you can also put in moisture absorbers if you like. I have dried produce that is 2 years old and is still fine.

My advice is to buy the best you can. I've had friends buy the cheapos and they have died after a week of constant use - in harvest season your dehydrator can and will be going 24/7 for weeks on end.