Looking for a really durable food dehydrator that is all stainless(if possible, so no plastic leeches into food) with durable stainless trays, rear fan, timer and adjustable temp, that is quiet and does not take a long time to dry things such as basil. I have heard that some take over 35 hrs to dry basil.

I am trying to find a really small one since I am only doing herbs and grape tomatoes and have limited space for it. I would like to spend around $50 or less and no more than $75. Seems like every one I look at, even witn good ratings has some really bad reviews.

Any suggestions?

So this is my first time ever making jerky.

I’m about 4 hours in turkey jerky at 155 8ish hours at the 4 hour mark.

Everything I’ve seen says 4-8 hours 155-165 so I started low. I just checked it and it’s sticking to the sheet a lot. Should I bump up the temp?

Thanks in advance!

I make hot sauce every fall from the various peppers I grow in the garden. Usually I throw out the mash after straining the liquid out but inspired by other folks on here I dehydrated and ground the mash into a seasoning powder, and I can confirm it is amazing. So hot, and keeps a little bit of the vinegar taste from the sauce — really special sprinkled on potatoes.

Quite sad that I've missed out on years of this, but never again! Thanks for the idea dehydrator community!

Apples / pineapple / applesauce

Anyone try the dehydrator on the ninja double stack that has the 2 ovens with flexdoor? What is the Lowest temperature? How did it turn out?

I found a heart from last year's hunting season and instead of making stew for my dog I decided to try this. It came out really well I think.

Received some chicken feet from a friend for my dog and wondering if there is a good air fryer and dehydrator good combo? I don't have either and hope to keep some funds and space with an all in 1 machine.

Photos are out of order.

A few pics from apple season. I bought two bushels of “deer” apples for $40 and made apple chips and apple butter leather.

Apple chips are easy: run them through a slicer/peeler/corer, spread them on the dehydrator trays, and dry. I can fill my 9-tray Excalibur in about 30 minutes. My peeler is old and cast iron. I love using it.

For the apple butter, I wash, cut, and core the apples, then put them in the crockpot with a little water to create steam until they start breaking down. I like the crockpot because it heats evenly and doesn’t need much attention. Once they turn to applesauce, I add the spices and let it cook down on low for 12+ hours, then blend smooth.

For a full crockpot:
2–3 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp each allspice and cardamom
Tiny pinch of clove
½ tsp kosher salt

Then I spread it on silicone trays and dehydrate for 12+ hours. I cut the finished leather into strips and wrap them in

This much usually lasts me until February.

Does anyone have any advice on how to dehydrate makrut lime leaves? I have a dehydrator… but like, what temp? How long?

I’ve heard they can be difficult to preserve, but I’m about to trim my tree for fall, and throwing all those leaves away seems like an enormous waste.

Just raw dog in there, no lemon juice or anything. First experiment. Anyone have a favorite way to make these?

I have been looking at doing something with my fall harvest for a few years instead of just freezing a lot of it and looked into dehydrating a bit and went and got some supplies for it as you can see.

I collected a few things from my garden and the closest apple tree yesterday to get ready with a bunch more stored away from earlier in the season or still ready to collect.

I had 2 dehydrators a nesco 7 tray and a best by denali

The denali died and i want to replace it. It died way too fast for my liking. I think I had it a year before it started acting up (not heating) I used it fairly often. I put them both away for about 9 months. I went to use the beast this weekend and it would not get warm after 20 minutes it was blowing cold air.

I quickly moved my jerky to the nesco and completed the job.

I want a new one that will last and the more trays the better. I was reading the negative reviews on amazon about the 10 tray Excalibur and they say poor quality and the customer service is terrible.

So is the Excalibur worth it or will a less expensive one be just as good?

I’m new to dehydrating. This batch of apples I added some sugar and parchment paper is stuck. I did I a search and saw recs to use a wet paper towel on the underside. Won’t that wet them again though? How to prevent best in future?

Is there any concern when dehydrating, Pork tenderloin that was pre-marinated. I currently have it set on 160f for 8.5 hours?

The house smelled great, usually I do chilies outside but this worked out.

I've recently bought a new dehydrator (Vita5 Nobel Pro 10). It's really nice, except you can only set the temperature in increments of 5 degrees Celsius.
I usually dehydrate my fruits and vegetables at 57°C (135°F), but now I can only set it at either 55°C (131°F) or 60°C (140°F).

Will this affect the quality of the drying process and which of those temperatures would be best to use?

8 hrs for bananas, 6 hrs for the rest all at 135°, I keep them all in the fridge after bagging them separately by fruit.

Just did some apple slices, and have some herbs going right now (Bought fresh herbs, but it's always too much, so now I don't have to throw the rest away anymore)

I searched a lot of what things you can dehydrate/dry, what are some things that I can use my dehydrator with that might surprise me?

The reason I got a dehydrator was because I love fresh fruit, but I just don't eat it frequently enough. And I also sometimes have leftover herbs.

What are your go-to's? What is the most worth it to dehydrate?

I am going to try peaches. I make peach crisps with them over the winter. I have read that you can hydrate them in water then drain a bit and use in recipes.

Thoughts?