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I have owned a 5 tray Excalibur Dehydrator for about 5 years. It has a temperature control and I didn't invest in one with an automatic timer and don't regret it at all. It has more than paid for itself. Excalibut is an excellent brand. I dehydrate cherries, tomatoes, nectarines, pears, squash, onions. This year I dehydrated peppers and ground them and made my own pepper sauce. I make my own crackers.
Regarding websites, just google dehydrator recipes and see what you like.
Thank you! That is the model that I have been considering. Someone had told me they regretted not getting a 9 tray. Currently it is just my husband and I, did you ever feel that you needed the 9 tray? Do you vacuum seal your dried produce?
I have not regretted my purchase. The 5 tray is handles the amounts I want to prepare. It takes a long time to pit cherries! I do not vacuum seal, I put it in jars with tight fitting lids. My nephew the chef vacuum seals and I can't taste any discernable difference.
Excaliber sometimes sells "refurbished" models on their website at a lower cost than the new ones would be. Since they are pricey (but worth it!), you might want to look into that.
My sister has a l'Equip that I've used, and it's great. It has temperature control, fan, and a timer, and it has extra trays you can buy to add on.
I'd love to get one. But I'm "Banned" from bringing home any more kitchen gadgets that take up counter space, until I get rid of one with the same space footprint.
Hey Sam, let's use some different logic around the BAN. A dehydrator doesn't take up counter space any more than a freezer or stoves does. It is its own function that can take up to from 4 to 24 hours+ to perform. You can run your dehydrator anywhere. I prefer to keep it out of the kitchen. I have a spare room I use. Other family members use their garage. (Obviously the air is good - no diesel or gas fumes and it is clean.) Some friends just put it on the deck. (Obviously they do not live in Seattle but in a dryer area with sun year round.) If I had an Airstream I would run it there.
A Dehydrator is not a gadget - it is a miracle! (I do not have stock in Excalibur or any dehydrators or any dehydrator blogs, books or movies.)
I have an ancient "Ronco" dehydrator I inherited. Yes, I know it's crap. But seeing your posts makes me want to at least attempt some more stuff.
Sam, I want you to attempt some more stuff so I can steal from you! It would be great to have a group of us attempting things with our dehydrators.
I own a 9 tray excalibur... Honestly, I don't use it for as much as I'd hoped, but that's perhaps because I don't like jerky. Our primary use for it is making lots and lots of fruit rollups, for which it does an excellent job. But unless you're doing large volumes, I don't see why a 9 tray is necessary over a 5 tray...
Thanks everyone, your insight has been very helpful. Seems like the 5 tray excalibur is a worth while investment!