"TammyM" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 03 Sep 2005 21:08:27 GMT, Mark Thorson >
> wrote:
>
>>TammyM wrote:
>>>
>>> I'm looking to buy a dehydrator. This one sounds intriguing to me.
>>> It's USD50, has 4 trays expandable to 12, no need to shuffle trays (so
>>> they say), and an adjustable thermostat. I'm wondering if anyone
>>> knows if this will also "incubate" homemade yogurt? Anyone have any
>>> experience with this particular model who can offer an opinion?
>>>
>>> I'm new to the dehydrating world <g> so if this is a dorky question,
>>> please forgive.
>>
>>I've been considering buying a dehydrator for quite
>>some time, and my needs/restrictions are probably
>>different from yours, and I've never heard of the
>>Nesco -- but that's never stopped me from offering
>>my $0.02 before . . .
>>
>>My experience using an el cheapo (rhymes with
>>Toastmaster/Salton) convection oven with a
>>dehydrate mode tells me that a VERY IMPORTANT
>>feature is LOW WATTAGE. The reason is that
>>if you have a high wattage model (or a convection
>>oven), it will be constantly cycling on and off.
>>If you have a low wattage model, the cycles
>>will be much longer. Nicer would be to have
>>two power levels -- high for when you really
>>need it (to dry wet stuff like tomatoes and
>>oranges) and low (to dry stuff with lower water
>>content, or to finish stuff that started on high).
>>
>>This is important for a few reasons. For me,
>>an important one is that I can't run two >1000W
>>appliances at the same time without risking blowing
>>a fuse. Another is that it is annoying to have
>>my lights flickering every few minutes when the
>>thermostat kicks on -- ever since I bought a
>>dehumidifier for my collection of fine antiquarian
>>books, I believe I have been replacing incandescent
>>lightbulbs at a higher rate because of these flickers.
>>
>>What is also important is being able to run the
>>fan without any heat. Some things dry perfectly
>>well without any heat at all, and may be damaged
>>by heat. For example, herbs won't have as good an
>>aroma if dried with heat, as opposed to air-drying.
>
> Good points, Mark, thanks for sharing. The one I'm looking at has an
> adjustable thermostat, 95F - 145F. I think I'm going to give it a
> try.
>
> TammyM
I just gave mine away on freecycle, sigh.

Gardenmaster Pro Food Dehydrator
w/ extra trays and all.
Just can't justify the storage room for it when we are moving to a much
smaller home. Haven't used it in a year and we're retiring and moving to a
mobile home and will also be on the road for up to 6 months of the year.
So, it's gone now.

MoM