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Branwyn32
Raw Newbie
I got it from a garage sale for $25. It’s an 8 tray Ronco thing: http://www.amazon.com/Ronco-Dehydrator-Yogurt-M…
It was all packed in the box so I didn’t realize til I got it home that it doesn’t have a fan. So apparently it takes twice as long to dehydrate, and the reviews on Amazon don’t look too promising. It doesn’t have a thermostat, just on/off and it seems to run REALLY hot…I’ve had an old meat thermometer stuck in WIDE OPEN vents on top, and it’s reading 140F! I’m new at this but that’s way too hot isn’t it? Plus I mean…we’re talking like DAYS to dehydrate things if it works as “well” as the reviews say.
Did I flub up here? Should I sell it on craigslist or something and find a better one?
Comments
Oh, Branwyn I’m sorry, I would try to get a new one. :<
I’m glad you pointed this out! That is the exact same one I had, but I left it with my roommate halfway across the country when I moved. I was just about to ask if he could send it to me, but now I will probably buy a new one instead. It did always seem a little too hot now that you mention it! Thanks!
Just FYI, I left mine on the corner of my sidewalk when we moved from North Cali, specifically cause I DESPISED that piece of SH&&. Just sayin,,,
All newbies. Please, please, please! Do a search about dehydrators. There is much information here.
Dude I totally fail! facepalm Damn. Back to craigslist.
Yes, the Ronco’s are NOT a good deal (well they are cheap but that is about it). Yes, you need a fan in your dehydrator for doing raw things. Hate to say it but you will have to spend at least $100 on a good dehydrator for raw.
They have those new Good4U Dehydrators out now – one of my friends got one and I was able to check it out the other day and it is really nice and cute and the wattage is great (higher than the Excalibur which means it is more powerful). It think it is good starter dehyrator for newbies. Also get a digital room thermometer to set the temps – I have one I bought from bed bath and beyond to double check my temp. I have a SauageMaker and their is no digital temp but the temps are always spot on – but I use my room thermometer to check on the temp inside. Works great!
If you go to rawguru.com, you can get one and free shipping for spending over $100!
What are some of your suggestions for good dehydrators? I am looking into getting an Excalibur. Is this a good one?
Thanks queenfluff. You and I were writing at the same time, so you answered some of my questions already!
Here’s a recent thread on this topic.
I have 2 Excalibur. Seems most buy the Excalibur or SausageMaker. The Good4U sounds interesting for newbies.
Well we won’t be newbies forever. I would rather spend $200+ on a dehydrator that I can use for years and years instead of getting something simple “for newbies” that will need to be replaced in a couple years.
The Excalibur is fine too but my bf (who is sort of an expert on dehydrators – he is designing a new type of one himself) said that the wattage on the Good4U is like that of the SausageMaker. The SausageMaker is more powerful than the Excalibur.
If money is no object, I would choose between the Excalibur, SausageMaker or the Good4U.
I am biased to the SausageMaker because that is what we have and it is available in Stainless steel (which we have) so you don’t have to worry about issues with plastic. I have used the Excalibur before and I like the SausageMaker better.
Oh, one more point: the Good4U was VERY quiet.My friend ran it for us and I couldn’t even hear it. They had a room fan running which was pretty quiet and I still couldn’t hear anything really (I do have bad hearing though – but my bf said it was very quiet too). So we were impressed by that. Plus it is very compact in shape – perfect if you don’t have alot of space.
I bought my excalibur on Ebay for $76, its five tray one that runs for $190 on the excalibur website. Ebay is great.
I have the 9 tray Excalibur – best money I ever spent. I highly recommend it. Peace, Karuna