the best dehydrator and juicer?

Hey!

I am looking to get a dehydrator (I have a cheap-o one that sux that I found at a thrift store). What does everyone think is the best for the $$?

Also, I am considering getting a single-gear masticating juicer (like the Omega)... anyone have one of these? Do you like it?

Comments

  • Blue_EyesBlue_Eyes Raw Master

    Hi I do not know about the juicer I bought a cheap one and I dont use it just do not like the way the juice tastes, kinda metallic. But for the dehydrator I have an Excalibur 5 tray and absolutely LOVE it.I wanted one for so long and finally have it. My daughter has a cheap round one and cannot do everything I can also she does not have a theromostat which is highly important hope that helps

  • emtpdmomemtpdmom Raw Newbie

    Hi Annabelle. There are a couple of other recent threads with dehydrator information. The first one has some information on a stainless dehydrator, my personal preference, I think. Haven’t actually made the purchase yet, but I like the idea of less plastic in my life. Queenfluff has always seemed very knowledgable, and she recommends the stainless model. Hope these are helpful.

    http://www.goneraw.com/forums/2/topics/7109

    http://www.goneraw.com/forums/8/topics/7335

  • Annabelle77Annabelle77 Raw Newbie

    Thanks guys! BTW you both have ADORABLE pets… sooooo cute!

  • beanybeeganbeanybeegan Raw Newbie

    I have an Omega. It can not do hard veggies well. Like carrots and beets. Bought a Champion last winter.I also have two Excalibur’s. A 5 and 9 tray.

  • KristensRawKristensRaw Raw Newbie

    I was asked recently (on my blog) which juicer I use. The answer is that I actually have two, and I love them both for different reasons.

    Green Star: This bad boy isn’t cheap, but it’s life-changing. Wanna go hardcore? This is it! This machine is great because it’s extremely durable, reliable, can also juice wheatgrass (most juicers cannot do this, so you often have to buy a separate wheatgrass juicer), plus more. Because this juicer uses twin gears which gently and slowly extract the juice, it doesn’t degrade or oxidize nearly as fast as it does with a centrifugal juicer (below). Green Star juice can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days without much oxidation, which makes it perfect for people who can only juice once a day or less.

    This juicer squeezes out every bit of juice, leaving you with very dry pulp, so you’re really getting your money’s worth from your organic produce. Here are other tricks this juicer can do: make ice cream from frozen produce such as bananas or mangoes, as well as homogenize nuts, seeds and grains for pate and butters, and it’s great for making baby foods, apple sauce, etc.

    The Green Star takes longer to use and clean up, but it’s still amazing and well worth the money (and the time if you have it).

    Breville Fountain Juicer: This juicer has a special place in my heart. I LOVE my Breville Fountain Juicer (and pretty much use it daily) because it’s lightening fast and SUPER EASY to clean. This machine inspires me to juice multiple times a day due to its ease of use. It’s considerably less expensive than the Green Star, but because it’s centrifugal, you should drink the juice within 15 minutes of making it to prevent oxidation and nutrient loss.

    This is the perfect juicer for people who plan to do a lot of daily juicing, and want it to be fast and efficient — just be sure to drink right after juicing. The other thing to note is that the pulp from this juicer is quite moist, so you know that you’re not extracting all of the juice like you do with the Green Star. However, I usually add the pulp to my dog’s food or put it on top of my salad or feed it to the bunnies in my yard or make raw dehydrated crackers from it (so, you can see, it doesn’t go to waste).

    All in all, I love both of my juicers and I’m happy to have and use both. I find that I drink a lot more juice having the Breville due to its ease of use and cleaning, but I love having my Green Star for times I juice wheatgrass, make other things besides juice, or for those days that I need to make my juice made ahead of time.

    Cheers,

    Kristen Suzanne

     

  • i’d recommend an excalibur dehydrator and a champion juicer. those seem to the be the popular choices. downfall of the champion is that it doesn’t juice wheatgrass. had to a buy a smaller hand juicer for that, but no biggie.

  • TomsMomTomsMom Raw Newbie

    I’ve used both the Champion and the Omega 8003(borrowed from my Mom!) for my juicing, and after experimenting with them both, I settled for buying the Omega 8003. Both juicers have pros and cons.

    What you choose will depend on what you want to juice. If you’re wanting to juice a lot of leafy greens and things like celery and cabbage, you might want to get the Omega, since the Champion does not like leafy, dryish things like kale or cabbage, or lots of stringiness like you would get from celery. It also does not juice soft things like tomatoes well, althouh it makes a great squishy food from them. However, the Champion does extract more juice from hard, crip watery foods like carrots and apples. It’s great for that. Don’t get me wrong, if you only want to juice small amounts of things like kale, the Champion will do it, but it’s not hot for larger amounts.

    One of the things people say about the Omega is taht the pulp is drier. I would be aware that some of this dryness is because the pulp is not chewed up as finely and it’s not really that dry. I sent the pulp for my carrots back through and got considerably more juice. I could also squeeze it out with my hands on the first run pulp. So juice the pulp at least once more.

    On dehydrators: I’ve only used the Exaliber and liked it very much. Most people here recommend it and they use it a lot, so I would go with their advice there.

  • There has been a lot of concern about the Excalibur being constructed of plastic and opinions that stainless steel is better. I copied this from the Excalibur website. Hope this helps.

    Plastic vs. Stainless --Which is Better for Dehydration?

    As stainless steel appliances have come into fashion one question remains- is stainless steel better than plastic for food dehydration? Well it depends- Not all stainless steel is created equal just like not all plastics are the same. Some people are under the misconception that stainless steel is healthier and of higher quality than plastic. However, it all depends on the grade of stainless steel. Lower grades of stainless steel can be mixed with other metals which can change in color, density and safety when coming into contact with heat and food.

    Excalibur has been the leader in Dehydration technology for over 35 years. We lead the commercial dehydrator market with our premier-quality, double-walled stainless steel dehydrators so we know the important features that are mandatory for health and safety when it comes to dehydration and working with stainless steel.

    When looking at a stainless steel dehydrator here are the questions you MUST ask when it comes to your health and safety:

    1) What type of stainless steel is the dehydrator made out of?- Not all stainless steel is the same- to make it stainless, cheaper-lower grades are mixed with other metals which can change the color, density and safety when coming into contact with heat and food.

    2) What are the Trays made of? – Many low grade stainless steel dehydrators do not come with stainless steel trays- they are sold with trays that are Chrome plated and/or nickel plated. Keep in mind your food is setting on these trays. Over time this plating can chip off in your foods and rust. Chrome plating usually makes use of hexavalent chromium (Cr+6). Many studies in the last decade have shown it to be dangerous citing evidence that hexavalent chromium causes lung cancer and other serious health conditions. Because of these health concerns, the chrome plating process has come under increased regulations in the U.S. based on chrome’s hazardous and environmentally toxic properties. In order to avoid increased regulations many companies have moved their operations overseas. Most Important-If you purchase a stainless steel dehydrator- Make sure that the Trays are 100% stainless steel. In our commercial dehydrators we use only 100% stainless steel trays.

    3) Where is the dehydrator manufactured?- beware of low-grade stainless steel coming out of China- and chrome plated trays from overseas. Excalibur is proud to be a U.S. made product.

    4) Is the Dehydrator a green product? Stainless steel is not green. It is a necessity in commercial applications—but not needed for home use. Support Green Products, Buy Recycled, Buy Green!

    5) How long has the manufacturer been in business and what is the warranty?-Beware of companies that purchase low grade dehydrators from China and put their name on it. Parts might not be available when needed and many of them cook foods rather than dehydrate them.

    6) Are the edges rounded and seamless for easy cleaning? Low grade units will have sharp 90 degree corners and have cracks/crevices where the metal comes together. This is where food can become lodged creating the perfect environment for mold and bacteria to grow.

    Why our FDA Approved Polycarbonate Construction is Better than Stainless Steel for Home Use.

    High quality stainless steel is appropriate for businesses but it’s much too expensive for home owners- the key word is high quality stainless. Anyone can make a low grade stainless steel dehydrator and include chrome plated trays, but you do not know what has been mixed with the stainless steel – and chrome plated trays can pose health concerns.

    Some customers have asked us to make a stainless steel home dehydrator like our commercial dehydrators. To produce a homeowner-priced stainless steel dehydrator, we would have to seriously downgrade components- going to single-wall construction, for example, which has rough edges and is hot to the touch. We pride ourselves in providing high quality products and support using green products whenever possible. Stainless steel is appropriate for commercial uses but unnecessary for home use. Here are some key reasons why Polycarbonate is better than stainless steel for home use:

    Excalibur’s Tray Screen Material is made from FDA Approved Polypropylene #5 which is one of the safest plastics for direct food contact. We use polycarbonate as the Case material because it is virtually indestructible however; we use polypropylene #5 for the parts that your food sits on because it is the safest plastics for food contact available. * Please note that food does not come into contact with polycarbonate- the plastic that your food sits on in the Excalibur is polypropylene NOT polycarbonate* FDA Approved polycarbonate is safe when used at low temperature under 160 degrees F and will not give off harmful fumes like low-quality plastic dehydrators. The use of polycarbonate plastic for food contact applications has been and continues to be recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food, the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and other regulatory authorities worldwide. Important—make sure that you have FDA Approved for Food Contact polycarbonate as there are different types of polycarbonates Polycarbonate is a natural heat insulator so it works well in dehydration, better than single walled stainless steel which can heat up and cook your foods. Excalibur dehydrators are made in the U.S.A. Recently with so many problem products like poisonous pet food, faulty tires, and toxic toys coming out of China, buying a U.S. made products should be your first choice when it comes to your health and safety and that of your family. Excalibur home dehydrators are green products. At Excalibur our products are designed to be environmentally conscious. We are constantly rethinking our products to see how we can reduce our environmental impact. The chrome plating of others trays are of great concern for us not only because of the health concerns but the toxic effect on the environment. Excalibur has been the leader in Dehydration technology for over 35 years. We lead the commercial dehydrator market so we know the important features that are mandatory for health and safety when it comes to dehydration and working with stainless steel. Ultimately we want consumers to have a great dehydration experience and hope that providing you with some key points to look for in a dehydrator helps to educate you as consumers.

    Click here for Web Specials

    Click here for more info on our Commercial Dehydrators

    Written by: Shauna Verkade, CEO Back

    Plastic vs. Stainless --Which is Better for Dehydration? - Excalibur food Dehydrators & Dehydration – News and Articles

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