This is the most inexpensive dehydrator we could find which will start you off on your cooking and drying adventures, knowing you will be eating all good quality home made food and saving yourself a packet in the process.
Using this dehydrator you can dry a variety of foods and herbs which is an excellent, natural way of preserving their goodness and concentrating and enhancing their flavours. Make your own banana chips, dried mango or jerky (sorry vegetarians!) in this dehydrator and you will notice the difference in flavour from shop bought products.
For the outdoors person, there is no end to the list of foods, raw and cooked, which you can create for use on the hill. Fruits, gorp, raw veg. cooked meals, snacks, sauces, puddings, fruit wraps can cover virtually every dietary need and taste.
It just has a simple 'on/off' button, there is no temperature variation control which means that foods may take longer to dehydrate than other machines we also sell.
The trays are not as deep as the Stockli and L'Equip dehydrators, however shouldn't be too much of an issue as the larger the food to dehydrate the longer it takes, and also the more time is required to 're-hydrate' it when out on the hill. So keeping it in small pieces to better all around.
Each tray is removable for easy cleaning and the whole machine doesn't take up too much work surface space.
This affordable dehydrator with drawer-style drying trays offers a very economical introduction to dehydrating and drying can be monitored by simply sliding out the drawers to give the best possible access to the contents. The Hottop KN–128P offers a compact solution for the space-challenged kitchen and changing the position of the trays during drying couldn’t be easier. Heat is distributed evenly around the drying area by the fan at the bottom of the unit and trays can be rotated during the drying process to equalize drying times for each tray. Drying is achieved with a miserly power consumption of 250 watts, which means the Hottop is also very cheap to run.
The dimensions of these sliding trays means you will be able to use the puree/wet food trays also sold on this site to dry sauces and stews etc. Or you could use a Orikaso folding dish also sold on this site for larger portions.
Please note: You can't 'over dehydrate' food! Once all the moisture has gone that's it, and if you leave it for another few hours more, no food will be ruined. Also, when re-hydrating food, it will only ever absorb what it has lost and the excess liquid will just make the sauce (for example) more watery.
Example use.
Taking a home made pasta sauce portion, it will probably take 8 -16 hours to dry. I usually leave it overnight, inspecting it in the morning and breaking it into smaller pieces and turning it over to expose the still damp areas. Then I leave it for another few hours until I am sure it is completely dry.
I drain a tin of tuna in brine then add that to the dryer. It turns virtually to dust in 4-6 hours.
Cooked pasta can also be dried, and this usually takes 6-8 hours.( Cooked pasta re-hydrates faster than cooking pasta from fresh)
Once both are dry I pack them into plastic bags and write on them what it is and the number of portions and put them in a cool dark place, ie the freezer. (I've eaten meals which have been stored in this way over a year old without loss of taste, but the suggested maximum time limit is six months)
Once on the hill, when I stop for a lunch brew, I add hot water to the pasta sauce in a nalgene container to start the re-hydration process off, seal it and pop it back in my pack.
When I set up camp, I simply pour the sauce into a pan and heat through adding extra water, to which when simmering, I add a pinch or two of dried tuna, depending on my taste that evening.
I then add the dried pasta and leave for 3-5 mins. Keeping an eye on it from time to time, just in case it requires a bit more water.
When the time comes, I try to find a spot with a good view, and watch the sun go down as I enjoy the simple pleasure of home made rich tuna and tomato pasta, while I smugly add up the fact that the whole meal probably cost me less than £2! Features
5 Trays
Dimensions (l x w x h) 350x340x250 (mm)
|
|
Your basket has 0 items (£0.00)
|
|
|
|
|
