1. Welcome to Tacoma World!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tacoma discussion topics
    • Communicate privately with other Tacoma owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Dehydrator-Who uses one?

Discussion in 'Food Talk' started by FoxySandChick, Jan 22, 2011.

  1. Jan 22, 2011 at 3:41 AM
    #1
    FoxySandChick

    FoxySandChick [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2008
    Member:
    #9505
    Messages:
    2,956
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Kristin
    Henderson, NV
    Vehicle:
    07 DC 4x4 Base model V6 Impulse Red Pearl
    De-badged, limo tint, black wet okole's, weathertechs, extra d-rings, TSB bilsteins
    What do you make and post up some recipes :hungry:....

    I just bought one to make some homemade treats for my dogs, but figured why not make some stuff for ourselves also.
     
  2. Jan 22, 2011 at 4:08 AM
    #2
    Jigzor

    Jigzor Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Member:
    #17413
    Messages:
    3,072
    Gender:
    Male
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    20 Gladiator Rubicon
    Steersmarts Draglink, Tie rod, Track Bar
    I was looking at buying one, what model did you go with?
     
  3. Jan 22, 2011 at 4:18 AM
    #3
    FoxySandChick

    FoxySandChick [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2008
    Member:
    #9505
    Messages:
    2,956
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Kristin
    Henderson, NV
    Vehicle:
    07 DC 4x4 Base model V6 Impulse Red Pearl
    De-badged, limo tint, black wet okole's, weathertechs, extra d-rings, TSB bilsteins
    Ronco brand...cheap simple model, since I mainly got it to make dog treats.
    http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ronco-Five-Tray-Food-Dehydrator/5141321

    I did pineapple slices, apples, bananas to start and those were good. Others on my list are sweet potatoes, carrots and beef jerky. I might do chicken jerky, hearts & liver treats this weekend.
     
  4. Jan 22, 2011 at 4:35 AM
    #4
    Jigzor

    Jigzor Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Member:
    #17413
    Messages:
    3,072
    Gender:
    Male
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    20 Gladiator Rubicon
    Steersmarts Draglink, Tie rod, Track Bar

    Oh nice! I like that you can see in and also have the different layers.

    Thanks! Now back to your topic.
     
  5. Jan 22, 2011 at 4:39 AM
    #5
    t4daddy

    t4daddy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2010
    Member:
    #39041
    Messages:
    7,432
    Gender:
    Male
    North Alabama
    Vehicle:
    2008 PreRunner Double Cab
    Just made a big ole batch of beef jerky yesterday, the folks at work love it.
     
  6. Jan 22, 2011 at 4:40 AM
    #6
    FLtaco

    FLtaco Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2010
    Member:
    #40249
    Messages:
    647
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Nick
    Cocoa beach, fl
    Vehicle:
    05 prerunner dc
    Painted stock wheels, bfg km2s, 5100s front and rear, tc spindles, add a leaf, 3" block, debaged, flowmaster exhaust, 2nd air filter removed, wheel spacers and k&n air filter
    My uncle makes killer beef jerky with his. If I can find recipe I'll post it
     
  7. Jan 22, 2011 at 4:40 AM
    #7
    Simon's Mom

    Simon's Mom Wag More Bark Less

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2007
    Member:
    #1297
    Messages:
    10,171
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Judy or Jude :)
    NEK Island Pond VT
    Vehicle:
    13 TRD OR DC MGM
    Stock for now
    That looks pretty cool Kristin. I do not have one but now am intrigued. Is it hard to do?
    Or do you just slice & dice, arrange, and voila you have scoobie snacks?
    That would be great for making some for Simon & on the trail mixes.
     
  8. Jan 22, 2011 at 5:07 AM
    #8
    FoxySandChick

    FoxySandChick [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2008
    Member:
    #9505
    Messages:
    2,956
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Kristin
    Henderson, NV
    Vehicle:
    07 DC 4x4 Base model V6 Impulse Red Pearl
    De-badged, limo tint, black wet okole's, weathertechs, extra d-rings, TSB bilsteins
    It's rather easy really! Yup, slice and arrange, leave sit for so many hours and yummy snacks. They come with a manual that has tips on how to prepare certain foods and what sizes to cut things so that's a good guideline to start with.
    I sliced everything too thin and left it on a bit too long, so it's a bit of trial and error. The book said it would take a day, so I left it on when I went to work and 10 hours was too long and I wasn't there to check every few hours, so completely my fault. I live in the dry desert with no humidity so everything dries faster here.

    I put some cinnamon and a little sugar on the apple slices and that was tasty! The pineapple slices were out of a can and those came out nice. Banana chips are a little sweet so those were good.

    gt12021_9037b58e34c124bf73dbda4029c7033cd9d22286.jpg
    gt12024_0f364f049e4ef6e9421b903c352abb076a740d32.jpg
    gt12023_27783f3945837c037eca9f21d6eed4f276dacac6.jpg
    That's 1 apple and 1 banana.

    The dogs liked all of the fruits I made, good treats for us and them!
    I started with fruits I had in the house, so if I messed up my 1st time it wouldn't cost a lot of $$ lol.
    I'm doing meats next, I'm reading those stink so I'm going to do it on the back patio since it's 60 degrees here.
     
  9. Jan 22, 2011 at 5:13 AM
    #9
    FoxySandChick

    FoxySandChick [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2008
    Member:
    #9505
    Messages:
    2,956
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Kristin
    Henderson, NV
    Vehicle:
    07 DC 4x4 Base model V6 Impulse Red Pearl
    De-badged, limo tint, black wet okole's, weathertechs, extra d-rings, TSB bilsteins

    What cuts of beef are best to use?
     
  10. Jan 22, 2011 at 8:31 AM
    #10
    Simon's Mom

    Simon's Mom Wag More Bark Less

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2007
    Member:
    #1297
    Messages:
    10,171
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Judy or Jude :)
    NEK Island Pond VT
    Vehicle:
    13 TRD OR DC MGM
    Stock for now
    Awesome pics Kristin, I am sold now & with my job ending in 5 days will have time to make up bunches of snacks lol...
    Thanks for the pics!
    Simon and I can definitely use healthy alternatives to our snacking...:)
     
  11. Jan 22, 2011 at 8:47 AM
    #11
    0wrx2

    0wrx2 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 4, 2008
    Member:
    #6406
    Messages:
    81
    Gender:
    Male
    north nj / upstate ny
    Vehicle:
    '10 trd sport 4x4. dbl cab. shrt bed.
    i just got an excalibur for christmas. used it a few times so far to make jerky and some fruit. works great.
     
  12. Jan 23, 2011 at 8:37 PM
    #12
    Corvidae

    Corvidae Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2011
    Member:
    #49592
    Messages:
    21
    Gender:
    Male
    I use an Excalibur for my jerky. I used to use the Ronco one, but it doesn't heat evenly and you can't control the temperature.
     
  13. Jan 23, 2011 at 8:47 PM
    #13
    AvsFanTRD

    AvsFanTRD Oh gravity, thou art a heartless bitch!

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2009
    Member:
    #20761
    Messages:
    3,253
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Brandon
    Wyoming
    Vehicle:
    2008 TRD Off Road Black
    rear suspension TSB, sockmonkey bed decals, weathertech floor liners, TRD seat covers, tailgate pop n lock, rear diff breather relocation, center console lock, Viper Alarm, extra D-rings in bed, 5100's on all 4 corners
    I don't have one, but definitley have been wanting to get one! Just have no clue who makes a good one.
     
  14. Jan 24, 2011 at 5:12 AM
    #14
    t4daddy

    t4daddy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2010
    Member:
    #39041
    Messages:
    7,432
    Gender:
    Male
    North Alabama
    Vehicle:
    2008 PreRunner Double Cab

    I use a "Top Eye" round roast, it's a big muscle with very little fat, just a little on one side that comes of very easy, slice against the grain (I use a meat slicer for uniform cuts) soak/marinate in Dales for at least five hours, sprinkle on my own spices of equal parts red, white and black pepper and garlic salt. Then to the drying process. After it's dried, I like to keep it in a gallon zip lock bag, but NOT sealed all the way, this let's some moisture back in (humidity) and makes the jerky way better IMO. I actually discovered this by accident, but have kept doing it.
     
  15. Jan 25, 2011 at 5:11 AM
    #15
    FoxySandChick

    FoxySandChick [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2008
    Member:
    #9505
    Messages:
    2,956
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Kristin
    Henderson, NV
    Vehicle:
    07 DC 4x4 Base model V6 Impulse Red Pearl
    De-badged, limo tint, black wet okole's, weathertechs, extra d-rings, TSB bilsteins
    Nope you can't control the temp and it's not perfectly even, but that probably varies by what you have on the trays too. In the book it says to rotate the trays up and down and also turn them every couple hours to dry more evenly.
    It was the only one I could find locally and I just needed a cheapo for dog treats ;). I don't suggest it for people doing some serious dehydrating!
     
  16. Jan 25, 2011 at 5:12 AM
    #16
    FoxySandChick

    FoxySandChick [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2008
    Member:
    #9505
    Messages:
    2,956
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Kristin
    Henderson, NV
    Vehicle:
    07 DC 4x4 Base model V6 Impulse Red Pearl
    De-badged, limo tint, black wet okole's, weathertechs, extra d-rings, TSB bilsteins
    This weekend I did chicken breast jerky and I made beef chunks out of 'stew meat', I also tossed a few chicken hearts on that I had. The dogs LOVE it :D.

    I'm going to do chicken liver next weekend and maybe some sweet potatoes. Once I get use to cooking for the dogs I'll try some jerky for us.
     
  17. Jan 25, 2011 at 5:36 AM
    #17
    comatosed

    comatosed Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 17, 2009
    Member:
    #27749
    Messages:
    253
    Gender:
    Male
    Central Florida
    Vehicle:
    Silver TRD Sport
    TRD roof rack, Roof Basket, Weather Tech liners, Wet Okole seat covers, bed mat, AFE Pro Dry Filter, Eclipse AVN726E dvd/nav, kicker door speakers, 8" kicker sub & amp, fox 2.0 coil overs, moab 2.0 front bumper, Full CBI Skid Set, CBI Offroad rear Bumper, CBI Sliders, BFG AT KO 2, Leer Topper setup for camping. Other mods-full synthetic, carbon filter, de-badged, center console lock.
    kale chips ftw!
     
  18. Feb 1, 2011 at 4:50 AM
    #18
    FoxySandChick

    FoxySandChick [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2008
    Member:
    #9505
    Messages:
    2,956
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Kristin
    Henderson, NV
    Vehicle:
    07 DC 4x4 Base model V6 Impulse Red Pearl
    De-badged, limo tint, black wet okole's, weathertechs, extra d-rings, TSB bilsteins
    Judy....I just made chicken livers for the dogs and they love them! They took a long time to dry and I had to put them on wax paper till they hardened a little or they will drip through the holes. I forgot to snap a pic. Also, don't feed too many cause liver can cause the runs... ;)
     
  19. Feb 1, 2011 at 5:04 AM
    #19
    Simon's Mom

    Simon's Mom Wag More Bark Less

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2007
    Member:
    #1297
    Messages:
    10,171
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Judy or Jude :)
    NEK Island Pond VT
    Vehicle:
    13 TRD OR DC MGM
    Stock for now
    Thanks Kristin...Simon will love it...going to pick one up today since I have more time on my hands. How did they like the stew meat jerky?
     
  20. Feb 1, 2011 at 5:37 AM
    #20
    FoxySandChick

    FoxySandChick [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2008
    Member:
    #9505
    Messages:
    2,956
    Gender:
    Female
    First Name:
    Kristin
    Henderson, NV
    Vehicle:
    07 DC 4x4 Base model V6 Impulse Red Pearl
    De-badged, limo tint, black wet okole's, weathertechs, extra d-rings, TSB bilsteins
    Loved it of course!! lol
    Those have to be cut into smaller chunks and dried for a long time. They worked well because they aren't a fatty cut. I'll probably do these again soon. I had a hard time cutting the chicken breast thin enough, so I have to figure out some other way to do that or have the butcher do it.

    I've found that meats take about 18+ hours here and fruits/veggies take about 8+. Varies by how humid and the temp of where you live too though.

    Oh and do meats in a garage, not in the house, cause they stink!

    I didn't really cut up the chicken livers much, except the big chunks I cut those apart. Basically they were about the size of a quater to half dollar each. Dry till brittle and crispy. I feed 2 a day max.

    I'll do sweet potatoes, apples, bananas and pineapple again in a couple weeks.
     

Products Discussed in

To Top