Dehydrator and Jerky Maker Review
Excalibur 3526TB 5 Tray Dehydrator with Timer Black
5 Premium 14″ X 14″ Non-stick Dehydrator Sheets
Mary Bell’s Complete Dehydrator Cookbook by Mary Bell Hardcover
I never thought I would be excited about dehydrating food and even making beef jerky, but here I am. When I thought about how I could store food longer and make nutritious snacks for my family, an Excalibur Dehydrator was my first choice after extensive research and reviews. I made a great decision, and you should too.
So what have I made with my awesome Excalibur dehydrator? My most recent recipe was Honey-dipped Banana Chips. Since I live in South Florida we get a harvest of fresh bananas from our backyard on a fairly regular basis. When the full stalk ripens we have about 50 bananas that are all ready to eat at about the same time. We don’t own a monkey zoo, so I needed to create something that lasts.
The Honey-dipped Banana Chips were made by first creating a honey, sugar and warm water solution. I sliced the peeled bananas thinly and used a strainer to dip the slices in the honey solution then strained them (some recipes recommend washing off this dip, I did not) and patted them dry. The slices were placed on the non-stick tray liners with a little space between each. The temperature was 145 for 24 hours (my slices were thicker than you should cut them, lesson learned). Rotate the trays every few hours for even drying.
I have used The Excalibur Dehydrator 5 Tray unit to dry strawberries, blueberries, candied orange slices, peas, carrots and a few tasty beef jerkies. The list of what you can dehydrate is nearly endless. The 26 hour timer makes it great for the busy person and I suggest Mary Bell’s Complete Dehydrator Cookbook for creative ideas.
Amy Alton, ARNP
Doom and Bloom
Excalibur 3526TB 5 Tray Dehydrator with Timer Black
5 Premium 14″ X 14″ Non-stick Dehydrator Sheets
Mary Bell’s Complete Dehydrator Cookbook by Mary Bell Hardcover
