[Madame Cholet]

Hello I'm Rachel and I suffer from gadgetosis

Snap!

[RJR_38]

It's arrived  really want to start using it now as I have some courgettes and raspberries..... But I know the sensible thing is to wait until tomorrow morning when I can spend most of the day watching it.....

I have no patience!

[surbie100]

Fill it with courgettes overnight...

I may be committing heresy but I didn't like dried raspberries. All pips and powder.

[New shoot]

What did you think of the watermelon Surbie?  Mine is nearly finished, but have tasted it a couple of times so far and I can't make my mind up whether I like it or not 

I've got halved black grapes in there as well as they needed using up.  They are lovely 

[RJR_38]

I so want to surbie but thought I should be around for most of the time when it is first on in case the machine is faulty or something?

Can you do 2 different things at the same time? So could I do a few shelves of courgette and a few of strawberries for example?

[Madame Cholet]

yes if you are sensible not smelly food like onions

[RJR_38]

Well the dehydrator is on - decided to just do strawberries for the first go so I can judge it better. Easy enough to programme the temp and time (can only do the temp in 5c steps which is annoying tho). Fairly quiet apart from the beeps to set it up - piercing! Why does everything have to beep?! It absolutely stinks if 'new plastic' at the moment so I am hoping that will go soon and not 'contaminate' the strawberries

[surbie100]

What did you think of the watermelon Surbie?  Mine is nearly finished, but have tasted it a couple of times so far and I can't make my mind up whether I like it or not 

I've got halved black grapes in there as well as they needed using up.  They are lovely 

Small Child ate the watermelon... Got mine filled with pineapple, apple rings next, then strawberries if I can find some cheapish ones.

[New shoot]

The watermelon got a lot better once it was out of the dehydrator.  The heat was keeping the texture very soft and that is what was putting me off.  When cool it has a nice chewy texture and tastes fine 

I have eaten half of the grapes already    They are so full of zingy flavour compared to shop bought sultanas or currants 

[RJR_38]

How do you know when stuff is 'done'? I've had the strawberries in for 9 1/2 hours and I think they're done so turned them off. They are quite 'chewy' - Is that right or should I have done it for longer? I guess I was kind of expecting them to go like the freeze dried ones?

[New shoot]

How do you know when stuff is 'done'? I've had the strawberries in for 9 1/2 hours and I think they're done so turned them off. They are quite 'chewy' - Is that right or should I have done it for longer? I guess I was kind of expecting them to go like the freeze dried ones?

As long as they are dry inside when you tear one open, they are done.  If you leave them for longer, they will continue to dry and go crispier.  The ones I did are crispy on the outside, but have a chewy texture within.

The higher the sugar content, the more chewy the eventual result.  Raspberries go more like the freeze dried ones you find in Jordan's cereal.  Pineapple and melon chunks, which I have tried recently, are again crispy on the surface, but chewy within.  Halved grapes have ended up with a pliable texture and a chew to them, but the flavour is amazing 

[RJR_38]

Thanks for that, really helpful. My slices were too thin to have a 'dry within' lol. I ended up putting them in for another hour to make sure and they didn't really change so must have been ok.

Going to try courgette crisps overnight tonight I think.

One more question (sorry) my strawberry slices 'stuck' to the shelves and I had to pull/peel them off - is that normal?

[Annen]

Nothing I have done has ended up like the bought dried things, some better some worse.  The bought foods have extra things done and added, I think.


My things stick to the trays too. I used some baking paper as a liner, but that was a big mistake as I think that is what has led to the trays cracking.  I think it interfered with the circulation of heat and the bottom trays have got too hot. One of the trays has completely disintegrated now.
Maybe a rub over with frylite might help stop it sticking.


Try beetroot crisps, they are very nice indeed.

[New shoot]

One more question (sorry) my strawberry slices 'stuck' to the shelves and I had to pull/peel them off - is that normal?

Yes perfectly normal 

You can use a really thin layer of cooking spray as Annen says, but I just usually peel stuff off.  If it gets really stuck, put the tray into the freezer until the food freezes and try again 

[RJR_38]

That's great. They were easy enough to peel off but just thought I would check that it didn't mean they were over/under done etc. I love beetroot crisps so as soon as some of mine get big enough.... (They were really slow to get going on the plot this year and are just bigger than golf balls at the moment)