I am new to this way of eating. I fancy quite a lot of the recipes that use a dehydrator but is it worth purchasing one as I see that they are quite expensive.

If you desire one, get it. You do not need one though.

no.

[utopiankitchen.wordpress.com]

This question has come up on this forum quite a few times, and you can find more answers to your question if you search the archives. The simple answer is that a dehydrator isn't at all necessary, but many people enjoy them. They make it possible to produce raw dishes which more closely mimic cooked foods you may be used to, and that makes them often very attractive to people trying to transition to a raw food diet. Many of the people on this forum have said that they eventually drifted away from using their dehydrators as they became more accustomed to eating raw, while I know some continue to use theirs regularly after years.

I've been transitioning to raw for about 9 months, and I'm still not eating 100% raw foods. I've enjoyed making dehydrated foods occasionally, and during the summer I dehydrated some fruits to store for the winter, but I could easily live without it. If I had the money to spend again I would probably put it toward a really nice masticating juicer.

Everyones different about the way they choose to eat raw. Some people, like me, eat only fresh raw foods but others eat some stale raw foods. I believe the reason the fresh raw foods resonate in my body in such a positive way is that the fresh raw foods have not suffered detrimental oxidation and loss of their natural water content. I really like high water content foods and don't want to eat them as low water content foods. I think water in foods is a good thing and I like my foods in their natural condition. That said, I am sure I am in the minority of raw food eaters who lives the raw food lifestyle at the pure end of the spectrum so you may want to disregard this post as being from a pure raw food eater and seek more mainstream opinions. I think its good to get different opinions so that you can make your decision from the vantage point of seeing all sides of any question. What I like best about this forum and why I post here is that it is a discussion forum unlike another forum I have seen that has rules against posting anything outside of the moderator's very narrow view of the raw food lifestyle. Discussion is good. Tolerance is also good. Its difficult to have a discussion without tolerance for the different points of view.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2008 03:44PM by EZ rider.

I have a dehydrator and it usually sits up on the shelf. In the summer though I do intend to use it to preserve some herbs and to store some items for the next winter. I did not get the fancy one though just one I found at a yard sale. I suggest to not spend a fortune on one.

ps, If you get a dehydrator I recommend you make sure it does not heat the foods to temperatures above 115 degrees F.

When I first heard about raw food I really wanted to get a dehydrator to make all those yummy looking recipes but I couldn't afford it. Now, only a few months in, I wouldn't get one even if I DID have the money. I don't think I could be bothered with the time it takes to make complex recipes when fruit and veg tastes so good just as it is.

No you don't NEED one. I use mine mostly in late summer to dehydrate the enormous amount of tomatoes from my garden. Once dehydrated they last a long time.

EZ rider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What I like best about this
> forum and why I post here is that it is a
> discussion forum unlike another forum I have seen
> that has rules against posting anything outside of
> the moderator's very narrow view of the raw food
> lifestyle. Discussion is good. Tolerance is also
> good. Its difficult to have a discussion without
> tolerance for the different points of view.


EZrider, know exactly what you're talking about and agree 100%.


Choclover, when I first delved into raw foods I was loving the crackers and all of that jazz. I dreamed of owning my own dehydrator, I was obsessed with it so I could make all of the gourmet raw recipes in the prep books I bought. I picked one up cheap on craiglist for 50 bucks. I went to town making flax crackers,breads...lots of stuff. Guess how long that lasted? 1 week. I used it about 4 times and then put it in the closet. Now I'm more inclined to eat fresh raw food and I use my blender and food processor more than anything else.

I also think it's seasonal thing for me...I got it in the winter and I had only been raw a few months. It helped me transition better and not grab old SAD/Vegan/Vegetarian comfort foods when there was no sun. Now that the weather is warmer and I'm vibrating in the glorious sun, I only want to drink juices, smoothies and eat avocados. It will be interesting to see if I pull it out again this winter...we shall see.

As far as price, it's all relative if you use it a lot you will get a good return on your investment. Even if you don't it's still a quality product in my opinion...the Excalibur I'm talking about.

But do you need one? Nope. You can easily do without it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2008 04:47PM by rawangel.

Nah you dont need one.

Plenty of lovely things you can make without if you fancy trying the gourmet style for a bit..

What EZ rider said. High water content fruit and veg all the way baby

I don't make enough faux cooked food (AKA "gourmet" raw/vegan food) to buy a dehydrator. I might buy one if I saw a super nice one for sale on Craigslist for a super low, low, low price. But, like EZ rider said, fresh raw/vegan food rocks!

For me, dried fruit is my emergency food at work in case I forget my lunch or didn't have time to make it and I've run out of bananas and apples in my desk. The combination of high sugar/low water in dried fruits isn't optimum for me so I need to limit my intake of it. Granted, it's way better than the McDonald's food that some of my co-workers run out for when they don't bring their lunches!

I'd also recommend dried fruits for a backpacking trip, or a long road trip. But fresh, unprocessed food rocks my world.

Yeah, if I had one, I might be tempted every great now and then to make some of those dishes with a lot of ingredients and a lot of individual steps. I might even make some of the more simple stuff. But I'm not rushing out to pay full price for something I wouldn't use too much. My priority is paying for the healthiest, most delicious food possible.

If you have unlimited money, by all means, buy a nice dehydrator, buy me one too. LOL!

All that said... some people love their dehydrators and love their dehydrated food. Just not my thing overall. Do what's best for you.

Preparing dehydrated meals is the main way I got my husband interested in raw foods. He was not previously interested in eating this way as I was. A dehydrator is great for warming other foods that are not meant for dehydrating but that some people would only eat warm. My husband strongly disliked the tasty raw chili I made since it was cold. I put it in the dehydrator for 10-20 minutes or so and he loved it. If you have any family members whom you hope to influence to eat raw foods, then a dehydrator would be an excellent investment. I use the excalibur. I got the nine tray for 200 bucks on ebay, with shipping and nonstick sheets included (those are normally extra).

well... i guess it depends on electric bill
i never had a dehydrator so i dont know how much it will up the electric bill

but i have heard how a lot of things need to be dehydrated for hours on end

so... may think about that

but like someone up there said, if that is your desire, might as well fulfill it till something else comes up to replace it

does anyone know what the deal is on dehydrators and electric bill?

I'm still in the transition stage, but I find that I use mine quite a bit.

I think it helps especially when I really want something warm.

I have to admit that even before I went mostly raw, the dehydrator was great because I didn't have space for it and my microwave. So it was easy choice, good bye microwave.

I never missed the microwave, but I have to admit it was funny when friends would come over and would bring over something that needed to be warmed up. They would ask where my microwave was. I said I didn't have one. They'd look at me strangely like I was clearly out of my mind (so you can imagine how they look at me now when I tell them I eat raw stuff most of the time). I even had one friend tell me he had a spare microwave I could have.

Anyway, I do have to admit I like having the dehydrator. Even if I don't use it, it still makes me feel better when I see a recipe that looks good and requires a dehydrator. That way I don't feel like I'm depriving myself because I know I could have it (although I'm typically too lazy to actually make a lot of that stuff.)

Gary