I have heard about raw dehydrated bread and I saw that those that have a dehydrator they use to put also other sort of raw food there (tomatoes, zucchini etc.)

I was thinking how healthy and close to raw food is something like this. If I understand right, the dehydrator removes any hydration from the food(s), which is completely the opposite from what a raw vegan wants. In fact a raw vegan has fewer needs in drinking water because the food that he eats is hydrated.

I would like to read your thoughts on this.

~~~
Each inhalation brings the outside world inside and each exhalation brings the inner world outside. You are bridging two worlds. Maintaining your balance you proceed further to the subtler realms ~

Skyfeather,

I'm not sure what you mean when you say a dehydrator removes any hydration from foods? A dehydrator removes/reduces water content, but not to zero. Many raw vegans, particularly those on a fruit-based diet, forego a dehydrator because it doesn't contribute to their daily intake the same way a blender or juicer would. That said, many raw vegan do have them, esp those into raw gourmet foods or those who make their own "sun dried tomatoes", fruit leathers, trail mix, kale chips, etc.

It's not either or. You can use a dehydrator as a tool in preparing dried foods or warming but not killing enzymes during the winter time.

I would let my dehydrators go (I own both a Sedona and Excalibur) before I would part with my juicers or blenders. But they are a valuable part of my kitchen and I use them regularly.

Paul

For me dehydrated food is akin to cooked food (that cooked food which is not harmful per se but which due to heating has reduced nutrients/other goodies compared to fresh raw stuff).

Just think of what you do when you dehydrate things. You cut them up, sometimes blend them, then spread them out and blow the air over them for hours, and even days. Can you imagine the amount of oxidation the food undergoes? People sometimes complain that blenders/juicers aren't as good as fresh stuff, because of the oxidation, and they invent super expensive masticating devices to win a nutrient or two. Well blending is about a minute. Compared to 14hours of dehydration??

Definitely if you can afford it a dehydrator can be useful, to make dried fruits, crackers or gourmet recipes. But I would not make dehydrated food the staple of my diet. It's an occasional treat, or for special occasions such as travelling, or to combat a particular craving. But otherwise, I would rather spend my daily calorie allowance on fresh food, to maximise the goodness that goes into my body.

>Banana ice-cream rocks!<

I wanted substitutes for things like commercial potato chips....things with a real crunch.
I would dry things in my Excalibur for days and not get that same effect.
If I did,as soon as you bring the food out into the humid air,they would soften right up.
So the best I was able to attain was "leather" of all types.
And then...theres the electric bill too.
If thats what you like,go for it.
It now sits on the shelf.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2012 01:54PM by eaglefly.

experiences differ. You can certainly try baking on a low temp in an oven as some have suggested or sun drying at different times of year. As a method of preservation, dehydrating is certainly less expensive than freezing. For me, I use mine for flax crackers, warming marinades or soups, making kale chips, manna bread, fruit leathers, "sun dried" tomatoes for marinara sauce, etc.

It's a tool. It partly depends on what you want to do with it. Prices range from less than $100 at a Walmart for a circular cheapie (some work really well) to a Sedona or commercial model which can be $500+.

I guess at the end, reflect on what you want it for before you buy and consider the tradeoffs of different models at different price points.

Here's a $40 Aroma 5 tray circular dehydrator. [www.amazon.com] This one even rotates, something that my Sedona at 10 x the price won't do! If you opt for a budget dehydrator, go for parchment paper instead of teflex. It's cheap & BPA free. Here's a demo. [www.youtube.com]

This Nesco model runs around $60 and has temp control. [www.amazon.com] Also more highly rated than the Aroma. I own a Sedona and an Excalibur, bit more money, different design.

Paul



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/2012 05:09PM by pborst.

chat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> For me dehydrated food is akin to cooked food
> (that cooked food which is not harmful per se but
> which due to heating has reduced nutrients/other
> goodies compared to fresh raw stuff).
>
> Just think of what you do when you dehydrate
> things. You cut them up, sometimes blend them,
> then spread them out and blow the air over them
> for hours, and even days. Can you imagine the
> amount of oxidation the food undergoes? People
> sometimes complain that blenders/juicers aren't as
> good as fresh stuff, because of the oxidation, and
> they invent super expensive masticating devices to
> win a nutrient or two. Well blending is about a
> minute. Compared to 14hours of dehydration??
>
> Definitely if you can afford it a dehydrator can
> be useful, to make dried fruits, crackers or
> gourmet recipes. But I would not make dehydrated
> food the staple of my diet. It's an occasional
> treat, or for special occasions such as
> travelling, or to combat a particular craving. But
> otherwise, I would rather spend my daily calorie
> allowance on fresh food, to maximise the goodness
> that goes into my body.

Yes chat I agree. I am on the raw path and I prefer raw food for my system. As about the 20-25% of my non-raw diet, I find it too much to wait 14 hours for the dehydrator to prepare my food..

Uhmm.. perhaps I will give it a second thought when the cravings start "behaving" like a separate entity inside me D

~~~
Each inhalation brings the outside world inside and each exhalation brings the inner world outside. You are bridging two worlds. Maintaining your balance you proceed further to the subtler realms ~



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2012 07:55AM by SkyFeather ~.

Paul, ever own a cheapo like the Nesco? I am slightly intrigued. I was one of those who wanted a dehydrator like no one's business but I have been taking the side of those who prefer fresh over dried. However, I would like to make sprouted breads and crackers, as well as make kale chips and dried tomatoes and apples. It concerns me that the Excalibur makes all that noise supposedly, although if it's white noise then it might even be a plus. The price is a sticking point unless I plan to use it all the time, which I may not be doing.

I had to watch a YT video to understand how a dehydrator works. Well.. it's an electric device and the lady at the video said she usually sets it on to 140 degrees.
And I was thinking.. 140 degrees multiplied to at least 12 hours of operation ??
Wow! what the power consumption digits have to say about that?..

It is already an expensive device, I guess it also consumes a lot of electrical energy, it dehydrates my originally moist natural foods..

So, why would I want to use one, just for a perfect bread substitute? Well.. I believe it's better to cut down, to eliminate that starch addiction.

~~~
Each inhalation brings the outside world inside and each exhalation brings the inner world outside. You are bridging two worlds. Maintaining your balance you proceed further to the subtler realms ~

What kind of oven do you have (if you have one)? Here in UK most of the modern ovens are fan-assisted, as they are supposed to be more efficient and so more environmentally friendly. But the point is they have a nice large fan in the middle of the back wall, which turns the oven into a perfect dehydrator once you open the door, and so you can try and dehydrate some things.

The only caveat is the oven must operate at sufficiently low temperature - ours goes as low ad 50c which is 122f, and so the food does not get heated higher than 105f. So far I've used it once - to make buckwheat apple cinnamon granola, just for the fun of it, and it turned out even better than the granola we bought already made

>Banana ice-cream rocks!<



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2012 09:47AM by chat.

banana who Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Paul, ever own a cheapo like the Nesco? I am
> slightly intrigued. I was one of those who wanted
> a dehydrator like no one's business but I have
> been taking the side of those who prefer fresh
> over dried. However, I would like to make sprouted
> breads and crackers, as well as make kale chips
> and dried tomatoes and apples. It concerns me that
> the Excalibur makes all that noise supposedly,
> although if it's white noise then it might even be
> a plus. The price is a sticking point unless I
> plan to use it all the time, which I may not be
> doing.

BW,

No, I never owned one. But I'm pleasantly suprised by hearing the success of those that have. For a budget conscious shopper, the NESCO and it's like seem to do pretty well. If you look at the youtube clip I put up, what this guy was able to do with parchment paper (a cheap alternative to teflex) and a budget dehydrator was pretty impressive. If you are going to be an occasional user, a budget dehydrator maybe an option. A used excalibur on Craigslist may also be an alternative worth looking at. Not likely to find many used Sedona's on Craigslist. And even if you did, they' probably be priced above a new NESCO.

The two most dehydrated things I make are pulp crackers and veggie chips (zucchini, kale). Because I do a lot of dehydrating, I never considered a budget dehydrator. But it looks based on the reviews on Amazon that the NESCO does pretty well at its price point. I would take it over the Aroma if only because it has a temp control instead of a 1-5 control. Any dehydrator that doesn't have temp control isn't worth buying, imho.

Edit: the dehydrator that Matt used in the youtube video was a NESCO. based on what I've seen and read, if I were going to buy a good budget dehydrator, I'd go NESCO. best.
Paul



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2012 03:01PM by pborst.

chat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What kind of oven do you have (if you have one)?
> Here in UK most of the modern ovens are
> fan-assisted, as they are supposed to be more
> efficient and so more environmentally friendly.
> But the point is they have a nice large fan in the
> middle of the back wall, which turns the oven into
> a perfect dehydrator once you open the door, and
> so you can try and dehydrate some things.
>
> The only caveat is the oven must operate at
> sufficiently low temperature - ours goes as low ad
> 50c which is 122f, and so the food does not get
> heated higher than 105f. So far I've used it once
> - to make buckwheat apple cinnamon granola, just
> for the fun of it, and it turned out even better
> than the granola we bought already made

Thanks for the tip chat, I live in the Netherlands and I believe it's also the same here. I don't own an oven myself and now that I am on raw diet, I won't buy one (don't need them)

~~~
Each inhalation brings the outside world inside and each exhalation brings the inner world outside. You are bridging two worlds. Maintaining your balance you proceed further to the subtler realms ~