Homestead Acres

oh, how exciting! you have convinced me that we need one too. our favorite dried fruit is pineapples too, and when they are on sale here for less than a dollar each we can’t eat them fast enough! plus with a dehydrator i wouldn’t have to stand over it the whole time, that is a plus.

Hi – I use a dehydrator almost 24 hours everyday of the week. I absolutely love it for food pantry storage. As you stated, the food takes up very little room and will last for years if stored properly.

First, let me state that I am not a representative of any company and I get no money for my opinion(s), etc on any of the things I am about to say.

This is just my own experience, which might or might not be helpful to someone else looking at getting a dehydrator. As I stated, I really do run mine almost 24 hours each day.

I just wanted to make a comment about types of dehydrators. I too wanted an Excalibur, however, I had only seen them on- line, not in person and before I bought one I wanted to at least compare with others, etc.

At the particular time we were looking for a dehydrator Bass Pro Shop had several on sale so we went there. They had several different brands including two different models of the Excalibur. We probably spent at the very least one hour in the store comparing the dehydrators. Now for me, I cannot compare something I cannot see, touch, etc., so if the item is not on the shelf then I open the box to be able to look at the item – how does the store really expect you to buy something that you cannot look at (I know this will upset many people that I do this – however, I am always very careful to repackage just as it was before I took it out of the box). Anyway, after comparing and writing down pros and cons of each different dehydrator we came home (without a dehydrator) and I put my little fingers on the internet to compare and to see reviews of the different ones we had looked at.

Now I had already convinced myself on the Excalibur – I really wanted it. However, after seeing the different models, some that were less expensive and some that we way more expensive we chose something other than the Excalibur.

Our choice had to do with the performance and features – not the price.

We chose to buy the Gardenmaster FD-1010SK Dehydrator. Some of the features are – it has 4 trays that can expand to 30 trays and it has the highest wattage – 1000 watts of drying power. This means you can dry more, faster.

How this differs from other “round” dehydrators is that the fan forces heated air up the exterior pressurized chamber, then horizontally across each individual tray, converging in the center, for fas drying. I don’t have to rotate trays, etc. and I can dry more than one type of food as there is no flavor mixing either. The drying pressure adjusts automatically to the number of trays. Not only that but the 1000 watt dryer makes it a breeze to dehydrate anything

Not only that but the Excalibur while I am sure is a good dehydrator does not even compare in the quality and workmanship of the Gardenmaster. The Gardenmaster’s base is made of metal – heavy and would not be easy to be knocked off or tipped over (this is also where the motor is). It also has a clear lid that I can see the top tray in (just a little feature that I like) and all the trays interlock so that they too don’t get knocked off each other.

Now, it too was very comparable in price to the Excalibur. The Gardenmaster price was $149.00 – but I can definately tell you it has well been worth every penny.

Anyway, you don’t need to take my word as gospel. Before you buy one, as they are expensive – and if you are like me, you will be running it day and night – do some research and compare them.

If anyone is interested in dehydrating resources, etc. let me know and I will pass along my experience on how I store the foods I dehydrate in our food pantry, etc.

Again, not trying to be a know-it-all – this is just my experience.

Thanks for listening – Deb (dkyser@elmore.rr.com)