Food dehydrators ?

[Char]

Have any of you used one of these contraptions? If so are they any good?

I usually dry my herbs by tying them in bunches and hanging them from the beams, but the air's too humid at the moment with all the rain we've had.

I'll have a big crop of elderberries to dry soon, and they'll definitely not dry properly unless we get a really really hot autumn - I tried drying these in the oven last year to speed the process up, but I think they got cooked rather than dried, as they aren't very tasty in my tea.

So, if anyone has used one I'd be very grateful for your opinion on them to save me from perhaps wasting money unnecessarily.

Many thanks

[Doug]

Never dried elderberries [mention]Char[/mention]
But have made elderberry rob, very good for cough's, winter sniffles and according to one website "man flue"
We also many times made a sticky drink, liquour, from them, yummy.

[Spectrum]

Thinking of getting one ourselves for next year, mainly for strawberries, sliced and dried, then put into cereal, porridge etc, got most of my burger/sausage making equipment from this firm also I get casings and ingredients, may be worth a look. WeschenfelderDirect.

[Char]

Thinking of getting one ourselves for next year, mainly for strawberries, sliced and dried, then put into cereal, porridge etc, got most of my burger/sausage making equipment from this firm also I get casings and ingredients, may be worth a look. WeschenfelderDirect.

Thanks - I'll have look.

[Josie]

Yes, I've got a dehydrator. Wouldn't be without it. Dried cherry tomatoes, greengages, figs, grapes, strawberries..the uses are endless. This year's experiment is a copy of the Rustica 'Secret d'Arome Plein Sud' seasoning. Mixed, dried herbs added to sea salt. I'll pass on the monosodium glutamate, though.
Elderberries woudn't take long to dry.

[Char]

Thanks Josie.

It looks like you get your monies worth out of yours.