Frequently Asked Questions

We want to help you with this journey called FOOD DEHYDRATION.  We strive to answer your questions as quickly as we can.  But first please take a look through our collection of FAQ'S or visit our Our New, Improved Members Only Club! 
Thank you & happy dehydrating!

What is the best food dehydrator in your opinion?

The absolute best is stainless steel throughout.  Stainless steel including the racks, is the ultimate.  It is more expensive, but will last a lifetime or more.  We highly recommend the Sausage Maker stainless steel food dehydrators.  But if it is not in your budget, we use and highly recommend Excalibur food dehydrators.  We sell the 2500, 2900, 3500, 3900 plus Excalibur Premium Paraflexx non stick drying sheets, d Oxygen absorbers, sizes 50cc, 100cc, 200cc, 300cc, 500cc & 1000cc, mylar bags and our full line of dehydrated foods!

What are oxygen absorbers & why do I need them?

Oxygen absorbers are your best friends when dehydrating and storing your foods.  I have a video about them here.  After dehydrating foods, store them in glass jars and/or vacuum sealed bags.  Put food in jar and then before sealing the jar, put in a 50cc, 100cc, 200cc, 300cc, 500cc or 1000cc oxygen absorber.  When choosing an oxygen absorber size, think of how much air will be in the container.  If there is little air, choose a 50cc.  Or if you are using a bucket, choose the 500cc-1000cc.  Please let me know if you have any questions about oxygen absorbers.  Contact me at ask@efooddehydrator.com. 
An oxygen absorber is a small packet of material used to prolong the shelf life of food. They are used in food packaging to prevent food color change, to stop oils in foods from becoming rancid, and also retard the growth of oxygen-using aerobic microorganisms such as fungi.

Oxygen supports the growth of microorganisms and causes changes in color and rancid odors in packaged foods. Plastic packaging is less able to exclude oxygen from packaged foods than are the older glass and metal containers. Oxygen absorbers absorb oxygen and effectively reduce the aerobic environment to 0% oxygen. Therefore aerobic bacteria and fungi are unable to grow in this environment. This will extend the shelf life of a food product from 1 week to several months. The advantages of oxygen satchels versus vacuum packaging are that the food products are not crushed or squeezed, as some products are of high value and are fragile, and its simplicity of use.

Oxygen absorbers are made in different formulations to match the water activity of the foods they are protecting. Some are designed to be used in dry foods such as nuts and dried grains, others with moister foods such as bread and processed meats, but its main ingredient is iron oxide and a little bit of water in most of the formulations. Some other ingredient may added to make the oxygen absorbers work more efficiently as well.
We are pleased to offer our full line of oxygen absorbers, here.

Do I need Excalibur Premium Paraflexx non stick drying sheets?

I would highly recommend having at least 2 or more in your kitchen.  They are quality, strong and last a long time.  They are easy to clean and reuse again and again.

After I buy my dehydrator from you, I have a question.  Do you provide support after the sale?

ABSOLUTELY!  We appreciate your business before, during and after the sale.  We provide you with our contact details and our MEMBERS ONLY CLUB.  It features our food dehydration videos, articles, discussions, blogs and forum.  This is all to support our biggest asset, YOU, our client.

How long do I have to dehydrate foods before they are dry?

It depends on what food you are working with.  If you are drying papaya, it takes about 13 hours.  Bananas take about 12 hours.  Apples about 14 hours.  We have over 44 videos on food dehydrations at http://www.youtube.com/efooddehydrator.  Visit our free MEMBERS ONLY CLUB and search our extensive database of food dehydration articles, videos, blogs, forums and more.  Visit http://www.efooddehydrator.com/members. 

I want to start a dehydrated foods supply to store in my basement.  Do you sell these products?

Yes, we are proud to feature quality dehydrated foods.  We feature dehydrated food kits, variety packages & single #10 cans.  If you would like to see what we offer, please visit http://www.efooddehydrator.com/store.  We look forward to helping you today!

I would love to see your food dehydration videos available on CD.  Do you offer this?

THIS IS COMING VERY SOON!  More details will follow.

How easy is it to clean food dehydrator trays?

VERY EASY!  I have created a variety of great videos on how easy it is to clean the trays.  See it here- www.youtube.com/efooddehydrator.  The mesh liners that sit on top of the trays are dishwasher safe.  I usually soak them in the sink and they clean off so well. If you have any questions, just let me know!

Do you sell to resellers?  If so, I would like to buy oxygen absorbers in bulk.  How do I find out more.

Yes, we are pleased to sell to dealers & resellers.  Please contact us at 518-618-4442 for more details.  Thank you!

What is the difference between Excalibur 2900 & Excalibur 3900 food dehydrator?

The main difference between the two are as follows-
Excalibur 3900 food dehydrator offers a 10 year warranty, upgraded plastics & electrical components, free copy of Preserve It Naturally & Food Dehydration Guide.  They both have 9 trays, 15 square feet of drying space, 7" fan, 600 watts, free shipping and Food Dehydration Guide. 
The Excalibur 2900 food dehydrator offers a 5 year warranty and free shipping to your door.  Please call me at 518-618-4442 with any questions.  Thank you.

What is the hardest thing about dehydrating foods?

The hardest thing about dehydrating foods is- do you have a big enough dehydrator?  Because once you start dehydrating foods, you do not want to stop!  Most times, like today, I wish I had 2 of the 9 tray dehydrators.  I dehydrated papaya yesterday and today is nectarines & strawberries.  You will become addicted!  You will love seeing your dehydrated food supply grow.