HI,
This past weekend I found a dehydrator at the thrift store, still in the plastic but no instructions or recipe booklet. It had one teflon sheet, or what I'm assuming is a teflon sheet, I'm using it now so we will find out if it melts or something. But I was wondering where I could buy more of them so I could try some of the raw flaxseed cracker recipes I've come across. But I cant seem to find them anywhere. Does anyone know if places like walmart or kmart or target might have them? I dont have a credit card to order online. Or is there something else I can use? Ive seen parchment paper listed a few times, but not specifically. Also, would wax paper be the same as parchment paper? Do I just cut to fit the round tray?

Also, if I buy frozen fruits could I thaw them and then dehydrate them? Would that still be raw? Would that even work?

Anyway, I have been having fun with it :D
Thanks for any info

You can use parchment paper, which is sold at pretty much every grocery store. You'll just have to cut it to fit the trays.

Wax paper is different from parchment paper.

Yes, you can freeze fruit and then thaw to dehydrate it. It just depends what temperature you're dehydrating them.

:D
great, i can get parchment paper pretty easily.
:D
thank you so much.

Wow, you are a strange one to find on a veggie site. Walmart? You shop at Walmart? And Teflon? You use Teflon?

No comment on the dehydrator. I am still trying to pick myself up off the floor at the thought of a raw vegan who shops at Walmart and uses Teflon.

Lots of people shop at Walmart. I do, unfortunately. I try to shop at more of the local mom n pop stores, but Walmart has good prices on most things.

And as far as teflon, using it with a dehydrator....the dehydrator doesn't get hot enough to do anything to cause the teflex sheets to leech into the food. I only use parchment paper because it's easier to get.

If you're concerned about rawness, be careful about the temp on your dehydrator. Many of the round ones heat unevenly and at a high temp.

Wow, you are a strange one to find on a veggie site. Walmart? You shop at Walmart? And Teflon? You use Teflon?

No comment on the dehydrator. I am still trying to pick myself up off the floor at the thought of a raw vegan who shops at Walmart and uses Teflon.

Well that's certainly a compassionate attitude. If you can't deal with the raw vegans on this site who might not have a choice but to shop at Walmart then I suggest you go find another site - there's plenty of 'em out there...

Wow, you are a strange one to find on a veggie site. Walmart? You shop at Walmart? And Teflon? You use Teflon?

No comment on the dehydrator. I am still trying to pick myself up off the floor at the thought of a raw vegan who shops at Walmart and uses Teflon.

Back to Peta2 for you.....

Wow, you are a strange one to find on a veggie site. Walmart? You shop at Walmart? And Teflon? You use Teflon?

No comment on the dehydrator. I am still trying to pick myself up off the floor at the thought of a raw vegan who shops at Walmart and uses Teflon.
He didn't come for a critique on his behavior.

Try Amazon.com or the company who made the dehydrator. Both might be able to supply you instructions, recepies, and even additional tiers for it. Amazon will gladly take your check through the mail.
Don't use waxed paper. The wax melts.

Originally Posted by OrangeClouds115
Wow, you are a strange one to find on a veggie site. Walmart? You shop at Walmart? And Teflon? You use Teflon?

Someone didnt actually read my post. I got it at the thrift store for $10. :D

I mentioned walmart and also target and kmart because they are fairly large stores close to. I have no credit card and no car so ordering online is out as is going too far off any bus route. I try not to shop at walmart but on occasion I do. I did get the parchment paper, i use wax paper with my paints so I had that already.

Im not too conserned with the actual tempature right now, just looking to see what I can do with the it and having lots of fun. If I get more serious I might buy a good one with a tempature control. Also, dont the dehydrators that the 'real raw vegans' use come with teflex sheets? and more then just the one I have with mine?

Anyway, I am finding I like to dry things and am using it almost daily. So I might have to start saving up. Nothing like spending so much on something you end up not using ver often, but that doesnt seem to be the way this is going. I'm really liking it and I didnt think I would. I have to resist the urge to dry everything in the house :D

About the frozen fruits, I ment more were frozen fruits and veggies raw or were they cooked prior to being frozen. I think I worded it poorly. Im looking to work more raw foods into my diet, this seems to be the easiest way for me to get started.

Somewhat OT, but some online vendors will accept PayPal, which can be funded with your checking/savings acount. You don't get buyer protection as strong as that of VISA/MC, but it's there if you need it.

If (its actually looking like it'll be more of a when) I'm ready to get a better dehydrator I might ask my mom to have it put on her credit card and then pay her and have it shipped here. We've done that before. The credit card just 'feels' safer, better insured maybe, even though it may not be. With something that costly I dont want to take chances though.

I wanna dehydrator!

No fair!!

:(

Wal-Mart and Target sell dehydrators, from what I've read in various forums, etc. I'd imagine they'd also sell supplies for dehydrators. Whether these supplies would also fit/work with your dehydrator, I don't know.

Dehydrators are used by many people who are not raw foodists.

Yeah, the dehydrator I have has a recipe guide in it that includes doing beef jerky and things like that. Plus, most dehydrators go well above the normal range temperature that raw foodists use.

silverfire, you can check walmart and target, like joe suggested. also, they always have them for sale on ebay. There are some good dehydrator discount sites around, too.

Thanks muchly Jenna,

I'll have to wait for a little while though, even the cheapest one may be out of my range at the moment and I'd like one with a temperature control for when I prepare my raw, non teflon contaminated, non walmart sullied manna from heaven.

:)

Im pretty sure the one I got is sold at walmart, but I dont really know. There were several at the thrift store all still packaged, im thinking someone got too many for wedding gifts and donated them.

As for the temp, I have no idea how to check that, but I do know that while its going with the fruit just laying on the regular tray they dont get too hot. I can pick them and put them in my mouth, not really hot at all. More of a warm. When I tried to use the teflon (thats what I'm assuming it is) sheet for a bananaleatherrollup thingy it got hot and I didnt really like it. It seemed to suck up all the heat. Maybe if I put it on the top tray rather then the bottom. But Id just rather try the parchment paper and see how that does.

Anyone know how to check the actual temp? It doesnt take me too long to dry stuff out, 6 hours or so, but Im only drying to a chewy stage (cept the night I fell asleep) rather then a crispy one. And its probably different for each fruit and how i cut them and all that. Id still like to check, might be interesting.

As for the temp, I have no idea how to check that

At a drug or department store you can find electronic thermometers with a remote probe for $10-15. You don't want something like a meat or candy thermometer which aren't very precise and are mostly made for higher temps. People disagree on the max acceptable temp to be truly "raw", but 115F is a common max. I've read that the inexpensive round models can hit 140-160.

The square Excalibur models are uniformly preferred by raw people. You can safely set something really wet to a higher temp for the first couple of hours, say 130, as it'll evaporate a lot of water and the food itself won't get that hot, but after 2-3 hours the temp should be turned down.