It Meets All Objectives – Excalibur 2900 Dehydrator Review
Having a temperature dial that goes up to 160 degrees is very handy for making jerky. Otherwise you have to pre-cook the meat which seems like a huge pain in the butt.
And being able to add racks is very convenient. With the forced air system, I found that no matter where the meat was located (bottom, middle or top racks) it dried at the same rate, ensuring that all the meat was ready at the same time. About 3 hours into the drying and everything is looking great. I have about 4 pounds of sirloin cut into strips and they are already looking “jerky” like.
The ability to make jerky was a bonus for me. I ordered another brand that I thought was going to do the job, but once it arrived I found the construction to be subpar and it was passive, requiring rotation of the trays.
I bought this just to make jerky on the easy clean screens but the fruit screens worked so well I ordered more and everyone demands my fruit bags. I just use my ninja blender to liquefy fruit, add a little water as needed to get the fruit to blend smooth and be a thick runny (apple sauce) texture.
We make a batch about every 2 weeks, and the dogs absolutely love it! The best thing is knowing there is no melamine in it! I couldn’t keep my hands off the dried pineapple, it was like candy! It works great for making your own dried onions, too. Supposedly, rotation is not required, but I discovered that the top trays get a little drier than the bottom trays. I sometimes rotate the top trays down to ensure even drying. I load and forget about it, it will take care of itself. I can do about 7 pounds of beef or turkey in one load, even when thick. I purchased a dehydrator to make healthy treats for my dogs. This Nesco was chosen based on other reviews. Outlet worked, machine didn’t. I immediately called Nesco/American Harvest for advice and the nice lady noticed that this was a relatively new machine. And, the lasagna then re-hydrated very nicely. I highly recommend it for the money. I would suggest getting extra trays right from the beginning.
Nesco seems to be the top runner for reasonably priced dehydrators. We decided to get this one vs the square one because we weren’t sure how much we’d use it and wanted the cheapest option.
I have dried mushrooms, tomatoes, strawberries, oh so fast! All racks dry at the same rate.
I bought an inexpensive timer at the local hardware store to compensate for the fact that it has no auto shutoff, so that takes care of that part. garage bike rack.
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