Food dehydrator Recommendation
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Posted Jan 13, 2021, 11:22 PM UTC · edited
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I don’t know but I read this article today https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-food-dehydrator/
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Your post was removed as a standalone post because it is a commonly asked question, quick question, announcement etc... Please repost in the "Weekly" discussion thread pinned on top of the sub.
Also r/trailmeals
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I did this, and purchased freeze dried, prior to the AT and was intending to rely heavily on mail drops. Bought dehydrator, vacuum bags, desiccant packs, and lots of foods. In a short time I was sick of what I was eating. Even with the preservation steps I still had food mold too so there is always a risk your mail drop will be partially inedible.
You can buy freeze fried foods from a couple places online. These I had mixed feelings about. Freeze dry celery and broccoli were not very good in any real volume, so making your own broccoli and cheddar soup, like I did, isn't recommended.
Pemmican worked out reasonably well, though not terribly palatable it was a high calorie food and it didn't spoil.
Banana chips will not be like the freeze dried ones you get in the store. I was given a case of bananas and dried the lot. They were like a fruit leather rather than crunchy but they had more flavor than freeze dried store bought ones. However, they will mold in short notice so dry them, vacuum them with desiccant, then freeze them. Only right before they are boxed up and shipped should they be thawed.
I researched dehydrators and borrowed a couple before eventually buying one. I got similar results from all 3 on jerky and bananas using different settings. Some just took longer. And energy isn't free so I don't know how much money you save, I certainly lost.
Freeze driers are a couple thousand bucks. If I had a big garden I would buy one. I wouldn't mess with dehydrators again except for making fruit leathers, which can be made in the oven, or strictly for jerky. Jerky is so expensive and even with $100 dehydrator, $50 vacuum sealer, bags, desiccant, and several London broils to cut up you can probably come out even or ahead on a through hike if you ate a few ounces (dry) every day.
In town I found it was better and easier to buy town food and pack it out for the first day or so. A subway footlong isn't light but it sure is better than a bag of rehydrated beans....
I settled on the Nesco FD-75A, and bought extra trays. Harmony house foods has an awesome supply and if you buy in bulk it's cheaper than the grocery store probably.
Good luck