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At MeatGrindersNow, we proudly carry Excalibur Dehydrator products. They use skilled craftsmanship and pride only found with an American worforce. Excalibur is the leader in Dehydration technology for over 35 years.They are ALL MADE IN AMERICA! Dehydration works for healthy food preparation in the 21st century. We want consumers to have a great dehydration experience and hope that providing you with some key points to look for in a dehydrator helps to educate you as consumers. Excalibur food dehydrators are green products. Excalibur Dehydrator products are designed to be environmentally conscious. We are constantly rethinking our products to see how we can reduce our environmental impact. We use Polypropylene #5 plastic drying screens that do not release BPA or phthalates.

Excalibur Dehydrators also provide a means for American families to reduce and stop wasting produce and other foods. Using an Excalibur Food Dehydrator made in America supports our work force putting US citizens to work providing products to enable healthier families. Dehydration through using a food dehydrator is the one of the best ways to enjoy raw food. Raw food lasts several months without needing to use harmful plastics, freeze or refrigerate your produce.

Intro to Dehydrating

Four key factors effect dehydration and your success with it:

Time, Temperature, Air Circulation, Food Preparation

 TIME

Drying times vary based on your location, humidity, temperature and size of item.  The general rule is that the more surface area exposed; the faster the drying time.  It is important to slice foods to the same thickness for a more consistent drying time.  A common mistake in dehydrating is thinking if you increase the temperature, you decrease the drying time.  If you increase the temperature too much, case hardening may occur.  This means the surface of the food dried to a leathery texture creating a barrier for water removal. 

TEMPERATURE

In general, food temperature is about 20 degrees cooler than air temperature.  This is due to evaporation.  As the moisture on the surface of the food evaporates, it cools the food.  We have discovered this through hours of testing and measuring the air temperature and food temperature simultaneously during the dehydration process using a Doric Tendricator with type j thermal couples. The temperature reading on the Excalibur dial refers to the food temperature.  If you set the Excalibur at 105F, you are setting it to hold the food temperature at 105 but the air temperature may get as high as 124F.

AIR CIRCULATION

The Excalibur Parallex Horizontal Air Flow was developed and patented by Excalibur.  This Air Flow combined with our heavy duty fan creates an air circulation that draws in cool air, heats the air, and distributes the air evenly over each tray.  This air flow combined with our Adjustable Hyperwave Thermostat causes the air temperature to rise rapidly to a high point, so moisture is quickly evaporated off the food’s surface.  As the temperature lowers, the dryer surface pulls moisture from the center of the food and becomes saturated again.  Because of the up and down fluctuation of air temp and constant evaporation, the food temp remains at a lower temperature.  After all the food moisture is evaporated, the food temperature will rise and equalize somewhere in the middle of the air temperature fluctuation. 

FOOD PREPARATION

Food slices should have a consistent thickness.

Blanching:Immerse cut vegetables in boiling water or expose them to steam.  The scalding action destroys naturally occurring enzymes that contribute to flavor loss, texture change and color change.  Over-blanching can cook the fruits or vegetables and soften them excessively.

Checking:Technique applied to berries with a waxy coating.  The objective is to create small disruptions in the waxy layer appearing as small cracks with a checkered appearance.  Without this, many berries will take a very long time to dehydrate.  To “check”, place berries in a strainer and dip into boiling water.  Don’t heat them too long.  An option to checking is to simply pierce the outer skin of a berry numerous times. 

Quenching / Refreshing:This is done after Blanching or Checking.  Quenching stops the action of heat on the food.  Plunge the hot food into cold water to bring down the food temperature.

IS IT DRY YET?

To determine if your food is dry, takes experimentation.  Sliced apples are firm and leathery.  Carrots are brittle.  Grapes will be soft and pliable.  If you’re not sure if your food is dry, break or tear a piece open and squeeze the flesh.  If moisture or liquid comes to the surface, return the food to the dehydrator.  It’s better to over-dry, than under-dry.  Under-drying leads to spoilage.

Many gourmets own Excalibur Dehydrators. So do the finest culinary schools, including the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute .  ONLY Excalibur Dehydrators have premium-quality features and performance that dries PRECISELY RIGHT for exotic entrees and desserts. From Oriental dishes, to Italian main courses, to Mexican spicy dishes, to lavish French desserts, to old-fashioned Southern home cooking, Excalibur's dehydrated ingredients boost the flavor of cuisine from around the world.  Besides gourmet chefs, dozens of notable organizations, major universities, hotels and institutions own Excalibur Dehydrators including the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) owns six Excaliburs!

Solid, Dark dehydrator door

One aspect, not previously mentioned, is Excalibur's solid dark door. Some vitamins are light sensitive and are destroyed when exposed to light. Excalibur's opaque door and light blocking cabinet are designed to minimize light sensitive vitamin loss. Many 'typical' round dehydrators have transparent trays and covers, affording maximum light penetration to the food being dried. 

Power Boost for Fresh Raw foods! 

When you make your favorite smoothie or other raw food beverage, add powdered fruits or vegetables to the recipe. For example, if your beverage contains carrots, add a tablespoon of carrot powder to a cup of carrot juice for an even higher degree of nutrition!

Keep your pantry stocked with dehydrated fruits and vegetables, so that you can add a bigpower boost to supplement those fresh fruits and vegetables that you have on hand. When you use an Excalibur to stock your pantry, you can be assured the fruits of your labor will be the very best!

Jerky Marinade Recipe
Fresh-made jerky is DELICIOUS and high in protein. Slice meat into 3/16" strips and place in a casserole dish. Cover with soy sauce. Try other marinades like Worcestershire, teriyaki, barbecue sauce, beer or wine. Accent with lemon, pepper, specialty salts, chopped onion or garlic, and Excalibur vegetable powders.  Cover, refrigerate for 2 - 4 hrs., dry at 155º for 4 - 6 hrs. 

Jerky made in Excalibur vs. Oven: 

·        An Excalibur Dehydrator saves you money.  Heating a gas or electric oven is expensive.  Excalibur runs at average 4cents per hour.
  Excalibur saves you time.  An oven has only 1 or 2 shelves to place jerky on.  Excalibur has up to 9 shelves.

·        An Excalibur Dehydrator saves you money.  Heating a gas or electric oven is expensive.  Excalibur runs at average 4cents per hour.

·        An Excalibur Dehydrator saves you time.  An oven has only 1 or 2 shelves to place jerky on.  Excalibur has up to 9 shelves. 

·         Using the Excalibur Dehydrator is easy & simple, set it & forget it.  Surprisingly, kitchen ranges don't heat evenly -- you'll have to constantly flip and rotate your load of jerky.

·        An Excalibur Dehydratoris easy-to-clean.  Simply clean with a damp sponge.  Cleaning drips & spills from a kitchen oven is not easy.

·         An Excalibur Dehydrator doesn't heat your home.  With an oven, you overheat the kitchen, wasting energy.

·         Finally, you'll irritate the cook and end up in the dog house using you electric or gas oven.