Showing posts with label preserving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preserving. Show all posts

4/14/2012

Fruits of the Midwest - A Cookbook and Guide from Harvest to Table Review

Fruits of the Midwest - A Cookbook and Guide from Harvest to Table
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I have spent New Years Day happily reading this wonderful book cover to cover. It was a true delight to imagine a summer day with the vivid colors and heady scents of the freshest fruit while pure white snow was just outside my window. I love this book!
Debbie has practical, clear tips for selecting, handling and storing fruit. There is such a variety of recipes with simple and direct instructions. With the addition of fresh apples, frozen or canned fruit, most of the ingredients are already in my pantry. I am able to have summer tastes on my table tonight!
The book is thoughtfully laid out with special hints and tips on the same page where needed. Debbie tells you the differences in varieties of the same fruit, and then writes what works best for her. She tells you what her family prefers as well as valid reasons why others may prefer a different texture or sweetness or way of preserving the fruit. Convenient tabs mark the beginning of each new section. She has valuable lists of substitutions and equivalents.
The photo of Debbie's grandmother on the cover of her book could be my own grandmother or great grandmother and evokes warm, sweet memories for me. It is a "feel-good" book. There is something in here for everyone!
Tonight's dessert will be Debbie's "Hurry-up Apple Dumplings".
Thank you, Debbie, for sharing your wisdom and wealth of information. This will be a treasured and well-used cook book!


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Many consumers are rediscovering the superior flavor, nutritional quality, and wholesome goodness of fresh locally grown fruit from their own garden, a Farmer's Market, or picked fresh from a local U-pick farm. "Fruits of the Midwest - A Cookbook and Guide from Harvest to Table" has been written to answer the questions many people have about how to harvest, handle, store, and preserve fresh fruits commonly grown in the Midwest.Written in an easy to use format, with individual sections devoted to apples, blackberries, blueberries, cherries (sour), peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, and more, it provides help, information, and over 250 kitchen-tested fruit recipes.Additional sections address canning and freezing basics, jam and jelly making, and information on ingredient substitutions/equivalents and pan size/volume comparisons. The author operates a U-pick berry farm in Missouri where her customers frequently ask for the types ofinformation and recipes provided in this book.

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1/30/2012

The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves: 200 Classic and Contemporary Recipes Showcasing the Fabulous Flavors of Fresh Fruits Review

The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves: 200 Classic and Contemporary Recipes Showcasing the Fabulous Flavors of Fresh Fruits
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I am giving this cookbook 5 stars for originality and information, and only 3 stars for ease of use.
If you are a beginner, I recommend Ball Blue Canning Book #21400 for your first tries. While these recipes require pectin, they do not require the more extensive methods required in this book, and the information is a little less intimidating. Most of my first tries came from this book.
If you have a little experience under your belt, this is an AWESOME book.
It begins with the history of canning and preserving and a great deal of information on why it all works. This information is expanded at the beginning of the chapter on each fruit. That information is necessary, since all of these recipes are designed to avoid the use of pectin except what is naturally occurring in the fruit. As a result, most of the recipes require additional steps to ensure success.
Ms. Ziedrich is an experienced cook and incorporates many advanced techniques and equipment that the "newbie" probably does not have in his or her kitchen, including a food mill and steam juicer, however, she offers simple alternatives that you can use instead.
While the title calls this book "sweet preserves," there are a number of vegetables included: carrots, pumpkin & winter squash, and even a method for preserving zucchini. It also includes items you won't find in normal preservation books - I didn't even know bananas, kumquats, or cantaloupe COULD be canned! The recipe for Coconut Caramel Jam starts with instructions on opening a coconut!
AND this is not simply a "canning" recipe book. It includes recipes for fruit leather (you need a dehydrator for these), cherry flavored brandy, methods for preserving nuts, and many other original ideas.
Our county fair just ended (I got 3 blue ribbons this year), but I have found several recipes here that I WILL be using in next year's fair! I am grateful that I had the chance to try this through the Amazon Vine program, and I have a couple of friends I will be buying this for come Christmas.

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Homemade preserves are the perfect way to enjoy a favorite fruit all year long. They're also inexpensive and, in this book, are made without commercial pectin or other artificial ingredients. For novices, a thorough guide to equipment, techniques, and safety is followed by essential recipes such as Raspberry Jam, Apple Butter, and Concord Grape Jelly. More experienced preservers will be delighted at innovative offerings including Blackberry Vinegar, Red Grapefruit Marmalade, and Brandied Peaches with Vanilla.

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1/29/2012

The Everything Canning and Preserving Book: All you need to know to enjoy natural, healthy foods year round (Everything (Cooking)) Review

The Everything Canning and Preserving Book: All you need to know to enjoy natural, healthy foods year round (Everything (Cooking))
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A lot of times when you pick up a canning book it seems to have all the same, worn out recipes. This one is completely different! I am so inspired to go into my kitchen and start making gifts for friends, let alone canned goods for my family.
Sure there are a few takes on the classics (like bread and butter pickles) but then you find recipes like:
- Chrysanthemum soup (and other edible petal recipes)
- caramelized red onion relish
- Asian vinaigrette
- Bourbon mustard
- Watermelon pickles
and even homemade salami! There's so much more that this list hardly does the book justice.
For people who want to know what's truly IN their food, and who want to save money by buying in bulk this book is an incredibly useful resource. I had gone looking for something that could teach me what my grandmother knew, but also give me safe guidelines and great inspiration -- this book does all three!
I've already made many blends and find the directions easy to follow and the results very successful.

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More and more people are beginning to can and preserve, whether for health benefits or to save money. Complete with step-by-step instructions, recipes, and tips, this book is a must for beginning and experienced canners alike. With this book you will learn to:
Preserve fresh foods by drying, freezing, canning, and pickling
Find and use the tools needed to can and preserve foods at home
Take safety precautions to prevent food contamination
Can all-natural broths, soups, and stews
Dry herbs and spices from the garden for year-round use
Make festive food gifts?from jams and jellies to dressings and sauces
In addition to a wealth of information and 100 great recipes, you will find a glossary of terms they can reference and an appendix of resources, including lists of products, books, and websites, to help you find everything you need to begin canning today!

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1/28/2012

How to Store Your Garden Produce: The Key to Self-Sufficiency Review

How to Store Your Garden Produce: The Key to Self-Sufficiency
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Piers Warren starts off with basic instructions for storage methods: clamping (storing large quantities of roots outside) and other methods of dry storage, freezing, drying (from oven to dehydrator), vacuum-packing, salting, bottling/canning, pickling, relishes & sauces, jams & jellies, and fermenting. This volume isn't meant as a full-blown wine-making or jam-making resource, so these are only the most basic instructions.
The rest of the book covers individual types of produce in alphabetical order. Since the focus of this book is supporting yourself on your own produce, Warren discusses some topics you might not expect. For instance, how best to harvest a vegetable so as to encourage further harvest throughout the season. He discusses varieties that will have longer harvest times, or that will produce during different times of the year. He talks about how some plants can be started at different times so as to result in a longer harvest period as well.
One potentially useful feature is the section of recommended varieties. For example, the apples section lists out two good varieties of cooking apples, a crab apple, and a handful of eating apples, noting which ones keep particularly well or work best for wine-making or the like. However, in some cases this won't be as useful outside of Britain (the book was written & published in Britain but is also being distributed in other countries). For instance, I don't recognize many of the apple or tomato varieties. However, I do recognize a number of the carrot and chard varieties. It just depends on whether a particular type is available & grows well where you are.
The one other small potential snag is a couple of terminology issues. Most of them aren't a big deal (what US readers call canning, Brits call bottling, but the author notes this). One or two types of produce might be listed under a name unfamiliar to you (plenty of people have heard eggplants called aubergines, but not everyone in the US knows them by that term). Don't let this deter you from buying this book if you're in the US, however---the information is incredibly useful, and in most cases there are enough informative notes included that you can substitute varieties as appropriate or easily figure out the terminology differences. Also, all measurements for recipes and such are given in both metric and English measurements.
If you want to become more self-sufficient, or you just want to make better and less wasteful use of your garden produce, I definitely recommend this book.

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How to Store Your Garden Produce: The Key to Self-Sufficiency has been completely revised and is the modern guide to storing and preserving your garden produce, enabling you to eat home-grown goodness all year round. The easy-to-use reference section provides applicable storage and preservation techniques for the majority of plant produce grown commonly in home gardens. Why is storing your garden produce the key to self-sufficiency? Because with less than an acre of garden you can grow enough produce to feed a family of four for a year. But without proper storage, most of it will go to waste since much of the produce ripens simultaneously in the summer. Learn simple and enjoyable techniques for storing your produce and embrace the wonderful world of self-sufficiency. In the A-Z list of produce, each entry includes recommended varieties, suggested methods of storage, and a number of recipes. Everything from how to make your own cider and pickled gherkins to how to string onions and dry your own apple rings. You will know where your food has come from, you will save money, there will be no packaging, and you'll be eating tasty local food while feeling very good about it!

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12/25/2011

The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home: Easy Techniques for the Freshest Flavors in Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Relishes, Salsas, Sauces, and Frozen and Dried Fruits and Vegetables Review

The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home: Easy Techniques for the Freshest Flavors in Jams, Jellies, Pickles, Relishes, Salsas, Sauces, and Frozen and Dried Fruits and Vegetables
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In today's economy, one of family budget items that is getting more and more expensive are the expenditures for food. Therefore, one of the best ways to economize for a family's food budget is something our grandparents and great-grandparents knew well -- the home canning of fruits and vegetables in season for later consumption. For all too many modern homemakers, home canning is a lost art. That's what makes this newly updated, revised, and expanded third edition of Janet Chadwick's classic instructional manual, "The Beginner's Guide To Preserving Food At Home" is such a critically important and highly recommended addition to both family and community library collections. Here are 231-pages packed with solid and 'user friendly' instructions for canning, freezing, drying, brining, root cellaring vegetables, fruits and herbs for home consumption. Comprehensive, up-to-date, informed and informative, "The Beginner's Guide To Preserving Food At Home" will prove to be one of the most valuable additions any homemaker can acquire and one of the most popular acquisitions any librarian can add as a community resource.

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A wonderful thing is happening in home kitchens. People are rediscovering the joys of locally produced foods and reducing the amount of the grocery budget that's spent on packaged items, out-of-season produce, and heavily processed foods. But fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables don't stay fresh and delicious forever - they must be eaten now . . . or preserved for later.For all the vegetable gardeners facing baskets overflowing with bright tomatoes, and for all the dedicated farmers' market fans and CSA members, The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home has the simple solutions that turn overwhelming bounty into neatly canned tomatoes, jars of jams and jellies, and crispy-tart relishes and pickles. Organized in a friendly, food-by-food format, readers will find freezing, drying, canning, and storing instructions for each vegetable, fruit, and herb. In many cases, several ways to freeze or can a food are described, and there are often other preserving suggestions as well, such as making juice or fruit leather. Everything is written with busy people in mind: these are the quickest, most efficient methods for preserving summer's bounty. Up-to-date information and clear, step-by-step instructions show even absolute beginners the way to a fully stocked pantry.

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12/12/2011

Canning and Preserving For Dummies Review

Canning and Preserving For Dummies
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I've read this cookbook cover to cover, sampled some recipes, and I'm impressed! Karen Ward took all the guess work and concerns I had out of both canning and preserving. The balance of taste in her recipes is extraordinary. Her Pear Chutney's the best I've ever had (and I've had plenty). My husband adores her bread and Butter Pickles! A great cookbook to have on hand to make holiday food gifts, too.

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Everything you need to know to can and preserve your own food

With the cost of living continuing to rise, more and more people are saving money and eating healthier by canning and preserving food at home. This easy-to-follow guide is perfect for you if you want to learn how to can and preserve your own food, as well as if you're an experienced canner and preserver looking to expand your repertoire with the great new and updated recipes contained in this book.
Inside you'll find clear, hands-on instruction in the basic techniques for everything from freezing and pickling to drying and juicing. There's plenty of information on the latest equipment for creating and storing your own healthy foods. Plus, you'll see how you can cut your food costs while controlling the quality of the food your family eats.
Everything you need to know about freezing, canning, preserving, pickling, drying, juicing, and root cellaring
Explains the many great benefits of canning and preserving, including eating healthier and developing self-reliance
Features new recipes that include preparation, cooking, and processing times
Amy Jeanroy is the Herb Garden Guide for About.com and Karen Ward is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals

If you want to save money on your grocery bill, get back to basics, and eat healthier, Canning & Preserving For Dummies, 2nd Edition is your ideal resource!

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12/11/2011

Saving the Seasons: How to Can, Freeze, or Dry Almost Anything Review

Saving the Seasons: How to Can, Freeze, or Dry Almost Anything
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This is by the same publisher as Simply in Season, which I am cooking my way through on my blog. Unlike the other books in "the Mennonite trilogy" (Simply in Season , More-With-Less , and Extending the Table), though, Saving the Seasons doesn't include little anecdotes and essays about living simply and how eating is impacted by our faith.
What is does have is lots and lots of beautiful photos, which are inspiring and also show step by step instructions, which are great for those just learning how to preserve food.
Like most preserving books, this one covers more ground than just canning. Topics include
* A guide to the harvest (various fruits and vegetables, when they're in season, and best methods for preserving)
* Canning (individual fruits and vegetables as well as vegetables, meats, and soups; herbed vinegars; pickles and relishes; jams, jellies and spreads)
* Freezing (vegetables and herbs; fruits; meats, poultry, and fish; baby food)
* Drying
* and an appendix which covers canning troubleshooting and helpful and inspirational resources.
The herbed vinegars and introduction to baby food caught my attention, as I haven't seen these in some of the other books.
The verdict: If you already have a boatload of canning and food preservation books, you might want to pass as none of the recipes are super unique (unless you're a cookbook junkie like me and want to get it just for the photos and light reading). But if you're just starting out, Saving the Seasons will inspire you and provide enough guidance to give you confidence to start a lifetime of preserving.

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Many people today are buying and cooking local food, including the over 94,000 who have bought Simply in Season. But one of the challenges of cooking and eating locally is how to find the items you need when they are out of season. That is where Saving the Seasons: How to Can, Freeze, or Dry Almost Anything comes in; cooks can find ways to preserve their favorite seasonal items for use in different parts of the year. This colorful book, full of photographs and clear pictures, shows how to can, freeze or dry various kinds of food. Colorful page borders divide the book into easy-to-find sections. Saving the Seasons: How to Can, Freeze, or Dry Almost Anything is edited by the mother-daughter team of Mary Clemens Meyer and Susanna Meyer, both of whom are involved in sustainable and organic agriculture.

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11/24/2011

How to Dry Foods Review

How to Dry Foods
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This is a fantastic reference for drying food.
The author takes the time to explain in detail the different methods of preparing food for dehydrating food. She discusses sulfiting, steaming, no prep. etc. The author also explains the various methods of drying food (oven, dehydrator etc.) The pictures only enhance the text. Further more, the author provides several charts (one for fruit, one for vegies, one for meat, one for herbs) regarding how well certain foods dry, how long each food will save when dried. I particularly liked the recipes that used dried foods.
This is a great book to have if you are interested in drying foods. I constantly refer to this book every time I dry the extra food we have on hand.

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A kitchen favorite for more than two decades-revised and expanded. Includes more than 100 irresistible recipes. When you dry food, you're saving everything: energy, nutrients, money, and, best of all, taste. This step-by-step guide to drying all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and nuts is also the most comprehensive reference available for methods of drying and home dehydrating equipment. The only book needed to master this age-old culinary tradition, How to Dry Foods includes: - Step-by-step instructions on how to dry a wide variety of foods - Updated information about equipment and drying techniques - More than 100 delicious recipes, from main courses to desserts and more - Helpful charts and tables for at-a-glance reference - Food safety tips - Clever crafts that are made from dried foods

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11/16/2011

Food Drying with an Attitude: A Fun and Fabulous Guide to Creating Snacks, Meals, and Crafts Review

Food Drying with an Attitude: A Fun and Fabulous Guide to Creating Snacks, Meals, and Crafts
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Since I already have Mary Bell's "Complete Dehydrator Cookbook", which showed so much more than I'd ever known before, the title of this book really got my attention. And the recipes!!! YUMMY!!!! I packed several items when I had to make a trip to my specialist (3 hours each way) and I saved money, ate delicious, nutritious foods and didn't have to do the "fast food" stops like before. Will be doing more before I take a flight to see my family soon so I don't have to deal with the expense and questionable nutritional value of airline food.
Also, I have a very small apartment and drying makes more sense than canning. For instance, 10 pounds of blueberries dried fill 2 quart jars and 15 pounds of Bing cherries fill 2 and one half quarts, plus there is so little risk of spoilage. It's so much fun and the dried foods can be used in so many fantastic ways. Try the Strawberry Meringue cookies!!!
This book is a fun, educational read and the pictures just makes one's mouth water.

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If you think you know all there is to know about food drying, think again: the innovative ideas and techniques in this book will put the excitement back into home food dehydrating.
This ultimate food drying resource has something for everyone: vegetarians, natural and raw food enthusiasts, hunters, fishermen, gourmet cooks, gardeners, farmers, hikers, and even fast food junkies. With more than thirty years of food drying experience, Mary T. Bell offers straightforward and practical instructions for drying everything from yogurt to sauerkraut to blue cheese, without ignoring traditional favorites such as jerky, mushrooms, and bananas. Throughout, Bell offers nutritional tips and highlights the time-, space-, and money-saving benefits of food dehydrating. Also included are descriptions of how various food dehydrators work to give readers a better understanding of the tools of the craft. Food Drying with an Attitude gives readers the recipes, instructions, and inspiration they need to get the most out of their home food dehydrators. 100 color illustrations

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11/15/2011

Making & Using Dried Foods Review

Making and Using Dried Foods
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This has more methods of drying (including sun-drying), it has information on pretreating foods.
How to Dry Foods on the other hand has metric to american conversion, and it tells how long specific foods last while dry.
If you want methods buy this book, if you want specific facts, buy How to Dry Foods. Personally, I'm buying this one.

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Step-by-step instructions for drying almost everything with or without a commercial dehydrator. Includes more than 200 delicious recipes using dried foods.

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11/13/2011

Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook Review

Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook
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I've had my dehydrator for 5 years and thought I'd dried everything in every conceivable way but Mary Bell has some fantastic ideas. Easy read and easier recipes. Especially liked the section on backpacker food. My dehydrator has been running 24hrs/day since I got this book. Thank you, Mary Bell, for this great book.

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Far from being a fad, food dyhydrating is one of the most ancient, effective, and nutritous ways of preserving food. Now, at last, there is a book that teaches absolutely everything there is to know about using an electric food dyhydrator to dry foods at home -- and gives more than 100 foolproof recipes for scrumptious snacks and meals made from dried foods.

With this extraordinary book, you can learn how to cross junk food and expensive store-bought snacks off your family's shopping list -- and add to your cupboard homemade, preservative-free fruit leathers, candied apricots, beef (and fish) jerkies, "sun" dried tomotoes, corn chips, banana chips, and so much more!

Mary Bell gives specific techniques and instructions for preparing every kind of fruit (from apples to watermelon) and vegetable (from asparagus to zucchini). She also provides important shopping tips for buying an electric food dehydrator. The recipes for cooked meals (including mushroom soup, sloppy joes, pesto, and moist banana bread) will make this book a kitchen classic. And recipes for lightweight, filling trail snacks mean that the book will travel, too.

Additional chapters explain to how make herb seasonings, granolas, celery powder, cosmetics, dried fruit sugars, potpourri -- and even pet treats!

Food drying is an excellent way for gardeners to preserve their produce. It is a great way to make healthful snacks for the kids. It's perfect for the new wave of thrifty consumers who can't bear to spend dollars at health food stores for treats they cold make for pennies themselves. And food drying doesn't use chemicals or preservatives-so it's great for you and for the planet, too!


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10/16/2011

Good4u 10-tray Food Dehydrator with 40-hour Digital Timer Review

Good4u 10-tray Food Dehydrator with 40-hour Digital Timer
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After much research, I decided on this dehydrator. I liked the idea that it has a timer. I anticipate that this feature will be helpful with my busy schedule. I have never owned a dehydrator before, so I cannot compare it to any past experiences. I am just beginning my journey toward an all raw diet, and I knew a dehydrator would be essential. Surface area and cost were also factors that led me to purchasing this particular unit.
I opened it the day I got it, washed the trays and liners and started to use it. I filled up the top 5 trays with raw jalepeno corn chips, one tray with kiwi, one tray with pear and one tray with pineapple. I turned it on and stood next to it for a while to ensure that everything was running properly. For some reason, I began having difficulties breathing. It was as if there was something toxic that was burning off of the heating element. I didn't notice an odor or experience a chemical burning sensation, just difficulty breathing in. This was very alarming. I quickly turned off the unit, removed all trays in order to keep all that food from being contaminated and turned the dehydrator back on. I left the room and my breathing returned to normal. I again stood next to the dehydrator and again had difficulty breating (thus proving it was truly an issue with the dehydrator that was causing the problem). I left the room and let it run for several minutes. I came back in to check things out and everything seemed ok, no difficulty breathing. I think there must have been something on the heating element that burned off. So before you do all the work to prep foods for dehydrating, make sure you let it run for a while first.
With that problem resolved, I loaded the trays in and began dehydrating. The fruit dried nicely on the fine mesh tray liners. The corn chips, however were a different story. The top two trays had the corn chip mash on teflex liners. The next three trays had the corn chip mash on parchment paper (I am waiting for the additional teflex sheets that I ordered). After 24 hours in the dehydrator at 105 degrees F, the top two trays of the corn chips on the teflex sheets appeared to be burned. This ovbiously defeats the purpose of dehydrating to accomodate a raw diet. I am not sure if the top two trays got too hot, or if the teflex sheets had something to do with it. A little more experimentation should resolve that issue as well.
Ultimately, despite the above issues I am pleased with this unit. It is quite large (about the size of a small microwave), but I have a big kitchen, so no worries there. If you are limited on space, check the measurements before buying. I find that it is not very loud. I like that it's white - it goes nicely with my other small appliances.

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10/08/2011

Pack of 4 Premium 13.5" x 10.5" Non-Stick Dehydrator Sheets- Use with GooD4U 6 or 10 Tray Review

Pack of 4 Premium 13.5 x 10.5 Non-Stick Dehydrator Sheets- Use with GooD4U 6 or 10 Tray
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this was the cheapest i could find the dehydrator sheets online. they fit my dehydrator perfectly. they work great. nothing sticks to them. they are easy to wash (just wipe down with damp cloth).
i have made fruit leathers, raw onion breads, raw carrot/flax crackers, and all kinds of other raw treats on them. they work great. i will be ordering more, since i have 10 trays in my dehydrator and only ordered a 4 pack to try them out.
thumbs up.

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9/27/2011

Good4u 6-Tray Food Dehydrator with 40-hour Digital Timer Review

Good4u 6-Tray Food Dehydrator with 40-hour Digital Timer
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I like the fact that it doesn't have one big front door. I like the fact that I can set the time to whatever I need it to be and when it is done it shuts its self off. I didn't realize how valuable 40 hours can be. I love how the front of the shelves form the closing. I have no regrets in purchasing it. I purchased it because a friend also had one. I bought it based on her great comments about it. Good4U really is good for you. LOL!

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8/22/2011

TSM Products TSM Harvest Food Dehydrator Review

TSM Products TSM Harvest Food Dehydrator
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I love this thing!
We got it to try and make beef jerky, the one thing we hadn's tried yet.
But it's so easy to operate, never imagined we'd get so much use out of this gadget - kids are eating the dried fruits up by the pounds, when before the apples just stayed in the vase for days and days. I've tried rising the dough and making croutons. Works wonderfully, cleans up in a second. Highly recommend.

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