I have been loving my dehydrator, especially for fruits and veggies.

I have a couple of questions for those how are a bit more experienced:
1) Does anyone use a mandolin slicer? If so, which one? I think this would speed up the process greatly.

2)At what heat level do you dehydrate pastas, quinoa, etc? Degrees or Low/Med/High would be sufficient.

Thanks in advance!

Derek

Sure, if you like using a mandolin, use one! Small and uniform cuts are your best bet for drying veggies.

As for temps, I dry most stuff at 135* if no meat or dairy is involved. If pasta or similar I check hourly to break up clumps as well.

Thanks Sarah --

My question about the mandolin was more around whether or not people find it useful/time saver. I have never used one, so I am trying to get some feedback before purchasing, especially since they seem to run from US$20-$160!

Also, you mentioned cutting veggies into small, uniform pieces - do you ever use a food processor/chopper to do this or does this make them too small? (thinking of broccoli stems, carrots, etc)

Thanks for the temp on pasta and the suggestion to check it regularly. Cheers!

Hi Derek,

Yes, I have a mandolin slicer. It was under $20 (from somewhere like Walmart) and works really well. I am about to replace it after 8 years of service. It does speed things up. I use it to julienne and slice.

I dry quinoa and pasta at 135ºF to 140ºF. Meats and seafood at 155ºF or 160ºF.

Cool - so they work.

I was just looking at one the other day that was under $20, right next to one that was $70... if you can make your cheap-o last for 8 years, then I should be fine with one too.

thanks!

Costco has a Mandolin for about $40. Be careful using one, I have seen some nasty accidents with them (I worked in the restaurant business for along time). Uniform cuts you will get with them too. Takes a little practice to get it down

Sure! I use both a mini chopper and a full size processor. Mandolins scare the bedoodles out of me personally ;-) The processor works so well, I have no reason to change either!

"My question about the mandolin was more around whether or not people find it useful/time saver."

I have one. It is probably a toss-up. It can help with large batches if drying or frying. I seldom use it for a meal, because it is more complex and takes up space on the dish rack.

I get pretty good results slicing with a vegetable peeler or a cheese grater. These aren't adjustable like the mandolin, but they aren't such an event.

Just be sure to use the guard... it's in the package for a reason. Common sense makes it a fairly safe addition to your kitchen. When it gets dull have the blade sharpened or replaced. Most issues in the kitchen happen with people using dull equipment.

One thing I do with all my knives and my mandolin and food processor blades... rinse and dry them immediately especially if you were slicing something acidic. It makes a big difference to the longevity of the sharp edge.

While I use a food processor and mini food pro - I really do prefer the mandolin. It's much easier to clean and if I am not doing a ton of slicing it's much less cumbersome. I also like that it doesn't use hydro. I find the non-electric mini-choppers somewhat useless.

Edited by Laurie_Ann on 04/14/2009 20:58:05 MDT.

Derek,

Recently I wrote an article at the request of the Washington Trails Association on Dehydrating Foods. You can read the pdf version here...

http://www.wildernesscooking.com/fork/making-trail-food.pdf

Sorry I didn't post it earlier.

Sarah may be too humble to to plug her own site, but it has answered so many of my questions, that I'm happy to pass it on.

Good place to start - http://www.trailcooking.com/dehydrating101