A Food Dehydrator for Making Great Raw Food Snacks!

A food dehydrator has many uses, including making great raw food snacks! Most often, dehydrators are used for slices of fruit, which once dehydrated makes a great snack. In addition, they are used to make crackers, especially flax crackers. There are a couple of brands that are very popular. Nesco and Excalibur. One expert says that if you are going to get a dehydrator, don't get the smallest one, as food dehydrating is convenient and fun and you will regret getting the smallest model to save a few dollars. I know the Excalibur brand dehydrators for home use vary in size from 4 trays to 9 trays, and from $119 to $279.

Using a dehydrator is Easy. Food is sliced thinly and placed on dehydrating trays, which resemble screens and allow air movement. The temperature is set from 85 degrees Fahrenheit to 155 degrees. Raw foodist never set the temperature above 150 degrees for more than a few hours, until some of the water content has left, then set the temperature around 110 degrees for the rest of the dehydrating session. Dehydrating sessions usually take about 24 hours, depending on the type and size of the food.