OOPS! My mistake!
I wasn't clear enough--I should have posted a pic.
The frame for the Excalibur trays never goes in the dehydrator.
It just sits on the kitchen table. I set a tray inside it, spread stuff out on the tray, then lift the frame off the tray and set it aside.
Then the loaded tray goes into the dehydrator, the frame goes back to its starting position, and a another tray gets set inside it for loading.
If someone wanted a stouter frame, they could make one from 1X2 lumber and it would work just as well, nailed or screwed together.
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With the shopping bags it is much easier to rotate and keep a running inventory. If my sweetie asks how we're doing on fish, I just yank out the white bag and take a look. Everything that should be together stays together, and if I want to check on soup stock, well, that's the white bag with the brown wrap on the handle.
E--zee!
When it comes time to defrost, just grab the bags and set them in a cooler. Then put them back whenever. No fumbling around with stacks, and no frozen fingers.
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Yeah. I think it's mostly very old gas stoves that don't keep their setting--worn valves, and all that.
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Drying peas is a hoot. We found out that you can buy frozen peas & corn cheaper than fresh stuff from the farmer's market, and then just toss it in the dehydrator. It's already blanched and dehydrates perfectly. Usually about 10 hrs at 125-135F for a full load.
It's a lot less work than shelling peas and cutting corn off the cob. And blanching. You don't even have to thaw it out first.
And that leaves our garden space for things that like hotter temps, anyway, like green beans and squash.
About the only frozen veggie I've found that isn't cheaper for dehydrating is carrots. I think there's a little more bang for the buck with fresh.
My sweetie mixes some of the various dried veggies together so when it's soup time she can just grab a handful and toss it into the pot.
Frozen french fries dehydrate too, BTW. And a lot of other stuff.