drying foods ???

[lauraj]

has anyone here used their bradley for drying food ie fruit and veg.
i am assured by them that it can be done.

i need to maintain a temp of 80c

any advice ??
thanks

[dougal]

I don't have a Bradley.
I don't see why you couldn't arrange to just use the cabinet as a 'low temp oven'...

BUT

1/ 80F sounds more likely than 80C.
Fruit and veg is going to be somewhat cooked by 80C...
I've no idea how closely the Bradley might be able to hold 80F with its electric heater and standard thermostat.

2/ Lower temperature and higher airflow sounds like a much better bet than higher temp and lower airflow.

3/ While the Bradley has a nice cupboard with wire shelves and stuff, I don't think it has a fan. (Though ISTR reading somewhere on the web of someone modding one to even out the internal temp?) But you could remove the smoke generator and hook up some forced ventillation. Or maybe, (thinking Shetland), use some sort of rotating cowl (oast house style) to allow the wind to suck air out of the box to get the forced draught...

4/ My guess is that the fruit and veg might well pick up some 'smokey' flavours from the inside of a well-used smoker...


I think fruit and veg drying would be an extremely creative excuse for buying a Bradley...

[Wohoki]

I use a fan assisted oven, set at 40C, to dry chillis and wild mushrooms in the Autumn: works a treat. I wouldn't use a Bradley, as the smoke residue would taint the produce, unless you had never used it for smoking (which would seem to be a waste).

You can get food dryers for a hundred pounds or so:

http://www.ascott-shop.co.uk/item938.htm

for example.

[lauraj]

sorry...yes you are right re temperature.

good point about "smoky" apples etc

probably was looking to justify buying a smoker.....caught me out

[dougal]

... You can get food dryers for a hundred pounds or so...

I ve heard good reports of Tchibo's approx �25 offering (but you'll have to wait till next year now for that one...

...probably was looking to justify buying a smoker.....caught me out

Sorry !

[Wohoki]

Gotta be said that you could make top quality paprika in a smoker: grow a mix of sweet and hot chillis, salt them and give them some smoke. Chorizo here we come.

[lauraj]

why will i have to wait a year for tchibo dryer?

[dougal]

why will i have to wait a year for tchibo dryer?

Hi Laura - Tchibo aren't exactly an ordinary retailer.
They do offer web-based sales http://www.tchibo.co.uk

BUT

they offer a different batch of (usually 'themed') stuff each week. And like the salesman said "when its gone, its gone". There may be things that show up more often - but I think the dehydrator only shows up very occasionally. Last seen in January (why then???).
Here's a Link.
I know this because I was too slow...

Hope this is helpful, even if not much use!

[jenny_haddow]

Lidl, Aldi and Netto do similar things on a cyclic basis. It's worth checking the websites for what's coming up and getting there early if you want something. Their appliances tend to be a good spec' for the money.

Jen

[dougal]

Lidl, Aldi and Netto do similar things on a cyclic basis. It's worth checking the websites for what's coming up and getting there early if you want something. Their appliances tend to be a good spec' for the money.

Jen - I'm a great fan of Lidl* (and to a lesser extent Aldi), despite the fact that they do occasionally offer real tat.

BUT

Lauraj is in Shetland. I don't think they have the stores you mention on the islands, and those shops don't offer mail order. "Getting there early" could mean a long trip and leaving *very* early...
Tchibo do offer mail order.
And they will email you with info on forthcoming 'offers' so one shouldn't need to compulsively recheck the websites!

While Lidl, etc have weekly 'specials', the odd thing about Tchibo is that they *only* have the specials. Its like Lidl's without the regular everyweek lines... And even odder is that some of their "stores" are just a few shelves inside someone else's shop.
And I've had specific recommendation that the Tchibo dehydrator is good value - however - there's nothing to stop someone putting together a box, an old computer fan, a central heating "room thermostat" (or the naked Maplin module) and a light bulb (as the heat source) and creating their own, quite likely bigger and better dehydrator for even less dosh!

*Lidl Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the 750ml one from Spain (despite the "Luccese" branding), is pretty damn good (and cheap!)

[jenny_haddow]

Whoops, yes of course, the Shetlands are a bit off the beaten track! Given that, I'd probably go the route of using a low oven or maybe the airing cupboard, ( I dry orange peel and make Indian lime pickle in mine). Even laying stuff out on a sunny window sill can do the job.

Cheers

Jen

[Patricia Thornton]

Hi Jenny,

A tip for your lime pickle; leave it on a sunny window cill during the initial maturing period. It is a good way to kill the bacteria, thus preventing mould and mildew forming.

Here, fruit is dried by spreading it out on trays in the back bedroom and leaving the windows slightly open but as the weather is at the moment, it's just a likely to be roasted as dried.

[jpj]

if you can low-temperature smoke dry, mushrooms & tomatoes (split, salted and de-pulped) are good, and also chillis (chipotles). aubergines turned to leather

[lauraj]

thanks everyone.

the only "known" store we have is boots.

I have dried over the aga and in electric oven on low heat..i find it not as consistent as an electric dryer.Though corn on the cob looks fantastic hanging over the stove.
My friend in switzerland used a Stockli dryer(just returned from a year there)

Because we are setting up the croft again after working abroad...money is tight...wish i had bought one in switzerland now!! Getting piglet soon soon i will be able to justify getting the smoker!!

Might ring round some Tchibo stores to see if anyone has one in the back of the store

[jenny_haddow]

Try this site, its a Hereford based firm who have a Severin Fruit dryer for �59.99

philipmorris.uk.com

Jen