Hello Mutineers! If you’ve followed us here on the website or on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook, you know that I like to share the things we actually use around Mutiny Ranch. Since our interests are diverse these items range from animal care to gardening implements but also footwear and kitchen gadgets. No matter what the item is though if we recommend it here then we personally own and use it or have researched it enough to have it on our “wishlist”.
The Mutiny Ranch Item of the Day for 4/22/2021 is the Nesco FD-25A Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator. This is a great addition to any kitchen looking to reduce food waste, preserve homegrown (or store-bought) fruits and veggies, or for those who eat “raw foods”.
If you’ve been following us for a while you may have seen posts about us dehydrating apples from our own trees, herbs from the garden, and even marked-down gourmet mushrooms from the grocery store. When Clark and I first met my diet was almost 100% raw and plant-based. When we hit the road to travel full-time in an RV I reluctantly sold my beloved Excalibur dehydrator. I still ate plant-based but was no longer raw (it can often require a huge fridge and lots of space for special equipment to prepare the variety of raw meals I enjoyed…things that are not readily available in most RVs).
I’ve recently gone back to a mostly raw, plant-based diet so a dehydrator is essential for me. However, I’ve also found them to be invaluable for preserving food no matter what your eating preferences.
There are a lot of great dehydrators at various price points on the market these days which is a huge plus for those on a budget. I realize not everyone can afford to spend over $300 on this Excalibur 9-Tray beauty but they might feel comfortable investing $65 in a very nice, reliable Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator. This model is similar to mine (mine is a much older model).
So many things have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and if you’re a gardener, farmer, or into food preservation you probably noticed the shortage of canning lids out there. In the past year, I haven’t seen a single box of canning lids on any of the shelves at my local stores. That makes food preservation difficult. But a lot of your favorite fruits and veggies can be dehydrated instead. And a huge plus about dehydrating foods is that they take up waaaayyyy less space than canned foods. The textures are different and often preferable in certain recipes (like mushrooms). Some foods can be easily enjoyed in their dehydrated state (no reconstitution needed)…kale chips, dried apples, dried bananas, dried tomatoes, and pretty much any other dried fruit. It’s also useful for making homemade granola…yum!
To save money I always shop the marked-down produce section. In the past I made the mistake of overbuying the marked-down items only to have them go bad before we could eat them. Then I remembered I have TWO dehydrators. So, now I divide up what I bring home, keeping some items fresh for immediate use and then drying the rest. It’s easy enough to toss a handful of dried mushrooms or celery into a soup and I save a ton of space in the crisper.
I also use the dehydrator to dry all kinds of nuts. I buy raw nuts in bulk and then soak them overnight in saltwater. The next day I drain and rinse them and then dry them in the dehydrator until they are crisp. This process makes them more digestible. You can read more about this in Sally Fallon’s book Nourishing Traditions.
If you’re in the market for a food dehydrator be sure to check out the Nesco Snackmaster Pro. This model comes with 5 trays but you can add 7 more (for a total of 12) which gives you a lot of surface area for drying food but with a small countertop footprint. It also rocks some outstanding reviews. I stand by my Nesco!
As always, we sincerely appreciate it when you use our links to make purchases through Amazon. As Amazon Affiliates, we may earn a small commission from your purchase at no cost to you. This money goes toward our rescue animals’ upkeep as well as to help assist the rescues of other animals.
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