Using an oven as a dehydrator

[Charles]

Superbowl's this sunday, and I'm going over to my buddy's house to watch the game. I want to bring over some raw snacks, so one of my ideas was to make corn chips. I've never gotten around to purchasing a dehydrator, so I was wondering if anyone's got any advice on how to use an oven as a substitute. Should I set the temperature to 110 degrees? Should I leave the door open? On which shelf should I place the chips? Any suggestions would be welcome, including any other snack ideas for my Superbowl fest.

[Lisha]

Too funny! I'm dehydrating some walnuts right now by setting it on the lowest temp with the door open.
It's the first time I've done it. Who knows how food actually turns out when you use an oven. I think I'll get
a dehydrator soon.

Definitely make some salsa,guacamole, hummus, or dips to go with those chips...Maybe all! :-)

How about some potato chips? http://www.goneraw.com/recipes/2121-Potato-Chip-Replacer-

What about brownies? I'm making Black Forest Cherry... MmMm! :-)

I'm getting hungry! LOL

[The Raw Greek]

Good advice Pete,
Charles never put plastic in the oven. :p
You really should get a dehydrator, but for now you can get the job done by using your oven with the door open, on the lowest setting possible. The oven should not be hot inside, but warm. You will still need to have the chips in there for a long time, perhaps on some grease proof paper. I don't know what it is exactly that you are planning to make but most things need to be dehydrated for atleast 8 hours. That is a long time to have your oven on for.
I have used the airing cupboard to dehydrate things in the past but it can get pretty hot in there, so maybe not the best idea. Oh and somewhere i read of someone using one of those wire racks that hang off of the radiator to dry clothes.
If you are handy with a tool kit you could make a dehydrator. Check out this link.
http://www.k-clements.fsnet.co.uk/dehydrator.html
I have been meaning to do it, but just haven't gotten around to it. Perhaps i should add it to my big list of things to do for 2008.
How about making raw sushi instead, it doesn't need a dehydrator and the ingredients are pretty easy to find. Raw nori is sold in most health food shops in the UK, i am sure it is there too. Make the rice with parsnips and pine nuts processed in the food processor, spread it on a sheet of nori leaving an inch or 2 from the top, lay a line of sliced avocado and cucumber or just about anything you like. tightly roll it up and stick the nori with a little water. Serve with tamari or namu shoyu. Hmmmm.
Good luck

[Charles]

Way ahead of you, Greek. I've seen that site before about assembling your own dehydrator, but I'm not very technically inclined. I have enough trouble stapling two pieces of paper together. And I was planning on making some nori rolls for my party. Still, I appreciate the input.

It does concern me that I'd have my oven on for so long, but my mom's had the oven on for most of the day every Thanksgiving, so I'm guessing it'll be alright.

[Delaina]

I use my oven as a dehydrator, i put a fan in front of it and pt it on the lowest temp. I have a gas stove, so this works faster than a dehydrator- plus I couldn't afford a $200 excalibur with fan. I put a thermometer in the oven to keep an eye on the temp, sometimes i have to cut off the oven for a bit when it gets to warm. Cheap and easy though. Good luck. D:)~

[jinksT]

great advice Delaina!

if you have a thermometer to stick in there it will make things a lot easier to see what is happening and if it is too hot (then turn the oven off for a bit) a giant oscillating fan facing toward the open oven will help lower the temperature and keep the air flowing.

have fun watching the game!

[Charles]

The lowest temperature my oven goes down to 140 degrees, so I'm probably gonna give up on this idea, especially since I don't own a giant fan. But thanks all for the suggestions.

[Christine]

I have used the oven to make pizza crust. I set it on the lowest and leave the door open. It's a gaz stove by the way.

I have a couple pizza stones from back in the old days and they work great. I've never checked the temperature, so I really could not say if it goes over the 115 or not, but I go with it. Regardless it's better than the traditional flour crust, so I don't stress about it.

The best dehydrator down here in Texas is the sun! During the summer, I'll place the crust out in full sun mid-day and in a couple hours I have a nice slightly crunchy crust ready for toppings.

[Mera Magic Meraa]

I think there actually is something like that already but it's relatively new and expensive... I don't know where to find the site I saw it on, it was something about kids safety checks on toys, and household items, but they had a huge listing of "green" toys and household items for sale too.

[ॐ omshanti ॐ]

i tried this when I first went raw, and put a thermometer in the oven, and it was way higher than I set the thermostat. I think it's because of all the metal. Anyway, it sucked.

[Zack Domike]

We are very happy with the raw diet, & believe live enzymes greatly improve assimilation. I listened to my friends, and bought the Excalibur Dehydrator. Being very enthusiastic, I also borrowed a round Ezidri (AKA Harvest Maid or Harvester?), and made up double batches of everything. As I have a thermometer, I was able to check the max & min temperatures of each machine.

The Excalibur temps averaged the set temp of 114*F 45*C but got up to 125*F 54*C. As the Excalibur website, & Dr. Cousens piece explains, they allow wide temperature fluctuations. The Ezidri (made in NZ) kept an even temp, varying by only one degree.

I went an extra step and sprouted a collection of beans and seeds and dehydrated in each machine. Only the Ezidri samples were able to continue sprouting after dehydration, which shows that the enzymes were still alive. I returned the Excalibur I had bought, and will work with the round shape of the Ezidri, happy to keep my enzymes alive.

I am mystified by Dr. Cousens suggestion that temps above 115*F 45*C are only acceptable in the Excalibur; my sprouts died above that temp, which is not ideal. The Excalibur was apparently designed for beef jerky, not for raw foods. I am concerned that many Raw Foodies are buying a dehydrator that is killing the key enzymes, which will reduce the effectiveness of the whole Raw Movement.

From your page, most issues are addressed, but my experiments proved the reverse of the Excalibur claims. No doubt that square shape is more convenient, but air does not move evenly in squares! The Excalibur will be a fine machine, once they use a more precise thermostat, and put in a baffle so that the temperatures are less variable at different parts of the tray. Until then, round crackers with a hole-in-the-middle!