I've been using a shitty $30 round tray dehydrator for a few years to make jerky and dried fruit. It's crap because it has no heat settings and just pumps out a constant ~68C/155F which is fine for jerky but not so good for fruits.
Has anyone here owned or used a BioChef Arizona? It has good reviews but without the price tag of an Excalibur.
Also, general dehydrating thread. Feel free to share your stories and recipes. I just did a batch of sliced apples today and have some beef marinating in the fridge to be turned I to jerky tomorrow.
Sorry about low quality pic, this is what I'm thinking of buying unless anyone can talk me out of it for a valid reason.
>>7862421
gief pics of your jerky
>>7862436
Tomorrow once it's done
Cautionary tale, fuck greentext.
I practically burned down half my family's kitchen at the age of 9 because I had an unhealthy obsession with beef jerky. My mother bought me some thin strips of steak and told me to try making my own (she didn't like the concept of buying what are essentially packets of pure MSG). Researched online, found out you could make jerky in the oven, it just takes a while. This was before I started cooking, so the oven controls could have been a cockpit for all I knew. Thought the temp. dial was a timer so I turned the dial with a big rectangle on it (we had a section on the stove for roasting trays) thinking "well, the oven's rectangular". Should probably mention there was a baking sheet lying on the stovetop from cookies my mom had made. Put the strips in the oven, then went to play runescape (would have taken like 5 hours). Couple hours later, hear mom screaming 'cause the kitchen's on fire. Fire dept. comes, they do their thing. Topside kitchen cabinets, the stovetop and the baking sheet are all fucking ruined, and my steak was raw.
> Not having a dry house in the desert to make his jerky
> Not making it on racks outside in the sun
Fuck off
The traditional way is the only way
>>7862654
>cautionary tale
Cautionary against what? Not cooking unsupervised at 9 years old? Noted
>>7862666
>>7863772
Cold arctic air is better than arid climates for drying. Didnt you see the alton episode on jerky making?
>>7862666
>Satan
>Posting about natural heat
You should listen to the dark Lord, OP.
>>7862654
Your mother must've kicked herself something fierce once she realised she could've prevented thousands of dollars in damage by helping you cook instead of watching sitcoms. You were a clumsy kid, but that was lousy parenting.
>>7863818
>implying the kid didn't get the fucking heel
you give parents too much credit.
So has anyone used the BioChef brand of dehydrators?
Built this POS dont get rnough sun amd it doesnt get hot enough yet but a homie told me about selective coating to put on the plexiglass to absorb heat. Ill give it a shot.
