7/19/12
UPDATE: I returned the dehydrator today back to the store. It took 20 hours to dry out 3 Granny Smith apples. Some of the apple slices have kind of a burnt taste to them. I will fall back and see if I can scrape up some money and just buy a quality unit.
What I can offer for advice? is let the Oster sit on the store shelf. Don’t waste your money and don’t waste the electricity.
7/18/12
I broke down and bought a cheap food dehydrator today. It is an Oster model # fpstdh0101, doesn’t rate high at all but I wanted to try small and work my way into the dehydrator world slowly. My first attempt is 3 apples. The instructions say it will take 12-16 hrs. to dehydrate the fruit. Seems excessive to me. I’ll let you know the results.
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Thanks for the comment. I look forward to seeing your article and let me know when it is ready. I would like to link to it when you are finished.
I’m a huge advocate for dehydrating as a serious way to preserve and store food. There r some great videos on you tube on the channel Dehydrate2Store. U should check her out. I started with a small one like this, then got one from Cabellas for around $200. Finally, I used it enough to justify the investment of the Excalibur which is the most awesome. I have no affiliation with them. If u wind up loving dehydrating and upgrade, jump up to the Ex if u possibly can. I will be posting an article about all my food preservation appliances eventually. I’m working on a series on grains now. Maybe I’ll do it after that. I know u will love dehydrating. Just slice ur foods really thin. Can’t wait to read about ur results!