EXCALIBUR® FOOD DEHYDRATORS
	"Fun and Easy Food Dehydration" Click on the Play button (>) below to listen to this 30 - minute Radio Interview with Susan

EXCALIBUR® FOOD DEHYDRATORS have changed the way health conscious people all over the world view food preparation and enzyme preservation. With a Parallex™ Forced Fan design, and their Hyperwave™ Adjustable Thermostat/Timer technology, the Excalibur’s line of food dehydrators is the only choice when it comes to your health. From drying fresh fruit, to preparing gourmet live-food cuisine, these dryers may soon replace the microwave oven in the health-savvy home.

I’ve been drying foods for over 30 years; my cuisine class, Preserve It Naturally, is always one of the most popular and the fastest to fill up, in addition to one of my other classes called The Healing Power of Raw Food: Rejuvenate & Energize from the Inside Out. Before I go into detail on why this dryer is the grand prix of all dryers, and how to order it, I’d like to tell you about the history of food dehydration, explore some of the health benefits, and share why it’s so much fun to use this remarkable machine.

Dehydration is one of the oldest methods of preserving food known to civilization. Primitive people dehydrated or dried grasses, herbs, roots, berries, and meats by setting them out in the sun. They learned that dehydrated or dried supplies allowed them to exist during the long, bitter winters when food was scarce or literally nonexistent. The light weight and high nutritional value of dried food also enabled early people to travel greater distances to hunt and explore.

Nearly all people on the planet were drying food to some degree from the dawn of civilization. Actually, the earliest written record we know stated that the Phoenicians and other fishing people of the Mediterranean area used to dry their catches in the open air. Sun drying tea leaves was very common among the early Chinese; many other early cultures were also known to have consumed plenty of dried foods. For instance, when certain ancient Egyptian tombs were excavated recently, scientists found a variety of dehydrated foods, including wheat grain. These foods were meant to sustain the spirit of the deceased during his journey in the afterlife. As an experiment, some of the centuries-old grains were later rehydrated. Miraculously they sprouted, proving that dehydration is truly a viable long-term, natural means of food preservation.

By 1795, the French had developed the first dehydrator—a device designed to regulate the drying conditions and generally speed up the food-saving process. Although crude in comparison to today’s models, the French unit successfully dried fruits and vegetables at a controlled heat temperature of approximately 130° F. with a continuous circulating airflow—the necessary conditions for any dehydration operation. It was many years before the first true dehydrators were introduced in the United States.

Most food can be dehydrated. Fruits and vegetables are among the easiest and most popular for the beginner. But only top quality food should be dried. Select fresh, firm, and perfectly clean food, free of bruises or blemishes. Fruits and vegetables at their peak of ripeness will have the richest flavor and be more nutritious. Immature food will lack color, overmature fruits will be soft and mushy, and overmature vegetables will be tough and woody. Many people believe that inferior produce can be used for dehydration because it will be all wrinkled up when it is dried anyway. This is not always true. Vegetables and fruits (in fact, all produce) should be in prime condition. The quality of the food that you place in the dehydrator determines the quality of the dried food that is processed.

The taste of some dehydrated food is intensified because you are removing water—not sugars, flavors, or nutrients; herbs become more flavorful. Some vegetables, such as carrots, taste more concentrated, and any food that contains sugar tastes sweeter. Even though food with sugar tastes sweeter, the caloric value is the same as in the fresh food because you are adding nothing.

In my cuisine classes for children, I've discovered that children love dried fruits such as bananas, apples, pineapples, and raisins. Part of the variety and versatility that dehydration offers is that some foods taste different in the fresh and dehydrated states. For instance, let’s consider grapes and raisins. Both these snack fruits are delicious and inviting, but each is unique in flavor, texture, and appearance. Many people don’t even realize that they both are one and the same—except for the fact that the grapes are fresh and raisins are dried, or dehydrated. Another example is pineapple: there is nothing better than a succulent, fresh piece of pineapple that enlivens each taste bud with every bite. But, there is also nothing like a tantalizing piece of dried pineapple with its burst of new flavor and texture which only dehydration can give. Of course, you may not care for the taste or flavor of every dried food. Experiment—you won’t know what you’ll like or dislike until you try it. Remember, if you don’t like the taste or consistency of a particular food, it can generally be reduced to a powder and used as a seasoning.

You can also rehydrate food. Rehydration is the process of restoring liquid to dried food. Of course, properly dried food can easily be rehydrated. It returns practically to its original size, form, and appearance. If properly handled, it will retain much of its aroma and flavor as well as the minerals and appreciable amounts of vitamins.

There are many ways to rehydrate fruits: in water or in fruit juice, for example. Try rehydrating blueberries in grape juice or apples in apple juice. The same principle applies to fruit leathers. Rehydrate vegetables in vegetable juice like a multi-vegetable mixture juice or broth.

If you’ve listened to my radio interview on this website on The Healing Power of Raw Foods, you already know that I advocate eating as much raw foods as possible to promote vibrant health. The core philosophy of the raw food movement revolves around the idea that enzymes, the catalysts needed to aid digestion and nutrient absorption, are destroyed at temperatures around 118° F (some say 108°). Without these food enzymes, our bodies have to work harder to digest and assimilate the foods we consume. Enzyme-rich foods help provide our bodies with a more viable and efficient energy source. Raw foods rapidly digest in our stomach and begin to provide energy and nutrition at a quick rate.

While the body also produces enzymes, some researchers believe that only finite amounts of them are available over the course of a lifetime. They theorize that as the enzyme supply dwindles, the body ages more quickly, has less ability to fight disease, and essentially runs out of energy. Because raw food is in its original, natural form, it is more wholesome, assimilative, and digestible. Food eaten raw puts very little stress on the body’s systems.

With a top quality dehydrator, like the Excalibur, you can control the temperature and make a variety of dried foods and meals while retaining all of the enzymes. I’ve used the Excalibur Food Dehydrator for years; it’s indispensable in my healthy kitchen, as well as in my culinary classes and private culinary instruction worldwide. I use it to make everything from cookies, corn chips and crackers, to veggie burgers, breads, seasonings and spice mixes, to fruit leathers, dried fruits and vegetables to scrumptious vegetable chips, such as zucchini, parsnip, fennel, jicama, and carrot chips.

Once you start using the Excalibur, you’ll discover, as I have, that there’s no limit to what you can create. Children also love to participate in the drying process; they are fascinated to see the foods change right before their eyes and, of course, they also love the great taste of the foods when the drying process is complete.

There are a variety of dryers available on the market and none of them compare in quality to the Excalibur. It is truly the best-of-the-best and the one I use on a regular basis. It is easier to use than all of the other ones, which I greatly appreciate for two reasons. First, the trays are front loaded—like an oven—rather than top loaded. Secondly, it has an adjustable thermostat; this is essential so you won’t destroy most of the nutritional value and enzymes (life force) in the food that you are drying.

Excalibur dehydrators come in three sizes: a 4-tray, 5-tray, and 9-tray model. The Excalibur Company also sells nonstick drying sheets for use in their units. You definitely want to purchase these ParaFlexxPremium sheets to complete your personal drying system.

I encourage you to discover for yourself the ease, joy, and fun of food dehydration. It will add a whole new dimension and flavor to your mealtime, nutrient consumption, and level of health and vitality. After using the Excalibur for a week or two, you’ll wonder how you’ve lived without it! For more information on the Excalibur® Food Dehydrators or to order, please visit: Drying123.com or call: (916) 381-4256 or (800) 875-4254.