Garage sale dehydrator

I'd like to try dehydrating, but do not want to spend the money on a new one until I've decided I will keep at it. If I do, then I'll buy a nice one.

To make sure I don't ensure a bad experience, anything I should look for in particular in any given GS purchase? I hear a temp control is a must and that a timer is a very good thing, but is there anything else I should demand or avoid?

You don't need a timer, but you do need thermostat/temp control. And a fan to distribute the warm air evenly. You go by when the food feels dry enough rather than by time--the time in recipes is very approximate. You can always set an alarm clock!

Agreed, fan is probably the most important thing, IMHO. Closely followed by a thermostat. I know folks who use one of those plug-in-your-outlet timer thingies, like you use for making your lights go on when you're not home.

Thank you for the tips. I'll hit some sales garage sales this weekend and the local thrifts too.

Probably obvious, but plug it in before buying!

As OM says, yes, plug in the used dehydrator before buying it. I haven’t tried it, but have seen suggestions for placing some sort of a rheostat inline with the power cord as a temperature and fan speed control if the dehydrator has none of its own. I burned through 3 or 4 cheap-o models before purchasing an Excalibur via eBay. I love this dehydrator.

A possible substitute dehydrator is a hair dryer blowing into any box or bag, BTW. Been there, done that, on the road.

Regards,

CamperMom

I haven't gotten my dehydrator yet, but do appreciate the advice given.

As far as it goes though Alton Brown on Good Eats did a DIY jerky maker using A/C filters and a box fan. the recipe is here but he says to dry it this way for 8 - 12 hours. It makes OK jerky, but I think I'll stick to using a commercial dehydrator.