0 TRAY DIGITAL & STAINLESS STEEL – EXC10EL MANUAL
EXC10EL
Contents DRY IT, YOU’LL LIKE IT. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Important Safeguards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 10 Stainless Steel Trays with Digital Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Trouble Shooting Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 One Time / One Temperature Cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction Working on a simple premise, the Excalibur® Dehydrator removes water from food by a continuous circulation of thermostatically-controlled warm air. A variety of foods, from bright golden kernels of farm-fresh corn to rings of island-sweetened pineapple can be dehydrated. Produce, however, is not the only food commonly preserved in a food dryer! Slices of beef, chicken, fish or even venison can be marinated in a combination of sauces and spices and easily transformed into homemade jerky.
Important Safeguards When using electrical appliances, these basic safety precautions should always be followed. 1. Read all instructions. 2. Do not touch hot surfaces. 3. To protect against electrical hazards do not immerse any part of the dehydrator, cord, or plug in water or other liquid. 4. Close supervision is necessary when any appliance is used near children. 5. Unplug from outlet when not in use and before cleaning. Allow to cool before putting on or taking off parts. 6.
10 Stainless Steel Trays with Digital Controller Digital Interface Controller Adjustable Thermostat Lets you select precise drying temperature. 95°F to 165°F. 99-Hour Timer 2 Time / 2 Temperature Program 2 time durations and 2 temperatures for faster drying times. Armoured Glass Doors Strong and durable. Allows visibility to the process of dehydrating. Removable Drip Tray Pan catches crumbs, making clean up that much easier. Large Drying Capacity 10 tray/16 square foot capacity dries large batches.
Trouble Shooting Guide All Excalibur® Dehydrators are checked three times for any electrical or mechanical problems. They are shipped in perfect working order. If you see any damage to the machine due to rough shipping you must report it to the shipper or dealer you purchased from. Excalibur® will not be responsible for damage due to shipping. Technical support may be contacted at (800) 875-4254 or (916)381-4254 from 8am-5pm Mon-Fri Pacific Standard Time. www.drying123.
ONE TIME / ONE TEMPERATURE CYCLES Step 1 Connect power cord into back of unit and plug in to power source. Step 2 Turn power switch on from back of unit. Step 3 Default temperature is set to Fahrenheit (F). To select Celsius (C), press the “Start” key and the “Time Subtract” key simultaneously for two seconds. Step 4 Set temperature & time. Press temp key once to change by 1° increments or “press and hold” for rapid change.
TWO TIME / TWO TEMPERATURE CYCLES Step 1 Connect power cord into back of unit and plug in to power source. Operating Instructions RESET Step 2 Turn power switch on from back of unit. Step 3 Default temperature is set to Fahrenheit (F). To select Celsius (C), press the “Start” key and the “Time Subtract” key simultaneously for two seconds. Step 4 To select two time, two temp mode, press the “Stop” key and the “Time Subtract” key simultaneously for two seconds. Step 5 Set temperature & time.
Fruits Drying Guide Food Preparation Dry best at 135ºF/57ºC Test Time Apples Pare, core & cut into ¼” slices or rings. May be sprinkled with cinnamon if desired. Pliable 7-15 hours Apricots Wash, cut in half, slice and remove pit. Push in backs dry skin side down. Pliable 20-28 hours Bananas Peel & cut into 1/8” slices. Leathery or Crisp 6-10 hours Leathery 10-15 hours Leathery & Sticky 13-21 hours Same process as berries.
vegetables Drying Guide Food Asparagus Beans, Greens or Wax Beets Broccoli Cabbage Preparation Dry best at 125ºF/52ºC Test Time Wash & cut into 1” pieces. Brittle 5-6 hours Wash, remove ends, cut 1” pieces or French style. Brittle 8-12 hours Leathery 8-12 hours Wash & trim, cut stems into 1/4” pieces. Dry florets whole. Brittle 10 -14 hours Wash, trim & cut into 1/8” strips. Brittle 7-11 hours Remove all but 1/2” of the top scrub thoroughly, steam until tender.
Raw & Living Foods In 1963 Dr. Ann Wigmore and Victoras Kulvinskas founded the Hippocrates Health Institute in Boston, MA where they taught their patients about the benefits of a completely raw, organic diet. Today this raw food lifestyle has evolved into a worldwide movement, with Ann and Victoras being recognized as the movement’s mother and father.
Why Excalibur® is Superior for Living Foods There are two important elements when dehydrating living foods to preserve the enzymes. The first element is the proper control of temperature, and the second, is the time it takes the food to dehydrate. If the temperature is too high the enzymes can be destroyed, but if the temperature is too low, the food takes longer to dry, causing it to spoil or grow bacteria.
Temperature Guide Following this guide will ensure the use of proper temperatures when drying foods. If the heat is too high, the food may “case harden” which means it will feel dry on the outside; yet inside, it is still moist. If the heat is set too low, drying time and use of electricity is increased. Timing Drying times, are enormously dependent upon multiple factors. These factors include the amount of humidity in the air, the moisture content of the food being dried and the method of preparation.
Preparation Pre-treatment Pretreating food is not an essential procedure when using your Excalibur® Food Dehydrator. There are basically two types of pre-treatment, dipping and blanching. Pretreating will help maintain: Color: reduces oxidation of foods such as apples and potatoes keeping them from turning a rust-like color. Nutrients: helps retain the minimal loss which tends to occur during the drying process. Texture: the chance for fiber deterioration in the produce is lessened.
Storage & Reconstitution Containers for dried foods should be safe from moisture and insects. Glass jars with tightly fitted lids, plastic zip-lock and vacuum/heatsealable bags are recommended storage containers. Food-safe metal cans, such as coffee cans or cookie tins, may be used to store individual bags for extra protection. Your dried foods should be stored in a cool, dark and dry area. The ideal temperature for food storage is 50º - 60ºF/10º - 16ºC.
Model EXC10EL In the following pages An Introduction to your Dehydrating Lifestyle.
LEATHERS & FRUIT ROLLS
Leathers & Fruit Rolls Leathers are an easy answer to the often heard request of “What is there to eat?” Yogurt, leftover fruits or vegetables can be pureed, sweetened and spiced and made into a nutritious, high-energy snack food. Spread the pureed, produce thinly on Paraflexx®® sheets or plastic wrap and dehydrate, transforming the liquid into a chewy, quick-energy snack! Leathers are so simple to make! Select ripe or slightly overripe (but not spoiling) produce that blends and tastes well together.
Western BBQ Jerky WHAT YOU NEED: 1 lb. lean meat 1 tsp. salt 3 T brown sugar ¼ tsp. pepper 1/3 cup red wine vinegar 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 tsp. onion powder ½ tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. dry mustard HOW TO PREPARE: Mix all ingredients except meat in shallow dish or bowl. Stir well. Cut meat into 3/16 -inch-thick pieces. Place in marinade making sure meat is covered. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Place meat on dehydrator trays and dry at 155˚F/68˚C until meat cracks, approx. 5-6 hours.
JERKY Many recipes are available, but it’s fun to make up your own concoction. You can use virtually any combination of the following ingredients: soy, Worcestershire, tomato or barbecue sauce; garlic, onion or curry powder, seasoned salt or pepper. Pick a lean cut of raw meat as free from fat as possible; the higher the fat content, the shorter the storage life of the jerky. The best way to get uniform pieces is with a meat slicer, but a sharp knife will do.
Nacho - Cheese Kale Chips WHAT YOU NEED: 1 cup cashews 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup filtered water 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 2 teaspoons chili powder ½ teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pureed garlic (about 2 cloves) ½ teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper ½ pound stemmed curly kale (about 1 ½ large bunches) HOW TO PREPARE: Soak the cashews in water for 4 to 6 hours. Rinse and drain.
Vegetables You can dry a different vegetable each day for a month and still not go through the entire list. Some are more suitable for dehydrating than others but once you get started, you’ll want to try them all. What do we get from vegetables? Vegetables are rich sources of vitamins and minerals. Some of the important nutrients they contain include: vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin, phosphorus, calcium, and iron - all of which are preserved, although not in their entirety, when properly dehydrated.
FRUITS
Fruits You’ll have fun drying fruit; it’s one of the oldest and most popular dehydrated foods. Enjoy dried fruit as a naturally sweet snack, in your favorite recipes, candied, or in good tasting leathers. Apples, peaches, bananas, and pears are long-time dehydrating favorites. But why stick to the tried and true? Dare to dry dates, have a fling with figs, or perk yourself up with persimmons.
Trailmixes, Granola & Nuts
Trailmixes, Granola & Nuts Looking for an after school energy snack or a healthy treat before a big game? Heading out on the trail? Dried fruit and nut trail mix is easy to do in an Excalibur dehydrator and you can personalize it to your taste. Add dry fruits to include natural sugars, all the while controlling the sugar and salt content. These snacks also reduce pounds of juicy goodness into ounces for lightweight meals and snacking on longer backpacking trips.
HERBS & SPICES Basil WHAT YOU NEED: Basil Leaves This herb is an excellent seasoning commonly employed in Italian and Mediterranean style cooking. Its leaves add a pleasant, spicy flavor to tomato and potato dishes, vegetable juices, cheese and egg mixtures, salads, and many types of meat. Although it has a savory clove-like aroma, basil actually belongs to the mint family. The leaves must be dried quickly to avoid molding. Because of its very delicate nature, treat basil carefully to prevent damage.
HERBS & SPICES Herbs and spices are sometimes a neglected part of our cookery. Use your Excalibur® dehydrator to dry your own freshly grown herbs! Buy bulk quantities of fresh herbs and spices, dry them and create special teas and seasonings. Left-over parsley will no longer be wasted…as drying herbs and spices require rather simple preparation: As far back as the beginning of recorded history, people have been using herbs and spices as food, beverages, medicines, and in superstitious practices.
PET TREATS
PET TREATS More and more Americans are tuning in to the food system, trying to avoid nasty artificial ingredients. And increasingly, people are looking harder at what’s best for their four-legged family members, too. Healthy dog treats are a great starting point because you can easily whip them up in your kitchen. While these recipes are intended for preparation in a food dehydrator, which can help retain more nutrients, you can use your oven set on a low temperature and get a similar dehydrating effect.
YOGURT
Yogurt Homemade yogurt is economical and easy when made in your dehydrator. Residents of Middle Eastern countries have revered yogurt as a staple food for thousands of years, but it didn’t really become popular in the United States until the late 1940s. Yogurt is low in calories and cholesterol and is reputed to slow the aging process. Yogurt is extremely easy to make. All that is required is 4 cups milk, 1/2 cup powdered milk, and 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt.
RAISE BREAD & RECRISPING
RAISE BREAD & RECRISPING Yes, you can use your Excalibur Dehydrator to make your bread rise! An Excalibur can make a big difference in speeding up the time it takes for dough to rise. Remove the trays from the dehydrator, set the thermostat to 115˚F / 46˚C and allow the unit to pre-heat. Place a shallow pan of water on the bottom of the dehydrator. Insert a drying tray above the water and place the bowl of dough on the tray. Cover the dough with a cloth to keep it from drying out.
PASTA
PASTA Your dehydrator is perfect for preparing pasta. Store bought varieties can’t compete with the taste of homemade; you’ll notice the difference with the first bite. Make and cut the noodles according to the recipe directions. No need for separate pasta racks! Place strips of freshly made pasta in single layers onto your drying trays. Dry for 2 to 4 hours at 135ºF/57ºC. Store in airtight packages.
Cottage Cheese WHAT YOU NEED: 1 gallon of pasteurized milk and either 4 tablespoons unflavored yogurt made in your dehydrator 1/2 cup fresh buttermilk, or 1/4 tablet of rennet (an enzyme) dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water HOW TO PREPARE: Pour the milk into a crock and warm it to room temperature, about 72°F/22°C. Mix in the yogurt, buttermilk, or rennet and cover the crock with cheesecloth. Place the crock in the dehydrator and hold the temperature inside at 85°F/29°C for 12 to 18 hours until clabbered.
CHEESE The low temperatures of your dehydrator are ideal for ripening milk into cheese. Cottage cheese is unripened cheese - that is, it has not been aged. Hard cheeses, on the other hand, are pressed, dipped in paraffin wax, and aged. Longhorn, cheddar, Colby, and Romano are all hard type cheeses. In addition, there are the semi-hard or soft cheeses: Scamorze, Neufchatel, and cheese spreads. These are generally milder in flavor than the hard cheeses and are only aged for a short time, if at all.
POTPOURRI, ARTS & CRAFTS
Potpourri, Arts & Crafts Your dehydrator can help satisfy your creative cravings by shortening the drying times for ceramics, dough art or decoupage. It’s a boon for the impatient! You can even use your dehydrator to dry photographs. Potpourri Nearly any garden blossoms, leaves, herbs, spices or cones can be used for potpourri. Fixatives must be added to the potpourri to prevent the fragrances from evaporating. Orris, benzoin, calamus and oak moss are common fixatives.
Year-Round Season for fruits/vegetables January Good Buys: Avocados, Bananas, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Mushrooms, Pears, Potatoes, Turnips and Winter Squash. February Good Buys: Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kumquats, Mangos, Mushrooms, Pears, Tangerines, Winter Squash. March Good Buys: Artichokes, Asparagus, Avocados, Bananas, Broccoli, Grapefruit, Kumquats, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Radishes, Spinach.
In the following pages Celebrity Chefs and their Dehydrating Recipes Join us and our round table of celebrity chefs and their recipes as we take a journey to raw food.
Tess Masters Grab-and-Gorge Garlic Kale Chips What You’ll Need: 1 large bunch of curly green kale – about 8 firmly packed cups 1 cup raw cashews soaked in filtered water for 2 – 4 hours (soaking is optional) 1/8 cup filtered water as needed for desired consistency 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 cup nutritional yeast to taste 1 whole bulb of garlic (about 8-10 cloves) chopped roughly 1 tsp Celtic sea salt 1 Tbsp coconut nectar (optional) 4 teaspoons granulated garlic Australian-born Tess Masters is
Carol Alt Vegan Salad pizza A true superstar -- Carol Alt. Since her days as the world’s most famous supermodel, Carol Alt has been a multi-award-winning actress that has appeared in more than 65 films; host of countless TV and radio shows; had a number one music hit in Europe; graced the cover of over 700 magazines; worked as a dedicated philanthropist; and is now also a skincare entrepreneur, jewelry designer, and bestselling author on raw food nutrition.
Blythe Metz vegan kale chips What you will need: 1 bundle organic kale (usually 12-15 leaves) 6 tbsp. cold pressed organic olive oil 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast 1 ½ tbsp. chili powder 1 ½ tbsp. nama shoyu OR wheat free Tamari OR 1/4 tsp. Celtic sea salt for GF (*see note in post) Let’s Get Started! 1 bundle organic kale (usually 12-15 leaves) 6 tbsp. cold pressed organic olive oil 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast 1 ½ tbsp. chili powder 1 ½ tbsp. nama shoyu OR wheat free Tamari OR 1/4 tsp.
Eva Rawposa super easy falafel with lemon garlic aioli To make the falafel: 2 cups roughly chopped carrots 1 cup dry sunflower seeds 1/4 cup flax seeds, ground (after grinding, equals 1/3 cup) 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely 3 Tbsp. diced onion 1 clove minced garlic 1/4 tsp. Celtic sea salt 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. curry powder 1/2 cup sesame seeds (*to be added after processing) Eva Rawposa created Uncooking101. com with business partner Venita Hale.
Brendan Brazier Vegan “Toasted” Apple Cinnamon Cereal Brendan Brazier, formulator of VEGA, and creator of Zon Fitness, and Thrive Foods Direct. Brendan is widely considered by many as an authority in plant-based nutrition. He trains elite sports stars and celebrities, consults and develops products for top companies, and is a notable public speaker.
Heather Pace Vegan oatmeal crunch cereal What you’ll need: 1 cup packed almond pulp (leftover from making homemade almond milk) 3/4 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut 2/3 cup finely ground oats (regular oats, gluten free oats, or raw oat groats) 1/3 - 1/2 cup maple syrup or raw agave 2 Tbsp. filtered water 2 tsp. non alcoholic pure vanilla extract 1/8 tsp. Himalayan salt Heather Pace from SweetlyRaw.com. At 14, Heather became a health conscious vegan after reading FIT FOR LIFE.
Jason Wrobel Fudge brownies Superfood Brownie Mix 8 cups raw pecans, soaked for 8 hours & dehydrated for 24 hours, until crisp 1 1⁄2 cups dates, pitted & packed 1 1⁄2 cups raw cacao powder 1⁄2 tbsp. Vitamineral Green or other green superfood powder 1⁄2 tbsp. maca powder 1⁄2 tsp. Himalayan Crystal Salt or Celtic sea salt 1⁄4 tsp. shilajit powder 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1⁄2 cup dried goji berries, reserved 1 tsp.
Dina Lauro Chunkie Dunkies Raw Vegan Apple Raisin Walnut Cookies Muffins Dina Lauro, found of Chunkie Dunkies raw vegan cookies. After attending Natural Gourmet Institute and completing an internship at the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, Dina’s life changed and Chunkie Dunkies was born.
Marie-Claire Hermans Lasagna stacks / Mille Feuilles Vegetables required per person: 1/2 to 1 small round zucchini 1/2 red bell pepper 1/2 yellow bell pepper Fresh basil to taste 1/2 pack of wild mushrooms some sprigs of fresh thyme a sprig of fresh rosemary 1/4 tsp. of Celtic sea salt or more to taste organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil Marie-Claire Hermans from Ravishing Raw. Marie-Claire is a raw food chef, author, and coach in Belgium, Europe.
onion bread crisp What you’ll need: 1 large yellow onion 2 cups ground flaxseeds 2 cups ground sunflower seeds 3/4 cup coconut aminos or Nama Shoyu (*not gluten free) 3/4 cups cold pressed extra virgin olive oil Matt’s recipe Onion Bread Crisp, (Courtesy of Matt Amsden, RAWvolution) Lets get started! • Peel and halve the onions. • In a food processor, cut the onions using the slicing blade.
Helpful Hints & Tips Cut all your items the same thickness. If you don’t, they’ll dry at different times. A slicer is helpful. Do small or Large batches. If you are doing a small batch, put the remaining empty trays in the dehydrator. Your dehydrator is designed to work with all or none of the trays. Experiment with your drying times. Everyone’s tastes are different. You may like some food dried longer for a crispier texture. You may like other dried less for a chewier texture.
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