Cherie Soria is the found and director of Living Light Culinary Institute and Raw Food For Dummies. She instructs and certifies raw food chefs throughout the world. "As far as I'm concerned there is only one dehydrator -- the Excalibur. We use it exclusively at all our Living Light Culinary Arts Institute trainings and Healthy Lifestyle celebrations. I trust the integrity of the Excalibur dehydrators and know I will get the results I need!"

Gabriel Cousens is the founder and director of the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Arizona. He is one of the leading educators in the raw food community, and author of several books including Conscious Eating. "We only use the Excalibur at our Cafe for all of our Gourmet Raw Food preparations. Everyone loves the quality and reliability, we highly recommend it as our first choice in dehydrators."

Susan Smith Jones, PhD is the founder and president of Renew Your Life and Health Unlimited, an LA based consultant company dedicated to vibrant health - body, mind and spirit. She's a motivational speaker that travels worldwide talking about rejuvenation with raw foods and living a natural, balanced lifestyle. She is author of over 20 books, including Recipes for Health Bliss. "Whether you are a natural food enthusiast or looking for healthy food options, the Excalibur is your answer. The grand prix of dehydators. Superior in service, performance, durability, price and quality. They also make the best gifts to give family and friends!"

• Heat - Enough to draw out moisture
• Air Circulation - To carry the moisture off and evaporate it. To dehydrate most effectively, the air should be able to absorb the released moisture.

Unlike body dehydration, food dehydration is done with a specific purpose in mind:  to preserve the food from spoiling in the most natural way possible. Properly dehydrated foods can last for months without refrigeration. With the Excalibur Dehydrator, advancements and patented technology with air flow and hyperwave temperature fluctuation makes our dehydrators the most efficient on the market.

Unlike other ways of preserving food, dehydration does not kill or cause deterioration of enzymes. Enzymes are the chemical properties found in all living things that control the growth cycles, causing them to mature &/or ripen. When you have a green tomato and you see it turn red, you are witnessing enzymes in action. What this shows is the action continues after the food is picked. Eventually it will decay. Dehydration suspends the action of the enzymes, putting them into an inactive state until the food is rehydrated (i.e. water is added).

Sara expressed in her post that a dehydrator is a "Pawesome" Mother's Day gift for DIY Moms:

Why she'll love it: Has your mom always been a whiz in the kitchen? Here's one gadget we're sure she didn't get as a wedding gift. She'll be able to make jerky treats for the fam, including her favorite fur baby. Homemade jerky treats are infinitely better than packaged Beggin' Strips. Trust us

We've been finding out that many people are using their Excalibur Dehydrators for more than just healthy snacks. Dog treats, bread making, and even potpourri are some of our customer favorites.

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In short, it can be decades, if done right.

That concept can be hard to imagine for someone used to tossing the expired fruits, vegetables and meats that populate their freezers and refrigerators, but the science is sound.

The average shelf life for dehydrated foods varies based on storage method and temperature — the cooler the temperature the longer it can be stored.

Predicting the actual shelf life of dehydrated foods is not an exact science. However, many studies have found that it is possible to double, triple and sometimes quadruple the shelf life of foods by lowering the temperature at which they are stored.

Here are a few tips for extending the shelf life of food:

• Pack it in airtight containers at 50 F/10 C to 60 F/16 C.
• Keep it away from light to preserve its colors and vitamins.
• Only stow the food after it is cooled.
• Check for moisture in the containers several times the first week after the food has been dried. If moisture appears when it's shaken, put the food back in the dehydrator to extend its shelf life.
• Stock stored food away from concrete because of its ability to transfer moisture, thus off a concrete floor or away from a wall.
• Construct shelves so air can run under the container.

If contamination is suspected, place dried food in the oven at 175 F/79 C for 15 minutes. Another method for protection is to subject the food to 0 F for 48 to 72 hours.

Here's a chart that will help explain the various predicted shelf-lives of different foods:

Serious Eats features the Excalibur in the Gadgets section.

The editor starts as most of us probably did.  "I never thought I needed a dehydrator. I mean, I can buy prunes...um, I mean dried plums, at the grocery store. Dehydrators are large. They're not something you'd keep on your counter all the time, and unless you have huge cabinets, storage might not be convenient."

She then goes on to explain the benefits and even so much as say get more use from it by using it to proof dough, re-crisp crackers, dry pasta, or incubate yogurt—pretty much anything that needs a reasonably stable temperature. If you're in a market for one, this unit's got a lot going for it.

The editor reviewed the Excalibur 5-tray dehydrator.  To read the complete article, visit Serious Eats / Gadgets.

We are all familiar with foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.  These are all safe to eat raw.  But there are also a ton of raw foods both within these particular food groups and also many more outside of these, that may be new to you.  Check out Excalibur's Recipe Section or some of our Raw Food Cookbooks.  Our Top Selling Cookbook and Raw Food Reference Manual is Preserve It Naturally.

A raw diet or raw foods diet is packed with living nutrients that provide antioxidants, essential fats, protein and many other nourishing elements that your body needs to stay strong and energized and to facilitate optimal health.  Some raw food and holistic nutritionists do recommend adding supplements for Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D.

“Raw food” literally means “uncooked”. You may also have heard the term “living” or “live” food. These terms are used interchangeably with “raw” because it sounds much more appealing but technically the term should really only be applied to those foods that are still alive and growing, like sprouted beans and seeds, and the foods which are commonly referred to as “indoor greens” such as wheatgrass, sunflower greens and pea greens.

Raw Food is raw.  It hasn’t been cooked or freeze dried, it still has everything that enabled it to grow in the first place.  There are no hidden ingredients.  It's simply pure, delicious, fresh, live food that we were made to eat.  LIVING food for our LIVING bodies.  By introducing raw food into your daily diet regimen, you will feel energized, you will begin to look more "alive" and the idea or concept of what real food is, starts to take on a whole new meaning.

Raw Food is a lifestyle.  It's not a diet.  You don't need to eat raw food all the time to enjoy the health benefits of this lifestyle.  Remember, you are unique.  Different levels of raw are right for different people.  Some once a week, one meal a day, 80% of the time and others always!

A Raw Food lifestyle typically includes unprocessed, unrefined foods.  Fresh, ripe, plant foods and a small amount of lightly cooked vegetables and whole grains.  Organic products are preferred and animal products are typically not included.  Some fully-raw eaters will eat raw fish and raw cheese. Many that are 100% raw don't eat oil or concentrated sweeteners.  Calorie intake is adequate and sugar comes from whole food sources.  Raw vegetable juices are also important.  For more information on juice / juicers, we recommend visiting Omega Juicers.  If you are concerned with not getting enough protein, don't be.  Broccoli and kale have about twice as much protein in a similar 200 calorie serving of sirloin steak!

If you give it a serious shot, the benefits reveal themselves very quickly.  It is reasonable to see and feel changes in as little as 24 hours.

You may see clearer eyes, less puffy face when waking up, a difference in skin color, aches and pains may be more slight than before.  And the longer you eat raw foods, the more significant the changes. The body feels alive!

At Excalibur, we do often here from people who have been eating mostly raw food or exclusively raw food for a year or more and say they look 10 year younger than they actually are.  Or that they are rid of aches and pains.  Or that their skin tone and sparkle in their eyes is "back!"  Or that they've lost weight.  In essence, you are replacing your bloodstream with cleaner, better nourished, more “alive” cells.

In fact, there are many real life case studies of people who have recovered from serious illnesses and disease.  However we know seeing truly is believing and that’s where the fun begins!   We urge to experience, to dry it - you'll like it!

What feels right for you and your body is the way to experiment with raw food and a raw food lifestyle.  Your body will give you the feedback you need.  Listen to it.  Learn from it.  And do what works best for you!

In general we find that raw food is great for people looking or wanting to feel better or younger.  People that want to lose weight, naturally and safely.  People that want energy, that want to think more clearly, that want to get a lot done in a limited amount of time.  People that want to detox or a fresh start.  People that want to feel happier or better about what they eat.  Also people that want to improve their patience with others or their meditation.

Try it for a day, week, month or a lifetime.  Choose to incorporate raw food into your daily diet as often as you like.  No matter the frequency, you’ll enjoy the benefits and your body will thank you!