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Home > Food Dehydrator FAQs
Living Foods Dehydrators FAQs
President & CEO Shauna Verkade answers
Our Customers' Toughest Questions! |
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Q&A Contents:
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General Operational Questions:
Q1: Why don't I see the Excalibur at Sears, Wal-Mart, or other national stores?
Q2: How long have you been around?
Q3: How many customers do you have?
Q4: What foods can you dehydrate in the Excalibur?
Q5: Can I dry anything besides foods?
Q6: Who uses Excalibur Dehydrators?
Q7: Is it less expensive to buy dried foods or dry them myself?
Q8: How much electricity does the Excalibur consume?
Q9: How about canning or freezing? Aren't they inexpensive, too?
Q10: All the other dehydrators I've seen are ROUND. Are these the same as yours?
Q11: Well, then, what's so uniquely different and better about the Excalibur?
Q12: Which type of dehydrator is faster?
Q13: Can I run the Excalibur 24 hours a day?
Q14: Is an adjustable thermostat important?
Q15: Will the timer turn off the dehydrator while I'm away or asleep?
Q16: How can you produce and sell the Excalibur so affordably? |
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When you're ready to order you'll want to know:
Q20: What payment options do you offer?
Q21: Can I try it for myself?
Q22: How can you possibly offer a 10-year warranty?
Q23: Is it to my advantage to buy now?
Q24: OK. Am I going to get my money's worth out of an Excalibur? |
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After you own an Excalibur:
Q30: Are the trays in an Excalibur dishwasher safe?
Q31: Does my 30 year old Excalibur need any maintenance?
Q32: Is there a right and wrong side for the flexible mesh sheets?
Q33: Can I use my electric rice steamer to blanch or rehydrate foods?
Q34: What is sodium bisulfite? |
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Why don't I see the Excalibur at Sears, Wal-Mart, or other national stores? |
| We sell the Excalibur direct from our factory, not through national chain stores. When you buy directly from Excalibur, you're purchasing from us - the Orton family - with no middlemen. We make them in our factory here in Sacramento, California, USA...using USA made parts. Nobody knows the Excalibur better than we do. And, because you buy direct from the factory, you pay no extra "middlemen" fees so you get an excellent price including special SALES like the one CURRENTLY in effect!
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How long have you been around? |
| Excalibur has been going strong for 35 years and we have hundreds of thousands of customers all over the world. My father started Excalibur in 1973 and in 2005 my husband and I purchased the business when he retired. We are committed to upholding the long standing traditions and quality of Excalibur food dehydrators. |
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How many customers do you have? |
| In 35 years of business, we have hundreds of thousands of owners all across the country and around the world. Gardeners, sports people, professional chefs, crafters, universities, and commercial enterprises are just some of our customers from around the world. |
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What foods can you dehydrate in the Excalibur? |
| Virtually anything! Almost all fruits, most vegetables, meats, fish, herbs, and some dairy products. You can dry everything that you see dried on the grocery shelf: Dried apricots, pineapple, peaches, prunes, pears, dates, garlic, onion, peppers, spices, raisins, meats, fish and more. Explore the wonderful variety of foods and other Excalibur uses when you stop by our Site Map. |
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Can I dry anything besides foods? |
| Yes, you can. Many of our owners are craftspeople who dry craft projects and decorations. You can dry pet treats. We have several dentists who dry plaster molds in Excaliburs! Note some of the more unusual uses listed on our Site Map. |
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Who uses Excalibur Dehydrators? |
| All sorts of people. A lot of gardening families own them. So do families with children or special dietary needs. Excalibur is the first choice for many following the concepts of "Raw & Living Foods". Outdoorsy people love them - especially hunters and fishermen. People who enjoy gourmet foods are big customers. And craftspeople, too. |
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Is it less expensive to buy dried foods or dry them myself? |
| It costs you about ONE TENTH to dry your own instead of buying dried foods. That's because food producers charge plenty for the extra processing. If you do it yourself, you pay only for the fresh fruits or vegetables and the electricity to dry them. Our Dollars and Sense Tips gives breakdowns on some of the savings associated with owning an Excalibur. It can pay for itself in a year! |
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How much electricity does the Excalibur consume? |
| The average cost of electricity used by the Excalibur is about 4 - 5¢ an hour. Dry a full load of fruits or vegetables for less than a quarter! |
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How about other forms of food preservation like canning or freezing. Aren't they inexpensive, too? |
| Canning and especially freezing require a first-time investment like a big freezer and REPEAT investments in supplies like kettles, jars, lids, boxes. The Excalibur is a one-time purchase: the ONLY equipment you need for a lifetime of drying. Dollars and Sense Tips breaks down the costs associated with canning and freezing. |
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All the other dehydrators I've seen are ROUND. Are these the same as yours? |
No!
Round dehydrators have significant design flaws that make them inefficient and slow. They're designed for low cost, not high performance as the Excalibur is. They're made to stack up in sections. They have a heating element in the bottom that can collect drips and spilled food. They usually have no fan or thermostat to regulate or circulate heat so temperatures can vary 50º from top to bottom. That means you have to constantly re-stack trays and "babysit" the machine. Each tray has limited headroom so you can't dry tall items. And each tray has a "donut hole" which severely limits your ability to dry large items. It can take 10 times longer to dry foods in a round dehydrator as in the Excalibur! Refer to Quality Comparison for a side-by-side comparison of the Excalibur to typical round dehydrators. After reviewing this comparison, we believe that you'll prefer the Excalibur over the typical rounded model! |
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Well, then, what's so uniquely different and better about the Excalibur? |
| The Excalibur is just about the only SQUARE dehydrator. It's the only homeowner food dehydrator that has the Parallexx™ Horizontal-Airflow Drying System. The Parallexx system incorporates SIX (6) ESSENTIAL FEATURES for best performance: good electrical design, adjustable thermostat, speed, durability, cleanability, and versatility. |
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Which type of dehydrator is faster? |
| The Excalibur is faster - up to 10 times faster - than common round dehydrators because the fan and the adjustable thermostat creates excellent airflow. Each tray receives its own "jet stream" of forced warm air. Most round dehydrators just radiate heat; they don't direct it. And all their shelves share the same warm air which "loads up" with moisture quickly. Check out our Quality Comparison page for more information. |
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Can I run the Excalibur 24 hours a day? |
| Yes. It's made for production. During the harvest season, foods must be processed quickly to capture all the goodness and avoid spoilage. Drying day and night for months on end is common for an Excalibur. In fact, our Factory-Direct 3000 Series dehydrators have an optional 26-hour timer for added convenience during the busy harvest season. |
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Is an adjustable thermostat important? |
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Yes, it is. For best flavor, fastest drying, highest nutritional value, and overall versatility, and adjustable thermostat is a "must". For example:
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Item |
Termostat Setting |
| Herbs |
95º F |
| Cake Decorations |
100º - 110ºF |
| Yogurt |
115º F |
| Vegetables |
125º F |
| Fruit |
135º F |
| Jerky |
155º F | |
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Will the timer turn off the dehydrator while I'm away or asleep? |
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Yes. That way, you don't have to babysit your dehydrator... just set it and forget it. We use a premium-quality, motor-driven timer that keeps track of actual drying time even if the power should go off and on again. (Digital timers go back to "0".)
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How can you produce and sell the Excalibur so affordably? |
| We're a small family business, not a "money-machine" for a big conglomerate. We have a nice business and sell honest goods at a fair price. We sell LOTS of dehydrators which enables us to purchase quality materials in bulk at big savings and pass them along to you, our customer. |
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What payment options do you offer? |
| You can pay in full for your Excalibur by check, money order, or by charging to your credit or debit card. If you prefer, you can use our budget-stretching LAYAWAY PLAN: just 20% down holds your Excalibur and locks in the current offer. |
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Can I try it for myself? |
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Your Excalibur comes with a 30-Day At-Home Trial Offer. You can put it through its paces for a full month and still get a full refund of your purchase price if you're not satisfied. We can only offer this because we know you will be delighted!
*Please Note: From time to time we offer free shipping specials. Dehydrators returned inconjunction with a free shipping offer are subject to a 15% restocking charge. Dehydrators not returned in like new condition or dirty are subject to a $25.00 cleaning fee. |
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How can you possibly offer a 10-year warranty? |
| Your Excalibur comes with a 1-year warranty. A warranty extension to 10 years is available for only $29.95. After almost 35 years of business, we know our machine intimately and could not offer an optional warranty if we weren't certain it was built for the long haul. |
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Is it to my advantage to buy now? |
| This is an excellent time to buy, because there's a SALE offer in effect right now, for a limited time only. See our Special Web Offers for all the details. |
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OK. Am I going to get my money's worth out of an Excalibur? |
| The Excalibur can pay for itself in as few as six months! That's because the Excalibur is extremely affordable to begin with. When you add up the money you'll save on food bills it would be hard to find a tool that is a better value. Throughout our site, we have numerous cost saving tips, cost comparisons to other preserving methods, and comparisons to commercial dehydrated products. As you explore our site, you'll also note many non-food uses for an Excalibur. Each one of these will help you get your money's worth and more! |
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Are the trays in an Excalibur dishwasher safe? |
| Yes. You can place Excalibur trays in the top tray of your dishwasher. They can also be cleaned with a damp cloth and mild detergent. The flexible mesh (Polyscreen) sheets help protect the trays from heavy accumulation of residue from the foods you are drying. Those flexible inserts are easy to clean by soaking them for a few minutes in the sink, then rinsing with a quick spray from your sink sprayer. Their flexibility allows them to be placed in most kitchen sinks. |
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Does my 30 year old Excalibur need any routine maintenance? |
| As a general rule, the answer is no. As long as the electric cord hasn't become frayed or the unit damaged in some other way everything should be fine. With some of our much older models, a drop or two of lightweight machine oil may be needed on the fan shaft. Over the years, the original lubricant may have become dry. If you have an Excalibur that's over 20 years old, give us a call so we can confirm that a little oil will be of benefit to your unit. At that time, if applicable to your model, we will give you how-to instructions. |
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Is there a right and wrong side for the flexible mesh sheets? |
| Yes. There is a slight difference in texture on each side of our Polyscreen tray inserts. To aid in preventing foods from sticking while drying, place these mesh sheets on the trays with the smooth side facing up. |
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Can I use my electric rice steamer to blanch or rehydrate foods? |
Yes on both counts. Electric steamers are perhaps the best means for blanching because it helps retain water soluble nutrients that are normally lost in water immersion blanching. Steam blanching brings out the foods vivid colors and enhances their natural flavor.
An electric steamer is one of the most efficient and successful means of rehydrating foods. The food is placed in the rice bowl, and covered with a liquid. The circulation of the steam will aid in permeating the food and plumping it back to its original, fresh state. For blanching and rehydrating, follow the instructions provided with your steamer for best results. |
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What is sodium bisulfite? |
| When mixed with water, sodium bisulfite is a liquid form of sulfur. Using sulfur to pretreat foods is rooted much further back into dehydrating history than most of the other methods available today. It is the most effective and least expensive anti-oxidant. Use only a food-safe grade of sodium bisulfite that is made especially for dehydration. Excalibur's Sodium Bisulfite is available here and wherever dehydrators are sold. Note: If subject to sulfur allergic reactions, check with your physician before using Sodium Bisulfite as a pretreatment dip. |
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