Electriq Digital Dehydrator with Timer EDFD08

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How easy is the Electriq Digital Dehydrator EDFD08 to use?

Putting the dehydrator is an easy slide-in affair. Everything fits together smoothly and it’s easy to see where all the parts go. The controls are equally intuitive with clear images on the timer and temperature buttons.

The manual is detailed. It features an extensive chart of a wide variety of different fruits, vegetables and herbs for drying, as well as detailed instructions on how to make fruit leather. Almost all foods are listed with suggested preparation, drying times and temperatures.

It has a timer that runs for up to 48 hours, ideal for foods that require long dehydration, and the countdown timer automatically shuts off. The temperatures range from 35-75C in five-degree increments.

Results

We were impressed with the results on all of our tests. Our mushrooms and tomatoes, both dehydrated at 65C, were leathery and pliable. The tomato flavour had been intensified, and both vegetables dried well within the suggested time.

Dehydrated basil was lightweight and brittle. The leaves had lost their vibrant hue, but this was an expected result. It took just 22 hours to dry.

We also dehydrated lemons and apples to make blackberry and apple fruit leather. As advised, we cut our lemons to 1cm thick and set them to dry at 50C. After 11 hours, the lemons had a slight snap on the rind but the middle remained pliable. Our apples, also cut to 1cm thick, took longer than advised to dry: 11:30 rather than the 4-10 suggested. But, the results were fantastic. The apples were spongey and pliable and had an intense, punchy apple flavour.

There’s no dedicated tray for fruit leather, but thankfully the walls of the drawers are quite high, so there’s no risk of the puree spilling over. We lined the tray with the dehydrating mesh and parchment paper. The fruit leather was quick to dry, taking just over three hours, rather than the four-eight hours suggested. After drying, the leather was pliable and easy to roll, and looked bright and rich, with an intense blackberry flavour.

Conclusion

This is a serious dehydrator: it produces professional results at an affordable price. It’s large, so will need a dedicated space on the kitchen counter and some decent storage space, but if you’re thinking of getting into dehydrating, this model is a great place to start.

The whole unit is easy to clean, and it has dishwasher-safe trays. The controls are intuitive and the detailed manual is a must-keep as it contains so much useful information.

Specifications

Number of trays: 6
Temperature range: 35-75C
Time: up to 48h
Dishwasher safe trays: Yes
Accessories included: 1 x dehydrating mesh
Wattage: 500
Dimensions (cm): H31.5 x W34.5 x D45

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This review was last updated in April 2021. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk