and I didn't have a clue why I wanted it, but eventually I was worn down by the pretty pictures. When it arrived, we started making as many different things as possible and learning our lessons along the way. Use a silicone mat for strawberries. Small sticky stuff leaves a residue on the metal shelves that is harder to clean than the mat. My first try at a fruit leather (roll up) was not pretty but it was delicious. It was more fun than most stuff in the kitchen because it's so easy. Not a lot of prep - just slice. It's very very quiet, shuts off automatically, and you don't have to stand over it. Bananas, beef jerky, mango, limes, apples, One batch did get a mold right away so I put the little silicone packets in each jar to keep the chips dry...frig or freezer is best if not eaten right away. Love it. I recommend it.

Sahara Folding Dehydrator

I’ve only used the dehydrator twice, so I can’t speak to its longevity. However, I am very happy with it so far. I got it primarily because vegetables are inevitably packaged in quantities that I can’t use, but I don’t want to waste.
1. It’s very easy to set up and take down. The racks all fit in their nice case. I live in a small house, so it was important to me that it didn’t take up space when not in use.
2. The wire racks and silicon mats are easy to clean.
3. I’ve dehydrated carrots, parsnips, and mushrooms. First thing I learned: drying times give a range. Here in Memphis, where it is very humid, I need to use the longest time. This works just fine. I put the dehydrator on my washing machine, the vegetables dry overnight.
4. The dried vegetables are delicious. And it gives me the opportunity to preserve vegetables from a farmers’ market — types of veg I can’t get commercially.
5. I found a website called The Backpacking Chef which has great info on drying vegetables and then cooking with them.

Not only is the Sahara dehydrator efficient and large capacity, it is a really slick design. Every time I use it I am impressed all over again. It's perfect for my situation (tiny, poorly designed kitchen) because it easily folds down for storage. I got the carrying case for it and for the shelves as well and everything fits together, so I don't have to go hunting for where I might have put parts of it. It is also 'stupid simple' to unfold and operate. Kudos to the designers of this excellent product! Their customer service is awesome too; they took care of my mistake in ordering as well as gave me the sale price that happened the day after I bought my unit. I am recommending this dehydrator to everyone!