Ezidri Ultra FD1000 - an unusual dryer originally from New Zealand, with the ability to install up to 12 pallets
On the pages of the resource, we have already published the results of tests of several household dehydrators - devices for drying vegetables and fruits, meat and herbs. All of them showed different results, but many of them had a common problem - a large temperature difference at different levels of the dryer. The creators of the Ezidri Ultra FD1000 dehydrator tried to solve this problem with the help of several know-how - double-walled pallets and a non-standard air circulation system. We, in turn, decided to check how successful this engineering solution turned out to be and how it affected the efficiency of the device.
Table of contentsSpecifications
Equipment
At first sight
Instructions
Control
Exploitation
Testing
conclusions
EquipmentThe dehydrator is delivered in a cardboard box, made in the standard style of "serious" household appliances - white background, colorful full-color photographs, basic information about the device - technical specifications, a brief description of the device, as well as images and descriptions of additional accessories.
The photos on the box mostly show fresh produce, which is not surprising since dried fruits and vegetables do not look as attractive as fresh ones. However, a general idea of the purpose of the device can be obtained, even despite the fact that only the textual description of the device has been translated into Russian, and the rest of the information will have to be mastered in English.
Also on the box proudly flaunts the inscription "Designed in New Zealand". It is not very clear what associations a potential buyer should have in this case. Probably something to do with green plains, good ecology, and cozy hobbit burrows.
The contents of the box are packed in plastic bags, there is no special carry handle for the box, which seems to hint that the dehydrator is a solid device, for which it is best to allocate a separate place in the apartment and not move it unnecessarily.
The box is suitable for long-term storage of the device: the dehydrator can be easily removed to the far shelf or on the mezzanine - there is no need to “play the rebus assembly” when packing the dryer.
Opening the box, inside you can find:
the dehydrator itself;
5 pallets;
1 mesh sheet and 1 pastille sheet;
instructions (aka a recipe book);
warranty card and additional information sheet.
The dryer came at our disposal complete with additional accessories - pallets, marshmallow sheets and mesh sheets, as well as additional printed materials - brochures with recipes and even articles in newspapers and magazines, carefully selected by the supplier of the device.
Additional accessories arrived in a regular cardboard box without any special decoration.
At first sightThe first acquaintance with the device leaves extremely positive impressions about it. Attention is drawn to the high quality of the used ABS-plastic, as well as the general "thoroughness" of the assembly of the device.
On the front panel of the dryer there is a power regulator, an operating indicator and hint icons, with which you can quickly understand at what temperature you need to dry different types of products. Below you can see the plastic feet and ventilation holes. There is no special compartment for storing the cord.
The electronic components are protected from moisture by a non-removable plastic ring.Hot air vents are located in the center of the device, as well as along the outer radius (which is a key distinguishing feature of the Ezidri Ultra FD1000, but more on that later).
What didn't we like? First of all, there is no power button. The appliance automatically starts working when the power cord is plugged in. Secondly, there is no sleep timer. For a dryer in this price range, we consider this a rather serious drawback.
Now let's take a look at pallets and additional accessories.
The pallets are made from the same ABS plastic and look sturdy enough. Also noteworthy is the presence of a triple outer wall, which not only gives additional rigidity to the structure, but also contributes to the retention of heat.
The top cover also turned out to be difficult: it has a hollow space inside, which also helps to maintain the desired temperature during the operation of the device.
The additional mesh sheet is designed for drying small products that can fall through the cracks in the main pan.
But the flexible marshmallow sheet turned out to be a rather interesting accessory. With its help, you can dry not only marshmallow, but also any other moisture-containing products without fear of staining the dryer. The sheet looks rather fragile, so it should be handled with care.
Additional hollow trays can also be purchased if required, doubling the height of one pallet. We did not have them at our disposal, but the purpose of this accessory is already clear.
InstructionsThe dehydrator manual is a 48-page black and white A5 brochure with glossy cover. The instructions were printed on high-quality paper, which is doubly pleasant given the fact that in the process of using the device you will have to return to it more than once: after all, in addition to the standard sections such as "preparation for work" and "technical characteristics of the device", it contains a lot of useful information, which for sure will be of interest not only to those who first encountered a dehydrator, but also to more experienced “dryers” who have already mastered the basic recipes.
What can be found in the instructions? - advice on the preliminary processing of raw materials, storage and recovery of dried products;
- a table of fruit drying, rules for their preparation and cutting;
- rules for making marshmallows and options for combining fruits;
- a table for drying vegetables, including instructions for their pre-processing;
- information on drying raw and cooked meat, fish, and corned beef;
- information on drying herbs, spices and flowers (including examples of recipes for pot-purri - decorative aromatic mixtures);
- about 25 recipes for all kinds of dishes that can be prepared using the dehydrator - dried fruit salads, cakes and pastries, cocktails, dried tomatoes, etc.
In general, the brochure contains a lot of useful or just informative information. In our opinion, this is a huge plus for future owners of this model: after all, dehydrators are not very common in our country, and many buyers will inevitably face the question "what can be done in it at all?"
In addition to the instructions, the manufacturer has supplied us with a large number of dehydration brochures and magazines.
ControlThe device automatically starts working when plugged into an outlet. The dehydrator is controlled with a single analog knob, with which you can set the temperature from minimum (35 degrees) to maximum (65 degrees). The panel is marked at 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and 65 degrees.
When the device is operating, the indicator light turns on.
Actually, that's all there is to say about managing this dehydrator.
ExploitationNo special steps are required before first use. If you wish, you can rinse the pallets and sheets under running water, which is not necessary: we did not smell any special technical smells.
Further steps are simple: pre-prepared products are stacked on trays, which, in turn, are installed on the dryer - one on top of the other.
The developer warns to put food on trays away from the dryer. This is especially true when working with a solid pallet. The fact is that by putting liquid products directly on the dryer, you can easily spill them and thus damage the electronic components of the device.
All that remains is to put the dryer in a well-ventilated place, plug it in and set the desired temperature.
Caring for the device is also simple: it is recommended to wipe the cover and the body of the device with a damp cloth, and trays and nets should be pre-soaked in water with a mild detergent, and then wipe off the remnants of food with a brush.
If the nets are slightly colored (for example, when drying carrots), a weak bleach solution can be used.
TestingDuring the testing process, we checked how well the dryer handles various types of food, and also measured the physical characteristics - temperature and energy consumption.
Also, during testing, we were quite interested in the uniformity of drying products at different heights (on different trays).
The fact is that in the Ezidri Ultra FD1000 model we encountered a somewhat "non-standard" design for dehydrators: the air in this dryer does not just rise from the bottom up, sequentially warming up the products laid out on pallets, but first of all is directed into the air duct located along the radius of the pallets , and from there it enters the central part of the device. According to the developers, such a system allows evenly drying the contents of all pallets, and therefore frees the cook from the need to periodically change pallets in places.
Objective testsBefore starting to dry food, we measured the power consumption of the appliance and checked how well it keeps the temperature.
For 10 hours of operation at maximum power, the device consumed almost 6 kWh, so the power consumption for one hour of operation was 0.6 kWh. At the same time, the power consumption fluctuated and amounted to 25 or 850-890 W, depending on whether the heating element was turned on at a given moment.
The total usable area of standard trays (5 pieces) is 0.25 m².
To measure the temperature, we used an ordinary culinary thermometer, which was sequentially placed on the lower and upper pallets.
First, we measured the temperature with six installed trays - that's what most dehydrators usually have, and then - with twelve (all that we had in stock).
With filled trays, the measurement result turned out to be approximately the same (taking into account some error caused by the presence of products).
The difference of only 2 degrees between the upper and lower tray is an excellent result, which allows in most cases not to change trays in places during the drying process and not to be afraid that the products located at the bottom will dry out, while the upper ones will be slightly damp. Running a little ahead, let's say right away that our tests confirmed this assumption.
Dried fruits: applesWe cut 3 kilograms of apples (Granny Smith variety), evenly spread them on trays and dried them at the recommended temperature (55 degrees) for 10 hours.
The dried apples weighed about 580 grams.
Result: great.The apples have dried to the consistency we want - dry enough not to spoil, but soft enough to be eaten without soaking.
Candied pumpkinWe boiled the pumpkin, cut into pieces of a suitable size, several times in sugar syrup (5 glasses of sugar for 3 glasses of water). After each boiling, the pumpkin with the solution was cooled and allowed to stand for several hours.
Then the pumpkin pieces were laid out on flexible mesh sheets and placed in a dryer. For drying, the same mode was chosen as for apples - 55 degrees.After 8 hours, the pumpkin pieces dried up and turned into ready-made candied fruits that can be eaten with tea or simply instead of sweets.
For the sake of experiment, we tried to dip them into melted confectionery icing, resulting in a sweet (very sweet!) Treat with a distinct pumpkin flavor.
Result: great.Dried bananaPlain bananas were peeled, cut lengthwise and placed in a dehydrator. Initially, we wanted to dry a whole banana, but it did not fit into a standard pallet, and we did not have special extenders to increase the height of the pallets - we had to cut it.
We dried the banana at 60 degrees for 10 hours - and as a result, we dried it to a state of breadcrumbs. I had to leave it in a room with an open window for a while. As a result, it absorbed moisture from the air, slightly softened and became edible.
Result: great.The taste was very similar to the well-known dried mini-bananas in bags, except perhaps not so oily.
Dry hehMany people know how to cook he - white fish marinated in salted vinegar-onion water. But few have tried to dry it, but in vain.
Any white fish fillet is suitable for this dish. The marinade consists of vinegar and water (180 ml of vinegar per 500 ml of water), salt and sugar (1 teaspoon and 6 tablespoons, respectively), 2 chopped onions, a clove of garlic and a small amount of ground pepper. This should be enough for 2 kilograms of fish fillets, which should be cut into slices no thicker than a centimeter.
Prepared fish should be kept in the marinade for at least 2 hours, after which excess moisture should be removed and dried in a dehydrator at 50-60 degrees for about 8 hours.
It turned out to be an excellent dry snack for beer.
Result: great.Let our readers not be confused by the slightly pinkish color of the resulting fish chips: the fact is that we used grape vinegar, which gave such a shade.
Dried chicken (jerky)To prepare jerky chicken, we took 2.5 kilograms of chicken breast, which was cut into pieces about 7-8 millimeters thick and marinated for 24 hours in the refrigerator in a mixture of soy and Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, red and black pepper.
It is worth saying that on the World Wide Web you can find a huge number of recipes for marinades for jerky, and many of them allow for a very free use of certain spices (dry onions, garlic, parsley) and sauces (teriyaki, liquid smoke, ketchup, etc.). ). You can also find jerky with the addition of orange juice or even honey. In general, there is the widest scope for creativity.
Our chicken was dried for 10 hours at 55 degrees, after which it turned out to be the desired consistency - flexible and not breaking when bent.
Result: great.From 2.5 kilograms of chicken breast, we got 850 grams of excellent jerky. Those who plan to repeat our experience, we want to warn you that if you are going to harvest jerky in large volumes, then during the cutting process it is necessary to remove even the smallest particles of fat so that it does not impart an unpleasant rancid taste to the jerky during long-term storage.
Buckwheat porridge with vegetablesWith the help of a dehydrator, everyone can prepare instant porridge with their own hands, which then will be enough just to pour boiling water.
This kind of food will surely appeal to lovers of hiking and outdoor recreation.
Such porridge is prepared as follows: buckwheat is boiled as usual (if desired, you can add chopped dry mushrooms to it).
Vegetables (onions, carrots, bell peppers) are finely chopped and sautéed with a little oil.
After that, the vegetables are mixed with porridge, laid out on flexible marshmallow sheets and dried in a dehydrator at maximum power for 10-12 hours.
Afterwards, it is enough to pour boiling water over the finished porridge, after which it becomes exactly the same as it was before drying.
Result: great.It should be noted that when using sheets for marshmallows, we encountered uneven drying. Our porridge dried quite quickly along the outer radius of the pallets and remained moist for much longer (for several hours) closer to the center. I had to finish drying.
conclusionsThe Ezidri Ultra FD1000 Dehydrator has demonstrated a combination of simplicity and quality. Not only has he passed all of our tests successfully, he has also demonstrated that a well-designed dehydrator can handle large quantities of food without sacrificing drying quality.
The weak point of "conventional" dehydrators is that the air, passing sequentially through all the trays, cools down. As a result, the products located on the lower trays are often overdried - or it is necessary to additionally dry the products located on the upper trays. In the Ezidri, the air is supplied through a side duct, which is also protected by a double wall. This design makes it possible to control the temperature inside the device much more accurately, and therefore to increase the number of pallets without significant temperature losses.
Additional accessories also did not cause any complaints and turned out to be easy to use. I was also pleased with the instruction, containing a large number of recipes and information regarding the drying of products and their subsequent storage.
What is missing is the power on / off button, as well as an automatic timer, the absence of which does not allow us to call this device ideal for home use.
prosEfficient air circulation system
Maintaining the set temperature
Possibility of increasing the number of pallets without decreasing the drying quality
MinusesLack of timer and switch
Comment from the provider thanks the team for the testing. However, there are several points that we would like to draw the attention of readers.
In fact, the Ezidri Ultra 1000 can be stacked up to 30 trays (depending on the product). The kit initially comes with five trays, the rest can be purchased individually. At the same time, when drying different products, there is no mixing of odors. You can dry tomatoes, garlic and apricots with zucchini at the same time.
Mesh sheets can be used not only for herbs and flowers, but also for very wet foods (tomatoes, strawberries, watermelon, meat). The sheets greatly facilitate the process of removing finished products from the dryer.
Hollow pallets (empty) are manufactured by ourselves. They can be ordered if necessary.
Electricity consumption depends on humidity and room temperature. With good ventilation, energy consumption can be significantly reduced.
The absence of an on / off button and a timer is indeed a drawback, however, it allowed the manufacturer to reduce the cost of the product at least a little.
Once again, I would like to draw the attention of readers to the fact that both mesh sheets, and sheets for pastilles, and trays for drying can be purchased individually from regional representatives or on the website There you can also find many new recipes and recommendations for using the dryer.
Ezidri Ultra FD1000 dehydrator provided for testing by Ezidri
A source:
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