L' Equip 528

by Dave
(Riverside, CA)

About a year ago, I bought a LeQuip 528 food dehydrator. At just 10 pounds and under $100, everyone thought I was buying a toy. Boy were they ever wrong. For the past year now, I have used my LeQuip to dehydrate various fruits such as apples and bananas for chips, grapes to make homemade raisins, plums for delicious prunes and peaches for a wonderful bitesized snack. So far, the best function of my LeQuip 528 has been to make beef, turkey and pork jerky. With prices approaching $30-$50 per pound for jerky, the price was getting too high for my favorite snack. Now, I take the raw meat, season it to my personal taste, and let the dehydrator do its job. With six trays, I am able to prepare enough jerky for myself, my friends, and my uncle for his camping trips. In the first month alone, I prepared enough beef jerky to pay for the unit. The only negative to this dehydrator is the lack of a timer, but that is certainly handled with a small kitchen timer on the counter. No sense in paying $50-$100 more for a unit with a timer. For anyone with a yearning for homemade dried products, this is what you need. From fruits to vegetables, and from beef to spices, homemade is the way to go. With this dehydator, you will rediscover a love to "old days" and the "do-it-yourself" times.