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Excalibur Dehydrators
| Catch Drips with ParaFlexx™ Sheets |
| Put a ParaFlexx™ sheet under your Polyscreen tray liner, to catch drips, if you're drying foods with a lot of moisture content. Even though, your Excalibur is easy to clean, using ParaFlexx™ sheets in this manner will make clean up even easier!
When you're drying jerky, place a ParaFlexx™ sheet on an Excalibur tray. Top with a sheet of white (no dyes) paper towel. Then, cover this with a Polyscreen sheet. This combination will help in absorbing fat extruded during the drying process. When your jerky is almost dry, lift the Polyscreen and remove the paper towel and Paraflexx sheet. This will enhance air circulation during the final drying stages.
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Pasta Tips 
No need for separate pasta racks! Place strips of freshly made pasta in single layers onto your drying trays. Dry for 2 to 4 hours at 135ºF. Store in airtight packages.
Dry cooked pasta (smaller varieties work best) and break into bite size pieces, if applicable. Store in air tight containers. It rehydrates in 2-3 minutes in boiling water. Add some cooked pasta to heat-and-eat microwave meals.
Powder some of your dried vegetables in a blender or food processor. Add the powder to your pasta recipe for a change of pace. Also adds another level of nutrition to your pasta in addition to being a tremendous flavor enhancer. Check some of the commercially prepared pasta for ideas. Then, experiment with amounts and combinations of vegetable powders according to your flavor preferences. You may elect to try basil and tomato, asparagus, beets, mushrooms, spinach, carrots, to name a few. For ease of combination, add your vegetable powder to your beaten eggs. Stir in the powder and let it sit for a few minutes, then continue with your recipe. Start out with 1 tablespoon of dried powder for each egg in your pasta recipe, then adjust according to your tastes. You may need more or less, depending on the intensity of the flavors of various vegetables.
Recrisping Crackers and Other Foods
There is no need to throw away crackers, chips, cookies or cereal that have become stale. Recrisp those items by placing them in a single layer on the drying trays and drying them for 1 hour at 145ºF.
