Tool Reviews

A kitchen electric dryer is a household appliance designed to remove moisture from fruit and vegetable products for the purpose of further storage.

There are two types of units for drying vegetable products on the home appliance market:

– infrared;

– convective.

Convective electric dryers are in high demand due to their attractive price.

How a convection dryer works

Convective dryers are used not only for the preparation of vegetable products, with the help of the unit they dry meat and fish.

Structurally, the electric dryer is a platform equipped with a heating element and removable slatted trays for placing chopped products. Prepared and sliced ​​ingredients are placed on the trays, the lid is closed, and the necessary conditions for drying are created inside the case.

Evaporation of moisture from the product occurs under the action of a circulating flow of hot air or superheated steam. The air temperature during convective drying reaches 80 FROM. A heating element acts as a heating element, natural circulation of the flow is created by means of a fan.

Device and characteristics

The design features of the apparatus elements are the decisive factor when choosing a model. First of all, when choosing, pay attention to:

• body and pallet material;
• capacity of the electric dryer;
• power;
• control method;
• location of the heating element;
• loading trays.

Case material and removable trays

The body of the electric dryer and pallets are made of stainless steel or food-grade plastic. The plastic case and trays are easier to clean, easy to wash, such a unit weighs less than steel. At the same time, plastic is subject to mechanical damage, the plastic case or tray may crack or break.

For the manufacture of structural elements of convective electric dryers, translucent or opaque plastic is used. The advantages of a metal case are strength, durability, but the cost of an electric dryer made of steel is higher.

capacity

The capacity of the electric dryer directly depends on the functional purpose of the device. If you plan to procure products for a small family, it is rational to purchase a medium-sized unit that can process up to 3 kg of products at a time. Large models can dry up to 9 kg of fresh supplies at a time.

Power

Power affects the drying time of products. Models of convective electric dryers with power from 165 to 1000 W are presented on the market of modern household appliances. A rational indicator is the power of the drying unit 400-600 watts. Devices with a power of 600 W or more reduce the drying time. The disadvantage of powerful electric dryers is excessive noise during operation.

Control method

The electric dryer for fruits and vegetables is controlled mechanically or electronically.

Benefits of e-Governance:

• process automation;
• hygiene (touch buttons exclude the ingress of dirt).

However, electronic control, unlike manual control, fails more often.

Heating element location

weighty selection criteria. In most models, it is located at the top or bottom. With vertical supply of hot air, regardless of the location of the heating element, during the drying process, it is necessary to rearrange the loading trays in places for uniform processing of the product.

There are models on the market with a lateral (horizontal) arrangement of the heating element, however, they are not very common due to the increased dimensions of the drying unit.

Loading trays

The number of loading trays, depending on the model, ranges from 2 to 8.

Choose a model that additionally includes trays for preparing marmalade and marshmallows. This will expand the functionality. On the home appliance market, there are models of electric kitchen dryers with the function of making yogurt and proofing dough.

The height of the pallets matters. The tray height of one centimeter will allow you to dry berry products, herbs or medicinal herbs. The height of the side of 2 cm is the most practical and will allow you to dry whole mushrooms, pieces of fruit.

Functions

The presence of additional functions allows you to simplify and secure the process of operation of the dryer.

When choosing an apparatus for drying foodstuffs, it is desirable to have the following functionality:

• overheat protection;
• thermostat;
• timer;
• backlight;
• cooling.

Overheat protection function It is designed to turn off the electric dryer in the event of an unforeseen temperature increase. Favorably affects the service life of the unit.

The thermostat sets the desired temperature for drying a particular product, as a result, optimal conditions for product processing are provided. The thermostat provides three options for the temperature regime:

“short” – products are processed at temperatures up to 35-40⁰;

“middle” – maximum airflow temperature 55⁰;

“tall” – heating temperature from 55 to 80⁰.

Timer function allows you to program the drying time. After the set time has elapsed, the dryer switches off automatically.

Backlight function allows you to monitor the drying process without having to open the lid of the device every time.

Cooling function provides for turning off the heating element and automatically turning on the blower to bring the products to the final condition, prevents overdrying of the products.

Pros and cons of a convection dryer

The main advantage of a convection dryer for vegetables and fruits is the price. The advantages of this type include a variety of models that are presented on the market of household appliances.

However, the list of disadvantages of convective electric dryers in comparison with devices whose operating principle is based on infrared radiation is quite wide:

• increased drying time;
• high power consumption;
• loss of some vitamins and useful microelements under the influence of high temperatures;
• change in appearance and initial taste;
• shorter shelf life of dried products.

The disadvantages of a convective electric dryer are directly related to the principle of operation of the device. In the process of convection, moisture evaporates from the surface of the processed product, as a result of which a film is created that prevents hot air flows from penetrating deep into the product.

Operation of the convection dryer

Before use, read the manufacturer’s instructions.

Operating procedure

1. The unit is installed on a flat, stable surface.
2. Prepared vegetables, fruits and other products for drying are placed on lattice pallets. Do not overload the sections; there should be a distance between the slices for the free circulation of hot air.
3. Loaded pallets are set to dry.
4. The body is covered with a lid.
5. The device is connected to the mains.
6. Press the power button on the case.
7. With the help of a thermostat set the desired temperature.
8. At the end of the process, turn off the unit by pressing the corresponding button on the case.
9. Unplug from outlet.
10. After the dried products have cooled, the pallets are unloaded.
11. Wipe the loading trays and body with a damp cloth, then wipe the parts dry.
12. The device is cleaned in a dry, cool place intended for storage.

Precautionary measures

The following precautions should be observed during operation:

• use only for its intended purpose;
• children should not be allowed near a working electrical appliance, as current and hot steam can injure a child;
• water must not get inside, on the power cord and plug;
• cannot be used if it is defective;
• after the end of the drying process, disconnect the unit from the mains.

Faults

During the operation of the electric kitchen appliance, the user may encounter the following breakdowns:

• the dryer does not turn on;
• periodically the device turns off;
• At first glance, the unit works, but does not dry.

Possible reasons for this situation:

• power cord failure;
• overheating of the heating element;
• malfunction of the on / off button;
• pallet overload with products;
• mechanical damage to the device;
• temperature controller defect;
• defect in the engine.

To eliminate the malfunction, it is worth determining the cause of the failure of the drying unit; first of all, the device is inspected for mechanical damage to the case and the power cord.

Checking the mechanical on / off button of the household appliance is carried out by measuring the resistance in the on and off position with a multimeter, while the unit is disconnected from the power supply. When the button is on, the resistance indicator should be close to zero.

The breakdown of the electric dryer can be caused by the operation of the thermal fuse due to overheating of the heating element. For diagnostics, the ability of a bimetallic thermal fuse to conduct electric current is checked at different spatial positions of the housing. This element is tested at room temperature.

When inspecting the drive motor of the electric drying actuators, the condition of the contact pads of the armature in contact with the brushes is checked. Contact pads should have a visual metallic sheen, slight wear is allowed. Contacts must be dry, liquid ingress is unacceptable.

When the motor is working properly, the brushes slide smoothly over the surface of the pads, without jerks and delays in certain areas of the pads. A malfunction of the engine is indicated by a noticeable beating of the shaft in the bearings or in the bushings when the armature moves.

Diagnosis of defects in the temperature controller begins with a visual inspection of the thermostat for the absence of contamination of the contacts that interrupt the power circuit. The operation of the thermostat is checked by external heating with temperature control.

The contact area of ​​​​the contacts in a closed circuit should be maximum, the resistance indicators at the contact point are less than 0.01 Ohm. When the set temperature is reached, the contacts open.

If there is no skills and experience in repairing household appliances, in case of a malfunction, it is better to contact a specialized service center.

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