July 17th, 2020 at 09:17 am » Comments (0)

Tiplet: Dehydrator Racks & Some Caveat Emptor

Functionally and I am nothing if not all about function, the official Ninja Dehydrator stands are the best choice, although currently only available for the Foodi 6.5qt, 8qt (round) and the Foodi Grills (square) Price wise, they are competitive/ with the others now being offered on Amazon and at Ninja Kitchens

I continue to be surprised at the limited official accessory choices for the newest Foodi Family PC-AF model, the 5 qt. Over the past few days, at the request of a reader, I found what looks like a rack that should fit in the Foodi 5qt – and be helpful in more than one function. CAVEAT: I have no reason to buy it, if you choose to, I’d love to hear about your experience. It is only 3.9 inches high. It appears to have the same system as the official racks which is important. Given it versatility, may well be a good choice for the Foodi 5qt PC/AF owner – I will keep adding more as I find them so be sure to read the comment on my Amazon Page for each item.

Although smaller in diameter than I might prefer, single rack could be used as a trivet if you are like me and want any pot or pan elevated off the base of the inner pot – since they are half the height of most trivets, that could be a huge benefit for the 5qt owners.

The possible bad news is it also smaller in diameter since it was apparently created for use in an AirFryer. BUT should still be useful for those preparing smaller meals.

Back to function and speaking only to the round racks. Dehydrator Stands are useful for so much more than fruit & pet snacks or drying your garden fresh herbs.

Currently, because it is price competitive and so far the best choice for the 6.5qt, 8qt is the sold by NinjaKitchens on Amazon. I’ve included it in my “Foodi Friendly” suggestions and other suggestion pages as well .

SHOPPING TIP FOR FOODI OFFICIAL ACCESSORIES – sometimes an item will be out of stock on either Amazon or NinjaKitchens but will be available from the other. That is both good if you want it NOW, but bad in you are a Prime member and want the advantage of free or reduced shipping. ALSO it has been my observation that if it is available at NinjaKitchens there is a good chance it will be on Amazon within a short period of time. Not every time but often enough if you are not in a hurry to check every few days.

The Round 5 level Foodi™ Dehydrator Stand Model #: AOP104BRN is for use with the 6.5 and 8 qt and can be found on both Amazon and NinjaKitchens in the parts & accessories section.

Last of the racks I recommend is the The “Square” 4 level Foodi™ Indoor Grill Dehydrate Stand Model #: 122KY300 is compatible with all Ag300 and Ag400 Ninja foodi grill models

Caveat Emptor: Just a note on the dehydrator racks. There are two OEM that I have tried (Ninja was out, I wanted a second so said “might as well try” and purchased two different ones that looked interesting. They went back for different reasons. So hear are some of the things I have learned the hard way and why I prefer the official Ninja Foodi style of racks.

Things to consider also know as more things I learned the most difficult way.

1. Several of the NON-Foodi designs would not allow use unless ALL racks were inserted. Unlike the Foodi Stands, where you can use as few as one – which means it can also be used like the Reversible rack in the low position. This is a major plus in my world.
2. The one designed with a rim, as several of us have learned to our “purchase in haste, repent at leisure” experience does not clean well. You think it is, you spend a LOT of time “detailing” but then you find obnoxious and obviously old gunk on the bottom of the inner pan.
   It Is IMPOSSIBLE to get clean. While it might be okay for just dehydrating, if you want to take advantage of its many other uses, you will soon find those rims are very good at hiding grease and other gunk and guck – only to be found when it has leaked onto other food.
3. Rack could not be removed or added as needed during cooking process.
4. There are two OEM that I have seen (and have not added to my pages https://www.amazon.com/shop/wheatcarr ne APPEARS to be identical to the Official Accessory. It Is NOT – The finish cracked and chipped after one trip thru Dishwasher. A classic “cheap can cost you dear” moment.
5. One of the thinks you DO NOT WANT are the styles that have silicone on the top of the handles. Your food, until it get hot, may exceed the usually temperature limits for the parts close to Air Crsip face. Believe me that stuff really sticks to the non stick surface.
6. Conversely, i have had no issues with adding oven guard snippets to the feet and that may be one of the reasons my inner pan continues to be happy.
7. Some are bothered by what they consider to be the wobbly nature. I am not because that is why it is so easy to add, remove or replace the shelves/racks when making what I call a “serial” cook.
8. The Stand is invaluable when trying to prepare a thicker cut of beef or lamb using broil/grill in my 6.5qt. and I suspect will be equally helpful to the 5qt owner since their model did not include any sort of rack, reversible or otherwise.
9. When I use the upper levels for thicker cuts of meat, I place a small pan on the lowest shelf to catch most of the drips. Stainless Steel devotee that I am – these TeamFar 8 inch stainless pans Those who will be using the smaller rack, may need to look for a smaller pan – I find some, I will add it in. Meanwhile the 8 inch are serving multiple uses in my small kitchen.

Yes the above contains affiliate links, but I have included enough detail so if you don’t want me to benefit from the information I share, you can search out the products directly

I would love to hear your inventive uses of the dehydrator rack. I hope to share some of mine over time.

last edited July 17 2020

September 1st, 2015 at 04:42 am » Comments (0)

I cannot emphasize how thankful I am to Anita Clark – I tend to write “as if we were in the same room and having a conversation”

With her help – this version has better grammar, several errors corrected and still, I think, retains the flavor.

Combined with the Fill the Gap Set Up & Movements.pdf – these are likely all you need and perhaps even more than you wanted to know about this easy and versatile braid.

You may download these complimentary files in our Facebook Group by joining us at:
Braids Beaded Kumihimo & More

Note: I am not trained as a graphic artist – so far all have been able to use the diagrams to make the braid. It may not be prettified, but it is apparently functional.

Enjoy The Making

Wheat

September 1st, 2015 at 04:02 am » Comments (0)

These are “things that work for Wheat
You may need to adapt to your needs to get it right

June 26th, 2015 at 04:33 am » Comments (0)

under the DAMN I WISH I WROTE THAT
No matter what your fiber art “compulsion” her advice translates well to the all.

Deb Shipp of DMK has shared some excellent thoughts on how to select a mentor for Kumihimo and Braiding in her blog at dmkartisanjewelry.blogspot.com

She shared much of this in a conversation in our FB group Beaded Braids Kumihimo & More but as every one knows, info can fast disappear – so you might want visiting and bookmarking the post. I did

June 24th, 2015 at 22:21 pm » Comments (3)

This is NOT a commercial but it might sound like one.
More like a rant and ramble

And, I suspect I am about to annoy more than a few of those packaging kits for Beaded Braids – but since I do not buy kits, only “hear from my customers” and members of our facebook group about their misadventures – this really is not directed at individual or group of kit makers.

The most commonly used stringing material used for beaded braids is SuperLon (SLon). and you can read more about than you probably really want to know at:
The BeadSmith SuperLon (SLon) Cords and Threads
Happy Endings come from Better Beginnings and Good Better Beginnings start with Proper Planning
– enough with the alliteration

The most commonly given advice is to cut your cords 3 times longer than you want the finished braid.
And, that often works FOR ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF BRAIDS that actually are Japanese and therefore considered Kumihimo.

If you are making the “round hard spiral” Japanese name Kongo Gumi (or Kongoh Gumi) then yes 3x might work. But if you value your time please consider….

One of the victims to paraphrase a friend of the
“Learn It On Monday,
Make a Tutorial On Tuesday
Teach It On Wednesday
Pack a “Kit” with the bare minimum on Thursday
is also the cause of the most grief to new braiders.

Running out of thread before your braid is done and then facing the choice of “taking it out” or going thru the agony of adding – something not always possible.

Remember this happens because Braiding is a FIBER ART and far too often otherwise competent Beadworkers do not understand the differences that really do matter.

Primary among the issues is takeup – this is the amount of thread that is used in each step used to form a woven or braided structure.

Takeup is affected by lots of factors, mostly human and unless that is considered in planning – all too often leads to the running out of cord.

CORD IS CHEAP – Seriously -SLon, at $2.90 per spool is $.083 per yard, So added cost is 67 cents –

What about the cost of shipping you say?

Using our sales records which shows the “SLon Only” order is rarely under 6 spools, that means you could make each cord about a yard longer for a whopping 88 cents.

Hate the idea of waste, well consider “thinking” about making those cords even longer and making matching earring “dangles”, or if you sell your work, a small sample that will the same braid in different beads or colors – or just pat yourself on the back because you now have 30 minutes or more to do something else that makes you happy.

“But I sell my work and have to keep my costs in line”
add the $1 to the price and pat yourself on the back because instead of wasting time unbraiding or otherwise fussing to make it work – because if you can’t see the value of your time, I can’t help you.

Tough Love Commentary – One can often learn more from the misadventures of another than you might think

Professional Crafter or Just love Braiding –

Isn’t your time and enjoyment worth more than maybe wasting $1 (retail)?

Now you know what I think, I’d love to hear your side.