# Did I just waste the bananas:(



## wmsff (Jun 10, 2010)

I just purchased an Excaliber 9 tray and later I found a ton of bananas cheep. I recalled the water, lemon juice and honey mix to keep them from browning, so I tried that. Well...... they have been in for 9 hours how and are stuck to the screen! I did manage to peel one away and taste it. WOW was it good, but with 7 full trays, I'm wondering if the pealing off process is going to take so long that they will begin to rehydrate.. hahah.

Any suggestions on what to do better next time? 

Thanks


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

I don't think they're wasted! I'm not sure if it would help, but maybe you could leave the dehydrator going and just pull out one screen at a time, peel those off, lol, and seal them up in a bag/jr. Then pull the slices off the next screen, then put them in the bag/jar and seal up. See what I mean, keeping the bag/jar sealed as much as possible, opening up only long enough to put a tray full in once you have them freed and keeping the trays in the dehydrator until you're ready to deal with them one at a time? Then when you're all done, do your final sealing process, whatever that may be. That way the others won't just be sitting out at room temp and humidity while you're peeling them off.

You say they're stuck to the screen. My dehydrator has plastic mesh liners in the trays that I lay mine on, and I've never had much sticking problem. But you might consider lightly spraying them with Pam or an oil mister if you have one before laying them on next time. The honey does make them sticky, lol.  But aren't they good?? Good luck!


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## Guest (Jun 11, 2011)

I had the same exact thing happen to me 2 days ago but my recipe called for honey & water mixture..I ended up throwing all of it in the garbage! I called the manufacturer of my dehydrater and was told I needed to let it dehydrate up to 12hrs..I told her that I had them in there for 15hrs! Next time I'm gonna just slice them and throw them in.I don't care how they look I just want my banana chips.


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

turn them from time to time to keep them from sticking


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## wmsff (Jun 10, 2010)

Well. I thought it was a waste, but they are OK.

I had them in the dehydrator for about 10 hours and figured they were too far gone to salvage- I did cut them fairly thin, maybe 1/8 inch. I did not pretreat the screen, and I used honey. I went to bed thinking I really didn't think this through and I just made an idiot of myself.

I figured what the heck I'll turn it back on in the morning and perhaps they will be easier to get off and into the garbage. I left them on for another 4 hours (I had running around to do and the girls had a 2 hr swimming practice).

They came off with just a little peeling! Yahoo... And they taste fantastic !


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## Guest (Jun 12, 2011)

I'm glad it worked out for you!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

You were OK until you added honey to the mix. That caused them to stick. I've done bananas in the Excalibur many times with no problems. If you add something like honey, you have to treat them like fruit leather. Then you use wax paper or non-stick sheets that Excalibur sells for that purpose.

Martin


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Glad it worked out okay! I use the honey/lemon juice/water mixture all the time and never have trouble, using them on my plastic mesh sheets, but maybe I use less honey. I don't really measure it, but about one part honey, one part lemon juice and three parts water.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Honey!? Dried banana's are so sweet my kids won't eat them ( I dice them up and "hide" them in muffins). I just slice and dry, never add lemon, water or sweetener.


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

I sometimes sprinkle the slices with cinnamon sugar before drying.


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## Saffron (May 24, 2006)

I tried to dehydrate 6 bunches of bananas. Sliced them, lemon/water mixture. Smelled so yummy in the machines.

And. could. not. get. them. off.

OMG! I lost them ALL! The only way to get them off (and I had two dehydrators full) was to soak the trays in water, ruining the bananas.

I wanted to cry.


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

Ok. Bananas do tend to stick. But there are ways around that, I promise.

1) You can start them off on sheets of plastic wrap and peel them off when they begin to dry.

2) You can simply turn them soon and often...real soon and very often, until they no longer stick.

It's all a bit of bother, but worth it.


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

1/8" is pretty thin, when it dries it's nearly paper glued down. I'd try for slices a little thicker when raw, up to 1/4". It will take additional drying to get to the hard chip stage, though.


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## braidsandboots (Jan 7, 2010)

Yeah 1/8" is too thin. I wipe my trays with oil before placing banana slices. I also flip them when the outsides are getting dry but they're not "dehydrated" dry. If you flip it when it's only partially dry but the top is dry enough not to stick you don't have that problem. Dried bananas are DELICIOUS. 

You know what's yummy? If you blend up the bananas with some vanilla or natural caramel flavoring, drying to fruit leather, then slicing into thin long slices and roll, they are natural caramels. My kids LOVE them!


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## wanda1950 (Jan 18, 2009)

Why won't mine ever get crisp????


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