A variety of household appliances and good pricing make Kitfort a favorite brand for many users. At the moment, in our test laboratory, there is a new Kitfort dehydrator, model KT-1911. I wonder what she will show on the tests …
Characteristics
| Manufacturer | kitfort |
|---|---|
| Model | KT-1911 |
| Type | electric dehydrator (dryer) |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Warranty | 1 year |
| Service life * | 2 years |
| Power | 550-650W |
| blowing | Horizontal |
| Number of pallets/grids | 12/6 |
| Pallet size | 300×320 mm |
| Material of liquid trays and nets | polypropylene |
| Main pallet material | chrome plated stainless steel |
| Timer | up to 24 hours in 30 minute increments |
| overheat protection | Yes |
| Drying temperature | 35-75°C in 5°C increments |
| Housing material | stainless steel |
| The weight | 10 kg |
| Dimensions (W×H×D) | 450×340×310 mm |
| Network cable length | 0.9 m |
| Retail offers |
* If it’s quite simple: this is the period during which parts for repairing the device are delivered to official service centers. After this period, any repair in the official SC (both warranty and paid) is unlikely to be possible.
Equipment
The dryer arrived for testing in a large black cardboard box without handles. On the box we see all the necessary information about the device, its technical characteristics, the name and schematic drawing of the model, as well as another Kitfort advertising slogan specifically for this device.
Opening the box, inside we found:
- dryer;
- 6 main gratings made of stainless steel;
- 6 polypropylene trays for liquid products;
- 6 polypropylene gratings with a small cell;
- instruction;
- advertising printing.
The device is well packed and protected by foam inserts from troubles during transportation.
At first sight
The KT-1911 dryer is an impressive rectangular device with a laconic modern design. The case is made of stainless steel, the black display is illuminated by bright blue indicators. The door with a large glass allows you to observe what is happening inside. There are a minimum of plastic elements on the body – only the legs of the device and handle inserts for easy carrying. The door closes with two magnetic latches.
Inside the device is a massive metal fan, protected by a grill, on the side there are 6 guides for pallets. The distance between the pallets is not adjustable and is 3.6 cm. There are no unnecessary elements and ill-conceived fasteners – everything is arranged for the most convenient care of the device.
On the side there are carrying handles and a number of ventilation holes.
On the back we see the fan motor mounting screws, a series of ventilation holes, a power cord and a tag with the model number and specifications.
Drying stands on four rubberized legs with small suction cups.
The set comes with 18 pallets. 6 main ones are made of chrome-plated stainless steel. Pallets are made of thick wire and are able to withstand a fairly large load. Their surface is organized in such a way as to minimize contact with the products lying on it.
6 trays for marshmallows and other liquid products are made of polypropylene. These pallets are stacked on the main grids.
6 fine mesh polypropylene trays are designed for drying small products and greens. They are stacked on the main stainless top.
The complete set of the device is sufficient for drying any types of products.
Instruction
Instructions for KT-1911 is an A5 brochure on 11 pages of glossy paper. It describes in detail everything you need to know to work with the device. These are general information, equipment, device, tips and tricks for drying, specifications, precautions, as well as cleaning, maintenance, care and preparation for the operation of this device.
Everything, as usual with Kitfort, is structured and written in a concise, understandable language, so that after a single reading there are no questions.
Control
The control panel of the device consists of a timer and four touch keys: “+”, “-“, “timer / temperature” and “on”.
When you turn on the dry mode, the default settings are 10 hours, 70 °C. Using the “+” and “-” keys, you can change the values in the range from 30 minutes to 24 hours in 30-minute steps and from 35 to 75 ° C in 5 degree steps. When changing settings, you must wait 3 seconds for the value to be fixed. During operation, the timer on the display shows the time remaining until completion. After the end of the drying process, the dryer beeps five times and the display shows “end”. Device management is simple and intuitive. The touch buttons are quite sensitive, they can be pressed even with a wet hand.
Exploitation
Before the first operation, the manufacturer recommends washing all trays and nets, and wiping the body outside and inside with a damp cloth. We did just that. The dryer must be installed on a flat surface, leaving at least 20 cm free at the back and top and at least 10 cm on the sides for free air circulation. Put a liquid tray down the inside of the chamber, which will prevent excess moisture from the food from getting to the bottom of the dryer.
At the first start, we did not notice any extraneous technical odors. During operation, the drying body heats up, but not significantly, it is impossible to get burned on it. The fan works quite quietly, after a while you generally stop noticing that the device is turned on. There are no vibrations or extraneous sounds.
During the tests, we dried watery fruits, apples, bananas, herbs, mushrooms, meat, crackers, marshmallows, nuts after cooking, icing, noodles, jars in the device and defrosted the food. Based on this, we can note the following points:
The product dries really fast. It took us less than 8 hours to dry 6 pallets of banana chips, and the apricot marshmallow dried in less than 20 hours.
Everything dries fairly evenly. We did not rearrange the trays with marshmallow, but they dried simultaneously and evenly within the tray. The layer of marshmallow does not need to be made different in thickness.
Stainless trays are designed in such a way that contact with the lying product is minimal, and due to the chrome coating, even dried fruit can be easily removed from the grid.
Polypropylene trays are deformed from hot (above 90 ° C) products, when cooled, they take their original shape. For a better lag, the marshmallows should be lubricated with oil.
Although the manufacturer writes that the smells inside the chamber do not mix, you should not dry meat with garlic at the same time as oranges. It is better to approach the combination of products inside wisely.
Care
Caring for the KT-1911 dryer is extremely simple. The body can be wiped with a damp cloth, and the trays can be washed in the dishwasher. If food remains stuck to the tray, it must first be soaked in warm water. The use of aggressive and abrasive products is not allowed.
Our measurements
For 4 days 19 hours (115 hours) of operation, the dryer consumed 44.1 kWh of electricity. The maximum power recorded by the device was 620 W, which is within the declared limits.
The noise level during operation is estimated by us as minimal.
The temperature inside the chamber is slightly lower than set, at 75 ° C the walls heated up to 65 degrees, and the trays – up to 72 ° C.
When setting the maximum temperature for a long time, the outside of the case heats up the most at the back, we fixed 65 ° C pointwise. The front metal sides of the door heat up to about 55 ° C, the sides and top of the dryer heat up much less. Values may vary due to differences in room temperature.
practice tests
This model may well be used for making yogurt, defrosting food or pasteurizing milk, but in practical tests we would like to dwell, first of all, on those dishes, the production of which is difficult without the participation of a drying device. Therefore, we will talk about:
- making natural chips from different fruits;
- Provencal cakes “calissons” from dried almonds and candied fruit;
- preparation of thin marshmallows from dried apricots (apricots);
- dried spicy beef with cognac.
Fruit exotic mix
To prepare healthy natural fruit chips, we took medium-ripe bananas, mangoes, pears, oranges and lychees.
They were peeled and without pre-treatment put on stainless pallets in one row. Filled all 6 pallets and put in the dryer for 10 hours at a temperature of 55 degrees
Bananas dried the fastest, oranges took the longest to dry because they were cut into thick pieces. It took them about 16 hours.
Fruit mix for snacks is ready with minimal effort. Such dried chips in closed jars can be stored for about a year and used not only as healthy snacks, but also to decorate desserts and cocktails. When crushed in a blender, fruit powder is obtained – the basis of healthy sweets and a natural flavor for baking.
Result: excellent.
Provencal cakes “Calissons”
For the Provence Calissons, we needed almonds, candied oranges, powdered sugar, an egg and thin waffles.
Boiled for a couple of minutes in boiling water, we peeled the almonds and dried them on fine-mesh trays for two hours at 60 degrees. After they ground it into flour, adding a few bitter tonsils.
Candied fruits were prepared from orange peel, dried for a couple of hours and ground in a blender together with ready-made candied melons into a homogeneous mass. Mixed almond flour with candied fruit mass and formed cakes in the form of petals on the basis of a thin wafer. Topped with “royal icing” of protein, powdered sugar and lemon juice. Set to dry on fine-mesh trays at 60 ° C until the glaze is completely dry.
When preparing these cakes, the drying chamber, in the absence of one, is replaced by an oven with an open door. But with this method, there is always a risk of overheating the cakes, burning the waffle substrate, or spoiling the snow-white color of the protein glaze. With the use of a dryer, this risk disappears completely, and the process becomes not only controlled, but also somewhat authentic.
Result: excellent.
Apricot marshmallow
For a thin apricot marshmallow, we took dried apricots and dried almonds.
Dried apricots were thoroughly washed and soaked for a day, after which they were ground in a blender to a homogeneous mass. The mass was boiled for several minutes with a small amount of sugar syrup. Aligned to taste, adding lemon juice, vanilla and spices, cooled. Lay out on pasta trays in an even layer. On two pallets, almonds were placed on top of the apricot mass. Placed all 6 trays on the main stainless trays in the dryer set to 70°C for 24 hours.
The marshmallow dried a little earlier and almost simultaneously on all pallets. This uniformity surprised us and made us very happy.
Result: excellent.
Spicy beef jerky
For the jerks, we took lean beef “machete steak” from a trusted supplier, garlic, black and allspice, wild rosemary, sea salt and the best cognac, which is not a pity. The meat was cut across the fibers, salted with spices, poured with cognac and stood in a cold place for about 10 days, stirring daily.
Laid out on grates, put in a dryer for 16 hours at 70 ° C.
In this case, the consistency of the jerky depends on the time, it is important not to overexpose them in the dryer, otherwise they will become completely dry and brittle. After a few hours you need to adjust the time.
Result: excellent.
findings
We really liked the KT-1911 dryer. First, its design. Such a device will fit into almost any kitchen interior, the rectangular shape makes it convenient for placement and storage.
Secondly, the conformity of the declared temperature and power readings.
Thirdly, the uniformity and speed of drying. And, of course, it is worth noting the convenience and ease of maintenance, and this is important in such devices.
We can safely recommend this model to lovers of natural snacks, because of its technical advantages, it reduces labor costs for their preparation to a minimum.
pros
- ease of care
- compliance with the temperature inside the chamber set
- drying uniformity
- power and performance
