Anyone try the lizard lamp?

[pretzelb]

Has anyone ever tried the lizard lamp for dehydrated food like fruit or jerky? I believe it was from the Withering Bites episode. I had a food dehydrator earlier this year but it broke on me so I'm debating whether to try this lizard lamp method. The box fan with AC filter method seems like a horrible waste to me so I'm not going that route. Frankly, I'm shocked Alton even recommended the filter method at all. I'm a bit upset he went with the lizard lamp too since the only item that is supposed to be single use is the fire extinguisher.

For the lizard lamp, I do like that it uses the oven so it should be good for space and safe for heat. Also a lizard lamp is easy to find since we have several pet stores nearby (but they are more expensive than a entry level dehydrator). However the cordless fan with a magnetic bottom is something I have never seen in any store so I'm not sure how to find that.

Anyway, before I venture into this experiment I thought I'd ask for stories of those who have tried it already.

[Food Network Fan]

I am not a huge fan of jerky and I would rather just have fresh fruit than dried so I haven't tried it. but the filter thing looked interesting. And you can get those really cheap.

[pretzelb]

I'm not so sure about the filters being so cheap. A quick look at Home Depot or Lowe's online shows a low price around $9. Assuming you could find them for maybe $2 at Walmart you'd still need at least 3 per batch so it's about $6 per use. An entry level dehydrator is probably $25 and that has unlimited use (assuming it doesn't break like mine).

On top of all that, I'm no tree hugger but even I would feel uncomfortable with the amount of waste generated by each batch. Are those filters totally degradable? I'm not sure but I doubt it. I just can't see doing the filter method myself.

As far as the dehydrating itself goes, we try to avoid trips to the store so stuff does not stay fresh for very long. Plus we hope to visit farmer markets more often this year and the quality is too good to pass up. So being able to dehydrate is a nice option for us. I like being able to snack often during the day and dried fruit is great for that.

[Food Network Fan]

You can get them for a little over a dollar a piece some places. Target has some cheep ones.
Amazon.com: PUROLATOR F312-20251 "PUROLATOR II" FURNACE AIR FILTER (PACK OF 12): Automotive

[Food Network Fan]

I am not sure why that's in automotive unless some people have a furnace in their car.

[pretzelb]

Well, those certainly are cheap but I think Alton had different ones in his show. I would worry about the fibers getting into the food. Plus I don't like the idea of getting those filters and just throwing them away. It would be large amount to hit the garbage bin just to make one batch. Hardly something I expect from Alton who preaches re-use so much.

I'm guessing that no one has tried the lizard lamp.

[aoneil]

Nope. I have never heard of it before. I will have to look it up now.