ideas for cheap/repurposed materials for dehydrator screens(=shelves)?

[patandchickens]

Thanks folks! I am looking for something reasonably-infinitely reusable though, which rules out furnace filters and such; and something the food won't stick to too badly, which IME rules out cheesecloth (have not tried tulle yet). And I don't think I want to eat stuff that's been heated on galvanized metal or certain plastics. (I am not sure what fiberglass windowscreen is coated with these days, pvc or something else? anyone happen to know?)

I think I may buy some cheap tulle next time I have the opportunity, and may try windowscreen scraps til then.

Thanks for the other ideas about *how* to easily dehydrate things (car, etc) too!

I did an experiment today with a few thin peach slices on cheesecloth on a s/s rack on the deck with an old storm window over top and the edges mostly but not entirely sealed. It did not work sufficiently *but* it also got cloudy around lunchtime (I was gone most of the day visiting m-i-l) and I think that a ramped-up version would have worked pretty ok on a fully sunny day.

I really AM going to build a proper solar dehydrator one of these days but til then I figure I can futz around with storm window sashes and (thanks for the idea!) the car and so forth.

One especially-thin peach slice *did* get fairly dry, btw, and was extremely tasty

Pat, who stopped at the great big farmers market on the way to m-i-l's and now have a whoooole lot of jam and relish making to do tomorrow

 

[Wildsky]

The plastic canvas stuff is pretty much the same feeling to the touch as the plastic screen in my dehydrator. You're limited on the size if you use it, but I think it would work great, be easily washed off to use again and again. Till it breaks. Its cheap enough, you can buy a package of it at Walmart or a craft store.

 

[patandchickens]

The plastic canvas stuff is pretty much the same feeling to the touch as the plastic screen in my dehydrator. You're limited on the size if you use it, but I think it would work great, be easily washed off to use again and again. Till it breaks. Its cheap enough, you can buy a package of it at Walmart or a craft store.

Hey, I have some of that I use for draining cheese. I wonder what it's made of? I will try using some anyhow, at least for now

(As y'all know I am not normally especially all frightened about Scary Chemicals In My Food, but *heating* food, especially for a good long while, directly against random non-food-grade plastics does make me kinda go hmmmm, especially if I were going to be doing a reasonable amount of it, as I would be if I can get a dehydrator set up)

Thanks,

Pat