Dehydrator screens?

[Jonnycat]

I have a nesco dehydrator, and need a screen of some sort to keep small items (burger/chicken) from falling throught the trays. They sell a product specifically for this, but I'm not going to pay the obscene price + shipping they want for them.

So, it's DIY time, once again. The only thing I can come up with is aluminum window screen, but they tend to get kind of bendy and are hard to keep flat.

Has anyone cobbled up their own screen for this type of application?

[Johnny Thunder]

be careful with your materials. plastics can be toxic when exposed to heat...the ones in the dehydrator are most likely heat resistant...but as it goes with stuff like this...less is more. Doesn't aluminum give you Alzheimer's?

[burger]

Parchment paper works great--just cut it to size and put your food to be dried directly on it. It can occasionally stick to food, so test it before you run a full batch.

[Jonnycat]

Parchment paper works great--just cut it to size and put your food to be dried directly on it. It can occasionally stick to food, so test it before you run a full batch.

Thanks burger. I do use parchment when I dehydrate tomato paste, but I thought it would increase the drying time by not being open to airflow. Hmmm....

[emeggke]

I use parchment paper, if you need more airflow, poke some pinholes randomly throughout the paper.

[Bags4266]

When I use parchment i generally flip the food over midway once it firms up. The food at that point is usually curling or twisting up so when I turn it over air circulates around it.

[Jonnycat]

Thanks emegg, it sounds like parchment is the way to go. I'll give it a whirl when I process my gravel.

[Farr Away]

I use plastic craft canvas. I think Sarbar posted the suggestion a while back. I cut it to fit my trays.

Works great for smaller items like corn. For hamburger, I use parchment paper. Some of the hamburger ends up more like dust than small pieces.

[Jonnycat]

Cool, thanks Farr, that sounds like what I am after. I don't know about any of the online offerings, but maybe I'll find it at my local crafts store (we have a Michael's here).

Appreciate the suggestion for parchment for burger; that seems to be the consensus on this page.

[vonfrick]

I use plastic craft canvas. I think Sarbar posted the suggestion a while back. I cut it to fit my trays.

Works great for smaller items like corn. For hamburger, I use parchment paper. Some of the hamburger ends up more like dust than small pieces.

that is the best idea ever...sarbar's a genius

[Jonnycat]

I picked up some of the craft canvas today at Michaels (craft store). They were forty cents a sheet, a sheet being 11"x14". My trays are 13" in diameter, so there will be a small area uncovered, but I think I'll be able to live with that.

The material seems to be PE, which will work fine at the temperatures a dehydrator operates at.

Thanks again to Farr and Sar (ar ar ar) for the solution.