I wanted to rate this 4.5 stars but there wasn't that option. I rounded up. I did research on getting a dehydrator over the period of a couple years and I always came back to this dehydrator. I wanted something that didn't have plastic trays because I worried about plastic leaching into the foods being dehydrated. My mother had an Excalibur when I was growing up and I wasn't that impressed. It was loud, slow and the plastic mesh racks would turn brown and crack after time and the customer service was TERRIBLE at Excalibur. This review is after using the machine the first week. These are the things I like:
It's made in the USA and the company is easy to reach and very helpful.
It is well made and looks nice, very industrial looking, in a good way.
It dried the fruit evenly and the bananas and apples ended up having the perfect soft crunch.
The trays are sturdy and easy to clean.
I like that it has a timer, not all machines do.
The fan is not very loud at all. I have an open floor plan and we can watch a movie or do other things and the noise of the dehydrator doesn't interfere.
Things I don't like:
My biggest complaint is that the door sort of rattles from time to time as the heat kicks on and off. I found that if I just clipped the door to the frame at the bottom with two clothespins, that eliminated the excessive rattling noise.
Temperature settings don't match up with the reading of the thermometer that you can get to insert into the hole in the door.
Things I wish I'd known/had before or at the same time as getting the machine--the dehydrator was a gift and I wasn't able to use it right away because I needed the following things to get started:
I HIGHLY recommend finding a thermometer that fits in the small hole. Though there is a guide on the machine showing which temperature to use for what you are trying to dehydrate, it's not very accurate and I had success my first time using it because I had a thermometer showing the interior temperature. I live in France and was able to find one online here, so I'm sure there are plenty of options in the States.
I recommend getting a good Dehydrating book--I really like the Dehydrator Bible.
I also recommend getting the sheets so that you can make fruit leather. The leather sheets can also be used for drying small things that would otherwise fall through the holes in the racks.
I laid some parchment paper on the very bottom of the machine so that if anything falls or drips, clean up will be very easy. When I dried the fruit, I oiled the racks. I found that to be especially wise for the bananas as they would have stuck without it. I soaked the banana and apple slices in lemon juice for 10 minutes as directed in the book I got (1/4 cup lemon juice and 2 cups water). It worked very well to keep the fruit from turning very brown. I am sure I will figure out a lot more things as I use it more, but I feel like it was money well spent and it's been going non-stop every since I got all the things I needed to get it started. I'm very happy to be able to provide healthy snacks for my kids and do some food preserving and storage. It is definitely more expensive than a lot of the dehydrators out there but you get what you pay for. A good investment and was a great gift, thanks hubby!
Add to your order
-
Coverage for accidental damage including drops, spills, and broken parts, as well as breakdowns (plans vary) -
24/7 support when you need it. -
Quick, easy, and frustration-free claims.
Cover this product:
3-Year Protection $60.99
4-Year Protection $78.99
Cover all of your eligible devices:
Asurion Complete Protect: One plan covers all eligible past and future purchases (Renews Monthly Until Cancelled) $16.99/month
Select a plan
Add to your order
- Coverage for accidental damage including drops, spills, and broken parts, as well as breakdowns (plans vary)
- 24/7 support when you need it.
- Quick, easy, and frustration-free claims.
Cover this product:
Select a plan
Consider a similar item
Buy it with
$480.00
Only 14 left in stock - order soon.
+
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items in new arrivals
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Compare with similar items
This Item  TSM Products Stainless Steel Food Dehydrator with 5 Stainless Steel Shelves |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $480.00 | $119.99 | $225.99 | -17% $199.97 List: $239.99 | $595.00 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 25 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 27 | Get it as soon as Saturday, Apr 27 | — |
| Customer Ratings | |||||
| Easy to clean | |||||
| Temperature Control | |||||
| Easy to use | |||||
| Sold By | The Sausage Maker | Amazon.com | Cercker-US | Septree Store | The Sausage Maker |
| material | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel | Stainless Steel |
| number of trays | 5 | 5 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
| shape | Square | Rectangular | Rectangular | Rectangular | Rectangular |
| temperature range | 165 | 95-176 | 70℉-190℉ | 70-190 | 165 |
| voltage | 110 volts | — | 120 volts | 110 volts of alternating current | 110 volts |
| wattage | 800 watts | 480 watts | 800 watts | 1000 watts | 800 watts |
| dishwasher safe | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| weight | 16 pounds | 10.8 pounds | — | 33.06 pounds | 20 pounds |
