I've used virtually every dehydrator on the market and even a few home-made versions.Trust me when I say that this dehydrator is the best you can get for the money.
The round tower-type dehydrators are inexpensive for a good reason: they aren't worth it.
-The trays are flimsy and crack too easily.
-The holes on these trays are too big to use with herbs or diced foods, so you must use the mesh inserts.
-You only have about 1/2" of space between trays, so you cannot dry bulky items--like flowers or granola.
-When it comes to fruit leather, the only thing more inefficient than the round shape is the hole in the middle.Yes, I know they come with fruit leather trays, but have you ever tried to store fruit leather pealed off of the tray and rolled up?A shredded mess to begin with and a sticky mess once they've stored for a while.
-With the motor on the bottom any food or juices that fall through the cracks shortens the life of the machine.
-The drying process in these tower-types is not uniform--the bottom trays dry quicker than the top trays, the center dries quicker than the edges.
-Some models have only recently started adding temp controls.Still, it does little good because there is more heat on the bottom than the top.
-The motor is loud--I had one model I had to run on the porch because it was so loud.
The two round models I bought died within a year and a half of use.
The next best dehydrator on the market is the L'Eqip.It is much quieter, comes with a healthy 10yr warranty and has temperature controls. But it is a hybrid with many of the faults of the round models and few of the benefits of the square-shaped Excalibur.It still has a hole in the middle.It still dries unevenly.It has deeper trays but you still can't dry flowers.It still has a motor on the bottom.I have a friend who dried berries in her L'Equip.They leaked on the motor and it died the first summer of use.Now granted, the folks at L'Equip stood by their machine and replaced it for her with no hassle, but how many times do you want your summer-time dehydrating held up while you wait for your replacement to come?
The Excalibur is perfect for anyone who is serious about dehydrating.Here are the features that I like:
-Heat source and fan are in the back, forcing air to distribute evenly throughout the chamber.Other than the way you place the food, there is no reason for uneven drying spots.
-Love the timer.I can set it and leave.It'll turn off automatically whether or not I'm there.That means 'round the clock drying during the height of your summer harvest.Put the food in when you go to bed, wake up to dried food and put another batch in.
-Temp control lets you choose low heats for herbs and flowers, higher temps for fruits and jerky.
-Love the square trays.For fruit leather I line the trays with plastic wrap and spread the fruit puree out.When it's dry I cut the leather into 2" wide strips, roll them up and secure with the tail end of the plastic wrap.The plastic peels off easily when it's time to eat.
-BIG trays--you can pack a LOT of food into this.This is especially important at the height of the summer harvest when there's a non-stop stream of food that needs drying.(This is also the one single thing that is in my negative column--the trays don't fit flat in my kitchen sink, making them a little hard to wash.I solve this by washing them in my outdoor garden sink--old fashioned tubs on a stand.Since I like the big trays, I really shouldn't complain.)
-Mesh liner on all trays.I can dry herbs, diced onions and finely chopped fruits without having it fall to trays below.No food cross-contamination means I can dehydrate more than one thing at a time.
-Removable trays.If I have bulky items--flowers, herbs, granola, etc--I can just remove every other tray and have another 1/2" or more room.
-Makes a great proofing box for sourdough.Also good for culturing yogurt, esp if you like to make it in larger containers.For both sourdough and yogurt, make sure it is covered so that the moving air doesn't dry it out.
-10 yr warranty.I've had mine for almost 15 yrs and it's still going strong.Every year the money I save on herbs alone pays for what it originally cost me.That means this machine has paid for itself 15 times over.
If you're at all serious about dehydrating, don't waste your money like I did--get the best from the get go.That's the Excalibur.
(Written by Ross' wife.He's also happy that I like it so well and have gotten so much good use from it.)
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Excalibur 3900 Deluxe Series 9 Tray Food DehydratorProduct Description: Excalibur 3900 Deluxe Series 9 Tray Food Dehydrator The 3900 Deluxe Series is a 9-Tray food dehydrator that is great for families that love eating healthy! Drying food is fun! The Excalibur Dehydrator allows you to dry anything evenly and efficiently. The unit can dry all fruits, vegetables, meats, and more! Make fruit leathers and home-made jerky - FRESH! The Excalibur has a trademarked horizontal-airflow drying system which dries foods perfectly evenly on all the trays. Dehydrating is a great way to add a new way of consuming foods without damaging valuable nutrients which may be lost during high heat cooking! Dried foods are a great treat to snack on because they hold almost all of their nutritional value and flavor. This unit differs from other dehydrators because of its unique horizontal drying system in the rear of the unit. This provides a sure way to provide an even dehydration process as the warm air removes moisture and is pushed out the front of the machine. There is also no need to rotate trays because of the horizontal drying. Includes instruction manual with over 50 recipes!
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Be aware that this unit is rather heavy and takes up a lot of space if you leave it on the counter.I keep mine on the counter by the sink, use the sink's sprayer to fill the unit, and scoot the unit partially over the sink to empty it.I do believe that my fruits and vegetables stay fresh longer if bathed in this cleaning device.Since I live an hour from the closest town, I only shop once a week so this is a great feature for me.The unit will hold a large head of romaine lettuce.I hit the fruit or vegetable button once for organic produce and twice for non-organic produce.It's nice to be able to vary the amount of time in this way.The "I'm done" tune is pleasant!The low voltage use is good especially if you are on a solar system as I am.
