Dehydrator recommendation.

[Jamesey1981]

I have one of these VonShef 5 Tier Food Dehydrator with Adj ... SybYYEY6EK
It works ok, has a temperature control and was pretty cheap.

Couple of things that I don't like though, the fruit roll sheet that it came with only fits in the bottom, it won't go into the trays as the tube that it blows the air down is too big, you can only use it with four or five trays, it's not like some of them where you can run it with only one or two trays, doesn't make that much difference but it means that you need to wash nearly all of it every time you use it even if you only want to dry a small amount of stuff.
Finally, the clear plastic trays won't go in the dishwasher, can't remember if it says they do or not but that kind of plastic will craze and eventually crack if you dishwasher them, it also feels a bit flimsy, I've always found that thin clear plastic like that breaks easily. I've had it over a year and I haven't broken it, but I would say that it needs fairly careful handling.

Saying that though, I bought a cheap one as I didn't know how much use I'd get out of it, but I'm actually pretty impressed, it has payed for itself several times over in the savings on beef jerky!

[Brambles]

Do you have to rotate the trays, Jamesey?

The reason I ask is that is the main problem with the one I have, it needed constant attention. I would love one I can just switch on and leave to do it's thang.

[Jamesey1981]

You do need to rotate the trays, I think you do with all of the stackable ones to be honest, when I've been watching YouTube videos of Americans dehydrating stuff (not as boring as it sounds, lol!) even the Nesco one that they all seem to have if they don't have an Excalibur they are rotating the trays too.

Saying that though, I usually only do it if I'm drying something like jerky or fruit leather where you want a little bit of flex left in it, it helps it dry evenly, so I rotate for the first few hours, just swapping them every couple of hours, then I leave it once it's got going, but if I'm drying something like chilli that I want completely dry then I just stick it on overnight and leave it to get on with it and it works fine, apart from turning over whatever I'm drying once the top of it is dry, I have a timer like you'd use on a table lamp when you're on holiday to switch it off if I reckon I'm going to be out when it's done, probably takes a little while longer doing it that way but it's less hassle.

Seems to depend what you have in it as well, if I'm drying pieces of veg or meat that don't block the air circulation then it dries it more evenly than if I'm drying something on parchment paper that covers up the holes in the trays.

[Brambles]

Gotcha. Cheers for that.

The thing that's putting me off buying one the cheaper ones is the use of the clear plastic for the trays. I can see them being brittle and easily damaged. Problem is, they all seem to be like it.

[Jamesey1981]

The clear plastic is sadly ubiquitous, I was trying to get one that wasn't made of it but drew a blank, even the KitchenAid food processor is made of it and they cost a fortune, I was going to buy one but since the clear plastic will be the likely failure point I bought a kenwood instead, it's still made of the same plastic but it was half the price so it doesn't annoy me as much.
The Nesco one that a lot of people in the USA have is made of better plastic, and they can get it in Walmart fairly inexpensively, but sadly over here we seem to have a choice of cheap or expensive, nothing in between, I did look into importing a Nesco, but by the time it gets to me it would have cost the same as an Excalibur, and I would have had a problem with the different mains voltages and would have had to use a converter.

[Deeps]

Gotcha. Cheers for that.

The thing that's putting me off buying one the cheaper ones is the use of the clear plastic for the trays. I can see them being brittle and easily damaged. Problem is, they all seem to be like it.

I've no idea if they're interchangeable either, I'm still on my first one so nothing to compare it to. I do try and be careful with the trays, I've never put them in the dishwasher and soak them in hot water before brushing off any residue. Touch wood, they're still in good nick after a couple of years. Like you, I like the look of the excalibur but its hard to justify the money when for a fraction of it I get by fine. Just something else to get 'prepper envy' over. I suppose if the trays are a concern its maybe worth looking for a unit which you can buy spares for when you get it, assuming that if and when it becomes obsolete you already have extras.

[Brambles]

The one I have has trays like a nesco. The plastic is bendy (if that makes sense) they are 8 years old and have been well used but are still good. I may try and find a new one the same diameter as the one I have and try swapping over the trays.

[Jamesey1981]

Have you thought about trying to repair your current one?
They're pretty simple inside, it's essentially just a hair dryer and they're all going to be made from off the shelf components that probably aren't even soldered together, even taking it apart and carefully cleaning it out will probably work wonders, you can bet that the fan blades and heating element are caked in dust, so if you take the casing off you can probably clean it off with a soft brush and an air duster (you can get them from Poundland) and you might well find that it works a lot better, if it's making a funny noise I would bet that it's the motor and they usually have a stock number or product code engraved on them somewhere so you can usually get a replacement for a couple of quid.

I'd be sad to bin it if it is made of decent materials.

[Brambles]

Might be worth a go, I'll take it apart later and let you know!

[Jamesey1981]

Might be worth a go, I'll take it apart later and let you know!

Good luck, just be gentle with it and take photos as you take it apart, helps a lot with getting it back together!