List Price: $200.00
Sale Price: $172.85
Today's Bonus: 14% Off
I dehydrate my own dried fruit & veggie snacks, kale chips, my own granola, fruit roll-ups, candied walnuts, almonds, pecans, etc. I have saved so much money with this dehydrator. I can make a lot at once. You don't have to rotate trays. It dries great. My neighbor makes his jerky in this. He says it's the only dehydrator that is safe for drying meat for jerky because of the temperature. It's made in the USA too.
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This dehydrator is perfect for me. My friend's have Excalibur dehydrators. When I checked out the prices, I was concerned as I don't have an unlimited income. I bought the Nesco but the stacking trays and the uneven heating was a nightmare. My girlfriend had to rotate the trays and I wasn't too happy because the temperature wasn't high enough for meat even though we tried to get the temperature high enough to no avail! Back to the store it went. (http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-FD-1040-1000-watt-Gardenmaster-Dehydrator/dp/B00B9F7WJW/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1372721821&sr=8-10&keywords=nesco+dehydrator) Amazon carries this model which is similar to the other 5-tray unit, I think the only difference is a shorter warranty. Big deal. Anyway, this Excalibur was perfect for us. It's an non-timer version, which saved us a ton of money. It has plenty of drying space. It's SUPER easy to clean-up. I can make my jerky! No rotating trays during the drying time. And it's Excalibur Made in USA! We definitely recommend this product.Best Deals on Excalibur 5 Tray Dehydrator
I was doubtful that this was both worth the money and as easy as everyone said. Boy, am I glad I was so very wrong...this is one of the better purchases I have made. While so many of my Amazon purchases (TV, Tools, ETC) have been excellent and standard "store" items so I knew what I was getting beforehand, this was new to me as I had one many, many years ago. To much work to use AND CLEAN...with so-so results...This one is "just plug and go" with EASY CLEAN-UP to boot....Gold Box Deals, or I would not have tried due to the poor experiences previously. Goes to show ya, you can teach an old dog new things......
Honest reviews on Excalibur 5 Tray Dehydrator
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I have a nesco dehydrator that is fairly well though of in reviews. It's also 1/3 the price of this machine, so is the Excalibur worth the extra price, (at the time of this review) yes, I think it is, and here is why.I liked the Nesco but there were issues. The motor is on top, so I have to rearrange the trays and leave a lot of room on the trays for circulation. When I want to check the progress of my food I have to turn off the Nesco, lift off the motor/lid, find a place to set it, then lift off each tray to check progress or shuffle them around. This process is annoying. Also the tray slots are a little wide apart and I have berries and smaller food fall through.
The Excalibur solves the problems I had. Because the fan is in the back and the trays just slide out I can easily take off the door and check the food, turn the trays around, which you might not have to do but I do it anyway. The ease of getting the trays in our out is fantastic.
The motor hums along at a nice purr, quieter than my previous two.
The Excalibur comes with screens that go on top of the trays that slide in and out, so the food can be as tiny as you want and it doesn't fall through. If you have the Nesco the fruit leather trays fit in the Excalibur, they also sell paraflex, or you can use wax paper to make fruit or yogurt leather. yes, yogurt leather. It was in the book and says to put the yogurt on your paraflex and dry it.. and sure enough, I had sort of yogurt taffy.
The fan dries food faster than the Nesco, or the Ronco I had before the Nesco. (Yes, I've been searching for a dehydrator I want to use a lot, I finally found it with this one). The food dries more evenly. If you love jerky I suggest a meat slicer, getting the meat thin enough is key. A jerky gun is also fun, I love to grind up meat and veg and make treats for Izzy, our mini schnauzer. cook the poultry first.
The dehydrator is bulky, they all are, it's the nature of the beast. While the five drawer is fine for my family, the 9 drawer would only take up height, so if you have the room for the depth and width, you need to make sure you would have the clearance for something taller, or use it on a table or counter with no over head cabinets. The outside gets warm but not super hot, I can still put my hand against it.
The door has two molded plastic tabs that you hang the door on the machine. This worries me a bit, if those break you might be buying a new door. I just wish they seemed sturdier.
Clean up is easy. Take out the trays, wipe the inside of the machine, soak the screens a bit, clean the trays. The manual says the trays are dishwasher safe but our dishwasher broke and we chose not to replace it, so I can't address that. They wash up by hand just fine.
This model doesn't have a timer. I like to check and poke anyway, but you can easily get one of those timers for appliances so it will turn off when you want it to turn off.
The instruction manual that comes with the machine has some drying times, a few drying ideas like the yogurt. You can also make yogurt in the dehydrator, I found out online. And this is where the sliding trays come in again, you can leave one or two out to dry tall things. You can make pompadours out of oranges and cloves, or yogurt in bowls, and it will fit if you take out the top tray or two, which is a super handy feature.
There is a face book site and a web site with lots of fans, tricks and tips, and recipes for the Excalibur.
I called Customer service with a question, was on hold less than a minute, and got a quick and helpful answer.
I am passing my Nesco along. The Excalibur, with it's ease of use, easy clean up, screens, faster and more even drying, and the ability to remove trays for extra height, make this one a winner. The only two, not even issues, but points of less than perfection maybe, are the molded tabs, and with the Nesco you can add more trays. Since the Excalibur is pretty much static as far as what you get is what you get, if you want more room you will have to buy another larger machine.
However, five trays is a lot of drying space. I have done a pear, apple, peach, apricot, grapes and cherries all at one time. We are a family of four so I would say that unless you are a hunter looking to make tons and tons of jerky, or a really avid gardener with a lot of produce, the five drawer is probably going to fit most of your needs, but the nine drawer is always an option.
Highly recommended!
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