# Best Dehydrator



## Benny123 (Jan 22, 2020)

Looking to make my own beef jerky, just wondering what dehydrator everyone recommends, looking to spend about 100 and live in Australia.


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## xray (Jan 22, 2020)

I bought a 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator a few years ago and love it. It has the fan in the back so it eliminates the need to rotate the trays unlike the old Ronco style one I had before.

I’m not sure of availability and price in your part of the world. They also make a 5 tray that is less expensive. 

Also, welcome to SMF.


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## Electric88 (Jan 22, 2020)

Not sure if/how Amazon works in Australia, but there is a 9 tray model that's got $40 off right now. Still a little higher than OP wanted to spend though


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## xray (Jan 22, 2020)

That’s the model I have, it’s a good unit and I would recommend it even if it’s a little over budget. Buy once, cry once.

One thing I will say is, it is very big. It takes up a lot of counter space, I carry it up from the basement when I use it.


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## pushok2018 (Jan 22, 2020)

xray said:


> I bought a 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator


I am still thinking about buying a dehydrator as well and found that 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator is highly rated overall. Also, I was checking on stainless still machines from TSM, LEM and others but.... Excalibur still catching my eye....


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## conradjw (Jan 22, 2020)

I ended up purchasing the Cabela's  80 Liter dehydrator and have been using it for 5 years now and have had good luck with it.  They also make a 180 Liter model.


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## xray (Jan 22, 2020)

pushok2018 said:


> I am still thinking about buying a dehydrator as well and found that 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator is highly rated overall. Also, I was checking on stainless still machines from TSM, LEM and others but.... Excalibur still catching my eye....



I got it with accumulated gift cards from Cabelas so it was basically free. But I am quite happy with it and use it frequently. I just used it for 7lbs of jerky two weeks ago. I also make apple chips quite a bit too.

As for a stainless steel model? I would kind of prefer that because I could wash the trays in the dishwasher. Especially if the prices are comparable.

I hand wash my Excalibur trays and it’s kind of a pain in the ass, especially with my older two basin sink, the trays don’t fit and I splash water everywhere cleaning them...so the option to pop the SS trays in the dishwasher appeals to me.


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## sandyut (Jan 22, 2020)

Welcome to SMF!

I use my pellet grill to smoke and dry jerky.  I would like a dehydrator, but the size of them is a problem


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## pushok2018 (Jan 22, 2020)

xray said:


> I hand wash my Excalibur trays and it’s kind of a pain in the ass, especially with my older two basin sink, the trays don’t fit and I splash water everywhere cleaning them...so the option to pop the SS trays in the dishwasher appeals to me.


There ya go.... This is a question for me - how reliable SS dehydrators are.... There are lot of  nice reviews on Excalibur's and not too many in general on SS ones... Money wise - not a big difference (depending on what you are wishing for).


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## conradjw (Jan 22, 2020)

I have been getting into experimenting with combination processing lately.

* Summer sausage:   Do the smoking in the smoker when smoking is completed bag it and finish it in the Sous Vide.

* Jerky:   Do the smoking in the smoker when smoking is completed finish it in the dehydrator.


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## xray (Jan 22, 2020)

pushok2018 said:


> There ya go.... This is a question for me - how reliable SS dehydrators are.... There are lot of  nice reviews on Excalibur's and not too many in general on SS ones... Money wise - not a big difference (depending on what you are wishing for).



Well you got me thinking about a possible modification in the distant future...If anything ever happens to the trays like cracking or becoming brittle, I’m gonna look into retrofitting the Excalibur with SS trays or possibly creating my own. The slots on the side of the Excalibur are molded and pretty spacious, it wouldn’t take much to make one to fit.

But it’s also pretty durable. I dropped it when carrying it to the ground and nothing cracked or broke.

So I think going with plastic or SS would be a personal choice, but like I mentioned earlier I’m happy with my model. It does everything I need it to do plus there’s temperature control too. My old one just had the circle trays and heating element on the bottom, and I had to rotate the trays until done. It was like upgrading from a pinto to a porsche!


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## Winterrider (Jan 22, 2020)

Robot or human?
		

Have used this cheapy quite a few times.  Works good. Only goes to 155° though.


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## pw01 (Dec 9, 2020)

I’ve been really happy with my Nesco Gardenmaster


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