Often I am asked to recommend equipment, especially dehydrators. As soon as our store is up, I will be able to point you there. But in the meantime, I will share with you what I know. There are many different types of equipment out there, I only have experience with what I have used. I would love for you to comment on what blenders, dehydrators, etc. you are using, how you like them and how you feel they perform.
I will start with dehydrators. Many people like the Excalibur. It is a great dehydrator and was the second type I bought. I am now on my third. I also have an American Harvest. It was my first dehydrator. I now use The Sausage Maker, from Harvest Essentials. There are big differences in all of these dehydrators. These are some of the options you will want to consider when choosing your dehydrator.
Temperature Control: It is very important to have a dehydrator that has temperature control. We don’t want to heat foods above 116 degrees while dehydrating to retain the optimal nutritional value.
Shelf Configuration: While the American Harvest is a good dehydrator when dehydrating smaller pieces, the circular shape makes it more difficult to use when making flat breads, etc. Mine also doesn’t have shelf spacers, I don’t even know if they have them. You are limited to making food that is only 1″ high. Some of the breads, etc need more space than that. You also couldn’t put a pie crust in because you just don’t have the space with the circular dehydrators. Both the Excalibur and the Sausage Maker have removable shelves that are square, giving you the most flexibility and options.
Timers: This is an option that I really use. I can set the timer, go to bed and not worry about something getting over-dried. It is an option that adds more expense but I think it is well worth it. Before I had a timer, I had considered using a lamp timer. Never tried it but I think it could work.
Size: A 4 or 5 shelf dehydrator gives you quite a bit of room. If you are going to do a lot of dehydrating you might want to consider a bigger unit. I outgrew my 5 shelf very fast. That said, I do try to use my dehydrator very economically. I will make more than one thing at a time and also heat up soup or melt coconut oil while other things are processing. I really like the extra room. I also spend a lot of time working on recipes for the web site and up coming cookbook, so mine gets a lot of use.
Noise: I have found the Excalibur to be loud. The Sausage Maker is almost silent. If this is something you need to consider, I would highly recommend the extra cost for the sausage maker. If you get the Excalibur and find the noise unpleasant, you can always put it in another room, or even the basement, if you have the space.
I would love to hear your comments on what you use, why you like it and how it has performed for you. As we venture into the colder months, I know I will be using mine more!
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Is the Sausage Maker quieter than the Excalibur? When I bought mine I was sold on it because the horizontal trays. I was told with dehydrators like the the American Harvest required rotating the trays because the fan was at the bottom. I actually never thought of flat breads at the time, but now for that reason I am even happier with my Excalibur.
The sausage maker (funny name) is almost silent. I love that.
I love my Excalibur, though I agree, it is way noisy. The design is great – easy to clean and use. The trays are square which makes them incredibly easy to take in and out. I’ve only had mine for about two weeks (5 drawers) but I’ve gone dried fruit crazy. Best so far, surprisingly were oranges. Also have done tomatoes, pears, apples and bananas – all delicious.
I have an American Harvest as well, was in the market for an excaliber and my mother in law told me she had one in the closet. It was still in it’s box, never been used. I like it, it definitely does the job. I just wish it had spacers, I want to make bigger things and can’t. I have found some little mini silicone quiche molds and use those for quiches and pies, it works well. I also have made mini carrot cakes in a tiny bundt mold but had to only fill half way or so to fit…so I’m working with it! My next one will have removeable shelves..but can’t complain..it was free!
This is interesting. I was about to buy Excalibur, but if it’s noisy, maybe not.
Never heard of sausage maker (Hey, I’m a vegan!). Where is the heat source? In the back like Excalibur? Does it keep the shelves dark like Excalibur? Is the temperature set right and stable? Is it easy to clean?
The fan is in the back, it is very quiet, the shelves are all removable and it is dark inside. You can click on the link in the post to see more. It is quite a bit more but I really love it.
I checked their website and called them too right now
It sounds good. The only remaining Q about sausage maker is: is the thermostat calibrated properly? Have you checked the temp inside by independent thermometer? Often, machines are out of calibration by 10 degrees or so.
Since I have none of the necessary equipment I am really interested in getting everyone’s input on the dehydrators. If I decide to buy one at least I’ll have lots of guidance in what to buy. Thanks, everyone, for your opinions.
Susan,
Have you heard of the Good4U Dehydrator? I’m curious about that–it’s supposed to be quieter than the Excalibur and better customer service. I have the 9 tray Excalibur and have yet to really embrace it.
As for other equipment, I LOVE my Blendtec blender and my Breville juicer.
When is your cookbook coming out? I’m so excited!!
xo
Eco Mama
I wonder about how efficient it is with out that front door. And can you put bigger things in it? I can’t find a lot of information.
Your Pumpkin Seed Flat Bread looks awesome:)…must try it on my next ‘D’ day!
My one and only dehydrator is the the 9 tray Excalibur. I’ve had it for about a year and a half and I love it! I did buy an appliance timer for it, but have yet to use it. I am able to keep it in a spare room, so I can close the door if the noise or scents from it bother anyone else. It is easy to clean, and to flip and rotate the trays.
Does the Sausage Maker perform better than the Excalibur? I love the fact that it is stainless steel:)
This: I have found the Excalibur to be loud.
Sorry that I always dont comment on your posts here but I also read…cuz we are both Minnetonka ladies 
I totally agree!! And when I mention this to people they are like, oh but you’ll get used to it. Sort of, I have. But not completely and when I finally shut it off I am like ahhh, peace again in my home. It sounds like a freight train to me, really. Even in a 2000+ sq ft home when I am on the other side, I can still hear it. But I do love the results. Also following u now on twitter
I need to buy a new dehydrator soon myself. I have a used Coffee Maker brand that has been great for the last 3 years, but it is getting ready to poop out on me. Thank you for posting your thoughts and experiences with dehydrators. I really want to get the Excalibur and I don’t think the noise will bother me, but it is good to know about that!
I know I don’t post much, but I do enjoy your blog. I would love to have you as a guest on my blog sometime. I like a variety of recipes… vegan, raw, veggie & meats. I believe in a balance of everything.. that’s just my opinion
)
O have 2 Excaliburs and love them, but they are a little loud. I have never heard of Harvest Essentials, I might just look into that when ready to get another one, thanks!
Awesome, practical article. Thanks!
The doors are built in (with the good4u) and I can’t find a lot of info either….just a couple of positive things on raw message boards. They have spacers so that you can still put big things in and supposedly really good customer service. And they’re supposed to be much quieter than the excalibur. I’m very curious!!
xo
Eco Mama
Susan – really glad you posted this as this was a question I had.
The only dehydrator I was familiar with is the American Harvest. That is what my mom had when we were growing up and I remember her using every year at harvest time quite a bit. (I think she had about 10 shelves for hers)
She created her own “filters/screens” for the trays by buying the plastic canvas material used for arts and crafts. Those came in useful for both things that were smaller in size as well as making it very easy to remove the food from once dehydrated.
I was wondering how useful it was though because of it’s circular shape with the “venting” through the center so I could see how a square one would be much more beneficial (as well as the tray height you mention).
Thanks again for this post!
We are very happy with the raw diet, & believe live enzymes greatly improve assimilation. I listened to my friends, and bought the Excalibur Dehydrator. Being very enthusiastic, I also borrowed a round Ezidri (AKA Harvest Maid or Harvester?), and made up double batches of everything. As I have a thermometer, I was able to check the max & min temperatures of each machine.
The Excalibur temps averaged the set temp of 114*F 45*C but got up to 125*F 54*C. As the Excalibur website, & Dr. Cousens piece explains, they allow wide temperature fluctuations. The Ezidri (made in NZ) kept an even temp, varying by only one degree.
I went an extra step and sprouted a collection of beans and seeds and dehydrated in each machine. Only the Ezidri samples were able to continue sprouting after dehydration, which shows that the enzymes were still alive. I returned the Excalibur I had bought, and will work with the round shape of the Ezidri, happy to keep my enzymes alive.
I am mystified by Dr. Cousens suggestion that temps above 115*F 45*C are only acceptable in the Excalibur; my sprouts died above that temp, which is not ideal. The Excalibur was apparently designed for beef jerky, not for raw foods. I am concerned that many Raw Foodies are buying a dehydrator that is killing the key enzymes, which will reduce the effectiveness of the whole Raw Movement.
From your page, most issues are addressed, but my experiments proved the reverse of the Excalibur claims. No doubt that square shape is more convenient, but air does not move evenly in squares! The Excalibur will be a fine machine, once they use a more precise thermostat, and put in a baffle so that the temperatures are less variable at different parts of the tray. Until then, round crackers with a hole-in-the-middle!
Unless you have a more sophisticated (commercial) oven thermometer, the actual thermometer that you are using to measure the temperature can be off by 20 degrees. I have one and have marked on my own dehydrator where the temp needs to be set.
I started with an American Harvester and when it malfunctioned, I purchased an 8-drawer VegiKiln. It has a temperature control, no timer, and is very quiet. If cost is a contributing factor, then consider this company. The drawers are plastic, and there are no spacers. However, the drawers are removable, so dehydrating larger items works. I’m extremely pleased with this dehydrator.
Greetings!
I am very happy with my 10 tray dehydrator from Raw Guru. It is a Good4U and in comparison with an Excalibur is supposedly quieter.
It has a timer, temp control and I bought it when they were offering a special of the 10 non-stick sheets… something that will up the price considerably. It also came with a rack spacer so you can make foods that are taller. There is a comparison chart that shows all the pros and cons of the different brands… oh … and it was less expensive than an EX…
http://www.rawguru.com/store/raw-food/good4u_10tray_dehydrator.html
Blessings,
Veggie Mystic