I really appreciated this video. I'm looking into get a dehydrator, but trying to learning about the pros/cons of the different types. This was so helpful, Heidi! Now I'm saving my pennies to buy one! Thank you for your wonderful videos!
I have learned about the cabinet. Dehydrators is if you take all the trays out, then you can put a bowl with bread dough and turn your dehydrator on. It will help your dough rise. Learned from The Kneady Homesteader.
Heidi - just an FYI about liquids in the Cosori. The trays do come out far enough without tipping where you can hold onto the tray (to make sure it doesn’t move) and then use the other hand to pour the liquids onto the silicone tray. Then just carefully slide it all the way back into the machine. I know I would spill it if I took the tray out completely, filled it and had to put it back in. Another thing people might like to know is another advantage with box style (in my case, Cosori), you can remove trays and use the machine to make yogurt, proof bread, and other things that need more space. You could put your bowl of boiled water on a bottom tray and the covered bread pan on a higher tray (with some empty space between) and let it rise in the machine (no heat turned on). Yogurt turns out perfect in the Cosori. (P.S. I’m glad you like the Cosori!)
Hi Diane! Thanks for the information about using it to incubate yogurt and starters along with proofing bread. Those are the items that I need help with. I have a large Tesco with the top heat and fan, and of course at the time I purchased it, I had no thought about making yogurt or fermenting anything. Plus, the Nesco has such a loud fan, it is very obtrusive to use in the kitchen which is also our family room. Do you hear the Cosori at all when making yogurt? I am also curious if it has a thermometer in it? Thanks for your input.
@@DonnaMM6361 Thanks Donna. The Cosori is extremely quiet. I sit about 20 feet away from it when it's running, and I can barely hear it. It has a temperature setting, but no visible thermometer other than the digital readout from setting the temperature.
I have the Cosori because research shows me that the cabinettes, even, horizontal airflow is superior to vertical push circulation - my 1st Cosori bit the dust after 3 uses due to the built in ' OVERHEAT PROTECTION ' and I found that other folks were having the same failures that renders the machine as caput - knowing it had to be a ' Safety Fuse ' of some sort - The Cosori Company were very very good about it and did send a New Replacement Machine ( no problem ) ... Needless to say, i took the back off the Cosori where the Heart is and ( in the woven harness ) tested the THERMAL FUSE also called Thermal Cutoff Link which is designed disable the Machine if it overheats ( I think it overheated because it comes with only 1 fruit roll tray and 1 small nylon mesh for tiny things that can fall thru the larger holed metal racks ) was using parchment paper for 5 of the 6 Drying racks which reduced the vital ' air circulation ' and higher heat 145 f for fruit - ANYHOO, the ' Thermal Fuse Link ' is a piece of cake to replace, it really is .. you can get it ( I'm getting a couple because now I have 2 machines for the price of 1 and you just never know when another might blow which is ok because I'd much rather replace a $1.25 part ( 15 minutes ) than burn the house down ( I run mine at night so it' s finished in the morning and I can unload it while waiting for coffee ) - it's an SEFUSE SF113c 10A 250 V , ' Now, be sure to get the one that is in your machine 'you can get on Amazon, EBay - OR, BETTER YET , get it locally in an LECTRONIC's Store locally if you can because, theyre so inexpensive, the shipping will be more than the part... oh, before I forget, get the little ' Couplers ' to connect it because its a ' THERMAL ' Fuse, and heat soldering might just burn it out before you even get started.. bye ya'll
I had to leave another comment, and this was the latest on dehydrating. I've been making my own dehydrated meals. I just did chicken noodle soup, and after checking the price of freeze dried chicken, I thought there has to be a better (cheaper) way. I didn't really care for the texture of raw chicken dehydrated, so I took a jar of my home canned chicken breasts, shredded it & then dehydrated. It dried very fast, and we made a pot of it last night to test it out. The chicken was very good, so was the soup! Mike was impressed, he loved it. Thanks for taking me out of my comfort zone and trying new things! Many Blessings!!
An Excalibur is my Dream Dehydrator. 👍 For now I have an Andrew James one, it's all clear plastic, 6 tiers, & rectangular. It was £45. I made 6 Muslin liners for it, as the holes are quite big. So far so good, but I'm still learning. Lol. TFS this important information with us all. Take care too everybody. 🎃❤🙂🐶
I was Blessed to get an Excalibur 9 tray white unit from one of their many annual email sales this year for $279.00 including stainless steel trays in addition to the ones that came with it. I love it and the many uses for it besides dehydrating.... yogurt, proofing, etc. It is also so nice to not have digital controls and to not to have to rotate trays around. It does an excellent job with even dehydrating. The biggest selling point for me was that it is made in the USA even knowing it has a few parts they can't source here is still better imo then made in China. For us it was a good investment and being only the third time I tried to get a sale item before they sold out worth the wait. After 7 months I really haven't found any negatives. We really appreciate your reviews and informative videos... had no idea about the rimmed silicone sheets. God Bless!✝️
I've had my Nesco Garden Harvest dehydrator for about 11 years. I've maximized expansion up to 20 trays high. Use it weekly. And it has worked perfectly every time. I love it! Thanks for the idea for the cotton discs!
I absolutely love my Nestor 1000 watt garden master. Used it for years. Motor just went on it and they are not available anymore. I purchased the 1000 watt one with top motor instead of bottom. Takes longer to dehydrate with the new style. 😭
I bought a 5 tray Lem front loader a couple years ago from Academy store. I love it! So much better than my old Nesco stack style. Worlds apart! It still works after 20 years, but no programmable anything, plug it in and it works but now I only use it for stinky onions and garlic...in the garage!
I like my nescos despite the plastic. Both the one that is temp adjustable and the one that is not have been serving me well. I use coffee filters on the trays. It helps me to be able to fold the filter and pour the food into the jars very easily. I am not a fan of digital. If a manual switch goes out you can always direct wire. Thanks for you honest input Heidi. Being build in the country where i reside is very important.
My American Harvest dehydrator is 28 yrs old and is used constantly. I love your idea of cloth linings. I think I'll use my older flour sack dish towels for that. i also didn't know about edged silicone liners which I ordered. The other ones made a mess from eggs. Great info. Thanks Heidi.
After deciding that a freeze dryer was a largely redundant upgrade to our kit, we ended up falling into one. It does do some things nicely like raw meat and avocado. However it consumes time and electricity at roughly double the rate of our dehydrator. These videos are valuable as I would not have tried milk or raw egg in the dehydrator without this. There is another reason to preserve certain staples. We no longer have a grocery in our nearby towns. Having something started when milk/butter/flour/brown sugar/sour cream/etc was found to be gone, is no longer a 15 minute fix. I keep a little of some things stored on the shelf just to save sudden runs to DG, or further.
I love my Cosori! I haven't had an issues with it. Love the quiet motor, the evenness of its drying, love the timer and heat adjustment from 95 to 165.
Thanks for your comment about the quiet motor (fan). The large Nesco that I have now is so loud that I can't run it in the kitchen which is also our family room with the TV.
@@DonnaMM6361 exactly! Our house is on the smaller side and my entry, living room, kitchen, dining room are all open, 24 ft x 21 foot. You can hear everything lol
This will be a blast from the past food dehydrator- Ronco I've had two. First one I didn't have much luck. Blaming myself being a newbie, gave it away. Years later found a second one new in the box at a garage sale, $5.00. Some improvement because I was learning. But not the quality I wanted. The draw back was the heat element was on the bottom, hard to clean. Even with rotation of trays moisture was a problem. I had to use a regular oven to finish. I watched many YT videos, hours and many different people. I started saving money. Bought my first Nesco so excited! Went to green grocery, got mandolin to slice... that helped me keep slices uniform. Then disaster, three batches motor died!! Dead as a door nail. BUT I called customer service, thankful I saved receipt , box and had filled out warranty card. At first I would have return, shipping packing my cost. We discussed what to do, I had to cut cord, take pictures and email to them. Nesco sent me a new top motor part under full warranty. I've had no issues at all, 4 years and still dehydrating. There is high humidity where I live so it does take a little longer.
I wanted to dehydrate so I bought at a local sale for $5. I hauled it around to 12 moves. Finally my Nesco is at work full time. I'm prepping daily. Watching your Channel has taught my 2 sisters and myself so much. Keep the trainings coming. Many Blessings to you and Mr Raintree as well as the new additions. I am researching buying a square door style dehydrator. After watching I am ordering the Cosari.
I recently bought an all stainless steel, 5 tray cabinet style dehydrator made here in America in Buffalo,NY by “The Sausage Maker” company. Very happy with my purchase and very well made.
I have always used Nesco. 20+ years. I like the price point and the performance. We dehydrate and store the products year round. My sister has an Excalibur. It is the Rolls-Royce of dehydrators.
I use my NuWave oven. I have owned it about 20 years. I believe it cost about $80.00, but that was years ago. It’s great for so many things. It works great for dehydrating. Since it’s so old and I use it a lot, the plastic dome has cracked. So I was considering buying an official dehydrator. Especially one the would blow the heat evenly at all the trays. But so far I’m just feeling so lucky that my NuWave oven is still working. Thank you for sharing your wealth of information and experience.
I bought the Cosori 8 months ago…..I absolutely love it! For the past few months, I have been using it 4-6 days a week…..zero issues. I frequently checked temperature with a thermometer because of making jerky….very consistent at 165 degree setting. Mine came with 6 mesh/fruit leather trays:) and 2 year warranty….I highly recommend the Cosori IMO. Good video…Thank you
I have a NESCO & a Chefman RJ43-SQ-6T. The Chefman has plastic trays but is a cabinet. I brought it from Amazon June 2018. I put it on my wish list. It came up on Prime Deal for $67.74 , regular price was $119.99 @ that time. I like it. I don't rotate the trays & it seems to dehydrate the same. Unfortunately the cost is much higher now. I picked up a set of four NuWave metal trays with silicon inserts @ thrift shop for $15. I plan to make a dehydrator to use with a kerosene gravity cookstove & be able to use in my solar cooker. I haven't worked out all the particulars yet. God bless.
I also have a Cosori and I love it. I like that it isn't huge as my kitchen isn’t big. We had an issue with it not starting up. My husband called them on a Thursday when it happened and the tech was unable to get it running. We received an email on Friday that it was shipped and Monday morning it was at our house! I had it wiped down and it was already going again! A top notch company. ❤
I have seen several that said the customer service is great. And yes, forgot to mention I prefer the more narrow size in comparison to the Cabela's and the Excalibur. It is not that I do not have the space but I need the space I have for all the other things I do
About three years ago I started researching and comparing. It took me a year to finally decide on the Cosori. I knew I wanted stainless steel and the box type. Like others, the reviews helped me decide. The price and longer warranty factored in. I called Cosori Customer Service with some general questions and they were so helpful with their information sharing I made the decision. When I ordered a couple years ago it was on sale on Amazon and don't regret the decision.
These last few videos it's like you're following my thought processes! I was first thinking what containers to dry milk, and then which second dehydrator should I get! Lol
Thanks for the tip on using 100% cottons sheet to make your dehydrator sheets to go on your dehydrator trays. I like your tip. It works great on my dehydrator.
I’ve had a stacked round dehydrator for over 28 years. The fan is weak so I have to pull the base off and manually spin to start. Once started it works great but I’ve always had to rotate trays from top to bottom for even drying. Usually leave the bottom tray open or things will scorch, no heat variation. I work away from home so timely removal isn’t always always optimal. 2 years ago Excalibur had a great sale so bought one. Best thing ever. Bought a unit with stainless trays, dial (not digital) and am tickled happy with it. No more rotation of trays and if I can’t get to something I can lower the temperature and leave the fan running. Rhubarb to dandelion, it all dries great. Instead of cloth, I use butcher paper on the screens when needed. For liquids, I fold freezer paper into a shallow box-top shape then place on the tray. I know butcher paper may not be as ecological but 15 years ago I got a huge roll and just getting to the halfway point. Alternate use, since you can remove upper trays, I’ve used the new dehydrator to dry shoes, boot liners, gloves and mittens. Gets the grandkids back out faster.
I've used a nesco for years and found that rotating the goods after a while got to be a pain. When I was able to upgrade I received a nice Xmas gift x caliber from my husband 10 tray. It's not the stainless but it does what I need it to do. No more rotating. I gave my nesco to a friend starting out. It's a great low cost starter. Works great for jerky, which was what I used it for at the time and fruit. Now I'm dehydrating my whole garden/herbs . What's over flowing anyhow. Highly recommend. Thanks Heidi
Heidi, I have had my Excalibur for over 25 years on the first and the second one 16 years and I have never had to rotate my trays! and I have 9 trays in both of them. The draw back the trays are plastic as well and like you I am trying not to use much plastic I wish the Excalibur had a window on the ones I have. I love my Excalibur dehydrator's not sure how the new ones are! one thing they are pricy for sure. Thank you Heidi, I did not know I could get the stainless trays! thank you so much for the information on the Excalibur stainless trays.
I also bought the same dehydrator, my husband did the research and bought the cosori I like it so far and am new at dehydrating. Didn't know it was from China. Amazon can be sneaky. I've made beef jerky and love it. Experimenting and getting use to it. You always give me ideas I never thought about. Thanks for the video I appreciate all of your hard work.
Over the years I started with a Harvest bottom heat up stackable trays like Nessco and it did a very poor job. After a few years I upgraded to a Nessco and combined the trays from the two machines. The heat source was on the top and worked much better.. After a few years, again I upgraded to the Excalibur and purchased the clear door as an extra because I like to see what’s going on. That was an improvement I liked. I also purchased the non-stick sheets and the mesh inserts. Now we were really setup and I have used this machine for a number of years. The quality of the dehydrated food is excellent and you do have to rotate the trays but it goes quick..the only negative I have is the noise. It is extremely noisy. I have just ordered the stainless steel trays and hope this will improve the noise problem. I notices if the plastic trays are loaded with heavier product, the rattle is reduced..Here’s hoping for the stainless steel to improve the problem. I also own the Cabela Dehydrator with the door that opens down. It’s a nice machine but the temperature knob is hard to set as its handle does not have a mark to show where you are on the temperature plate. I use a temperature sensor to let me know the temperate and adjust accordingly. The trays are rectangle in shape with about 1/2” sides. It did not come with silicon or mesh sheets. The tray bottoms have about 1/2” spacing holes.. The sheets had to be purchased separately. I just got the liquid sheets for the Excalibur to dehydrate eggs and milk, etc but am waiting to use them until I get the Stainless Steel racks. I wonder what the result will be…reduced noice or a bigger problem. I will give you an update in the future. PS: The Cabela is not a quiet machine either but the pitch of the noise is less irritating.
So grateful that you have this video! I’m needing to replace my dehydrator. My oven has one; but, it doesn’t go below 150 degrees F and my electric ones have decided that they are extremely exhausted.
I know you are right! I’m just as tired and worn out as the dehydrators are! Glad I can help you out with a smile, this morning. Have a beautifully blessed and safe day!
You said it right ! Cosori is made in china. And Nesco made in USA i was so happy to see this as I just got a use one. So I will keep the Nesco vs Cosori just for that.
I love my Excalibur dehydrator. I have been wanting to upgrade my trays to the stainless steel ones. And I want to get some fruit rollup trays and the mats for the trays.
Now I know I'm watching the right honesteader! Cosori was my choice too. And it's fantastic! Hate that it's from China but I've had it for 6 months now, running 24/7 with no issues. I'm VERY thankful for your links on where to buy stuff too! Very helpful!
I have a l'equip which I believe is made by Bosch. It was s gift. It has worked very well over the last ten years. I actually really like it. The only thing is this idea of dehydrating liquids. The lequip does not have good options for containers to hold liquids or anything runny. So I am looking at a nesco to add in as we usually have a surplus of at least a gallon of milk a week from a farmer. I've made cheese but I haven't figured out aged cheese yet and we don't have any powdered milk. So I want to do the powdered milk for a while.
Thank you! This is exactly what I needed to know. I appreciate you're willing to research and give your opinions. Gives me info I needed to make an informed decision.
Ive only ever had an Excalibur. I love ❤️ it so much. I make all my bulk yogurt in it. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say about the others.
@@dymphnasilva1202 it’s almost to easy to share! You might think I’m teasing. I don’t even heat up the milk anymore. I take 4 quart jars full with raw cold milk, (because we milk our own cows.) I add a yogurt starter from the grocery store to each jar. Maybe 3 Tablespoons or so each jar. Stir and put into the Excalibur. Not on the yogurt setting, the one below it. My raw milk doesn’t like that kind of heat. Set for around 12 hours and it’s done! You see, so easy.
In my Cosori when dehydrating liquid I just pull the tray partially out, use a fat sperator, it has a nice pour spout and pour right into your liquid tray. Then you don't have to balance that tray and try to get it in the machine. I do not like the mesh tray topper that comes with them and use your cloth method. I also didn't like the liquid trays. They are also plastic. I haven't done much liquids in the trays. I just do it in other kitchen pans. I did buy the silicone trays you suggested in your this and that video and am looking forward to giving those a try. I have had my Cosori just over 3 years and still love it. I have a freeze dryer and between the two I am very happy. There are somethings I prefer in my dehydrator over the freeze dryer.
Thank you for doing these reviews. My dehydrator is so old, it was one of the first ones out. No fan, No adjusting the temperature, Just a heating unit. Yes very very old, But I cannot complain, It has Dehydrated ninny deer. I could not make enough Jerky. I would lift the lid to take the jerky out 1/2 the trays would be gone. Lol Now that I dehydrate my garden and want to dehydrate milk, it is time for a new one. I did get tired of having to switch trays around all the time while drying. I will always use my woodstove I would stove to dehydrate in the Winter time. I love the smells. Thank you again and God-bless
Thank you Heidi for this information. I actually decided to go with the Cosori dehydrator and I love it. I just couldn't believe how quietly it runs. With the food shortage coming, I am busy dehydrating and fermenting. You gave me the confidence I needed. Love, Debbie
If the window to your Cosori falls off, I used some 1/2" round "Master Magnets" that I bought at Home Depot and situated them on the frame in such a way to keep the window in, and it's worked great. My Cosori is called an "Aroma", but it's the exact same model, I've noticed that many products are exactly the same but called by many names these days. I've had mine for about 5 years, can't remember what I paid for it, maybe $170 (?), and I like it a lot! I also have a Nesco that I bought used, and I use that one for pungent items like onions, celery, garlic... I like them both, but I use the Aroma way more and I really like how it performs! I have been trying to get the time to make some of your cloth covers for both because I think that's an awesome idea & I can't wait to dehydrate ground beef & chicken too, after seeing you had such great success with that! God bless you guys Heidi! Thanks again for a great video!
Besides my Nesco dehydrator, I have used my sun oven as a dehydrator. It works really well. Just make sure that the reflectors are not directly in the sun, and the door is opened a crack. No electricity is needed. Take care.
Thanks for all the details in this review. I am shopping for a cabinet style unit at the moment primarily use for yogurt and fermenting yeast and starter. I have the large Nesco with the top heat, now. I don't really dehydrate very much. I have found it awkward to move the trays around, which takes some space to do. Plus the fan is very noisy, have to use it away from our living space. Your idea of the cloth liners may be a game changer, though. As an FYI, I bought a device that regulates the temperature of what is plugged into it. It has a probe that you place into the space that you are trying to regulate. Then, you plug your heat source into the controller. The controller connects to power, and you set the temperature parameters you want, highest and lowest. That helped a lot, but I burned out all seeding mats. There are a lot more variety of these controllers available now.
American made and size were why I chose an Excalibur over Casori when I bought a couple years ago. I had used both my mom’s round dehydrator and my grandma’s homemade that was a square box style so I knew my preference was for the square.
Heidi, thank you very much for sharing your thoughts. I have a very old Open Country dehydrator and have been thinking about purchasing a used all metal dehydrator. Your information greatly helps me. God bless
Thank you for finally finding us silicone covers for the Nesco! I've hunted and hunted. Ordered and returned 2 sets already because they didn't fit. I'm ordering the ones you found and hopefully will be using them soon. 💚🌞
I was surprised at how easily I found these ones, I am wondering if they are relatively new since I had never seed them before but they fit in my Nesco like a glove and I am very happy with them
Because of your video, I purchased the Cosori a few months back and I think I made the right choice. The only thing that I had to overcome was that it was made in China. Other than that, I have enjoyed experimenting. I love to see what I have dehydrated stored in jars. Love powdering stuff too.
Yep, that was the main disappointment for me and I had not even though to look into that before purchasing but it is hard to find much these days not made in China and even the American made ones still have parts made in China
I enjoy your channel, you have good information. I've never used a dehydrator, but I plan to buy a couple to use next summer. Your information was quite helpful. You're not trying to sell as they are when you go to individual sites so that makes a world of difference to me. As I'll be 79 in a couple of weeks, so I don't want to invest a fortune. Two of the Nesso's would serve my needs. If extra trays are available those wood add space. Amazon has mesh air dehydrators that you can hang, and in the south those would be good for extra space. The only draw back is getting them in if a thunder storm is comming and bringing them in at might because of wild critters. The storage shed is a good size might also work and be less work in the long run, just a nail in the roof support and hang from a chain. Those canners are getting heavier by the year. Again thank you for this video, blessings to you and yours.
I got the Presto Dehydro Digital Dehydrator for $70. It had really good reviews and I really like it. I chose it because of the price and the fact the air comes from the bottom that is why I didn't go for a Nesco but I had never used a dehydrator before. Only draw back for me is having to rotate the trays. Working full time I'm not home to rotate the trays. But I get pretty uniform drying except the 2 on top. I have not dehydrated any liquids yet. I have been looking at the Cosori for awhile now because the air is uniform and much less of a cost than the Excalibur. I don't like the door on Excalibur..looked flimsy but everyone loves it. Thanks so much for the information.
After using Nesco for years, I finally was able to purchase the Excalibur on sale for a great price. I absolutely love it, it’s a nine tray, the thing I really don’t like is the plastic trays, thank you for sharing the cost of the stainless steel trays. Maybe I could add those to my Christmas wish list, great comparison video, blessings
@Rain Country. I dont use a woodstove in Florida and I cannot think of a way for the fireplace to be helpful, but I do have an extra window screen and I am going to get another and dry some things in the drier Fall and Winter air and sun. Thx for getting my brain thinking
just got my cosori a couple days ago. Im excited to get to work dehydrating tomorrow. Im a beginner. I wanted to just get right on it but I work 12 hour night shifts so I waited for my days off. Im starting with frozen veggies then blueberries and strawberries.
Thank you Heidi! 🙂 I appreciate your review and thank you to your other viewer too! Here's my logic for buying this particular product from over there: this is obviously a quality product which they're not necessarily known for, so it's worth it. Things there are very unstable too so these may not be available in the future. Case in point, canning lids and anything digital.😉
Ive had my 9tray(plastic) excaliber 2yrs now running nearly 24 hrs a day. Ive had zero trouble n honestly cant think of anything i dont like about it. Yes sometimes i rotate my trays but if i put in overnite all is dry next day without rotation. Also i pretty much dehydrate everything on low. I hav not dehydrated any liquids or eggs. Just havnt tried it yet or any meats!!! For whatever this is worth. Mine is not digital as i hate digital everything. Does hav temp control but no timer. I like that!!!. 💞💞💞💞🐈🐈🐈🐈
I just bought a Cosori for 144 on sale at BB. I didn't know it was China until after I bought it. I have a Nesco F79, wavy trays, hole in the middle, not a fan of plastic but it does a good job if you give it a lot time. Good review, thanks.
We have one of the first big stainless ones from Guide Gear. It is actually a jerky machine but it's just a big dehydrator but like all of the big ones it blows from the back and that sucks when you have 10 different herbs all blown together at the bottom where the fan blows them off the trays so we keep a few Nesco's around for the lighter stuff
I prefer dehydrating my veggies in a big black round drying net rack, in the sun. ($25)The flavor and color just seem to be preserved better. There is an enormous amount of drying space. They have zipper openings to keep out bugs. The drawbacks are the elements of wind or a monsoon that comes at no notice and you lose everything. I use my $45 Ronco from Target for indoor dehydrating. I give it a 7/10, using it a few times a week for a year. Hope this helps. Dehydrating is my preferred preservation method & I love that it can be done with no power.
Yes, I mentioned those kind of sets ups in my other video on off grid dehydrators but that is not what this one was about as you can see. What those who live in dry climates do not realize is that methods like yours do not work when humidity levels are high. I have my woodstove dehydrator for when we have fires going but use electric dehydrators (off our solar power as much as possible) when we don't. Without dry heat, things just do not dry fully.
Love my Excalibur 9 tray plastic with the dial know for temp control. I like running it with or without trays. The big open box is great for larger items like bread, yogurt, or you can remove every other tray for items which need the extra height. I do not like the removable front door. I wish it was attachable/detachable. You have to completely remove the front to access the trays. You also have to place it just so to properly align it to cover the front. It's not a tight seal.
I have 2 Nesco dehydrators. Both are 8+ years old. I use them year round....more in the summer. Some of the trays have discolored and stained over the years, but that"s it! They still work great. I paid $40 new for each of them. They are $60 now at Bi-Mart. They have not been on sale for the last 2 years,
I had a Nesco for years and my husband found an Excalibur on Craig’s List for $100. I then sold my Nesco. I love the Excalibur and have it in my laundry room. That way I don’t hear it. I will consider the Cosori as a second dehydrator for the future.
I bought the" LEM mighty bite " , I paid $140 , has 5 trays and are approx 14x14 with 1/2" holes and are plastic and the machine itself is mostly plastic .and it's made in China. it didn't come with any tray inserts as I was new to dehydrating I didn't realize I needed them .seems to be made pretty good if I had to do over again with what I have learned ,I would spend $30-$40 more and get an Excalibur
Thanks for this. I was just doing a search and happened to come across LEM. they look really nice and have stainless steal and totally analogue options, but could not find where they are made.
Thank you so much for this video. I am only bout 1 year into dehydrating my foods. I have a 7 tray homdox. I do like it. But all the heat comes from the bottom. Heat does go up to 159. But my friend got the cosori witch I like better. The fan is in the back. And trays are bigger and all stainless steel. With no holes in middle. The homdox was just under 100. The cosori is about 50 $ more, but well worth the money.
Several months later and I have been very happy with my Cosori. I dries everything evenly with no need to rotate. However, I like also having the Nesco with the heat/fan at the top so I can dry various types of goods. The more delicate things on the bottom and the hardier things that can handle higher heat and take longer to dry at the top. You would do the same with yours just in reverse since your fan/heat is on the bottom
Thank you for the great information on the different types of dehydrators and how they work:) I really like the Corsori dehydrator:) I would not mind owning one of those in the future:)
One thing I did not think to point out is the Cosori is the reason the trays on the Cosori are smaller is that the unit is more narrow than the Excalibur and Cabela's meaning it takes up less space in width, which I like. Since I have other dehydrators, I do not need nor want anything that is massive
@@RainCountryHomestead Thank you for your response ☺️ I really appreciate the information and that is helpful to know about it also being space saving which is a huge plus.
I love my nesco I have the large square one. I found just recently at a goodwill found new in box a smaller round nesco for only $30. I would love to get an Excalibur I hear they are great. But with the nesco I have temp control and work great. For the price of nesco you get bang for your buck 😁. Rotating trays is a bit annoying . I like that there are have fruit roll up trays or for liquids and mesh inserts so when stuff shrinks it does not fall through.
Never heard of it myself. I do not talk about things I have never tried or researched and certainly never heard of but hopefully someone in comments will come in and share their thoughts on it if they have one or have at least looked into one
@@RainCountryHomestead I own one and I chose the more expensive stainless shelves as I am also avoiding plastic wherever possible. The can collapse down for easy storage. From what I've seen they're rather high quality and I've never had any issues with it so far and fairly quiet. Full disclosure I've only had one maybe 6 months and haven't done half the stuff with it I want to yet. Timers and temperature controls are nice. They are pricey like an excalibur but you get what you pay for.
I have an Excalibur nine tray but I wanted another one to work with smaller projects or items so I purchased a Cosori round dehydrator because it was cheaper than the Nesco. It only stacks up to seven trays, but only comes with five, which is kind of discouraging and the motor only has 450 Watts so that’s discouraging because it takes longer than my Excalibar of course, but if I had to do it over again I probably would invest a little bit more money and get the Nesco. I wasn’t sure if I would have a need for that second one all the time or not. Well, I do. So I will just use what I’ve got and if I find one at a yard sale then I will definitely grab it.
thanks for the video. I have to purchase a new dehydrator as my Nesco overheated this morning. I turned it on right before leaving the house at 95 degrees and within two minutes my kitchen felt super warm, so I touched the top of the dehydrator and it was steaming hot. My red clover was almost brown. Like I said, it was only on for a couple minutes. Has anyone had this issue of their Nesco overheating like that so quickly? I think I will still get another Nesco as I have very limited counter space and I can at least move the Nesco to the basement when not in use. Thanks for all the great info Heidi!
I now have a brand new small cabinet unit that’s so new, it’s still in the box unopened. It’s a brand I haven’t heard mentioned so will wait until I have tried it before saying anything other than that they also manufacture commercial units.
I bought the nine tray Excalibur a year ago and I love it. But I would prefer the stainless trays. Thank you for the tip about the availability of replacement trays. I find I don’t use all nine trays so I can order fewer of the stainless trays for now.
Made in America products DONT GET STUCK ON CARGO SHIPS! Shop American, Shop LOCAL! Vote with your dollars 🇺🇸
I can't, I'm in UK! STILL need a dehydrator thou
@@AlissaSss23 LMAO
I really appreciated this video. I'm looking into get a dehydrator, but trying to learning about the pros/cons of the different types. This was so helpful, Heidi! Now I'm saving my pennies to buy one! Thank you for your wonderful videos!
I have learned about the cabinet. Dehydrators is if you take all the trays out, then you can put a bowl with bread dough and turn your dehydrator on. It will help your dough rise. Learned from The Kneady Homesteader.
you can also do yogurt
Heidi - just an FYI about liquids in the Cosori. The trays do come out far enough without tipping where you can hold onto the tray (to make sure it doesn’t move) and then use the other hand to pour the liquids onto the silicone tray. Then just carefully slide it all the way back into the machine. I know I would spill it if I took the tray out completely, filled it and had to put it back in. Another thing people might like to know is another advantage with box style (in my case, Cosori), you can remove trays and use the machine to make yogurt, proof bread, and other things that need more space. You could put your bowl of boiled water on a bottom tray and the covered bread pan on a higher tray (with some empty space between) and let it rise in the machine (no heat turned on). Yogurt turns out perfect in the Cosori. (P.S. I’m glad you like the Cosori!)
Thank you Diane, great additional information!
Yes, good information.
Thank you so much, I do like. I may just have to go out and buy one, in this case let my fingers do the walking online shopping 😊
Hi Diane! Thanks for the information about using it to incubate yogurt and starters along with proofing bread. Those are the items that I need help with. I have a large Tesco with the top heat and fan, and of course at the time I purchased it, I had no thought about making yogurt or fermenting anything. Plus, the Nesco has such a loud fan, it is very obtrusive to use in the kitchen which is also our family room. Do you hear the Cosori at all when making yogurt? I am also curious if it has a thermometer in it? Thanks for your input.
@@DonnaMM6361 Thanks Donna. The Cosori is extremely quiet. I sit about 20 feet away from it when it's running, and I can barely hear it. It has a temperature setting, but no visible thermometer other than the digital readout from setting the temperature.
I have the Cosori because research shows me that the cabinettes, even, horizontal airflow is superior to vertical push circulation - my 1st Cosori bit the dust after 3 uses due to the built in ' OVERHEAT PROTECTION ' and I found that other folks were having the same failures that renders the machine as caput - knowing it had to be a ' Safety Fuse ' of some sort - The Cosori Company were very very good about it and did send a New Replacement Machine ( no problem ) ... Needless to say, i took the back off the Cosori where the Heart is and ( in the woven harness ) tested the
THERMAL FUSE also called Thermal Cutoff Link which is designed disable the Machine if it overheats ( I think it overheated because it comes with only 1 fruit roll tray and 1 small nylon mesh for tiny things that can fall thru the larger holed metal racks ) was using parchment paper for 5 of the 6
Drying racks which reduced the vital ' air circulation ' and higher heat 145 f for fruit - ANYHOO, the ' Thermal Fuse Link ' is a piece of cake to replace, it really is .. you can get it ( I'm getting a couple because now I have 2 machines for the price of 1 and you just never know when another might blow
which is ok because I'd much rather replace a $1.25 part ( 15 minutes ) than burn the house down ( I run mine at night so it' s finished in the morning and I can unload it while waiting for coffee ) - it's an SEFUSE SF113c 10A 250 V , ' Now, be sure to get the one that is in your machine 'you can get on Amazon, EBay - OR, BETTER YET , get it locally in an LECTRONIC's Store locally if you can because, theyre so inexpensive, the shipping will be more than the part... oh, before I forget, get the little ' Couplers ' to connect it because its a ' THERMAL ' Fuse, and heat soldering might just burn it out
before you even get started.. bye ya'll
Thank you so much! I'm so glad to know this. Cause I want the cosori but I had read about the over heating problems. So this is wonderful.
1st time thinking about buying a dehydrator, a dozen giant puff ball mushrooms in my back yard this year. thank you for the cotton fabric liner tip.
I had to leave another comment, and this was the latest on dehydrating. I've been making my own dehydrated meals. I just did chicken noodle soup, and after checking the price of freeze dried chicken, I thought there has to be a better (cheaper) way. I didn't really care for the texture of raw chicken dehydrated, so I took a jar of my home canned chicken breasts, shredded it & then dehydrated. It dried very fast, and we made a pot of it last night to test it out. The chicken was very good, so was the soup! Mike was impressed, he loved it. Thanks for taking me out of my comfort zone and trying new things! Many Blessings!!
An Excalibur is my Dream Dehydrator. 👍
For now I have an Andrew James one, it's all clear plastic, 6 tiers, & rectangular. It was £45.
I made 6 Muslin liners for it, as the holes are quite big. So far so good, but I'm still learning. Lol.
TFS this important information with us all.
Take care too everybody. 🎃❤🙂🐶
Great idea with the cotton liners. I always thought it would take longer instead of shorter. Nice to know.
I was Blessed to get an Excalibur 9 tray white unit from one of their many annual email sales this year for $279.00 including stainless steel trays in addition to the ones that came with it. I love it and the many uses for it besides dehydrating.... yogurt, proofing, etc. It is also so nice to not have digital controls and to not to have to rotate trays around. It does an excellent job with even dehydrating. The biggest selling point for me was that it is made in the USA even knowing it has a few parts they can't source here is still better imo then made in China. For us it was a good investment and being only the third time I tried to get a sale item before they sold out worth the wait. After 7 months I really haven't found any negatives. We really appreciate your reviews and informative videos... had no idea about the rimmed silicone sheets. God Bless!✝️
I've had my Nesco Garden Harvest dehydrator for about 11 years. I've maximized expansion up to 20 trays high. Use it weekly. And it has worked perfectly every time. I love it!
Thanks for the idea for the cotton discs!
I absolutely love my Nestor 1000 watt garden master. Used it for years. Motor just went on it and they are not available anymore. I purchased the 1000 watt one with top motor instead of bottom. Takes longer to dehydrate with the new style. 😭
@@Catherine-wd9qt So sorry to hear!😭 But thank you for that review. If mine blows up, I know to not purchase another. So sorry!
I bought a ninja smart oven, no thinking I was going to dehydrate but wanted the feature, now I'm dehydrating I will buy 3 more racks
Love the cotton idea. You are brilliant
Wha
I bought a 5 tray Lem front loader a couple years ago from Academy store. I love it! So much better than my old Nesco stack style. Worlds apart! It still works after 20 years, but no programmable anything, plug it in and it works but now I only use it for stinky onions and garlic...in the garage!
I like my nescos despite the plastic. Both the one that is temp adjustable and the one that is not have been serving me well. I use coffee filters on the trays. It helps me to be able to fold the filter and pour the food into the jars very easily.
I am not a fan of digital. If a manual switch goes out you can always direct wire.
Thanks for you honest input Heidi. Being build in the country where i reside is very important.
My American Harvest dehydrator is 28 yrs old and is used constantly. I love your idea of cloth linings. I think I'll use my older flour sack dish towels for that. i also didn't know about edged silicone liners which I ordered. The other ones made a mess from eggs. Great info. Thanks Heidi.
After deciding that a freeze dryer was a largely redundant upgrade to our kit, we ended up falling into one. It does do some things nicely like raw meat and avocado. However it consumes time and electricity at roughly double the rate of our dehydrator. These videos are valuable as I would not have tried milk or raw egg in the dehydrator without this.
There is another reason to preserve certain staples. We no longer have a grocery in our nearby towns. Having something started when milk/butter/flour/brown sugar/sour cream/etc was found to be gone, is no longer a 15 minute fix. I keep a little of some things stored on the shelf just to save sudden runs to DG, or further.
I love my Cosori! I haven't had an issues with it. Love the quiet motor, the evenness of its drying, love the timer and heat adjustment from 95 to 165.
Thanks for your comment about the quiet motor (fan). The large Nesco that I have now is so loud that I can't run it in the kitchen which is also our family room with the TV.
@@DonnaMM6361 exactly! Our house is on the smaller side and my entry, living room, kitchen, dining room are all open, 24 ft x 21 foot. You can hear everything lol
This will be a blast from the past food dehydrator- Ronco I've had two. First one I didn't have much luck. Blaming myself being a newbie, gave it away. Years later found a second one new in the box at a garage sale, $5.00. Some improvement because I was learning. But not the quality I wanted. The draw back was the heat element was on the bottom, hard to clean. Even with rotation of trays moisture was a problem. I had to use a regular oven to finish.
I watched many YT videos, hours and many different people. I started saving money. Bought my first Nesco so excited! Went to green grocery, got mandolin to slice... that helped me keep slices uniform. Then disaster, three batches motor died!! Dead as a door nail. BUT I called customer service, thankful I saved receipt , box and had filled out warranty card. At first I would have return, shipping packing my cost. We discussed what to do, I had to cut cord, take pictures and email to them. Nesco sent me a new top motor part under full warranty. I've had no issues at all, 4 years and still dehydrating. There is high humidity where I live so it does take a little longer.
I wanted to dehydrate so I bought at a local sale for $5. I hauled it around to 12 moves. Finally my Nesco is at work full time. I'm prepping daily. Watching your Channel has taught my 2 sisters and myself so much. Keep the trainings coming. Many Blessings to you and Mr Raintree as well as the new additions. I am researching buying a square door style dehydrator. After watching I am ordering the Cosari.
I recently bought an all stainless steel, 5 tray cabinet style dehydrator made here in America in Buffalo,NY by “The Sausage Maker” company. Very happy with my purchase and very well made.
I have always used Nesco. 20+ years. I like the price point and the performance. We dehydrate and store the products year round. My sister has an Excalibur. It is the Rolls-Royce of dehydrators.
Heidi I love your videos. Your teaching style is great. I have learned a lot and will keep watching!
I use my NuWave oven. I have owned it about 20 years. I believe it cost about $80.00, but that was years ago. It’s great for so many things. It works great for dehydrating. Since it’s so old and I use it a lot, the plastic dome has cracked. So I was considering buying an official dehydrator. Especially one the would blow the heat evenly at all the trays. But so far I’m just feeling so lucky that my NuWave oven is still working. Thank you for sharing your wealth of information and experience.
I didn't know there are silicone trays which fit my Nesco, I'll be looking into buying them in the future --Thanks Heidi! 👍
I bought the Cosori 8 months ago…..I absolutely love it! For the past few months, I have been using it 4-6 days a week…..zero issues. I frequently checked temperature with a thermometer because of making jerky….very
consistent at 165 degree setting. Mine came with 6 mesh/fruit leather trays:) and 2 year warranty….I highly recommend the Cosori IMO. Good video…Thank you
I have a NESCO & a Chefman RJ43-SQ-6T. The Chefman has plastic trays but is a cabinet. I brought it from Amazon June 2018. I put it on my wish list. It came up on Prime Deal for $67.74 , regular price was $119.99 @ that time. I like it. I don't rotate the trays & it seems to dehydrate the same. Unfortunately the cost is much higher now. I picked up a set of four NuWave metal trays with silicon inserts @ thrift shop for $15. I plan to make a dehydrator to use with a kerosene gravity cookstove & be able to use in my solar cooker. I haven't worked out all the particulars yet. God bless.
I also have a Cosori and I love it. I like that it isn't huge as my kitchen isn’t big. We had an issue with it not starting up. My husband called them on a Thursday when it happened and the tech was unable to get it running. We received an email on Friday that it was shipped and Monday morning it was at our house! I had it wiped down and it was already going again! A top notch company. ❤
I have seen several that said the customer service is great. And yes, forgot to mention I prefer the more narrow size in comparison to the Cabela's and the Excalibur. It is not that I do not have the space but I need the space I have for all the other things I do
Wow! You don't see that kind of customer service anymore!
About three years ago I started researching and comparing. It took me a year to finally decide on the Cosori. I knew I wanted stainless steel and the box type. Like others, the reviews helped me decide. The price and longer warranty factored in. I called Cosori Customer Service with some general questions and they were so helpful with their information sharing I made the decision. When I ordered a couple years ago it was on sale on Amazon and don't regret the decision.
These last few videos it's like you're following my thought processes! I was first thinking what containers to dry milk, and then which second dehydrator should I get! Lol
Thanks for the tip on using 100% cottons sheet to make your dehydrator sheets to go on your dehydrator trays. I like your tip. It works great on my dehydrator.
Another great teaching video, my sister. our sister. Grace and peace be multiplied to you. continued prosperity and promotion.
I’ve had a stacked round dehydrator for over 28 years. The fan is weak so I have to pull the base off and manually spin to start. Once started it works great but I’ve always had to rotate trays from top to bottom for even drying. Usually leave the bottom tray open or things will scorch, no heat variation. I work away from home so timely removal isn’t always always optimal. 2 years ago Excalibur had a great sale so bought one. Best thing ever. Bought a unit with stainless trays, dial (not digital) and am tickled happy with it. No more rotation of trays and if I can’t get to something I can lower the temperature and leave the fan running. Rhubarb to dandelion, it all dries great. Instead of cloth, I use butcher paper on the screens when needed. For liquids, I fold freezer paper into a shallow box-top shape then place on the tray. I know butcher paper may not be as ecological but 15 years ago I got a huge roll and just getting to the halfway point. Alternate use, since you can remove upper trays, I’ve used the new dehydrator to dry shoes, boot liners, gloves and mittens. Gets the grandkids back out faster.
Perfect timing i have been researching dehydrators this week. Thank you
I've used a nesco for years and found that rotating the goods after a while got to be a pain. When I was able to upgrade I received a nice Xmas gift x caliber from my husband 10 tray. It's not the stainless but it does what I need it to do. No more rotating. I gave my nesco to a friend starting out. It's a great low cost starter. Works great for jerky, which was what I used it for at the time and fruit.
Now I'm dehydrating my whole garden/herbs . What's over flowing anyhow. Highly recommend.
Thanks Heidi
Heidi, I have had my Excalibur for over 25 years on the first and the second one 16 years and I have never had to rotate my trays! and I have 9 trays in both of them. The draw back the trays are plastic as well and like you I am trying not to use much plastic I wish the Excalibur had a window on the ones I have. I love my Excalibur dehydrator's not sure how the new ones are! one thing they are pricy for sure. Thank you Heidi, I did not know I could get the stainless trays! thank you so much for the information on the Excalibur stainless trays.
Hi Heidi the cosori dehydrate looks like something I could handle thanks for sharing this with us.
I also bought the same dehydrator, my husband did the research and bought the cosori I like it so far and am new at dehydrating. Didn't know it was from China. Amazon can be sneaky. I've made beef jerky and love it. Experimenting and getting use to it. You always give me ideas I never thought about. Thanks for the video I appreciate all of your hard work.
Over the years I started with a Harvest bottom heat up stackable trays like Nessco and it did a very poor job. After a few years I upgraded to a Nessco and combined the trays from the two machines. The heat source was on the top and worked much better.. After a few years, again I upgraded to the Excalibur and purchased the clear door as an extra because I like to see what’s going on. That was an improvement I liked. I also purchased the non-stick sheets and the mesh inserts. Now we were really setup and I have used this machine for a number of years. The quality of the dehydrated food is excellent and you do have to rotate the trays but it goes quick..the only negative I have is the noise. It is extremely noisy. I have just ordered the stainless steel trays and hope this will improve the noise problem. I notices if the plastic trays are loaded with heavier product, the rattle is reduced..Here’s hoping for the stainless steel to improve the problem.
I also own the Cabela Dehydrator with the door that opens down. It’s a nice machine but the temperature knob is hard to set as its handle does not have a mark to show where you are on the temperature plate. I use a temperature sensor to let me know the temperate and adjust accordingly. The trays are rectangle in shape with about 1/2” sides. It did not come with silicon or mesh sheets. The tray bottoms have about 1/2” spacing holes.. The sheets had to be purchased separately.
I just got the liquid sheets for the Excalibur to dehydrate eggs and milk, etc but am waiting to use them until I get the Stainless Steel racks. I wonder what the result will be…reduced noice or a bigger problem. I will give you an update in the future.
PS: The Cabela is not a quiet machine either but the pitch of the noise is less irritating.
So grateful that you have this video!
I’m needing to replace my dehydrator.
My oven has one; but, it doesn’t go below 150 degrees F and my electric ones have decided that they are extremely exhausted.
That last line made me laugh! Yep, everything gets old and exhausted at some point and I have days I feel the same way! haha
I know you are right!
I’m just as tired and worn out as the dehydrators are!
Glad I can help you out with a smile, this morning.
Have a beautifully blessed and safe day!
Love my Nesco!!!!!! I also have 2 Presto. They don't have adjustable temp,which I don't care for
Yes God is good all the time. Love what you're doing. God bless you and your family.
You said it right ! Cosori is made in china. And Nesco made in USA i was so happy to see this as I just got a use one. So I will keep the Nesco vs Cosori just for that.
I love my Excalibur dehydrator. I have been wanting to upgrade my trays to the stainless steel ones. And I want to get some fruit rollup trays and the mats for the trays.
Now I know I'm watching the right honesteader! Cosori was my choice too. And it's fantastic! Hate that it's from China but I've had it for 6 months now, running 24/7 with no issues. I'm VERY thankful for your links on where to buy stuff too! Very helpful!
I have a l'equip which I believe is made by Bosch. It was s gift. It has worked very well over the last ten years. I actually really like it. The only thing is this idea of dehydrating liquids. The lequip does not have good options for containers to hold liquids or anything runny. So I am looking at a nesco to add in as we usually have a surplus of at least a gallon of milk a week from a farmer. I've made cheese but I haven't figured out aged cheese yet and we don't have any powdered milk. So I want to do the powdered milk for a while.
Thank you! This is exactly what I needed to know. I appreciate you're willing to research and give your opinions. Gives me info I needed to make an informed decision.
Ive only ever had an Excalibur. I love ❤️ it so much. I make all my bulk yogurt in it.
Looking forward to hearing what you have to say about the others.
Hi May I ask how you make your yogurt in your Excalibur? Recipe please! Thank you
@@dymphnasilva1202 it’s almost to easy to share! You might think I’m teasing.
I don’t even heat up the milk anymore.
I take 4 quart jars full with raw cold milk, (because we milk our own cows.)
I add a yogurt starter from the grocery store to each jar. Maybe 3 Tablespoons or so each jar. Stir and put into the Excalibur. Not on the yogurt setting, the one below it. My raw milk doesn’t like that kind of heat. Set for around 12 hours and it’s done! You see, so easy.
In my Cosori when dehydrating liquid I just pull the tray partially out, use a fat sperator, it has a nice pour spout and pour right into your liquid tray. Then you don't have to balance that tray and try to get it in the machine. I do not like the mesh tray topper that comes with them and use your cloth method. I also didn't like the liquid trays. They are also plastic. I haven't done much liquids in the trays. I just do it in other kitchen pans. I did buy the silicone trays you suggested in your this and that video and am looking forward to giving those a try. I have had my Cosori just over 3 years and still love it. I have a freeze dryer and between the two I am very happy. There are somethings I prefer in my dehydrator over the freeze dryer.
Thank you for doing these reviews. My dehydrator is so old, it was one of the first ones out. No fan, No adjusting the temperature, Just a heating unit. Yes very very old, But I cannot complain, It has Dehydrated ninny deer. I could not make enough Jerky. I would lift the lid to take the jerky out 1/2 the trays would be gone. Lol
Now that I dehydrate my garden and want to dehydrate milk, it is time for a new one. I did get tired of having to switch trays around all the time while drying.
I will always use my woodstove I would stove to dehydrate in the Winter time. I love the smells.
Thank you again and God-bless
Thank you Heidi for this information. I actually decided to go with the Cosori dehydrator and I love it. I just couldn't believe how quietly it runs. With the food shortage coming, I am busy dehydrating and fermenting. You gave me the confidence I needed. Love, Debbie
I am really happy with it too.
I was just looking at buying one. Thank you.
If the window to your Cosori falls off, I used some 1/2" round "Master Magnets" that I bought at Home Depot and situated them on the frame in such a way to keep the window in, and it's worked great. My Cosori is called an "Aroma", but it's the exact same model, I've noticed that many products are exactly the same but called by many names these days. I've had mine for about 5 years, can't remember what I paid for it, maybe $170 (?), and I like it a lot! I also have a Nesco that I bought used, and I use that one for pungent items like onions, celery, garlic... I like them both, but I use the Aroma way more and I really like how it performs! I have been trying to get the time to make some of your cloth covers for both because I think that's an awesome idea & I can't wait to dehydrate ground beef & chicken too, after seeing you had such great success with that! God bless you guys Heidi! Thanks again for a great video!
Perfect choice of colors for your outfit and makeup. It really compliments your skin tone and hair.
Thank you, though I really do not have make up on, just homemade mascara and a little eye liner. That is all I ever wear as far as that goes
Besides my Nesco dehydrator, I have used my sun oven as a dehydrator. It works really well. Just make sure that the reflectors are not directly in the sun, and the door is opened a crack. No electricity is needed. Take care.
Thanks for all the details in this review. I am shopping for a cabinet style unit at the moment primarily use for yogurt and fermenting yeast and starter. I have the large Nesco with the top heat, now. I don't really dehydrate very much. I have found it awkward to move the trays around, which takes some space to do. Plus the fan is very noisy, have to use it away from our living space. Your idea of the cloth liners may be a game changer, though.
As an FYI, I bought a device that regulates the temperature of what is plugged into it. It has a probe that you place into the space that you are trying to regulate. Then, you plug your heat source into the controller. The controller connects to power, and you set the temperature parameters you want, highest and lowest. That helped a lot, but I burned out all seeding mats. There are a lot more variety of these controllers available now.
American made and size were why I chose an Excalibur over Casori when I bought a couple years ago. I had used both my mom’s round dehydrator and my grandma’s homemade that was a square box style so I knew my preference was for the square.
I am still very happy with my decision. I use it quite a bit for making jerky so I really like the temperature control.
Love my casori just wish it was bigger. God Bless
This is exactly the info I'm looking for! I've been dehydrating apples in the oven which is really inefficient.
I love that corner one you have there.👍
Thanks for sharing and the information and Gods blessings for you and all your family
I HAVE AN EXCALABER I LOVE IT
Heidi, thank you very much for sharing your thoughts. I have a very old Open Country dehydrator and have been thinking about purchasing a used all metal dehydrator. Your information greatly helps me. God bless
Thank you for finally finding us silicone covers for the Nesco! I've hunted and hunted. Ordered and returned 2 sets already because they didn't fit. I'm ordering the ones you found and hopefully will be using them soon. 💚🌞
I was surprised at how easily I found these ones, I am wondering if they are relatively new since I had never seed them before but they fit in my Nesco like a glove and I am very happy with them
Because of your video, I purchased the Cosori a few months back and I think I made the right choice. The only thing that I had to overcome was that it was made in China. Other than that, I have enjoyed experimenting. I love to see what I have dehydrated stored in jars. Love powdering stuff too.
Yep, that was the main disappointment for me and I had not even though to look into that before purchasing but it is hard to find much these days not made in China and even the American made ones still have parts made in China
I enjoy your channel, you have good information. I've never used a dehydrator, but I plan to buy a couple to use next summer. Your information was quite helpful. You're not trying to sell as they are when you go to individual sites so that makes a world of difference to me.
As I'll be 79 in a couple of weeks, so I don't want to invest a fortune. Two of the Nesso's would serve my needs. If extra trays are available those wood add space.
Amazon has mesh air dehydrators that you can hang, and in the south those would be good for extra space. The only draw back is getting them in if a thunder storm is comming and bringing them in at might because of wild critters.
The storage shed is a good size might also work and be less work in the long run, just a nail in the roof support and hang from a chain.
Those canners are getting heavier by the year.
Again thank you for this video, blessings to you and yours.
I got the Presto Dehydro Digital Dehydrator for $70. It had really good reviews and I really like it. I chose it because of the price and the fact the air comes from the bottom that is why I didn't go for a Nesco but I had never used a dehydrator before. Only draw back for me is having to rotate the trays. Working full time I'm not home to rotate the trays. But I get pretty uniform drying except the 2 on top. I have not dehydrated any liquids yet. I have been looking at the Cosori for awhile now because the air is uniform and much less of a cost than the Excalibur. I don't like the door on Excalibur..looked flimsy but everyone loves it. Thanks so much for the information.
After using Nesco for years, I finally was able to purchase the Excalibur on sale for a great price. I absolutely love it, it’s a nine tray, the thing I really don’t like is the plastic trays, thank you for sharing the cost of the stainless steel trays. Maybe I could add those to my Christmas wish list, great comparison video, blessings
Do you have to rotate trays on the Excalibur?
@@karilods1593 no tray rotation, the fan is in the back of the unit, works awesome
Thank you!!💖 this came just in time. I am ordering your new one next month. Really appreciate it.
@Rain Country. I dont use a woodstove in Florida and I cannot think of a way for the fireplace to be helpful, but I do have an extra window screen and I am going to get another and dry some things in the drier Fall and Winter air and sun. Thx for getting my brain thinking
just got my cosori a couple days ago. Im excited to get to work dehydrating tomorrow. Im a beginner. I wanted to just get right on it but I work 12 hour night shifts so I waited for my days off. Im starting with frozen veggies then blueberries and strawberries.
Thank you Heidi! 🙂 I appreciate your review and thank you to your other viewer too!
Here's my logic for buying this particular product from over there: this is obviously a quality product which they're not necessarily known for, so it's worth it. Things there are very unstable too so these may not be available in the future. Case in point, canning lids and anything digital.😉
Thank you for your comparisons! I value your opinion!
Ive had my 9tray(plastic) excaliber 2yrs now running nearly 24 hrs a day. Ive had zero trouble n honestly cant think of anything i dont like about it. Yes sometimes i rotate my trays but if i put in overnite all is dry next day without rotation. Also i pretty much dehydrate everything on low. I hav not dehydrated any liquids or eggs. Just havnt tried it yet or any meats!!! For whatever this is worth. Mine is not digital as i hate digital everything. Does hav temp control but no timer. I like that!!!. 💞💞💞💞🐈🐈🐈🐈
I just bought a Cosori for 144 on sale at BB. I didn't know it was China until after I bought it. I have a Nesco F79, wavy trays, hole in the middle, not a fan of plastic but it does a good job if you give it a lot time. Good review, thanks.
We have one of the first big stainless ones from Guide Gear. It is actually a jerky machine but it's just a big dehydrator but like all of the big ones it blows from the back and that sucks when you have 10 different herbs all blown together at the bottom where the fan blows them off the trays so we keep a few Nesco's around for the lighter stuff
God works in mysterious ways. I Am, currently, looking for a dehydrator. So confusing. Thank you for this video! ❤
I prefer dehydrating my veggies in a big black round drying net rack, in the sun. ($25)The flavor and color just seem to be preserved better. There is an enormous amount of drying space. They have zipper openings to keep out bugs. The drawbacks are the elements of wind or a monsoon that comes at no notice and you lose everything.
I use my $45 Ronco from Target for indoor dehydrating. I give it a 7/10, using it a few times a week for a year.
Hope this helps.
Dehydrating is my preferred preservation method & I love that it can be done with no power.
Yes, I mentioned those kind of sets ups in my other video on off grid dehydrators but that is not what this one was about as you can see. What those who live in dry climates do not realize is that methods like yours do not work when humidity levels are high. I have my woodstove dehydrator for when we have fires going but use electric dehydrators (off our solar power as much as possible) when we don't. Without dry heat, things just do not dry fully.
While watching your videos, the thought popped into my head that I would follow you into battle.
Love my Excalibur 9 tray plastic with the dial know for temp control. I like running it with or without trays. The big open box is great for larger items like bread, yogurt, or you can remove every other tray for items which need the extra height. I do not like the removable front door. I wish it was attachable/detachable. You have to completely remove the front to access the trays. You also have to place it just so to properly align it to cover the front. It's not a tight seal.
I have 2 Nesco dehydrators. Both are 8+ years old. I use them year round....more in the summer.
Some of the trays have discolored and stained over the years, but that"s it!
They still work great.
I paid $40 new for each of them. They are $60 now at Bi-Mart. They have not been on sale for the last 2 years,
Thanks, I've been eyeing the Cosori...and this helped alot!
Thank you!! This is what I needed. Might be getting one soon.
I had a Nesco for years and my husband found an Excalibur on Craig’s List for $100. I then sold my Nesco. I love the Excalibur and have it in my laundry room. That way I don’t hear it. I will consider the Cosori as a second dehydrator for the future.
I bought the" LEM mighty bite " , I paid $140 , has 5 trays and are approx 14x14 with 1/2" holes and are plastic and the machine itself is mostly plastic .and it's made in China. it didn't come with any tray inserts as I was new to dehydrating I didn't realize I needed them .seems to be made pretty good if I had to do over again with what I have learned ,I would spend $30-$40 more and get an Excalibur
Thanks for this. I was just doing a search and happened to come across LEM. they look really nice and have stainless steal and totally analogue options, but could not find where they are made.
Thank you so much !! Really informative...with both techniques and product specs...
Thank you so much for this video. I am only bout 1 year into dehydrating my foods. I have a 7 tray homdox. I do like it. But all the heat comes from the bottom. Heat does go up to 159. But my friend got the cosori witch I like better. The fan is in the back. And trays are bigger and all stainless steel. With no holes in middle. The homdox was just under 100. The cosori is about 50 $ more, but well worth the money.
Several months later and I have been very happy with my Cosori. I dries everything evenly with no need to rotate. However, I like also having the Nesco with the heat/fan at the top so I can dry various types of goods. The more delicate things on the bottom and the hardier things that can handle higher heat and take longer to dry at the top. You would do the same with yours just in reverse since your fan/heat is on the bottom
Thank you, Heidi. Good info. My Nesco seems to take so long no mater how many trays and as you stated, trays need to be rotated.
Thank you for the great information on the different types of dehydrators and how they work:) I really like the Corsori dehydrator:) I would not mind owning one of those in the future:)
One thing I did not think to point out is the Cosori is the reason the trays on the Cosori are smaller is that the unit is more narrow than the Excalibur and Cabela's meaning it takes up less space in width, which I like. Since I have other dehydrators, I do not need nor want anything that is massive
@@RainCountryHomestead Thank you for your response ☺️ I really appreciate the information and that is helpful to know about it also being space saving which is a huge plus.
I love my nesco I have the large square one. I found just recently at a goodwill found new in box a smaller round nesco for only $30. I would love to get an Excalibur I hear they are great. But with the nesco I have temp control and work great. For the price of nesco you get bang for your buck 😁. Rotating trays is a bit annoying . I like that there are have fruit roll up trays or for liquids and mesh inserts so when stuff shrinks it does not fall through.
Thats the one I got about a month ago! It's really small, but works good! My Cabela's fried after 1 year. Heating element went out.
Nesco has new design resembling the Cosori. I just bought it as its shorter in depth compared to Cosori, fits on counter better.
I wish more people would talk about the Sahara dehydrator from Brod and Taylor. They're expensive but really nice. Nobody seems to know they exist.
Never heard of it myself. I do not talk about things I have never tried or researched and certainly never heard of but hopefully someone in comments will come in and share their thoughts on it if they have one or have at least looked into one
@@RainCountryHomestead I own one and I chose the more expensive stainless shelves as I am also avoiding plastic wherever possible. The can collapse down for easy storage. From what I've seen they're rather high quality and I've never had any issues with it so far and fairly quiet. Full disclosure I've only had one maybe 6 months and haven't done half the stuff with it I want to yet. Timers and temperature controls are nice. They are pricey like an excalibur but you get what you pay for.
I have an Excalibur nine tray but I wanted another one to work with smaller projects or items so I purchased a Cosori round dehydrator because it was cheaper than the Nesco. It only stacks up to seven trays, but only comes with five, which is kind of discouraging and the motor only has 450 Watts so that’s discouraging because it takes longer than my Excalibar of course, but if I had to do it over again I probably would invest a little bit more money and get the Nesco. I wasn’t sure if I would have a need for that second one all the time or not. Well, I do. So I will just use what I’ve got and if I find one at a yard sale then I will definitely grab it.
thanks for the video. I have to purchase a new dehydrator as my Nesco overheated this morning. I turned it on right before leaving the house at 95 degrees and within two minutes my kitchen felt super warm, so I touched the top of the dehydrator and it was steaming hot. My red clover was almost brown. Like I said, it was only on for a couple minutes. Has anyone had this issue of their Nesco overheating like that so quickly? I think I will still get another Nesco as I have very limited counter space and I can at least move the Nesco to the basement when not in use. Thanks for all the great info Heidi!
Thank you, this info is greatly appreciated!
Thank you Heidi
Used you link to get the dehydrator corsori and parts, take care and stay safe
Great information 😊
I now have a brand new small cabinet unit that’s so new, it’s still in the box unopened. It’s a brand I haven’t heard mentioned so will wait until I have tried it before saying anything other than that they also manufacture commercial units.
I bought the nine tray Excalibur a year ago and I love it. But I would prefer the stainless trays. Thank you for the tip about the availability of replacement trays. I find I don’t use all nine trays so I can order fewer of the stainless trays for now.
I did not happen to see if they have smaller packs than the 9 but I believe they do carry them in threes
Thanks!!