review of food dehydrator

[fiatboy]

I have a food dehydrator from Walmart, and I cry "false advertising".  I couldn't find any model numbers, but it claims to have adjustable 'heat', but it doesn't.  It has 3 buttons on the front, plus the 'dial', but it never gets very hot at all.  Plus it is v. small.  Pay extra and get more features, and heat!!

[peteski]

For over 30 years I have been using a bare-bones basic food dehydrator. On the bottom it has a 40W heating element and it has adjustable ventilation slots on the bottom and top.  It doesn't even have power switch - you plug it in to turn it on.  It has served me quite well.  I have a cooking thermometer for monitoring its temperature and i have the vents adjusted for around 110-120 deg. F.  No need for fancy adjustments.  It came with multiple stacking hoops with food drying surfaces which I had to remove to create a single large space inside for drying car bodies.

You say that it doesn't get very warm.  Have you taken a temperature reading inside?  110 deg. F is not *ALL* that warm, and it is perfect for drying paint on plastic parts.  As for it being very small, you must have seen how big (or small) its box was.

[fiatboy]

My previous 'dryer' did get very hot (95o), not this one.  Plus it has vents all over the place.  

[peteski]

95 deg. Celsius or Fahrenheit?  If Celsius, that is way too hot for drying paint on plastic parts, if Fahrenheit, that is an acceptable temperature (as I said, mine is aroudn 110-120 deg. F)

[Ace-Garageguy]

But how well does it work as a food dehydrator?

[Dave G.]

If you don't like it take it back and get your money back. 

[bobss396]

I had a Magic Chef that I wired in a house dimmer switch. It quit on me a while back, we did one after mine for my brother. His still works. I could pick up a new base, I still have the "schematic" for the mods.

I did find one at a discount store over a year ago. It has a temperature control that is accurate. It ran me $40. I made a surround for it out of a plastic sign and pop riveted it to one of the trays.