COLZER Dehydrator Machine For Home Use

I have been making beef jerky since August 2011 when I purchased my first dehydrator, the Nesco FD-80 (it still works). During that entire time, I have dehydrated:
– Fruit (bananas, persimmons, pineapples, etc)
– Herbs (including leaves and flowers for tea)
– Jerky (beef mostly. Other meats require too much preparation to make them safe for dehydration)

With the Nesco’s plastic trays starting to fall apart, I eyed the premium Excalibur dehydrator, but its high price made me balk every time I was about to purchase. Alternatives were less than desirable because their maximum heating temperature is usually up to only about 158F — that generally is not a problem for beef although an internal meat temperature of 165F is considered safe (especially for poultry). Furthermore, unlike the Nesco’s round trays, the Excalibur has square ones that pack a bit more capacity but also do not dry as evenly.

This Colzer appliance caught my eye with its maximum temperature of 194F, but like the Excalibur, its square trays are not immune to the uneven drying effect. What I did find, however, is that the drying is better than with the dehydrator I used to have that was mostly plastic. I am not sure if an all-metal housing is making a positive difference, but it appears to be.

PROS
– Square trays provide more room for items to be dehydrated
– Clear glass allows you to check on the items’ status without opening the door
– Multiple temperature settings going as high as a whopping 194F! (Warning: going that high may not be a good idea. More on that later)
– Built-in timer that goes up to about 24 hours (minimum 30 mins)
– Dishwasher-safe, BPA-free trays
– Generous 8-tray capacity (each is 8.7″ x 8.7″)
– 4 silicone sheets for drying fruit and small herbs that would fall through the metal tray’s holes otherwise
– All-metal housing
– Greater value than the 8-tray Excalibur
– Slim, tall design takes up less space than the Nesco

CONS
– Temperature unit is locked to Celsius. There is no way to change to Fahrenheit
— Control panel has a built-in guide that shows Fahrenheith-Celsius conversions (if it did not have this, I would have returned the product)
– Square trays dehydrate items more unevenly than rounded ones, partially because the rounded one generally throw heat downward in a more distributed way
– All-metal housing makes the entire unit very hot to touch
– Bottom of appliance has no tray to catch dripping juices, making cleanup a bit more painful than the Nesco (whose base could be removed for washing). I used a heavy-duty aluminum foil as a liner as a workaround, but will be on the lookout for an 8.4″ x 8.4″ tray instead

As I had stated, the price-to-value ratio for this product is very good. It dehydrated my fruit and herb very well, and beef jerky came out pretty well (the pieces facing the glass door were not as dry as the ones at the back. You can alleviate that by rotating the trays half way through the drying.) Oddly, the manual states to pre-cook or boil the meat to 165F internal temperature and THEN dehydrate it (to ensure any germs are fully neutralized), but thankfully, we haven’t experienced food poisoning yet. I do keep my jerky in the fridge for up to a month.

Keep in mind that although the dehydrator can go up to 194F, a higher temperature may not necessarily be good for food. The high heat will first crisp up the exterior but leave the inside not as dry and potentially invite germs to grow. I stick to 165F for my jerky (Nesco’s recommendation) despite the Colzer temperature guide stating up to 155F.

RECIPES and TIPS
Watch Alton Brown’s Good Eats episode of how to make beef jerky. You’ll learn quite a lot. After that, simply experiment with various recipes you may find on the internet. You may also consider a meat slicer to help cut some cooking time and to keep the meat at a consistent depth. Some butchers will gladly cut to size for you.

For beef jerky, remember that fats spoil faster than meats. As such, for jerky to last as long as possible, trim out as much fat as you can and/or get as lean of a meat you can find. I like having some fat in my jerky, and so I keep it in the refrigerator as an extra precaution, although I have consumed it during a 4-day wilderness backpacking trip before without any issues.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I am glad to have finally found a square-tray dehydrator that works well without having to spend as much money as for an Excalibur. Should it continue to operate reliably, I will be more than happy to retire my 9-year-old Nesco FD-80 by gifting it to a friend (partially also so she won’t ask me to make her jerky as often.) I just wish this Colzer could be changed to Fahrenheit, but no big deal.

I’ve had this machine a couple months now and it truly is a wonderful machine, I love it for it’s efficiency, ease of use and it’s oh so quiet. There are a few minor annoyances but this machine does a great job. The fans are a little too powerful when drying herbs, a high low option would be nice. They indicate you’re able to ‘adjust the temperature from 68°F in 194°F by 5℉ increments’ and this is not the case, at least not with my machine. My machine adjusts the temperature in increments of 9? They also indicate the time can be adjusted in increments of 0.5 hours but mine would not do that. I did managed to fix that issue by manually backing the timer down to zero, then I was able to adjust the time as indicated. Unfortunately it didn’t work for the temperature. All-in-all, this is a great machine, I just wish I could dial in the temperature to my liking but it wouldn’t stop me from buying it again. I would give it 5 stars but for the timer and temperature adjustments. No manual was provided to see if there’s a reset button and through trial and error I was able to fix the timer issue.

So glad I went with the 12 sheet model! Just barely big enough for a whole pork loin.

Seriously quiet! Half of the time we forget it’s even on! Our last dehydrator was so noisy we would get headaches if we were in the same room.
Love the timer feature as well.
The only thing I would change is more precise temperature control but I haven’t read the manual so maybe it’s a feature, it’s not a big enough bother to me to look it up ☺️