Magic Mill Commercial Food Dehydrator, 7 Trays, Adjustable Timer

This is an amazing machine for dehydrating large amounts of items.

Ok, I like this dehydrator for the most part.
Pro: its large. It fits a lot of food. It works as I would expect. I’ve dehydrated citrus, cherry tomatoes, herbs, cooked beans, left over salsa, and tons of garden products. This, freezing and canning are my primary ways to store the garden harvest. The trays are great. I’m very happy with then. I like how much can fit. It does not heat up my kitchen, either. The auto shut off/ timer is great.

Cons: my main complaint is the temperature adjustment. You can select from a series of preset temps… but they arent even. Its numbers like 109 or 141F. While I make it work it is an annoyance. I’d rather them go up in specific degree increments but it’s not a deal breaker. I wont take points off, though. It still works.

It is LARGE. It takes up my counter space front to back with maybe an inch to spare. It fits – but takes up a good bit of space. When I’m not using it I do store it above my fridge. The bulk is more than I expected but again, it does tons of food at once. So, if you’re dehydrating a lot then youd want a larger size. If you’re not look for a smaller unit.

I was super excited to receive this product. The first time I plugged it in and turned it on it literally exploded and caught fire!! Thankfully I managed to plug it off and to contain the fire but it did damage my kitchen counter and the smell lingered for a full day after. I wrote to the seller asking to return it since it is DANGEROUS and irresponsible to sell cheap quality electrical products. I can’t even imagine keeping it on for hours while i dehydrate food in it. It is NOT SAFE! The seller did not agree to return the product nor refund it. I am not stuck with an unsafe piece of equipment and do not know what to do with it. At least my whole house did not burn down, thankfully.

Well, I am fairly new to this concept of creating dehydrated food but I definitely did my homework. I evaluated many different machines and specifically looked at the features that were important to more seasoned veterans. The features that seem be discussed the most are flimsy plastic trays and doors that break quickly AND the sound level. Since I live in a small space (combined Living/Dining/Kitchen), the sound level was going to be the most important factor. After using this machine for a couple of batches of beef jerky, dried fruit etc, I am ecstatic with my purchase. This machine sits about 7 feet from where I watch TV and I can barely hear it. Very, very quiet, sturdy SS trays, sturdy see through plastic door, very easy to clean, very easy to use……. works flawlessly…..so far! I would definitely recommend this product…. A1 rating.
Chef Antonio

I have, so far, dehydrated one load of zucchini and onion and garlic and another couple of pounds of beef jerky that I marinated using the basic recipe in the accompanying book. I was satisfied with the results in the time they took to finish. The jerky is tasty but I’m going to have to experiment with what “done” looks and feels like. There is a pretty good chart on how long and at what temp different foods should be processed in the booklet and lots of info online.
I haven’t had it long enough to be comprehensive but so far so good.
I’ve had it for several months now and am impressed and very satisfied with its performance. I’ve dehydrated just about everything I think we’ll eat in the future including fruits, vegetables and herbs, potatoes, etc. and all came out well—attractive and well dried. The time involved in each type of food varies greatly and is not always the same, depending on the natural juice occurring in the food and the humidity.
A couple of cautions would include 1) setting up outdoors or in a garage for smelly foods like strong onions and 2) hotter varieties of peppers drying inside can be disturbing to your eyes and sinuses. I use the screened porch in dryer seasons when it’s not too humid outside because humidity really slows down the process, or in the garage.
Oh, one more factoid. Canned green beans can be dehydrated but look terrible. Fresh green beans are better and much more attractive and dry faster. Broccoli is good either from frozen, as it’s already been blanched so thats one less step for you, or from fresh, but you have to blanch it before drying for a more attractive result. I’ve done celery both ways, blanched and unbalanced, and I don’t find much difference except unblanched dries faster.
Ok, go dehydrate something!