In our household, the food dehydrator isn’t just another kitchen appliance; it’s an essential tool that sees consistent action, typically twice a month. Our primary mission? Crafting batches of delectable Korean BBQ Beef Jerky. This isn’t surprising, as jerky and dried fruit are our go-to snacks. They’re not only incredibly convenient to pack and eat on the go but also offer a healthier alternative to many processed options.

For years, we relied on our trusty Nesco dehydrator, a modest $80 investment. Like many, we assumed all dehydrators were fundamentally the same: a stack of trays and some hot air. However, our perspective shifted dramatically when we had the opportunity to test the Excalibur Dehydrator. With a price tag more than double that of our Nesco, the crucial question emerged: Does the Excalibur truly justify its premium cost, especially for dedicated jerky enthusiasts?

To thoroughly evaluate this, we embarked on a series of rigorous tests, primarily focused on making multiple batches of beef jerky. Our goal was to assess not just the drying performance but also the overall user experience, ease of cleaning, and the quality of the final product.

Navigating Customer Service: A First Impression of Excalibur

Our journey with the Excalibur wasn’t entirely smooth from the start. The initial unit we received experienced a malfunction – the fan operated, but there was no heat. This unexpected hiccup provided an immediate opportunity to test Excalibur’s customer service. We placed a call, leaving a message, and after not hearing back the next day, we called again. This second attempt connected us with a live representative who was exceptionally apologetic and friendly. She efficiently handled our issue, promptly arranging for a replacement unit and even offering expedited 3-day shipping to compensate for our inconvenience.

True to her word, a brand-new unit arrived swiftly. We carefully packaged the defective dehydrator, which turned out to have a faulty fuse, and shipped it back to Excalibur using their pre-paid postage. This experience, despite the initial problem, left a positive impression. Excellent customer service, characterized by responsiveness and a willingness to resolve issues quickly, is a significant factor in brand trust and overall satisfaction, especially for a higher-priced appliance.

Design and Usability: Where Excalibur Stands Out

A major differentiating factor between the Excalibur and the Nesco lies in their core design. The Excalibur features a fan and heating element strategically mounted at the back of the unit. In stark contrast, the Nesco’s fan and heater are integrated directly into its lid, which rests atop the stack of trays. This fundamental design difference has profound implications for user experience.

Superior Airflow and Convenience

The Excalibur’s rear-mounted system allows for a more consistent and efficient airflow across all trays, promoting even drying. Furthermore, the Excalibur boasts a convenient, loosely-hanging door, making it incredibly easy to open, insert, or remove trays with just one hand. This design means you can rearrange trays, check on your food, or add new items without interrupting the drying process or compromising hygiene. The fan and heater continue to operate, maintaining temperature and airflow throughout.

With the Nesco, the process is far less streamlined. To access the trays, you first need to lift off the entire lid, which contains the fan and heating element. This not only requires two clean hands – a challenge when one hand might be handling raw meat for jerky – but also momentarily stops the airflow and heat, potentially extending drying times or affecting consistency. The Excalibur’s thoughtful design truly shines in practical, everyday use.

Effortless Cleaning: A Game-Changer

Another area where the Excalibur significantly outperforms the Nesco is in cleanup. Each Excalibur tray comes with its own mesh sheet, which the food rests upon. These mesh sheets are a dream to clean; simply pop them into the dishwasher. The plastic trays themselves require minimal effort, usually just a quick wash with soapy water.

In contrast, the Nesco typically includes only a couple of mesh trays. Its round, non-mesh racks are notoriously difficult to clean. Food, especially sticky jerky marinade, tends to adhere stubbornly to the plastic. This often necessitates prolonged soaking in hot, soapy water, followed by vigorous hand-scrubbing to remove all food particles. For busy households or frequent dehydrator users, the Excalibur’s superior cleaning design translates into significant time and effort savings.

Key Features: Timer Functionality and Precision

Both dehydrators offer adjustable temperature settings, a crucial feature for properly drying different types of food, from delicate herbs to dense meats. However, the Excalibur introduces a vital advantage: an integrated timer. This seemingly small addition makes a world of difference for hands-off operation and consistent results. You can set the desired drying time and walk away, confident that the dehydrator will automatically shut off when complete. The Nesco lacks this timer function, requiring manual monitoring and intervention, which can be inconvenient, especially for longer drying cycles.

Crafting the Perfect Chinese Char Siu Beef Jerky

Before delving deeper into the dehydrator comparison, let’s take a quick interlude to share our signature Chinese Char Siu Beef Jerky recipe, a staple in our dehydrating routine. The secret to consistently excellent jerky begins with uniform slices. For this, we highly recommend a meat/deli slicer like the Kalorik model. It allows us to achieve the precise thickness we prefer, ensuring even drying and a consistent texture.

Our meat of choice is London Broil. It’s wonderfully lean, minimizing fat content that can spoil jerky, and its shape is ideal for long, even slices. Once sliced, we prepare our marinade: a simple blend of store-bought Char Siu (Chinese BBQ) sauce, thinned slightly with a touch of water. The sliced beef then marinates for just 15 minutes – enough time to infuse flavor without over-tenderizing the meat. After marinating, the slices are carefully arranged on the dehydrator trays.

We have a particular fondness for thinly sliced jerky, aiming for a texture that’s almost as crispy as chips. This thinness not only makes it incredibly satisfying to eat but also allows for quicker drying times.

Just look at how consistently thin these slices are – a testament to using a good meat slicer!

Tray Design and Capacity: Optimizing for Beef Jerky

This brings us to another significant advantage of the Excalibur: its rectangular trays. The Nesco, conversely, uses round trays with a circular hole in the center. For preparing beef jerky, the rectangular design of the Excalibur trays is incredibly superior. It allows for a far more efficient and intuitive arrangement of long, thin strips of beef. We found ourselves struggling with the Nesco’s donut-shaped trays, trying to fit rectangular meat pieces onto a circular surface, often resulting in wasted space and reduced capacity. With the Excalibur, we were able to fit substantially more jerky on each batch, maximizing our dehydrating efforts.

It’s worth noting that the Excalibur is a larger unit, requiring more storage space in your kitchen. However, when it comes to raw drying performance for beef jerky, both units proved to be quite comparable. Despite differences in wattage – the Excalibur at 400 watts and the Nesco at 600 watts – the beef jerky dried equally well in both, and in roughly the same amount of time. This suggests that while wattage might differ, the overall drying efficiency for this specific application is on par.

Excalibur vs. Nesco: A Detailed Comparison

Let’s break down the key specifications of both models to help you make an informed decision:

Excalibur 3526TB

• Tray Count: 5 spacious, rectangular trays.
• Approximate Price: Around $194 on Amazon.
• Warranty: An impressive 10-year warranty, highlighting manufacturer confidence.
• Power: 400 watts, efficient for consistent drying.
• Expandability: Not designed for expansion, as trays fit into specific slots.
• Key Advantages: Rear-mounted fan/heater, easy-access door, dishwasher-safe mesh sheets, integrated timer, excellent for large batches of jerky.

Nesco FD-75A

• Tray Count: 5 round trays.
• Approximate Price: Around $70 on Amazon.
• Warranty: 1-year warranty.
• Power: 600 watts.
• Expandability: Highly expandable; additional trays can be purchased and stacked.
• Key Advantages: Compact size, significantly lower price point, expandable capacity for varied needs.

The Verdict: Is the Excalibur Worth the Investment?

After extensive testing, the answer to whether the extra $124 for an Excalibur is justified largely depends on your specific needs and usage frequency. For our household, where the dehydrator is a constantly working appliance, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

The Excalibur’s numerous advantages significantly enhance the user experience. The 10-year warranty provides peace of mind, signaling a durable and reliable investment. More importantly, the thoughtful design – particularly the rectangular trays and the rear-mounted fan – makes beef jerky preparation incredibly efficient and less messy. The ease of cleanup is a major selling point; tossing the mesh sheets into the dishwasher and quickly washing the trays saves us considerable time and effort. With the Nesco, we often spent at least 20 minutes hand-scrubbing each plastic tray to remove stubborn bits of jerky, a chore that quickly grew tiresome.

However, if your dehydrator use is infrequent – perhaps just a couple of times a year for occasional fruit snacks or small batches – then the more affordable Nesco remains a perfectly viable option. It’s more compact, saving valuable counter or storage space, and its lower price point means a significant saving of over $120. Crucially, it dehydrates effectively, producing quality results without the premium features of the Excalibur.

In essence, the Excalibur Dehydrator is an investment in convenience, efficiency, and longevity for dedicated users. For casual dehydrators, the Nesco offers excellent value without compromising on the fundamental drying function. Ultimately, choose the dehydrator that best aligns with your culinary habits and budget, ensuring years of delicious, homemade dried snacks.

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Excalibur 3526TB 5-Tray Dehydrator on Amazon

Nesco FD-75A Food Dehydrator on Amazon

Kalorik Meat/Deli Slicer on Amazon

Exclusive Excalibur Dehydrator Giveaway!

We are excited to announce a special giveaway for our readers! We’re giving away one Excalibur 5-Tray Dehydrator. This giveaway is sponsored by Steamy Kitchen. Stay tuned to our site for details on how to enter and your chance to win this fantastic kitchen appliance!