I used to FIGHT between choosing a food dehydrator with or without a metal tray.
One is cheaper, but is the price a primary deciding factor? Or does use a plastic tray comes with some health risks and breakable quality?
That’s part of why I wrote down the red flags to look out for when searching for the best food dehydrator with metal trays.
Note: This review includes both positive & negative reviews on food dehydrators for beginners. We decided to show legitimate customer complaints so that everything is placed on the table without anything holding back. This helps you in making an unbiased decision before buying a product.
Why is having metal trays important? (Metal Tray vs. Plastic Tray)
Having metal trays in your food dehydrator is essential if you plan to prepare beef jerky and other food that requires extreme temperatures.
Image 1.1 Food Dehydrator with Metal Tray
One problem with using a plastic tray is that they have the risk that may lead to cancer.
While no further studies have strongly shown this conclusion, it is vital to ensure that your food is safe to eat.
“Prevent any plastic chemicals from mixing with food”
There should be no plastic chemicals that might accidentally get mixed in your food during the dehydration process.
Another problem we’ve encountered is the fragility of the plastic tray when exposed to extreme temperatures. Some customers using a circular model of food dehydrator containing plastic tray shared that the racks will start to break only after 1 – 2 uses.
“Most people will feel disheartened.”
Buyers will attempt dehydrating a beef jerky but will end up disappointed when they are faced with an unfortunate choice between replacing the broken plastic tray or buying a new model with no plastic trays.
Image 1.2 Plastic Tray vs. Metal Tray
“It is one of the most recurring problems that our full-time research has encountered, which is why we strongly recommend that you select a metal tray over a plastic tray. “
But some people might prefer choosing a plastic tray because they are much more affordable than using a stainless food dehydrator with metal trays.
So if you’re pushing hard with the plastic tray, no matter how much we insist you stay away from this option, at least go for one that is BPA-free.
It means that the plastic you are using is certified and guaranteed safe. You won’t be exposed to rising blood pressure and type 2 diabetes risk.
Uncertified BPA models could expose their reaction and affect your daily eating habits when heated.
It is why it’s not advisable to place them in an oven or other heating kitchen appliance.
You can also check the recycling number that is located at the top or the bottom of the bottle. It is a triangle arrow symbol with numbers inside of it. A number 3 or 7 means that the product is not safe to reuse as it may contain BPA.
How to choose the best food dehydrator with metal trays:
When picking one with metal trays, it’s best to check how much capacity you plan to use.
The standard size for a food dehydrator would have to be 12 – 14 inches in width (it’s around the size of your two hands open).
It is more than enough for a family of 4.
You would only need a food dehydrator bigger than the recommended dimensions. We’re assuming that you won’t be preparing a meal for the entire city block (unless you have a beef jerky business)
You also need to consider the space.
A dehydrator with metal trays might require a little more space than using a plastic one. But it won’t completely cover the kitchen without any room to move in.
Read This: Food Dehydrator Guide: 11 Things You Should Know
Why is having a food dehydrator with fans critical?
The fans of a food dehydrator are what makes it different from any ordinary oven. The fans of the machine are what bring even temperature flow to your food.
Having a balanced cooking process means that there won’t be any beef jerky that will be under-dried.
| Horizontal Airflow | Vertical Airflow | |
| Advantages (Pros) | *Efficient heating | *More affordable
*Best for bulk cooking |
| Disadvantages (Cons) | *More expensive
*Longer drying times |
*Unbalanced heating |
Suppose you are given a chance to pick between a food dehydrator with fans at the vertical or horizontal. Go with the vertical always.
“Horizontal airflow might produce inconsistent heat.”
The detrimental factor with a horizontal fan is that the airflow might be inconsistent in the area where the tray is located near the door. The back part gets the most heat and will be cooked faster than the front.
“To fix this problem, you need to rotate the tray constantly.”
One way to combat this problem is by rotating the size of the tray over time. But the tray needs to be equal in shape and not rectangular. You could try moving the food instead, but this will require you to interrupt the dehydrating process since you have to manually take out the pan and then rotate the foods evenly.
Image 1.3 Horizontal vs. Vertical Airflow System
Vertical airflow is much more manageable.
It might not be as efficient as a horizontal one, but it’s less stressful and more affordable.
“Doing this means having more trays placed at a given time.”
It is good if you are planning to cook things in bulk. Usually, vertical models will have a hole in the middle to allow stable air circulation throughout the machine.
At the end of the day, any dehydrator will still dry out & cook your food regardless of the airflow type.
How many trays do I need in a food dehydrator?.
You won’t need more than three trays if you only plan to dehydrate food for yourself.
A small family might need 5 – 6 trays, while a beef jerky business will require 8 – 10 trays.
Even with other people saying that “more is better,” This might be only applicable if you don’t plan on checking how much money you have left in your bank account and are comfortable spending $200+ without batting an eye.
But for most people, the ideal tray is around 5 – 6 trays.
Anything above that would be a bonus if the manufacturer decided to offer extra trays at the same price.
Ultimately, this will depend on your usage,
But we’re assuming that you aren’t planning to cook beef jerky or prepare camping foods every single day for a week straight.
Best Food Dehydrator with Metal Trays
1. Cabela’s Food Dehydrator
Cabela’s Food Dehydrator offers a slightly smaller capacity of 80L compared to its counterpart of 160L.
“Biggers isn’t always better.”
In most appliance-purchase scenarios, the general food-for-thought is “the bigger, the better.” But that’s not the case with this dehydrator machine.
Unless you run a restaurant selling more than 200+ beef jerky daily, the 80L is more than enough for a small home. To put things into perspective, an 80L can cook up to 10lbs of beef jerky. That’s enough to last a family for more than ten days.
“You don’t need a 160L food dehydrator.”
So, we can safely conclude that buying a 160L will result in a double beef jerky output which will only probably go to waste when not stored properly.
From the numerous reviews we researched, most Cabela customers intend to buy food dehydrators either as a gift to their relatives or themselves on Christmas day.
What Makes Them Stand Out: Largest Capacity
2. Magic Mill Food Dehydrator
Magic Mill is much more affordable when compared to Cosori’s food dehydrator but the only color present on this model is black.
Still, this color matches the overall atmosphere when you are planning to dehydrate beef jerky and other dishes.
The product also comes with six racks allowing you to maximize your cooking capacity in one dehydration session, unlike smaller models that only accommodate fruits.
What Makes Them Stand Out: Affordability (when it comes to cooking beef jerky.)
3. Devanti’s Food Dehydrator
| Advantages (Pros) | Disadvantages (Cons) |
| *Multifunctional (dries many types of food)
*Easy to clean *Quiet |
*Not the most significant size
*Price might be too high |
Devanti’s food dehydrator is one of the most versatile products in the market allowing you to dehydrate multiple types of food from vegetables, biltong, beef jerky, and herbs.
It fits most counter sizes and has non-slip legs to keep the dehydrator machine from moving during its operation.
Their machine also emits a quiet tune when operating.
For most food dehydrators, the noise will come from the fan in charge of maintaining the heat. Most buyers don’t seem to find any problem with the noise of Devant’s food dehydrator.
Bottom Line
We already shared some fundamental reasons why metal trays are better than plastic ones, but if you are still settled with a plastic one, go with a BPA-free model because it won’t harm your food when heated.
No matter what other people try to say, don’t try to risk your health for the sake of saving a couple of bucks.
