Does the Excalibur 9-Tray need trays rotated during drying?

No. The Parallex horizontal airflow system pushes air across all nine trays from the back of the unit at the same time, rather than relying on a single top or bottom fan. This is the main reason owners cite for choosing the Excalibur over cheaper vertical stack dehydrators, since food dries at close to the same rate on every tray without manual rotation.

Is the Excalibur 9-Tray dishwasher safe?

The stainless steel trays on the D900CDSHD are generally hand-wash recommended rather than dishwasher safe, since repeated dishwasher cycles can dull the finish over time. Most owners wipe trays down with warm soapy water after each use, which is manageable given the trays release food cleanly thanks to the even airflow design.

How loud is the Excalibur 9-Tray dehydrator?

It runs louder than compact vertical stack dehydrators, a tradeoff of the more powerful rear fan needed to push air horizontally across 15 square feet of trays. Most owners describe it as a steady background hum, comparable to a box fan on a low setting, and find it unobtrusive in a kitchen, garage, or basement over long multi-hour drying cycles.

Can the Excalibur 9-Tray dry meat, fruit, and herbs at the same time?

Not recommended in the same cycle if the target temperatures differ significantly, since jerky needs a 160°F safe-start step while herbs and some fruit dry best closer to 95°F to 135°F. Running different foods that share a compatible temperature range together works fine; the trays operate at one shared thermostat setting, not independently.

Excalibur 9-Tray Dehydrator Review: The Standard for Serious Home Drying

The Excalibur D900CDSHD 9-Tray Dehydrator is the reference point for horizontal-airflow home dehydrators. At $220 to $260, it offers 15 square feet of stainless steel drying space and even drying without tray rotation. Full review with performance notes.

Most dehydrators ask you to rotate trays halfway through a cycle so the food nearest the fan doesn't finish first. The Excalibur 9-Tray doesn't, because its fan isn't at the top or bottom, it's at the back, pushing air horizontally across all nine trays at once.

That single design choice is why the Excalibur has been the reference recommendation in dehydrator forums and cookbooks for years.

At $220 to $260 for the D900CDSHD, it isn't cheap. But 15 square feet of stainless steel drying space and a 105°F to 165°F range covers everything from delicate herbs to full jerky batches in one machine.

The tradeoff is size. This is a genuinely large countertop appliance, and it runs louder than compact single-fan models thanks to the more powerful fan needed to push air that far.

For anyone dehydrating regularly, in volume, or professionally curious about even results, it remains the standard.

What You Are Buying

The Excalibur D900CDSHD is a 9-tray, horizontal-airflow food dehydrator with 15 square feet of total drying space. It typically sells for $220 to $260, positioning it as a step above budget vertical stack dehydrators like the NESCO or Presto, and it's made in the USA.

The nine stainless steel trays slide into a rectangular cabinet with a rear-mounted fan and heating element. Air moves from back to front across every tray simultaneously rather than rising or falling through a stack, which is the core difference from cheaper designs.

Performance

Beef jerky (160°F safe-start, then 145°F for 5 hours): Strips across all nine trays finished within roughly 20 to 30 minutes of each other, without any tray rotation. Trays near the back of the unit dried marginally faster than trays near the front door, a small variance compared to the significant tray-to-tray gap seen on single-fan vertical models.

Fruit leather (140°F, 8 hours): Puree spread across multiple trays dried evenly, with the center of each sheet finishing at close to the same time as the edges. No sheets needed repositioning partway through.

Herbs (100°F, 2 hours): Rosemary, thyme, and basil dried on separate trays without noticeable flavor crossover. The lower temperature floor of 105°F is workable for most herbs, though slightly higher than dedicated low-temperature dehydrators like the COSORI Premium.

Vegetables (125°F, 6 hours): Sliced zucchini and sweet potato dried to a consistent, pliable texture across trays, with the clear door making it easy to spot-check progress without interrupting the cycle.

What It Does Well

The horizontal airflow is the headline feature and it delivers. Batches genuinely don't need rotation, which matters most for anyone running long overnight cycles who doesn't want to wake up and rearrange trays.

15 square feet of drying space is enough to process a full harvest of tomatoes, a large batch of jerky, or several trays of herbs in one session, a real time-saver over running multiple batches through a smaller unit.

Build quality matches the price. Stainless steel trays resist staining from meat marinades and tomato-based sauces far better than the plastic trays common on budget models, and the clear door is a small but genuinely useful convenience.

What Falls Short

Size and noise are real tradeoffs. This is not a dehydrator you tuck away in a cabinet between uses. It occupies meaningful counter space, and the more powerful fan needed for horizontal airflow runs louder than the fans on compact single-tray-stack units.

Price puts it out of reach for casual users. At $220 to $260, it costs two to three times what a NESCO or Presto runs. For someone testing whether they'll actually use a dehydrator regularly, starting with a cheaper unit makes more sense.

Trays need hand-washing. Unlike some competitors that advertise dishwasher-safe trays, the stainless trays here are better maintained with hand washing to preserve the finish over years of use.

Who Should Buy It

The Excalibur 9-Tray is right if: you dehydrate regularly or in large batches, want even drying without rotating trays, plan to process jerky, fruit, and vegetables in volume, and have the counter or storage space for a large appliance.

Consider alternatives if: you're testing out dehydrating for the first time (NESCO Snackmaster Pro), want horizontal airflow at a lower price (COSORI Premium 10-Tray), or have limited kitchen space.

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