Chefman 6 Tray Digital Review
Pros: Easy to use controls, transparent door
Cons: Tough to clean, inconsistent internal temperature
Manufacturer: Chefman
Our Verdict
Our Analysis and Test Results
This box and tray style dehydrator has ample square footage at a reasonable price. The user interface is easy enough to use, but the thermostat fails to consistently maintain the unit's temperature. Moreover, the inside of the machine is one of the more difficult to clean.
Ease of Use
We found the Chefmen 6 Tray to be straightforward to use. The controls are simple, with on/ off, temp/ time and +/ - buttons. The trays are rigid plastic, so flexing them to remove food isn't an option. However, the gaps in the grating are large enough to push sticky foods off from the bottom with a finger tip. Finally, there is a transparent viewing window that allows one to check the progress without opening the machine.
Temperature Accuracy
The internal temperature regulation of this machine is not the best. In our series of tests across four different settings, the Chefmen 6 ran consistently below the marked value.
Dehydration Results
We processed several different types of food with this machine using the manufacturer's recipes. While the difference in dehydration results between the best machines and the worse isn't vast, this machine landed in the middle of the class. However, it did struggle with drying meat.
Clean-Up
Truth be told, most dehydrators are a pain in the you know what to clean. However, this machine is particularly challenging. This critique is solely a product of the shape of the bottom of the machine. Our tester resorted to vacuuming the Chefman out and them attempting to wiping it down with a hot, wet cloth.
Value
The Chefman 6 is relatively inexpensive considering the amount of tray space that it enjoys. However, those savings come at the cost of time cleaning up the machine. For this reason alone we think that this model is not as good of a deal as it first appears.
Conclusion
Time is a precious commodity and one that can't be bought. The Chefman 6 Tray Digital Dehydrator has a number of fine qualities such as ample tray space and simple controls. Unfortunately, the clean-up time required to maintain this machine is a costly and unnecessary burden. There are other machines with similar capacities that are much easier to maintain.
— Nick Miley and Michelle Powell