I would suggest making sure the dehydrator is large/tall enough to put a casserole dish in so you can heat some of the yummy recipes. I have a dehydrator that is a round type with stacking trays and I really miss that feature.

I’ve got the 5-tray Excalibur and I love it & I live by myself with no one else eating raw (they all think I’m crazy!). I’m glad i didn’t get the 4-tray’er. It’s plenty deep enough to put dishes and such in on the bottom tray. 3-4 sweet potatoes/yams made into chips fill all 5 trays.

Would the 4-tray dehydrator be too small? Even for 1 person?

Check the size difference…it’s not that substantial.

I have a four tray and I love it. It’s perfect for a small apartment and making a few snacks at one time for one person. I went through the same decision. I’m SOOO glad I got the smaller one. It’s fits on my counter when the other one would not have.

Hi Cherie03,
The 4 or 5 trays should be plenty for yourself but here is something to consider. I just received as a gift a 9 trays Excalibur. It sounds huge for 2 people & a puppy yet it has been quite convenient & it invites me to be creative like last week I made crackers on 3 trays, kale chips on 3 trays, various nuts on 2 trays & cookies on the last tray. It has been quite fun !
May this be helpful : )

I agree with Delphine, having more trays allows you do make more stuff at one time. It just saves time, rather than wanting to make 2 or 3 different things and having to take almost a week to make it all.

I have a four tray and it works fine for me. I don’t even turn it on everyday! lol.
I usually eat fresh fruit throughout the day, and I only use it for breads and maybe heating up desserts.. or drying flattened bananas..
Usually I’ll run it full, but I haven’t ran into any problems yet.
You can still take out the trays and lay something bigger inside…
but it really depends on how much you plan on eating and making.

I too have a 4 tray and its quite enough for myself! In fact, I feel like I have to run it full to be efficient,
and so I just made 2 batches of crackers, apple muffins, and tortillas. I feel like this will last me for a while since I am really enjoying the fresh stuff!

I have a 9-tray Excalibur only used about 10 times for sale right this very minute for $135 & $10-20 shipping (depending on where you live – mainland USA only).

E-mail me for more details: discombob@hotmail.com

Well nevermind… I sold it to a friend locally over the weekend.

I have a 4 tray Excalibur and it is great and there are 3 people here. I do want the 9 tray like Delphine’s. You can make more than one thing and having a 4 tray you can’t make two or more things at once. Mine has been on for 4 days now! I am getting the bigger one soon. Have fun!!