Oster FPSTDH0101 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator Review

Oster has brought this product exclusively for those looking for a compact option for their kitchen dehydrator. This dehydrator is economical as well and thus makes the investment quite worthwhile for the buyers. It allows the cooking lovers to enjoy homemade dehydrated food items with little hassles. This appliance might not be a top-notch product with fancy features, but it delivers the utility with great accuracy.

Buying a dehydrator is a crucial decision as one has to make sure that the economy as well as the application of the appliance is balanced. It’s not that one is going to replace it in a few months; it has stay in perfect working condition for an elongated time. This appliance does pretty well in this regard. The product lifespan is good and that is because of the less complicated features being added to it.

Being a multi tray appliance, it is very easy to clean and manage. This also allows the users to dehydrate semi liquid food items with ease. While there is little that you won’t understand once you start using the appliance, it still comes with a very detailed product manual which can come in handy for the first-time users.

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The booklet contains detailed specifications as well as some critical hacks for the appliance, making the operational part quite easy. The manual also contains pictures to help the user understand about the working of the appliance. The pictures have been use to teach the users about how to use the trays and maintain them properly.

The central heating feature of the appliance goes very well with the users who are looking to get an evenly processed food product.

Quick Overview of Oster FPSTDH0101 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator

Product Name	Oster FPSTDH0101Food Dehydrator
Temp Range (°F)	140 to 185
Wattage (Watts)	350
Trays	4
Max Trays	N/A
Air Flow	Vertical
Thermostat	Yes
Timer	No
Warranty	Seller warranty
Price	$$
Editor Rating	3.4/5
Download Manual	Oster FPSRDH0101 Manual
Product Link	Check this Product on Amazon →

Key Features of Oster FPSRDH0101 Electric Food Dehydrator

Here are some of the key features of Oster FPSRDH0101-4-Tray electric food dehydrator. These would help the users to understand the utility of the utility of the product before making up the mind to buy it.

• Removeable Trays:

  All the four trays into the appliance are interchangeable and can be used for each other. This makes it easier for the user to manage the appliance. This interchangeable feature allows a great deal of flexibility in operation for the user. Also, the ease of managing the appliance is increased multifold due to these trays. These trays are removeable and can be replaced using other trays of same specifications. Replacement trays can be separately ordered from the seller website.

• Variable Food Inputs:

  There are multiple trays in the appliance and all of them are mutually independent of each other in utility. This means that the users can dehydrate different types of food products in the appliance at the same time. This saves time and effort, when the types of items are more. Also, semi liquid food products can be readily dehydrated in the appliance. This acts as a bonus for the users who wish to dehydrate squishy food items like purees. The compartmentalization of the trays makes the job less messy, thus reducing the chances of unnecessary spillage and mixing of the items.

• Compact Design:

  The dimensions of the appliance make it very easy to accommodate on the modern kitchen countertops. Most of the parts of this dehydrator can be removed for cleaning and yet after assembling, they happen to get stored in a relatively smaller area. This is a particularly salient feature for those kitchens which have limited slab space for the appliances and can’t accommodate the heftily designed appliances.

• Instruction Booklet:

  The product comes with an information booklet. This booklet is extensively detailed with all the requisites to use the appliance in the proper way. The booklet has a detailed explanation of the ways to use the dehydrator to its maximum utility. It also has complete technical specifications of the appliance; these help in matching the appliance with the electrical circuitry of the household. The most interesting part of the booklet is the pictures explaining every step of the dehydrating procedure using the process using this appliance.

• Heat Flow Mechanism:

  Oster has a centrally located heating element to ensure that the dehydrating takes place in a seamlessly uniform way. The heating element converts the electrical energy to thermal energy which is then transmitted across the trays through the thermodynamic process of convection. The tray placement has been made in such a way that they get ample heating even towards the end of them. This ensures that all the food items are dehydrated uniformly.

• Cylindrical Shape:

  The cylindrical shape of the appliance is basically to ensure that the convection process takes place in a cyclic manner. This improves the effectiveness of the heat generated by the element. It improves the drying times of the appliance and also is very good in ensuring less consumption of electricity.

• Drying Time:

  While the drying time of the food item is largely dependent on the type and amount of food being put in the appliance, but drying medium thickness meat can take around 10 to 12 hours. The drying period shall not be an issue for the user as the appliance assembly is really handy and can be allowed to go along with the process. It also doesn’t disrupt any work being done in the kitchen per say.

Full Technical Specifications of Oster FPSTDH0101 4-Tray Food Dehydrator

• Dehydrator Type:

  Oster FPSTDH0101 is a multi-tray stacked dehydrator that uses electricity to heat up the element and then allow the element to pass on the heat to the food items placed on the multi-storied tray stack arrangement. It can take multiple types of food items at once and process them together.

• Temperature Range:

  The usage temperature range of this appliance varies from 140 to 185 degree Fahrenheit. The variable temperature is important as it allows multiple types of foods to be dehydrated using the same appliance.

• Dimensions:

  The design of this product has been made primarily looking at the limited spaced modern day kitchens. The dimensions of this product are 14x13x9 (in inches). The compact design and size adds to the practicality of this product.

• Trays:

  The product comes with 4 identical trays that are interchangeable. This is the maximum tray limit of the appliance and no extra trays can be inserted into it.

• Warranty:

  The device comes with seller warranty.

• Wattage:

  This is a heavy-duty dehydrator and has a wattage rating of 350 watts. This is important as it helps in reducing the drying period of the food items. This is a bit heavy on the circuitry but as the process ends relatively quicker, the effective power consumption becomes less.

• Weight:

  This product has a unit weight of 6.1 ounces.

• Heating Element:

  The device uses a centrally placed heating element. This is instrumental in ensuring uniform processing of the food items spread across multiple trays.

Best Things About Oster FPSTDH0101 Food Dehydrator

Here are some of the most intriguing features of the 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator from Oster.

• Efficient

  The manufacturers have made sure to use the circuitry and the material in a way that could keep the heating efficiency of the element to the maximum. As the wattage is high and the design transmits temperature uniformly, thus the appliance becomes all the more efficient from electrical consumption view.

• Variety of Food Products

  The use of multiple trays makes it very easy for the user to incorporate multiple food products simultaneously while processing. The trays are well connected to the heating element and are mutually independent, making the process less messy and free from spillage.

• Portability

  This unit is very light weight and has the dimensions that could be easily carried from one place to another. This is also important when you do not want to dedicate one specific place for the appliance in the kitchen but use it and then pack it every time after use.

• Efficient Space Coverage

  This appliance is small in size and thus doesn’t requires a lot of space in the kitchen for setting up. The installation space required in its case is less which makes it ideal for the modern kitchens.

• Transparent Body

  The body of the appliance have been designed using transparent materials. This is instrumental in ensuring that the food items are stacked properly while processing. The user can readily check on the process through the transparent cover and see the extent of dehydration achieved.

• Favorable Pricing

  Oster has priced this product reasonably in order to allow maximum number of customers to use it in their kitchens. The pricing of the appliance is commensurate with the utility it provides.

• Booklet

  The buyers’ guide is something that comes in handy while using this appliance for the first time. This is an electrical appliance and thus has its own share of possible glitches and issues, which can be readily sorted using the information booklet attached with the product.

• Power Consumption

  As the dehydrator has more heating capacity, thus it requires almost half the time required for dehydrating food items, when compared with other options. This leads to less power consumption and eventual increment in the economic value of the product.

Bad Things About Oster FPSTDH0101 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator

Investing in a dehydrator should be preceded with clear knowledge about the pros and cons of the appliance. We have gone through the benefits of Oster FPSTDH0101in detail, therefore it becomes all the more logical to go through the possible issues that one might see with this dehydrator. Below are some of the points that could be the reason for anyone being not in the favor of the appliance.

• Possible Intermixing of Food Aromas

  There are several food items that should never be processed together; the general reason behind this is the possible intermixing of the smells of the food items which would eventually decrease their qualities after processing. As multiple food items are processed in this dehydrator through various trays, it is easy that they lose their authentic character.

• High Wattage

  This appliance has a wattage value of 350; this would result in elevating the power consumption. It is a major issue in the areas where power supply is disruptive in nature. Also this high wattage means that the appliance puts great pressure on the home grid and could lead to faults in the long run.

• Difficulty in Cleaning

  The dish wash safe lid of appliance makes it tougher for the user to clean it after usage. This creates problem when you have to use the device quickly and end up getting to clean it for a longer time.

• Rigidity

  The appliance comes with preset 4 trays and there is no provision of increasing the number of trays if required. This creates troubles when the user has to dehydrate a large amount of food. Also, this makes the design less effective as one ends up packing the available trays and thus the heating doesn’t take place as effectively as it should have.

• Non-responsive Touch Switches

  While the appliance requires just one switch for starting the operation, the manufacturers seem to have taken too much pain in creating a switch that is too tight for the user to press and even takes time to respond. This problem can be very irritating if older people are operating this appliance.

• Material of Trays

  The build quality of the trays that come with the appliance is questionable. They tend to break under even the slightest of duress while using it. Cracked trays are a general occurrence in this appliance; this leads to spillage between the trays.

• Noise

  The noise from the appliance is noticeable and leads to irritation when using it for longer times. It creates further trouble for the users who wish to just leave their dehydrator working through the nights. This noise is actually one of the biggest flaws of the design.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is It Possible to Get Replacement Trays for the Dehydrator?

The trays are the most important part of this appliance and therefore are covered under the warranty. They can be replaced in the warranty period for free. After the warranty period, the customers can readily buy these trays from the official website and multiple online stores as well.

Q: Does This Dehydrator Works for Meat?

This dehydrator has a powerful heating element, which makes it easier for it to process even the coarsest of the food items. It can also process meat with ease and efficiency.

Q: Does Oster Come with a Temperature Regulation Feature?

This is one of the biggest advantages of buying Oster FPSTDH0101 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator. It works in the temperature range of 140 to 185 degree Fahrenheit. This variable temperature allows the user to choose the perfect temperature for the food items with ease.

Q: What Is the Wattage of This Appliance?

This appliance comes with a wattage value of 350.

Q: How Soon This Dehydrator Can Dry Jerky?

The high wattage of this product means that the drying period is reduced. While jerky drying takes as much as 2 to 3 days in the regular dehydrators, it is achieved in 10-12 hours here. The drying speed is also dependent on the thickness.

Q: How Portable Is This Appliance?

With a weight of 6.1 ounces and the dimensions of 14x13x9 cubic inches, the portability of this appliance is not an issue at all. It can be carried whenever travelling and also be placed in the kitchen for regular drying.

Q: Is This Appliance Good for Small Kitchens?

This product can be justifiably dubbed as being countertop friendly. This means that even in the smallest of the kitchens it can be used for the drying operations of food items.

Q: Does the Appliance Work on 220 Volt Wiring?

No, the appliance has been designed to work distinctly at 110-120v.

Conclusion

Dehydrated food items find favor with a lot of foodies because of their distinctive taste and authentic tang. While there are a lot of commercially available options for the likes of this type of food items, there is no understating the fact that they come with their own harmful attributes. Also, the cost factor is unfavorable for the regular users of the dehydrated food items. Thus, it is advisable for them to go for the domestic dehydrators and get the dehydrated delicacies on the demand and with added health and economy benefits. Oster FPSTDH0101 4-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator is one such option for those domestic users

This product is immensely popular amongst those with a budget constraint. The retention for this product is quite low as most of those using it choose to switch to other brands for further buying. The design of the product is apt and suitable for usage but the noise factor drives the fan following into a negative direction. The customers have reported being not well attended by the support, which further adds to the worries of the product.

This product can be generally advised who are looking for an appliance which could be used domestically and at times during trips. Those who have a knack for throwing parties and entertaining guests with their own cooking are suggested against going for this product. The major advantage of the product is the cost, if that is not a variable for you then you should surely look out for other variants in the upgraded segments.

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