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TSM Stainless Steel Dehydrator with 5 Stainless Steel Shelves

TSM Products Stainless Steel Food Dehydrator with 5 Stainless Steel Shelves

The TSM 5-shelf stainless steel dehydrator competes at the upper end of the consumer dehydrator market.  It’s made by TSM Products, a company that makes a wide range of professional meat processing equipment. This review covers the TMS 32702 model, which has flush, top-mounted controls, and 5 stainless steel shelves.

Design

The TSM 5-shelf stainless steel dehydrator is styled like a commercial appliance. The exterior housing is is 304 series, 22 gauge, food grade Stainless Steel. The shelves are also stainless steel, with ¼” holes. The front door has a handle and louver vents, and lifts completely off the machine. A digital thermometer probe can be inserted through the front door using a special hole designed for this purpose. The TSM 32702 dehydrator has a rear-mounted fan and heating element, which blows air horizontally from the back to the front of the machine. The removable front door is louvered with several large vents to rapidly discharge moisture. This arrangement helps to provide an even dehydration process and eliminates the need to rotate trays because of the horizontal airflow.  

Capacity

With 5 shelves measuring about 16 .25 x 14.5 inches, this TMS dehydrator is a medium-capacity dehydrator. Each tray provides about 1.6 sq. ft. of drying area, for a total of about 8 sq. ft. when all 5 trays are in use. Trays can be fully removed and slide into the unit on special freestanding brackets.

Cleanup and maintenance

The TSM 32702 provides two interesting features that make routine cleanup and maintenance a lot easier:

  1. The back panel, which houses motor and electrical components, can be unclipped and removed completely from the main housing
  2. The brackets that support the shelves are free standing and can also be removed in addition to the shelves.

Controls

The controls of the TSM 32702 are located on the top of the machine, at the rear, and include a temperature control gauge, a 12-hour shut down timer, a timer bypass switch, and a dedicated power switch. The temperature range of the TSM is 90 to 165 F. The temperature gauge does not list numbers, but is instead is color-coded to a quick start guide printed next to the controls. This guide shows recommended settings for different foods.

Consumer feedback: 

Customer feedback on Amazon is limited but very positive. Currently there are 12 reviews and a rating of 4.8 starts. A sampling of positive reviews:

The unit itself is very good looking. It's well built and has a sexy industrial appearance for the kitchen.
Very happy that I purchased the stainless steel shelves. Clean up is a breeze.
The only thing I'd change is that I'd buy the larger one. 5 trays is a lot but for the same amount of time and electricity, you can dehydrate so much more!
Easy to clean. The fan is in the back so no dripping on the unit below.
Great little unit for those who do not dehydrate a lot of foods at a time! However, five 16 x 14 racks can hold quite a bit.

Negative reviews have mostly mentioned noise. While several reviews stress that the unit is very quiet, a few mention an intermittent vibration or rattle:

The rear SS panel, supporting the motor tends to vibrate-rattle when the unit is on. TSM should have used a heavier gauge SS for the rear.
I've read some of the comments regarding a sound coming from the dehydrator. I too, hear this sound from time to time. A metallic vibrating sound. It's not that loud and disappears in time. It hasn't affected the excellent job this machine does.
There are no accessories (fruit roll sheet or jerky seasonings or liners) included. It would have been helpful to try to help make a buying decision as I am new to dehydrating.
Bottom line: 

Available with a price of about $370, the TSM 5-shelf stainless steel dehydrator is not cheap. You don’t get any extra accessories, and you don’t get the drying capacity of a 9-shelf dehydrator, despite paying quite a bit more. On the other hand, you do get a well-made stainless steel dehydrator with a timer that not only looks good, but also features easy cleanup and the peace of mind provided by food-grade stainless steel. If stainless steel is important to you, and you don’t the need a large capacity dehydrator, we feel that the 5-shelf TSM 32702 is a good choice.

Pricing
Retail price: 
$ 491.73
Current price: 
$ 389.95
Savings: 
$101.78
Savings %: 
21%
Rating
Rating: 
3.3
Review ct: 
36
Key Features
Key features: 
  • 5 stainless steel shelves with 22 gauge 304 food grade stainless steel housing
  • 800 watt heating element and fan with even horizontal air flow
  • Adjustable thermostat temperature range from 90º - 165ºF
  • Fan and motor assembly can be easily removed for cleaning
  • Shelf brackets and shelves can be fully removed for cleaning
  • Outside dimensions: 18.75 x 16.5 x 9 inch
  • Hole in the door for a thermometer probe to monitor temperature
  • 12-hour shut off timer
Pros and Cons
Pros: 
  • Good looking appliance with commercial kitchen styling
  • Food grade stainless steel - durable and hygienic
  • Shelves, brackets, and fan can be removed for easy clean-up
  • Built in 12 hour shut off timer
Cons: 
  • Doesn't include accessories like mesh screens or leather trays
  • Expensive for the capacity provided
Product details
Name: 
TSM Products Stainless Steel Food Dehydrator with 5 Stainless Steel Shelves
Name short: 
TSM 32702
Brand: 
Country: 
USA
Model: 
32702
Type: 
Shelf
Tray size: 
16.25" x 14.5"
Tray area: 
1.6 sq ft
Trays (base): 
5
Trays (max): 
5
Dry area (base): 
8.0 sq ft
Dry area (max): 
8.0 sq ft
Timer: 
12 hour timer
Power button: 
Yes
Wattage: 
800 Watts
Fan: 
Rear-mounted
Air flow: 
Back to front horizontal airflow
Warranty: 
1 Year
Material: 
Stainless Steel
Colors: 
Stainless steel
Dimensions: 
18.75(D) x 16.5(W) x 9(H) inch
Temp range: 
90º - 165ºF
Weight: 
32 lbs.

Comments

Submitted by Luis Mansor (not verified) on
Hello, my name is Luis, I live in Brazil and interested in to aquire a dehydrator. How can I do it? Thks and regards email: luis_mansor@hotmail.com

Submitted by Joseph (not verified) on
Does anyone have any additionally information on Raw Rutes dehydrators? They look similar to this but the control is on the front.

Submitted by Jordan (not verified) on
Joseph - So far my raw rutes is exactly what I wanted. Call them if you have a question they were super helpful! I've only had it a couple months and am mostly doing jerkies. right now I am scouring the web to find out what other people are using theirs for

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