Dehydrator Review: 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:

The back panel, which houses motor and electrical components, can be unclipped and removed completely from the main housing
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.

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Compare to other dehydrators

Manufacturer link

Pricing

Retail price:

$ 491.73

Current price:

$ 389.95

Savings:

$101.78

Savings %:

21%

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Rating

Rating:

3.3

Review ct:

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:

TSM Products

Country:

USA

Model:

32702

Type:

Shelf

Tray size:

16.25" x 14.5"

Tray area:

1.6 sq ft

Trays (base):

Trays (max):

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

Sale to Brazil

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

Raw Rutes Dehydrators

Does anyone have any additionally information on Raw Rutes dehydrators? They look similar to this but the control is on the front.

Re: Raw Rutes Dehydrator

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