Are you looking to take your food dehydrating game to the next level?
Or perhaps you simply want to advance from a stackable tray food dehydrator to one of the more advanced shelf tray models? If that’s the case, then you may want to consider the Aroma Professional 6-Tray Food Dehydrator.
The Aroma Professional 6-Tray Food Dehydrator available on Amazon
With a mid-size capacity and the reliability of shelf tray performance, the Professional offers all the features you will need to produce outstanding results.
So let’s dig a little deeper and see just what kind of value Aroma brings to the table with this popular dryer.
Operation
The Aroma Professional is a shelf tray model that is perfect for the home enthusiast, backpacker, or anyone trying to be a little more health-conscious.
Designed to provide uniform and consistently heated horizontal airflow, it will dry a wide selection of items with dependable, reliable results.
The Professional will dehydrate herbs and spices, make signature potpourri and supplies for art projects, prepare trail mix as well as fruit leather and jerky, and of course it also dries domestic and tropical fruits and vegetables.
Enjoy dried foods as they are, or rehydrate them in soups, stews, goulashes, and tagines – anything that has the cooking time required to reconstitute the moisture and texture.
The spacious, front-mounting trays are loaded by sliding along guides just like the racks in a standard oven.
The trays are enclosed with a transparent door that slides into place in two channels – making it easy to check the progress as foods dry.
The heating coil and fan are mounted in the back and provide a continuous, horizontal stream of heated air for efficient and even food drying. The adjustable thermostat is an important component, ensuring all foods are dehydrated at their optimal temperature.
This is necessary to help prevent overheating foods, which may result in the loss of vital nutrients. Both elements come on automatically as soon as the power is turned on via the ON/OFF switch.
With a generous surface area for processing medium-sized batches, the sturdy trays can be used as is – or lay a screen over the top to process smaller items such as herbs, spices, or nuts.
And cleanup is easy with the included drip tray that collects any juices and residue that may develop during the drying process.
Features and Benefits
The 6 spacious and sturdy, height-adjustable trays are of medium capacity with a usable surface area of 11 by 12 inches each, and each one will hold up to 1 pound of ingredients.
It also comes with one plastic and one mesh sheet for drying smaller items such as nuts, seeds, spices, and herbs.
The automatic, back-mounted heater and fan provide even, horizontal air circulation to promote uniform, consistent drying.
An adjustable thermostat can be set from 95 to 155°F, allowing you to process a variety of foods at their optimal temperatures, and preventing the accidental overheating that may eliminate or reduce certain vital nutrients.
A very convenient drip tray catches any drips or residue from the drying process, and makes cleanup quick and easy.
Both the heating coil and the fan turn on and off automatically with the handy ON/OFF switch, making operation a breeze.
The clear front cover slides securely into place in channel mounts on the frame, and makes checking a batch while it’s drying simple and user-friendly.
All trays and the door are made of food-safe BPA-free plastic.
The Aroma Professional also comes with a 5-year warranty.
Capacity
The Professional model measures approximately 18 by 14 by 12 inches, with a weight of 11.7 pounds. It runs on 400 watts of power.
The trays measure 12 by 13 inches with a usable area of 11 by 12 inches, for a total capacity of approximately 5.5 square feet.
Cleaning
Wash the large trays in warm soapy water, and wipe the inside and outside of the housing unit clean with a damp cloth.
Performance
The following is a summary of the most common commendations and complaints from our own observation and from those customers that have left reviews on Amazon.
- The performance of this model receives the most positive comments, with happy customers who are satisfied with the efficiency and quick drying time for all foods, the uniformity of drying on all surfaces, and the texture of the foods dried.
- Very good value for a mid-priced model – another positive comment echoed by many who feel it’s affordable for something that offers the performance of a shelf tray unit.
- Because of its efficient air movement and the design that maintains heat internally without any leakage, rotating trays isn’t required, and the dryer can be turned on and left alone.
- Another favorable point is the good-sized capacity of the Professional, and its versatility in terms of being able to dry a variety of different foods at the same time.
- Several shoppers report that they’re pleasantly surprised with the quiet operation of the fan, with only a faint hum being noticeable. Of course, there is at least one person who thinks it’s too loud, but the majority say quite the opposite.
- On the critical side, this unit doesn’t have a timer. But it seems to be a minor point for those who are happy with its operation.
- The instruction manual is on the skimpy side, with only 2 recipes and bare bones instructions, and no tips or dehydrating techniques are included.
Tips
When preparing foods for drying, ensure they’re sliced thinly to ensure a reasonable drying time.
Ensure the dryer has adequate air space around the exterior to provide the necessary airflow.
Smells Like a Winner
The Aroma Professional Food Dehydrator offers reliable, steady, and efficient operation as well as good value for its mid-level price in the shelf tray line.
Foodal's Rating
- Performance
- Included Accessories
- Build Quality
- Warranty
- Value
Summary
With a fair price and an excellent warranty, this is great entry-level sliding tray-based model. If Aroma would add a timer and include some decent bonus accessories or a more thorough recipe and instruction book with purchase, this machine would be dang near perfect.
A step up from the stackable tray styles, this model is popular with dehydrating enthusiasts who have advanced beyond the beginner level and want a unit that gives a higher level of performance.
Check Prices and Read Reviews on Amazon
So far, the Professional seems to be filling a need in this niche admirably, and is living up to its billing as a more advanced model that still retains a simple design and ease of operation – it’s a winner!
Just remember that you will need a separate timer.
Check out more dehydrator reviews on Foodal now.
About Lorna Kring
Recently retired as a costume specialist in the TV and film industry, Lorna now enjoys blogging on contemporary lifestyle themes. A bit daft about the garden, she’s particularly obsessed with organic tomatoes and herbs, and delights in breaking bread with family and friends.
The best part about this is that it can be set for 95 degrees – which is about the setting you want to dehydrate food on, in my opinion. The best solution is downright cold air, but that’s not always possible. As Alton Brown says, you don’t want to cook you food while you are dehydrating it.
Absolutely right Brody, dehydrating and cooking are two different processes and drying does require a very low heat. Thanks for your insights.
This is actually really useful, it’s probably one of the most spacious dehydrators out there. Plus it has a lot of options like temperature and stuff. I personally think every household should have a dehydrator, especially if people there consume vegetables and fruits in abundance.
Thanks for sharing fuzyon. They’re very worthwhile for a family!