Experiment With The Best Food Dehydrator
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Cabela's 10-Tray Heavy-Duty Food Dehydrator -
Weston VegiKiln Tray Food Dehydrator -
Presto Dehydro Electric Food Dehydrator -
Waring Professional Food Dehydrator -
Buyer's Guide
If you are looking for a healthier ways to enjoy fruits and vegetables or even protein, then a food dehydrator will be a great option. Dehydrating food for health purposes has been around since biblical times. The benefit of dehydrated foods are priceless. By drying foods, you will retain nearly 100 percent of the vitamins and nutrients. Buying bulk dried foods in a regular grocery store can be very expensive. As an alternative, owning your own dehydrator can not only be fun, but will save you money. In assessing the best dehydrators on the market, low cost, size and heating power were factors. I looked for dehydrators under $150, had a minimum 6 tray capacity and had at least 500 watts of power. These best food dehydrators in 2022 will allow you to affordably invest in your health without compromising quality.
Detailing the Best Food Dehydrator of 2022
Cabela's 10-Tray Heavy-Duty Food Dehydrator - Best Food Dehydrator Overall
This is by far my favorite dehydrator. This stylish, high performing dehydrator is what having superior quality is all about. The Cabela's 10-Tray Heavy-Duty Dehydrator is little known treasure of a machine that can rival more expensive dehydrators. The open front door design allows for the opportunity to dry larger items such as hams or turkeys and remove trays to accommodate them. It has 2,208 square inches of space with a maximum capacity of 3,192 square inches. It has a powerful 600 watt heating element and can support 10 trays. The rear mounted heating element filters air continuously throughout and has an internal thermometer with heat levels of 84 to 160 degrees F. It cleans easily and comes with a recipe book.
Weston VegiKiln Tray Food Dehydrator - Runner Up
The Weston VegiKiln Tray Food Dehydrator is how drying foods should be done. The large dehydrator has more than 10 square feet of drying space and a rear mounted drying system that allows air flow evenly through the trays. The thermostat can be adjusted between 84 to 155 degrees F to customize the process. The 600 Watt heating element has a 5.5 inch fan for whisper quiet drying. As a bonus, it also comes with a recipe book to set you on your way.
Presto Dehydro Electric Food Dehydrator - Honorable Mention
If you're looking for an affordable and good quality food dehydrator, then the Presto 06300 Dehydro Electric Food Dehydrator is a great choice. You can dry anything from fruits and vegetables to poultry, seafood or beef for jerky. It has a bottom mounted fan and 600 watt heating element that allows the air to circulate evenly for optimal drying. The four tray system can expand up to 8 when you purchase additional trays. You can also watch the process with the see through cover. The racks are dishwasher safe and breaks down easily for compact storage.
Waring Professional Food Dehydrator - Consider
Owning a food dehydrator is a great way to dry your favorite foods and save money at the same time. The Waring Pro DHR30 Professional Dehydrator is a wonderful kitchen tool that will make drying your fruits and veggies hassle free. Heating is adjustable and the continuous air flow drys your foods to perfection. The design allows for five stacking, interlocking trays that will hold your foods steady during the drying process. It boasts a top venting system and even comes with a fruit roll-up sheet. If you require a more bulk drying experience, you can purchase more trays. It holds up to nine trays in total at a time.
Buyer's Guide
Food dehydrators have become much more popular in recent years. If you grow your own fruit or forage, a food dehydrator is an essential piece of kitchen equipment.
A food dehydrator will make your bounty last through the winter months. Reduce food waste and increase the flavor of your soups and sauces with one of these nifty devices. With many models to choose from, how do you decide what is the right product for you?
Read our buyers guide for some handy tips and advice.
What is a food dehydrator?
Basically, a food dehydrator circulates gentle heat around the food. The gentle heat removes the moisture from the produce. Bacteria grow rapidly in moisture. Therefore, removing moisture allows the consumable item to last a lot longer than it normally would.
Dehydration is also known to increase the food's flavor by concentrating its essence. In fact, there are many top chefs who advocate dehydrating food. Recently there has also been a surge in the number of online recipes involving food dehydrators.
Fun fact: using the heat from the sun is an old method of food dehydration that is still used today. The French were the first people to use hot-air dehydration. This method was developed in 1795 producing a market for dehydrated starch-based products such as spaghetti. In 1920, the first food dehydrator was sold commercially, leading the way for the food dehydrators we see today.
Why do you need a food dehydrator?
There are several reasons why you may wish to purchase a food dehydrator. We have listed a few below.
You produce your own fruit and veg
If you are an avid gardener or own a lot of land, you may yield a healthy amount of fruit or veg. You obviously do not want the food to go to waste, especially if you produce more than you can eat before the season ends.
You cannot guarantee a good harvest every year so it is good to build some reserves. Some dehydrated foods can last up to 5 years.
Also, if you want to save a favorite fruit or vegetable for when it is no longer seasonal, you will want to preserve it.
You want to save money
If you can buy fruit and veg in bulk from a greengrocer you will save a lot of money. Dehydrating produce makes it last longer. Also, having a good selection of dried foods in the cupboard will help during the months where purse strings are a little tight.l.
A food dehydrator also costs less to preserve your food than it would do the same function with a regular oven, which is both timely and a waste of energy.
You enjoy arts and crafts
You can use dried fruit for a variety of seasonal crafts. At Christmas, you can use dried orange slices in a wreath. Melted wax can be poured over dehydrated fruit to create unique candles. You can also put flowers in a food dehydrator and use them for potpourri.
You want to add more flavor to your meals
Dehydrating food adds to its flavor. When the moisture is removed from food, its flavor becomes more concentrated. Dehydrating food also adds a variety of textures to your dinner. Try dried mushrooms in your next homemade soup or noodle broth - you can thank us later!
You want to spice up your punch
Dehydrated fruit adds flavor and makes your punch more visually appealing. You can also put dried fruit in an ice tray to make it look pretty.
You want to save space
There are other types of food preservation that you could use such as freezing or canning. Dehydrating food takes up less storage space than other preservation methods.
Things to consider before buying a food dehydrator?
Most food dehydrators fundamentally work in the same way. However, they are some varying features that you may wish to consider when choosing the right food dehydrator for you.
Power
The more power, the faster the food will dehydrate. You want to find a dehydrator that has 500 watts of power. Preferably you should look for a 1000 watt food dehydrator if your budget can stretch that far. You’re just wasting your time if you buy anything less than 500 watts.
Converga-flow technology
Converga-flow technology pushes warm air in the food dehydrator horizontally over each tray. The horizontal air motion ensures even drying. Choosing a food dehydrator with converga-flow technology means you will not need to turn the tray, which means preserving your product requires minimal effort.
Temperature
The point of a food dehydrator is to warm the food products until they lose moisture but are not actually cooked through. If food is heated to more than 140 degrees Fahrenheit it will begin to cook. Different items will dehydrate better at different temperatures so you might want to consider buying a food dehydrator with variable heat controls.
Transparent door
If you buy a food dehydrator with a transparent door, you will be able to monitor your food without disrupting the dehydration process.
Timer
Most food dehydrators come with a timer, although this is not a universal feature. Timers allow you to control how long your food is dehydrated without needing to physically be there to turn the food dehydrator off.
Digital control panel
If the food hydrator has a digital control panel, make sure it is easy to navigate and you feel comfortable using it.
Size
If you do not have much counter space, you will want to buy a smaller model. The more shelves included the more expensive your food dehydrator will be. If you are only planning on dehydrating a small amount of food, you only need a dehydrator with a couple of shelves.
Food dehydrators price range
The price of food dehydrators ranges from $30 to $700+. For a home-use food dehydrator, you shouldn’t have to spend more than $400. More expensive models are generally used in professional kitchens and usually too big to comfortably fit in a modest home
FAQ
What foods should I not dehydrate?
Avocados, store-bought condiments, non-lean meats, butter, and milk. None of these foods are well after being dehydrated due to their high fat or chemical content.
What is the best temperature to dehydrate fruit?
It is recommended that fruit be dried at a temperature between 125 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If you dry at 140 degrees, the fruit will dehydrate faster. If you dehydrate at 125 degrees it will dehydrate slower but more evenly.
