Currently, many people are switching to healthier ways of feeding and preserving foods as a result of the risk posed by commercially processed foods that have chemicals that may lead to diseases such as cancer. Food dehydrators are quickly becoming famous because of their various benefits. This machine will enable you to preserve your own food such as vegetables, fruits, meat, nuts, and herbs, and at the same time save a lot of cash as they are economical. So, how to find the best food dehydrator for the money?
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The food dehydrator not only dries up your food but also stores the nutrients in these foods up to the time of consumption. No matter what food you want to dehydrate for the coming season, getting a good dehydrator that is well-rated is important.
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What is the Best Food Dehydrator on the Market? Buying Guide!
Are you a hunter, or gardener, or just want to preserve food for your entire family? This review will assist you in getting a quality food dehydrator for preserving your food in a healthy way. As food dehydrators continue to become popular, many people rush to look for these products without knowing what to consider in order for them to make the right decision. Several brands have emanated, and if you are new in this area, you may choose the wrong dehydrator that may turn out to be less effective. As you read further, you will learn different things to consider as you plan on acquiring your next food drier.
Good dehydrator?
Materials – When looking for the best food dehydrator, ensure that it is sturdily made so that it can serve you efficiently. They are either made of plastic or metal material. Whatever type of dehydrator you acquire, ensure it meets FDA requirements. Metal food dehydrators will last longer than plastic metals if properly maintained.
Large food dehydrators or compact food dehydrators?
Size – consider the space you have for keeping the food dehydrator. Some are very large and will take up a lot of space on your kitchen counter. If you want an easy-to-fit dehydrator, think of the stacked type, which is more compact. As well, large food dehydrators have several trays and will allow you to stack up a lot of foods. If you’ve enough space, a box, and shelf dehydrator is ideal for you.
Related: Do you need cookware for your kitchen? Find the best cookware list here.
Fastest food dehydrator?
Heat distribution – food dehydrators either come with vertical or horizontal fans. Every fan has its own way of functioning as they distribute the heat inside the dehydrator. Horizontal fans are considered the best as they will evenly dry food throughout the food dehydrator, though; they are slow and take a lot of time. Vertical fans, quickly dehydrate food that is placed on the lower trays and may need to shift the trays after some time. This is a good method for those who are in a hurry or just need to dry a few things.
Adjustable food dehydrators?
Adjustable thermostat – the best machine should come with an automatic thermostat that allows you to set the temperature and carry on with other activities. The process will continue, and as the set time elapses, it shut off automatically.
High-capacity food dehydrators!
Capacity – what do you intend to preserve with your food dehydrator? If you have lots of foods to dehydrate for the entire family, you will need a bigger size. But if you only want to dry a few foods, a small to medium-sized thermostat is ideal for you. Some of the best dehydrators have over 20 trays to place foods for dehydration.
Simple dehydrator!
The simplicity of use – you want a device that isn’t complicated to operate. It should have the right settings with even heat circulation. Some food dehydrators require trays to be rotated due to even uneven heat distribution. Avoid these kinds of dehydrators as they involve a lot of work.
Versatility – consider acquiring a dehydrator with removable stacks so that if you have large foods that need enough space, you can easily remove stacks. Also, even distribution of heat will allow you to dry several foods at the same time, which is a good thing.
Portable dehydrator?
Portability – most of the devices built are heavy and not easy to move from one place to another. If you want a food dehydrator to travel with, look at the smaller models with lesser stacks. As well, consider those made with high-quality plastics, as metal is a bit heavy.
Related: This guide will help you to find a good quality ice maker.
Food dehydrator brands!
Brand – with the growing popularity of these devices, many players have entered this field with the motive to sell more. Be sure to look at the brand and view previous users’ comments before proceeding to buy one. Some of the best brands include; Nesco, Presto, Excalibur, L’Equipe, and Aroma. Select from one of these or ensure that you properly search for the best quality.
Cheap food dehydrators?
Price – bigger food dehydrators are more expensive than smaller sizes. The stacked type is a bit cheaper when compared to the box and shelf type. Always look at the features that you want in a dehydrator instead of going by the price. The best qualities are expensive, but avoid the low-quality food dehydrators as they won’t perform well.
Warranty – consider getting a dehydrator with a warranty of at least one or more years. A warranty is a guarantee of better service in case the machine comes with some defects or needs replacement.
How to use a food dehydrator?
- Start by arranging the food into the trays. Ensure the foods are cut into small pieces to avoid overlapping and as well get rid of any water that may be left in them.
- After excellently positioning the foods or pieces on the trays, close and set the right temperature between 95 degrees Fahrenheit and 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
- View from time to time to see whether the foods have dried up, say after one hour. Meat tends to take up a lot of time, while fruits and vegetables can consume 2 to 3 hours.
- Lastly, check and see if the food has completely dehydrated and remove them for storage. Make sure you keep it in an airtight place for better conservation.
Benefits of a food dehydrator
- A dehydrator preserves food the healthy way. No nutrients are lost as nothing is added to preserve them.
- These machines ensure that you have a constant supply of foods that will not be available during a particular season. You get to preserve foods that aren’t available in summer or winter by drying them up.
- Food dehydrators enable a family save a lot as they can buy foods at a very cheap price during their high season and consume them during low season.
- Another important factor of dehydrating food is that they save so much space. The preserved food is shrinks and can be kept in tight a place which isn’t the case with fresh produces.
- Unlike processed foods, dehydrators maintain their nutrients and there are several recipes that can be made to ensure that they taste better.
- A food dehydrator supports preserving of foods as the food that could have been turned to junk is preserved and kept for another day.
Our Recommend Top 5 Best food dehydrator reviews
When looking for a food dehydrator, always take your time to choose one with all the features you like. Read several customer reviews and know which ones have been proven to perform well and which ones don’t. A few people fail and regret later because they don’t carry out enough research before buying this machine. We managed to combine a list of top dehydrators in the market after thorough research. These are as follows;
Top rated dehydrator – Nesco food dehydrator reviews (Our Top Pick)
Nesco is among the top brands and in our opinion the first to be looked at by many when searching for the best food dehydrator. The Nesco FD-75A snack master pro is one of their best models and has outstanding features. This device is compact and will fit very well on top of your kitchen counter without taking up much space. It has a top-mounted fan that ensures your food dries up evenly and properly. It uses a 600-watt unit that ensures this machine performs excellently. The adjustable thermostat allows the user to change temperatures between 95 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Other things it comes with include; 2 solid sheets, a recipe book, and 3 jerky spice packets.
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Main features:
- Adjustable thermostat.
- Top mounted fan.
- 600 watts unit.
- Opaque exterior.
- FD – 75A certified.
Pros:
- Quality built with a compact design that can fit well on your kitchen counter.
- Has a top mounted fan that will ensure the food heats evenly and dries perfectly.
- The adjustable thermostat enables the user to set their preferred time for particular foods.
- It is FD-75A permitted and very ideal for use in your home and to preserve your food well.
Best dehydrator for the money – Excalibur food dehydrator reviews
The Excalibur 3926TB food dehydrator is one of the quality dehydrator that you can get for your family. It is strongly built to last long and compact to fit well on your kitchen counter. It comes with 9 large trays that make it easy to place foods for drying. As well, it’s easy to use and very safe. With even heat distribution in the dehydrator, you don’t need to change or rotate the trays. Set a timer and ensure that your vegetables, fruits or meat dries well and evenly. It operates with 600 watts and will effectively dehydrate all foods placed in it. With an easy to operate switch, get to preserve your food the healthy way with this amazing dehydrator.
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Main features:
- Adjustable thermostat.
- 9 trays.
- Has 26 hour timer.
- Has 7-inch fan.
- Built in on/off switch.
- 600 watts.
Pros:
- It is really safe and simple to use.
- Has adjustable thermostat to set ideal temperature for different foods.
- Has a 7-inch fan to effectively heat the food stacked in the dehydrator.
- Has a total of 9 large trays that will excellently dry different foods.
- Has a timer to automatically switch off when the set time elapses.
Best home dehydrator – Nesco fd 1040 review
The Nesco FD-1040 is a beautifully designed food dehydrator that will give you excellent results always. This machine has a sleek design that will fit perfectly on your kitchen counter for easy operation. In addition, it has adjustable temperature control that allows you select a suitable temperature for various foods. It operates on 1000 watts of power and requires no rotation of trays as there is even distribution of heat. As well, you can expand the trays up to a maximum of 20. Acquire this garden master best food dehydrator to properly dry your foods for preservation. Other accessories it has include; recipe book and patented converge flow.
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Main features:
- Adjustable temperature control.
- Expandable to a maximum of 20 trays.
- Programmable digital timer.
- Patented converge flow air flow.
- 1000 watts of drying power.
- Opaque vista save exterior.
- No tray rotation.
Pros:
- Excellent design that will match the décor of your kitchen.
- Has a programmable digital timer to set the desired temperature for drying different foods.
- Easy to use as you don’t have to rotate trays.
- It’s very powerful as it utilizes 1000 watts of power during operation.
Best food dehydrator for jerky – Nesco fd 61 review
If you are looking for a portable and medium sized food dehydrator, this is the best quality to get. It is compactly designed to fit on top of many kitchen counters and has a jerky gun. This device has 5 trays which you can place 5 different types of food at the same time for an even drying. As well, it has an adjustable thermostat that enables you change the temperature accordingly. The patented converga flow system for drying foods is one of the unique features of this device. Acquire this dishwasher safe machine to preserve your foods well.
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Main features:
- Top mounted fun.
- Patented converga flow drying system.
- Jerky gun.
- 5 trays.
- Adjustable thermostat.
- 500 watts.
- Dishwasher safe.
Pros
- Has even heat distribution with its top mounted fun.
- Has 5 trays to place different types of foods.
- Has adjustable thermostat to easily change desirable temperatures for different foods.
- It’s easy to wash as its dishwasher safe.
Ivation the best dehydrator – Electric food dehydrator reviews
The Ivation is excellently built for diverse usage. It is has a digital control temperature to adjust the temperatures for different foods. As well, it comes with 6 drying racks for drying different foods at the same time. In addition, it has an overheating safety protection system to prevent too much heat form spoiling the foods in the dehydrator. Lastly, this wonderful fan has a rear mounted fan to ensure there is even heat distribution as you dry different foods. Other features include; 400 watts, timer with automatic shut off, one solid and one sheet mess, among other items. It is the best food dehydrator for the money.
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Main features:
- Digital control temperature.
- Timer with automatic shut off.
- 6 drying racks.
- Rear mounted fan.
- Overheating safety protection.
- 400 watts.
Pros:
- Durably made to last long.
- Its compact to fit on most kitchen counters.
- Easy to operate with its automatic shut off feature.
- Heats or dries the food evenly.
- 6 removable racks for lacing different types of foods.
Why Use a Food Dehydrator?
Do you have a lot of garbage that you sometimes have to throw away? A food dehydrator is an excellent machine that can be used to dehydrate and extend the lifespan of foods. There are different food dehydrator designs and makes on the market that a person can select from. Most of them range between $40 to $500 or even more. Unlike the first designs, food dehydrators have advanced to provide small and sleek devices that can be even kept in the cupboard. The best food dehydrator can be of great use in so many ways as follows:
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A food dehydrator enables you make healthy food choices
When you buy a food dehydrator, you’re not going to use it to dehydrate junky foods. But you will use it to dry up foods like vegetables, fruits, herbs, or even meat. As a result, a food dehydrator helps one to come up with a healthy diet. Since most of the people can’t store healthy foods for long, a food dehydrator allows them to do so by dehydrating these foods for future use.
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It allows you to purchase quality food at a lower prices
Most of the healthy foods like fruits are seasonal. So, if you come across such foods in abundance, you can buy them in large chunks and then preserve them for future use. At such a time, you will discover that if it’s a season for oranges or watermelons, they are sold at very cheap prices. Buying them for future use can help you save a lot of cash.
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It provides you new raw food choices
For individuals who are on a raw diet or just need more of the raw foods, a food dehydrator provides them with a new way to prepare food. If you purchase a quality dehydrator, it can have an adjustable thermostat and can keep an even temperature at or below 115F. A food dehydrator can as well be utilized to warm up soups and sauces at low temperatures, and even be used to make raw crackers, cookies, and bread.
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It is great for making lightweight camping food
Backpackers and campers like to keep their items lightweight. Using a dehydrator can be of great help to such group of people as it dries food and remove most of the weight. Fruits such as watermelon are dried and become very light and easy to carry. Also, complicated meals like spaghetti can be made portable and easy to carry on camping trips by use of a food drier.
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Dehydrator allows you replace expensive snacks with you dried food
Why consume expensive snacks that are unhealthy? Instead, you can change to eating dried foods such as fruits of all kinds like pineapple, berries, bananas, apples, pears, and so much more. Furthermore, you can make your own snacks by mixing fruit leathers and other healthy ingredients.
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It is a wonderful way to preserve food
Food dehydrators provide even heat that offer superior food that is better than canned food. If you store dried food well, it will remain healthy and nutritious for more weeks, months or even a year when kept in a refrigerator. There are no chemicals or preservatives needed.
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Dehydrator allows you make your own beef jerky
There are several people who buy a food dehydrator to specifically make jerky meat. Jerky meat is a lean and yummy source of protein. The jerky found in stores is quite costly and not as sweet as jerky made at home. This is a great light meal to make for lunch or take with you as you go hunting, camping or even hiking.
Conclusion
When buying the best food dehydrator, you should be taken with a keen eye as it’s a very vital machine to have if you want to preserve your food the healthy way. With the various brands and types being offered, choosing the best is always an advantage for great results. There are several factors to consider as you set out on picking the best food dehydrator. Some of them include; size of the dehydrator, heat distribution, construction, ease of washing, ease of use, performance and overall quality of the dehydrator. Different people have different needs, thus know what your pressing demands are to obtain the a dehydrator.
Food dehydrators are very economical and one of the best modern ways to preserve food. As you can view from our tips and reviews, they all vary in features and price. So, carry out enough research before you finally decide to buy a food dehydrator of your choice. You can as well select from our top 5 reviews above or use the information in this review to make a good purchase.
