Food Dehydrator Review

Drying food will preserve it and give it a different texture, and a food dehydrator is a machine which removes moisture from food to preserve it.

 An air flow and heat source work together to remove the water content from food. Fruit and vegetables are often more than 80% water and meat can be more than 50% water. Most foods are dehydrated at 130 degrees F although 155 degrees F would be used to make meat jerky.

If the temperature is too high, the food will become too hard on the outside but stay moist inside, and then it is likely to spoil inside. This is why you cannot dry food in a normal oven, because it does not get cool enough, and also because there is insufficient air circulation. 

The first commercial dehydrator was sold in 1920.

EXPERT’S CHOICE

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Best Value

NESCO FD-80A, Square-Shaped Dehydrator

• 4-tray
• Expandable to 8 trays
• Trays are 15″ diameter
• Double Wall Converga-Flow
• 700 watts of drying power

Best of The Best

NESCO FD-75A, Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator

• 5-tray
• Expandable to 12 trays
• Trays are 13 1/2″ in diameter
• Double Wall Converga-Flow
• 600 watts of drying power
• Top-mounted 2100 RPM fan

PREMIUM Pick

Excalibur 3526TB Electric Food Dehydrator

• 5-tray
• 8 square feet of drying space
• 440 watt
• Convenient 26 hour timer
• 5-inch fan

What Is A Food Dehydrator?

A food dehydrator is basically a kitchen device that is capable of removing water content from foods. The moisture present in some foods increases the chances of spoilage. Removing this water content prevents the growth of various bacteria which cause rotting hence extending the shelf life of foods. High quality dehydrators are very efficient and reliable that’s why it is recommended to buy the best.

Why Do We Need To Buy The Best Dehydrator?

One thing to have in mind is that ‘Best’ is long lasting, reliable and efficient. Even though all dehydrators serve the same purpose, it is important to understand that the efficiency and reliability of each one of them determines how good it is. Many people tend to buy cheaper dehydrators hoping to save a little money to spend while they wait to buy a better one. On the contrary, this will not help anyone save anything at all because cheap means simply not the best. Bad dehydrators are made from cheap materials. Remember that dehydrators use electricity to generate the heat for drying. Poor combination of bad materials and electricity may catch fire.

The cheap, poor materials used to make cheap dehydrators makes them of poor quality which means that they cannot last for a long period when used regularly. This is simply why we should consider buying high quality dehydrators so that they can serve for a long time.

A good device will not give you problems which may need extra charges for repair. Buying a high quality device has many advantages in terms of functionality, durability, efficiency, reliability and maintenance.

There are a few factors to consider while determining which device is most suitable for you. These factors are mainly the specifications of that particular machine you are interested in. It is very important to choose one that satisfies your need. Getting the right features for a high quality dehydrator calls for your assessment on whether it is convenient to use or not.

LEM Products 10 Tray Food Dehydrator with Digital Timer Review

Summary:

Some foods need specific processing in order to remain fresh longer. Foods such as fruits and meats will generally require their moisture content reduced to prevent spoiling. Food dehydrators offer the chance of removing food moisture right at the kitchen. The LEM Products 10 Tray Food Dehydrator with Digital Timer is one of the popular counter top equipment used in homes across the United States. It’s designed with features which mimic those found in commercial dehydrators ensuring users get the best results.

Key  Features:

• LED digital timer
• Ten 15 inch square trays which allow for 360 degree rotation
• Airflow door design for efficient flow of air into and out of the unit85 to 155 degrees F temperature range controlled via a thermostat
• Food grade ABS trays that are dishwasher safe and shatterproof
• Aluminum reinforced outer shell800 watt heating element and powerful fan at back for fast and efficient drying
• Included instruction manual

Is This A Great Purchase?

It is a great purchase because it provides what every modern household needs, equipment which doesn’t require the user to stick around and wait for it to complete drying food. The digital timer allows the user to continue with their daily chores while the unit does the drying. It’s also made with high quality materials which ensure durability and efficiency. In addition, it’s also quite affordable given the quality.

Ivation Electric Countertop Food Dehydrator Review

Some foods need specific processing in order to remain fresh longer. Foods such as fruits and meats will generally require their moisture content reduced to prevent spoiling. Food dehydrators offer the chance of removing food moisture right at the kitchen. The LEM Products 10 Tray Food Dehydrator with Digital Timer is one of the popular counter top equipment used in homes across the United States. It’s designed with features which mimic those found in commercial dehydrators ensuring users get the best results.

• Comes with 6 removable, height adjustable racks that have a dimension of 13” X 12”.
• Digital thermostat enables the user to adjust the temperature ranging from 95 F to 158 F based on the content.
• Equipped with digital timer with an automatic shutoff. This enables the user to set a time along with the temperature upon reaching, shuts off automatically.
• This machine comes with a drip tray that collects any residue from the drying process.
• Rear- mounted fan to ensure even drying.
• Overheating safety protection.
• Complies with US electrical safety regulations ETL.
• The dimensions of this product are: 17.71 x 13.58 x 12.40 inches.
• Rated power: 400W

Conclusion

Yes. The Ivation Countertop Electric Food Dehydrator is certainly a real asset to one’s kitchen. It is easy to use and very practical. An ideal kitchen appliance that helps in making snacks such as meat jerky, dried potato sticks, and preserving meat in a very economical way. It is a delight to those who like to try out the millions of recipes available online.

 

TSM Products Stainless Steel Food Dehydrator with 10 Stainless Steel Shelves

This is a fairly large food dehydrator, measuring 19 x 17 x 16¼ inches. There are 10 stainless steel shelves, along with an 800-watt heating element and a fan to create horizontal air flow. This dehydrator is ideal for making apple chips, jerky, fruit leathers, or anything else which you want to dry.

The food grade stainless steel housing is rust-resistant. While it is in use, the dehydration temperature stays constant, and there is an adjustable thermostat, so you can choose anywhere between 90 and 165 degrees F, depending on what you are making in there.

The back panel is removable, to allow you to access and clean the electrical or motor components. Reviewers say this dehydrator works quietly and effectively, and you can put the shelves in the dishwasher after use for easy cleanup.

Interesting Food Dehydrator Reviews

The Nesco Gardenmaster holds up to 30 trays and is good for smaller items like dried flowers or herbs. The L’Equip Model 528 has 6 trays and is expandable to 20. Neither of these takes up much space, and they are good for a food dehydrating beginner. However, the heat distribution is not ideal, meaning the trays nearest the fan and heat element will dry quicker than the ones at the top, so you have to keep rotating them.

Try the Excalibur Garden model or the Living Foods Jumbo model if you want something larger. On the Excalibur model, the fan and heat source is at the back instead of underneath, so you do not have to rotate the trays. The Garden model can also be used for culturing yogurt or leavening bread if you take a few of the trays out.

 

Living Foods food dehydrators use convection drying instead of a fan, so it is quieter and does not use so much electricity. Drying will take longer with one of these though, especially if you are drying watery foods like peaches or tomatoes. These dehydrators are versatile though, and you can soften butter or honey, dry meats, fruits, and veggies, as well as rain-soaked clothing or shoes, flowers, paper-mâché crafts, water-damaged books and more.

Nesco FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator

This is a great food dehydrator to choose, judging by the reviews. The fan is top-mounted, and you can set the thermostat between 95 and 160 degrees. There is no need to rotate the trays with this model because the flavors will not mix.

Nesco food dehydrator has 5 trays, and it comes with 2 mesh sheets, 2 solid sheets and 3 packages of jerky spice. Because the fan is on top and not on the bottom, the food dries more evenly.

Nesco dehydrator is a very easy machine to use. There is no on/off switch and no timer either, so you need to keep an eye on the food while it dries, but those are minor issues since this machine works so well.

Nesco American Harvest FD-37 400 Watt Food Dehydrator

Save money by making your trail mix, dried vegetables, dried fruits, and jerky. This dehydrator will dehydrate your foods quickly and easily using its 400 watts of power.

The temperature is preset at 160 degrees to dry jerky, herbs, vegetables, fruit or spices, as you wish. The fan dries everything well, and you do not have to rotate the trays. This is a very good food dehydrator which has good reviews.

If you want to make it even larger and be able to dry more food at once, then this model can be expanded to 7 layers.

Clean this as soon as you have finished drying because any bits of food are easier to get off if you do not wait.

Nesco/American Harvest FD-80 Square-Shaped Dehydrator

The square design offers more space than other Nesco dehydrators which are round in shape. This also means lesser number of trays for the same work.

There is no timer or on/off switch. Both are a disadvantage as you might need to get up at odd times to switch off if you do not plan correctly. And to switch off you will have to take off the plug. This also means that if you want to check the contents and move trays around, it will be inconvenient.

The heater and fan is at the top and the dripping happens in a plastic tray which is a big convenience else cleaning would be messy.

It dries evenly and that is a big plus.

Excalibur 3900B 9-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator

This food dehydrator has 9 trays so you can dry many items at one. There is a 7-inch fan, and the thermostat can be set anywhere between 85 and 145 degrees F. The horizontal air flow drying system allows you to dry everything quickly, easily and efficiently. You have 15 square feet of tray space with this model, which is part of the reason it costs more than some of the smaller ones.

Food holds on to most of its nutrients and flavor when dried so drying food is a great idea for food storage and if you want to make trail mix or something ultra-portable.

The manual which comes with this dehydrator will teach you how to use it, and it also features more than 50 recipes for you to try.

This does not have a timer and that can be a big especially if you realize that the cycle is going to get over in the middle of the night.

The heater and fan are at the back which is a big plus as drying is uniform.

The trays are big and can accommodate good amount of food. The flip side is that washing them in the kitchen sink will be difficult as they might not fit.

You can also use it as a proofer or a yogurt maker.

It dries fast than other units and the square trays are good.

This is a useful unit if you have your own garden or farm and produce a lot of vegetables or fruits or a large family.

STX INTERNATIONAL STX-DEH-800W-XLS Dehydra 800-watt 10-Tray Food and Jerky Dehydrator

40-Hour Timer and 2 Silicone Mats for Fruit Roll-Ups

This is one of the highest rated food dehydrators. Measuring 19 x 19 x 15, it is going to take up a fair bit of space, but just imagine how much food you can dehydrate in there at once. This model offers 800 watts of power and 14 square feet of drying space. The 10 trays are BPA-free and can be cleaned in the dishwasher.

You also get a 4 drawer blank for dehydrating items up to 6 inches high, or raising bread or yogurt-making, which is handy. This dehydrator comes with a 1-year fix or replaces guarantee including parts and labor, and more than 30,000 of these have been sold to happy customers over the past 7 years.

Reviewers love how this machine can hold plenty of food at once, and they also like its consistency and capability. This is one of the best-performing models on the market.

The fan makes some noise and if you are sensitive towards then place this in the garage. Inside the house it can seem loud.

The mesh on the trays is large and it will not be possible to put smaller food here.

There is no drip tray and this can get making marinated jerky messy with beef blood dripping.

The instruction manual is lacking in describing ways to raise bread or dry herbs.

Nesco FD-60 Snackmaster Express 4-Tray Food Dehydrator

This 4-tray food dehydrator dries your food quickly and efficiently. It features a top-mounted fan, and the thermostat ranges between 95 and 155 degrees F so you can match the temperature to the food you want to dehydrate. This 500-watt dehydrator comes with a fruit roll sheet and 2 jerky spice and cure packages. The machine itself measures 13" x 13" x nearly 10 inches so it can sit on your kitchen countertop and do its job without being in the way. Food dehydrators come in much bigger sizes than this, but if you just want to do occasional food dehydrating, then you do not require a huge machine.

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Raw Food Dehydrators: Do You Need One?” Video Guide

Watch this video of “Raw Food Dehydrators: Do You Need One?”[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/2M1QBufLpGk” rel=”no” fs=”no”]

Tips for Dehydrating Food

Food dehydration has been practiced for hundreds of years and was a food preservation method long before freezing and canning were invented. It is simpler to dehydrate something than to can it, and dehydrated food takes up far less space than canned or frozen foods. Dehydrating often reduces the weight of food by up to 90%, which is why many hikers own a dehydrator. You can make all kinds of delicious snacks using one of these machines. Apples are often dehydrated, and it is best to dip these in a lemon juice and cold water mixture to stop them discoloring. The resulting apple rings are chewy and favored by teething toddlers. They are also nutritious, certainly far more so than candy.

Mushrooms dehydrate well because they are 90% water, to begin with. Use plump, fresh ones for the best results, and scrub all the dirt off before you put them in the machine. You can rehydrate them again in warm water. Dehydrate tomato sauce from a jar to make something resembling a fruit roll-up. Just add water to rehydrate. Store dehydrated foods in airtight containers somewhere dry and cool. If you are dehydrating vegetables, make sure they are at their peak ripeness, and blanch them before dehydrating to kill any bacteria.

Dehydrate thin slices of celery when you buy a bunch. It works well in any recipe calling for celery to be cooked, such as pasta bakes or soups. Vegetables and fruits should be sliced at the same thickness, so they dehydrate evenly, and remember foods dehydrate quicker at the edges of the trays than in the middle, so test a sample from the outside and the middle before deciding they are done. It is usually better to dehydrate food quickly, using a high temperature, although have it too high and the outside of the food will harden before the inside is dehydrated, so read the manufacturer’s guidelines first.

More Handy Tips

Dried apricots are wonderful in fruit bread and muffins, while dried tomatoes add plenty of flavor to marinated salads, pasta and rice dishes, and also bread. Never dehydrate raw poultry because of the risk of salmonella. Add dried fruit to your oatmeal, and they will rehydrate in there. They also rehydrate in cold cereal with milk. Carrots, mushrooms, green beans, potatoes, onion, peas, corn and bell peppers are among the easiest veggies to dehydrate. Banana, tomatoes, pears, peaches, berries, cherries and apples are good fruits to dry. Once you

Excalibur 5 Tray Dehydrator

Perfect for Everything from Dried Fruit to Jerky

This food dehydrator is smaller than some of the huge 9 and 10 tray models, making it more convenient if you have less space for it, or if you do not want to dry large quantities of food at once. You get 8 square feet of drying space with this one.

The thermostat adjusts between 95 and 155 degrees F, and you will find the thermostat, heating element, and fan at the back of the unit. What this means is the cool air gets drawn in, then spread evenly over the food, to dehydrate it.

Tray rotation is not necessary, so just add the food to the trays, set the correct temperature and let the Excalibur dehydrate your food to perfection. If you want to raise dough or dehydrate bigger items, simply remove some of the trays to make room. The high-temperature option makes this a great choice for safely making jerky as well.

Features to consider when buying

There are various food dehydrator brands and models to choose from, so it is worth finding out more about them before making your choice. Size is important since you can choose from countertop models or bigger, free standing ones. Some food dehydrators have stackable trays, and others are made of a rigid box with removable shelves. You can get a food dehydrator with a fan that moves the air horizontally, one that moves it vertically, or one with no fan. You can also get models for drying specialty foods. Perhaps you want to get a detailed handbook, tray screens, jerky-making kits with spices, or nonstick sheets for making fruit leather.

Photo Credit: All product images are credited to Amazon or eBay

Specifications of the Best Food Dehydrators

Efficiency of the Dehydrator

First thing to consider is the efficiency. This is where design comes in. Most are either round or square/rectangle in shape. Despite the shape, the rate of power consumption is almost similar. However, the square shape design allows proper circulation and distribution of warm air thus allowing fast and quicker dehydration. This makes it a perfect choice for the most suitable food dehydrator because it shortens the dehydration period you would spend while using the round one. Also, square dehydrators have square trays without holes in the middle unlike the round trays. This means that the square ones are able to hold more foodstuff because they have a higher loading capacity. This fact stands out a greater chance for square/rectangular dehydrators to be reviewed as the best food dehydrators because it is economical and quite efficient to dry a large batch of foodstuff than drying smaller loads.

Dehydration Capacity

The dehydration capacity is an important feature which must be considered. In this case, some dehydrators are believed to dry foodstuff faster than others. However, technology has evened this disparity such that many dehydrators dry food almost at the same rate with only a little difference being in the duration taken. The disparity left on the dehydration capacity of food dehydrators is that some can dry foodstuff thoroughly and more evenly. This difference is brought about by the fan. How well it operates is dependent on the fan. Some dehydrators have a fan while others don’t. Also, the larger the fan the greater the drying capacity. Don’t waste money on one which does not have a fan.

Dehydration Space

Dehydration space is something not to forget about. Check out the stackable trays a dehydrator can have. This is a way of determining if it is the right choice for you or not. The tray capacity is an important factor. As much as you want to stack as many trays as possible, it is wise to ensure that the product has enough space for drying to take place. You can determine this by checking on the specification detailed provided for specific model. Some dehydrators provide 15 sq. ft. drying capacity while others have a drying space of only 6 sq. ft. Small sized dehydrators have drying space between 3 to 4 sq. ft. Although this sounds enough, it is important to remember that someday, you may need to stack a huge batch of foodstuff especially at the peak of harvest season. You will be shocked how the drying space gets filled faster, then you will realize the need for a large drying space.

Horizontal and Vertical Heat Air Flow Exchange

Food dehydrators working principle are based on the exchange of wet air verse dry air. The heating unit generates the hot air used to remove moisture from the food while at the same time, the fan taps in a stream of dry air to ensure that the food is completely dried. The heat and air exchange is a vital feature. For these features, the shelved dehydrators win it all since they have their fan located at the back. The heat and flow of air employ a horizontal air dynamics, making sufficient air to flow at each and every set of tray without the need to rotate them. Another reason why these horizontal dehydrators are preferred if for the fact that flavors from different foods do not mix up because the flow of air does not pass from tray to another.

Another heat exchange mechanism is the vertical heat and air dynamics which is employed by the stacked trays. The heating unit for these dehydrators is placed at the bottom from where it produces the warm air, which is then distributed upwards through all the trays. However, the horizontal heat and airflow dynamics are preferred than the vertical dynamics because it dries foodstuff evenly. The food at the lower stacks near the bottom dries faster and even than the foodstuff on top of the trays. This design has another worrying matter in the fact that the drippings from foods like meat and fruits can be messy and make it difficult to clean the fan of the machine. This can be eliminated by having a fan on the top though it makes the design inefficient because hot air rises and it can only be very effective if placed at the bottom.

Adjustable Thermostat

Does it have an adjustable thermostat? That’s a question you need to answer first while choosing the best food dehydrator. Modern technology has impacted positively on the manufacture of dehydrators by creating an important feature to be installed in the dehydrators. Recent dehydrators have thermostats which are adjustable to ensure proper regulation of temperatures for certain foods. The thermostat can be adjusted and set to maintain an even temperature. Various types of foods have recommended temperatures different from the others and this feature has brought a great change in the world of dehydrators since it has made things easy. The thermostats have temperature range from 55 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit. The fruits require a temperature ranging between 130 F and 140 F while meat requires 160F and above. Higher temperatures are useful because they reduce the bacteria present in food possible for spoiling them. This is an added advantage since all foods can be covered. Also, this improvement has made it simple for these devices to function as a yogurt maker.

Recommended Drying Temperatures

Fruits and Fruit Rolls	130º F to 140º F
Vegetables	130º F to 140º F
Meats & Fish	145º F to 155º F
Nuts & Seeds	90º F to 100º F
Herbs & Spices	90º F to 100º F
Dried Flowers/Potpourri	90º F to 100º F

Timer with Automatic shut-off

Another interesting feature is the timer with an automatic shut-off since it saves you the heck of monitoring and keeping track of time. All you have to do is set it and it will just shut off immediately the designated time is reached. With a dehydrator with this feature, it enables you to stack foodstuff in the device and leave it to dry up. You can even leave the food drying overnight. Power on the other hand should as well be considered. A machine which has a high watt rate is considered more efficient. Even though it is not necessary to have a higher wattage so that it can dry faster, it is a guarantee that everyone needs a machine which can really deliver.

Drying time

The duration it takes to dry is also very important. Even though the time taken to dry foodstuff is dependent on what is to be dried. The thickness and the water content in the foodstuff matters. However, temperature and the model of your dehydrator are also key factors which determine the drying period.

DRYING TIMES

This varies based on type of food, thickness and evenness of the slices.

Other factors which influence the time are:

• Percentage of water in the food
• Humidity in air
• Temperature
• Model of your unit
• Age of plant at time of harvesting

Convection

Convection is the idea employed in dehydrators which do not have fans. They take twice the time taken to dry food using dehydrators with fans. However, they have their benefit in that they are very clean because they avoid the problem of fans sucking dirt from the foods back inside the device. They use less power and they eliminate the noise made by fans. Even though dehydrators with fans are the best, they are expensive, which makes convection dehydrators a good consideration for those with short budget.

Mesh Sheets and Nonstick Sheets

Some food dehydrators have mesh sheets used for drying smalls sized greens like peas. They can also be useful for drying bananas which tend to stick to plastic as they get dried. For mashed potatoes and tomato sauce, the nonstick sheets are the best recommended. This is an important feature. The best food dehydrator should have this feature included. Everyone wants the best. Am pretty sure you would like to have everything sorted without any kind of food being left out.

Can your dehydrator be expanded? Expandability makes it possible to add additional trays. Though this may affect the efficiency of the dehydrator, it is necessary to have it flexible enough to accommodate more trays in case the need for extra trays arises.

Price matters when it comes to determining whether a product is great or not. The price of a high quality device reflects its features and the life span. The more the features, the higher the price. This does not mean that you cannot own a dehydrator and therefore, checking on the price will help you stick to your budget. Go for what you can afford, but don’t go for the cheap ones if you can afford a better one. Cheaper dehydrators however, can be reliable, especially when they have the basic features plus a shut-off timer and an adjustable thermostat.

How to test for dryness?

Food should not be over-dried as they can lose texture, nutrition and taste. You should monitor this in last phases of drying.

To test you can follow these steps:

• Removed a piece of food and after cooling it feel with fingers for dryness
• Fruits should be flexible and leathery with no traces of moisture. Tear the piece and pinch it to check for water drops along the tear. If there is not moisture then it is good for storing long term.
• Fruit rolls should be leathery
• Jerky should not be brittle and should seem tough. The same with dried fish which might have high oil content and appear moist.

You should check the foods regularly depending on the progress of drying. For some sensitive foods like it can be every 10 minutes and for others like fruits it can be 1 to 2 hours.

How to pack the food?

Once food is dried they should be removed and placed in airtight, moisture proof container.

The packaging is important as it will prevent contamination or stickiness or re-hydration due to humidity.

There are other points you can keep in mind:

• Home vacuum packaging devices can extend the life of dried foods 3 to 4 times.
• Opaque containers that prevent light are better.
• Fruits and vegetables in the same container can cause flavor or moisture to be transferred to the other. Hence they should be kept separately.
• Onions and tomatoes should be packed immediately as they absorb moisture fast.

How to store the food?

The ideal storage area is cool with minimum light. If possible put the food in freezer or refrigerator especially for meat, fish and vegetables.

How to reconstitute the food that has been dried?

Most of the foods that are dried can be reconstituted by soaking in water between 15 minutes and 2 hours. The foods that take longest to dry also take the longest to reconstitute.

The liquid or water from the reconstituted food has immense nutritional value and can be used in soups or pies.

Chilli and stew can be reconstituted by putting them in hot water for 15 minutes.

So what are you waiting, check out your best food dehydrator and buy it today!!!

Conclusion

Once you have determined the features which you desire, you can then consider the different available brands of food dehydrators. Many of the available brands have all necessary best features as discussed above. However, it is always advisable not to go for just any brand. Choose a brand which is reliable and which has been reviewed positively by its customers. This way, you will be able to buy something which is worth your money and something which cannot disappoint you because it is well proven to be reliable.

The best food dehydrator can be determined in the above ways. Examining their features should be done keenly. Any dehydrator has to be efficient enough to dry whatever you want. Having a dehydrator is a great idea since you can dry foodstuff in large quantities for your family or for a sell. If you are thinking of buying one, consider buying something worth investing in your money.

The best food dehydrator should be spacious enough to allow proper circulation of heat and air. Consider purchasing one which has a fan and basically the one which employs the horizontal heat and airflow dynamics. Ensure that it has a good capacity of what it can hold. Consider one which can be adjusted to obtain the temperature needed and also one which can be timed. Buy a dehydrator which can serve your purpose and satisfy your needs.

 

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