Do you enjoy saving money? Do you want to cut down on food waste? Are you itching for some healthier alternatives to your favorite snacks? Say no more. A food dehydrating machine can help you do all of this (and more).
That's right: there's no longer any need to buy expensive and oftentimes-unhealthy jerky, fruit strips, or banana chips from the store. A high-quality food dehydrator can help you make these treats from the comfort of your own home. These devices work by extracting moisture from foods, which also helps to lock in flavor without sacrificing nutritional value. This also means you can preserve foods without adding preservatives. Plus, with most of the moisture removed, your foods get a significant boost in their shelf lives, meaning you can effectively cut down on food waste.
Whether you're looking for your first dehydrating appliance or want to update an older one, you've come to the right place. We're taking a look at some top-performing models to help you find the best food dehydrators for your kitchen!
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Want some fruit chips? Don't pay for over-priced snacks at the store with loads of added sugar. Make your own from the comfort of your own home, where you know your food won't be packed with hard-to-pronounce preservatives or artificial sweeteners. The NutriChef PKFD06 lets you make healthier alternatives to your favorite snacks and even lets you preserve your food for longer; this means you reduce waste and save money in the long run.
It's hard to beat this appliance's convenient functionality and easy-to-use design. This model features a compact stackable tray design, which means you can make as much or as little as you want at a time and that storing this device is easy. Using this dehydrating machine is simple, too. Just load your trays, set your temperature range, and flip the power switch. That's it! If you're wanting an easier, healthier way to make your own snacks at home, this NutriChef is a great option.
| Manufacturer: | NutriChef |
| EAN: | 0735343624513 |
| UPC: | 068888765879 |
| Model: | PKFD06 |
| Part Number: | PKFD06 |
| Size: | One Size |
| Warranty: | 1 Year Manufacturer |
| Height: | 7.87 inches |
| Width: | 1 foot 1 inch |
| Length: | 1 foot 1 inch |
If you've got a big job to do, the Excalibur 3926TB 9 Tray Electric Food Dehydrator is for you. The 9 removable trays give you up to 15 square feet of room to dehydrate anything you want, from food to wet family photos. You won't have to wait forever to do these tasks, either. The brand's patented Parallelex Horizontal Airflow design means that you can dehydrate your items that much faster.
But that's not all. The removable trays mean you can make room for bigger items, like bread, something that's not possible with a lot of other dehydrators on the market. Add in the simple-to-use rotary controls, and you have a device that truly can do it all.
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| Manufacturer: | Excalibur |
| EAN: | 0029743492316 |
| UPC: | 190584098569 |
| Model: | 3926TB |
| Part Number: | 4926T |
| Size: | 9-Tray (Black) |
| Warranty: | 10 year limited warranty. |
| Height: | 1 foot |
| Width: | 1 foot 5 inches |
| Length: | 1 foot 7 inches |
Gourmia is well-known for offering a wide selection of high-quality kitchen appliances, like air fryers. The Gourmia GFD1650 Food Dehydrator delivers the same level of performance that many have come to expect from this brand. One concern many people have about dehydrators is that their foods will end up overcooked or cooked unevenly. That's not a concern here. This model is optimized to deliver uniform heating and drying with just the touch of a button. The transparent door also means you can easily check your progress, making it even easier to avoid overheating your food.
But this machine is more than just efficient (as if that wasn't good enough); it's also safe. Unlike many models on the market, this powerhouse is ETL certified and BPA free. You can rest assured that you'll be getting top-notch results when you use the Gourmia GFD1650!
| Manufacturer: | 1 |
| EAN: | 0635414671876 |
| UPC: | 635414671876 |
| Model: | COMINHKPR102091 |
| Part Number: | GFD1650B |
| Size: | 6 Tray |
| Height: | 1 foot |
| Width: | 1 foot 1 inch |
| Length: | 1 foot 5 inches |
The Cosori Premium Food Dehydrator is the best option on our list when it comes to making healthy jerkies at home. The digital control panel allows you to select accurate temperatures between 95°F-165°F and set the timer for 30 minute increments for up to 48 hours! The 6 food-grade stainless steel trays offer the perfect amount of space for medium-sized batches of your favorite dried snacks.
| Manufacturer: | COSORI |
| EAN: | 0817915025208 |
| UPC: | 817915025208 |
| Model: | CP267-FD |
| Size: | ETL & FDA,2 Year Warranty |
| Warranty: | 1 year warranty + optional 1-year warranty, lifetime customer service support |
| Height: | 1 foot |
| Width: | 1 foot 5 inches |
| Length: | 1 foot 1 inch |
This Chefman Digital Food Dehydrator is one of the easiest dehydrating appliances to use. It offers 14 preset digital temperatures and timer controls and will automatically shut off when it's done, giving you peace of mind.
A common concern many people, especially first-time dehydrator-users, have is that they'll overcook what they put into their appliance. The see-through door on this machine makes it incredibly easy to check in on your progress, reducing the risk of over-dehydrating what's inside. Get started with easy dehydrating today with the Chefman RJ43-SQ-6T.
| Manufacturer: | Chefman |
| EAN: | 0816458022217 |
| UPC: | 816458022217 |
| Model: | Food Dehydrator Machine |
| Part Number: | RJ43-SQ-6T |
| Size: | 6 Tray |
| Warranty: | 1 year Manufacturer |
| Height: | 1 foot |
| Width: | 1 foot 5 inches |
| Length: | 1 foot 1 inch |
Save money at the store and roast your own nuts at home. It's easy with the Magic Mill Food Dehydrator Machine. Simply load your items onto the included mesh sheet, set your time and temp, and watch your progress through the transparent door. You'll be left with a delicious and hearty snack.
But the unmatched functionality doesn't stop there. Also included with this purchase are 9 stainless steel racks, 2 non-stick trays, a hanging rack, and silicone gloves. Preserving flowers, making jerky and fruit strips, roasting herbs and more has never been quite so simple. Clean-up is pretty easy, too, as the included trays and liner are all safe to load into your dishwasher. See why people are raving about Magic Mill appliances today!
| Manufacturer: | MAGIC MILL |
| EAN: | 0042796910095 |
| UPC: | 042796910095 |
| Model: | 9 Trays SS 2 |
| Part Number: | 9 Trays SS 2 |
| Size: | 10 Trays Stainless Steel |
| Warranty: | Magic Mill dehydrator is constructed of quality materials and electronics, we stand behind our products, a 1 year limited warranty guarantees you full satisfaction |
| Height: | 1 foot 5 inches |
| Width: | 1 foot 2 inches |
| Length: | 1 foot 6 inches |
Anything you can think of dehydrating you can do with this Nesco FD-75A Snackmaster. Jerky? Just use one of the five included trays (which you can expand to twelve). Fruit strips? Lay the two fruit roll sheets across two drying trays. Want to dehydrate your own herbs and spices? Add the two Clean-A-Screens so you can dry smaller foods. The only limit to what you can make is your own imagination!
The quality of results you'll see is also hard to match. That's all thanks to its clever design, which results in evenly dried food without no flavor mixing. Ready to explore a whole new way to prepare and preserve your favorites? Say hello to this powerhouse.
| Manufacturer: | Nesco |
| EAN: | 0029517750024 |
| UPC: | 029517005599 |
| Model: | FD-75A |
| Part Number: | FD-75A |
| Size: | 13.8 x 22.1 x 13.9 inches |
| Warranty: | 1 Year limited warranty |
| Height: | 1 foot 1 inch |
| Width: | 1 foot 10 inches |
| Length: | 1 foot 1 inch |
| Manufacturer: | Presto |
| EAN: | 0075741086095 |
| UPC: | 075741086095 |
| Model: | 6300 |
| Part Number: | 6300 |
| Size: | One Size |
| Warranty: | 1 Year limited warranty |
| Height: | 6.25 inches |
| Width: | 1 foot 3 inches |
| Length: | 1 foot 2 inches |
| Manufacturer: | New House Kitchen |
| EAN: | 0816458023283 |
| UPC: | 816458023283 |
| Model: | 5 Tray Round Food Dehydrator, |
| Part Number: | NJ43-5-R |
| Size: | 5 Tray |
| Height: | 6.5 inches |
| Width: | 9.43 inches |
| Length: | 9.5 inches |
You want a powerful-but-compact machine? Why not try the Presto Dehydro with a 750-watt motor? This digital food dehydrator can take care of your treat-making needs without a problem. Its powerful motor, bottom-mounted fan, and heating elements all work together to deliver consistent airflow throughout the dehydrating process. This means you won't need to rotate trays or end up with mixed flavors.
Storage might be a problem with some units, but not this one! Finding a spot for this machine on your counter or in your cabinets is a breeze thanks to its collapsible tray system. Simply expand the trays when in use, and collapse down for compact storage when you're done. It's that easy. Check it out today and see what you've been missing out on.
| Manufacturer: | Presto |
| EAN: | 0115970811423 |
| UPC: | 172302703627 |
| Model: | 6301 |
| Part Number: | 6301 |
| Size: | One Size |
| Warranty: | 1 Year limited warranty |
| Height: | 7.25 inches |
| Width: | 1 foot 3 inches |
| Length: | 1 foot 2 inches |
Best Dehydrator Buying Guide
When it comes to devices that are worth their investment in the long run, a food dehydrator is certainly among that company. It's great for anyone, from those who do their own hunting or are concerned about food waste. Food waste is especially important to keep in mind when the world produces around $1 trillion in food that never gets eaten! A dehydrator is one of the best ways to keep your food around long enough to enjoy it.
To help you find the best appliance for your needs, we're breaking these machines down, from how the technology works to their benefits to suggestions for using one.
Most foods contain a relatively high amount of water. Many high-water-content fruits or vegetables can be anywhere from roughly 75 to 95 percent water. Common uncooked meats can range anywhere from roughly 55 to 70 percent water. Dangerous bacteria need a liquid state to develop, and the extraction of liquid inhibits bacterial growth in the food. This can help keep food safer to eat for longer periods of time.
There's no one set time frame for how fast this whole process will take. It all depends on what you're making and what ingredients you use. The goal is to greatly reduce the level of moisture within the food.
While it is easy to just say that a food dehydrator dries out food, that is hardly a satisfying answer for most. What matters is how a dehydrator does its job of drying out foods to preserve them for chow time at a later date. While dehydrating food has been an ages-old technique to preserve foods, modern machinery makes the process much simpler. However, both the modern and ancient method require two classical elements: a heat source and air.
Let's break it down.
A dehydrator will rely on heat energy to heat up the food until such time that it "sweats" out moisture. The standard temperature for dehydration is 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius). Anyone making beef jerky or some other meat-based snack, however, is advised to raise the heat level to 155 degrees Fahrenheit (68 degrees Celsius) as a safeguard against potential contaminants deep within the meat. After all, it's no secret that undercooked meat can result in food illness. This is because lots of bacteria found in meat can generally survive in temperatures of up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Raising it higher increases the chances that these tough little bacteria get wiped out, making food safer to enjoy.
Dehydrators make use of fans and vents to suck out the moisture the food releases during the heating process.
Yes. At first, it may sound like all a person needs to do is blast the heat. But operating the device at too high of a heat level carries the potential for hardening the food's exterior while also leaving its interior at risk from spoiling. Sure, you may have made some fruit leather, but the core of that treat may still harbor something that could make you ill. If this happens, whatever is trapped inside can fester in while in storage.
There are plenty of benefits to one of these appliances, and some are more obvious than others:
This is an obvious benefit. From people looking to save some leftovers to those prepping for doomsday scenarios, a dehydrator can aid in short-term food storage. Take for example, the event of a natural disaster. With enough warning, someone can salvage more food that might otherwise perish if left in a refrigerator/freezer unit without access to electricity.
As previously mentioned, a lot of money is wasted on food that never gets eaten. This often happens because the food expires before someone consumes it. By preserving food with a dehydrator, you ensure that none of the perishable food you buy will go to waste. One of these devices means every money spent on potential perishables will be money that is actually put toward keeping people fed. This is much better than throwing everything into the garbage disposal or trash can.
Food can take up a lot of space due to clunky packaging. This makes organizing everything much harder, especially if you kitchen and cabinet space is compact. Dehydrated food takes up far less space. After all, it doesn't require clunky packaging and the gross reduction of liquid content means that the food is physically smaller than before. Depending on the nature of your particular grocery list, you could double or even triple your fridge and your pantry space by filling them with dehydrated items.
All of these wonderful benefits must mean that the end result has no nutritional value, right? Wrong! Since a dehydrator just dries stuff out, all of the nutritional offerings, such as vitamins and minerals, are maintained.
It's easy to say that all a dehydrator is good for is drying food. However, that just limits the possibilities! Check out some great treats you can make with one of these appliances:
Making jerky is a cinch with this device. The user simply adds whatever spices and seasonings he desires to his meat of choice. They then places his meat onto a tray in the food dehydrator and sets the temperature and timer. Eventually, there will be a batch of delicious chewy treats that make the perfect snack for any meat-lover.
Fruit leather or fruit roll sheets are certainly something that enterprising owners of food dehydrators can produce. What exactly is fruit leather? Think fruit roll-ups from your childhood lunchbox, but made with actual fruit.
When made with a dehydrator, the end product is similar to jerky. No seasoning is necessary, although a bit of mint or cinnamon can really liven up the flavor. Apples, strawberries, and apricots are especially good choices for making fruit leather.
Cheese is exceptionally prone to swift spoiling. A dehydrator gives you the means of changing this situation. With one of these units, you can alter cheese so that it becomes stable enough to last for awhile. Just know that dehydrated cheese takes on different properties than the normal version, so a little experimentation may be called for.
By putting bread into a food dehydrator, you can create your own breadcrumbs. Alternately, you can add seasonings to the bread beforehand. Then, go to town by making your own custom-sized croutons for salads and the like.
Yes, you can make crackers with these machines. The best part? The process is simpler than you would think. One need only a few ingredients, like mix ground-up flax, oregano, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, and a handful of spices. Throw them into a food processor. Then, thin the mixture out and allow it to dry in the unit. Break out a pizza cutter or other straight edge and carve up some delicious crunchy treats.
We are not just talking about potato chips here. Any sort of meat, vegetable, or fruit can likely be turned into a dried snack with one of these devices. The only limits in making dehydrated chips are your own creativity and whether or not you want to add any seasonings or spices.
Getting nostalgic for the sort of marshmallows you remember as a child? Or do you want to make some for your own kids? Either way, a dehydrator is the perfect tool for taking a normal small-size marshmallow and rendering it down to the same starchy consistency as the marshmallows commonly used in children's breakfast cereals.
When looking to buy a dehydrator, it is important to know what sort of features you may need to look out for.
As previously mentioned, not all foods require the same temperature to safely dehydrate. It's easy to grow bored of having the same meal on a regular basis. Having a dehydrator with adjustable heat settings ensures that you can dehydrate anything you may want to try.
Some models use a stacking feature that allows you to dehydrate multiple trays of food at the same time. One of the main benefits of this design? It is great for areas with limited space; the chief dimension of concern is height, rather than width or depth. Some devices let you vertically stack multiple trays, so you can get several square feet of drying space in one compact unit.
The other major type of dehydrator uses a shelf configuration. This setup changes the way air flows over the food. Unlike a tray-based dehydrator, a shelf dehydrator sends air to evenly dry out the food, sparing users the hassle of having to manually adjust the trays over time.
High-quality models feature a heating element and a fan while providing even airflow across its storage trays. These machines require between 300 to 1,000 watts to run and the fans range from 4 to 7 inches in diameter; some even feature a dual-fan configuration. Even airflow means you don't need to rotate trays much, if at all. The one drawback to these devices is that they are quite loud. The noise is comparable to the exhaust fan of a stove.
Again, not all dehydrators are made alike. When looking to buy a dehydrator, consider the pre-dehydrated size of the foods you plan on using it with. Then, make sure that your chosen device can adequately and reliably manage those sizes.
A food dehydrator can be a true boon to almost anyone for a variety of reasons.
With all benefits and sheer number of culinary options available, acquiring a food dehydrator is a sensible, if not downright thrifty, addition to any household. The wide variety of models on the market ensures that there is a dehydrator for any size living space and need.
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