What to Look for in a Food Dehydrators?
All food dehydrators come with the same feature to remove water from the food. But, apart from that, there are some key factors you have to consider when you look for a food dehydrator. Here is a list of some food dehydrator facts you should consider.
Cost effective and convenient
Choose the food dehydrator that goes with your budget and convenient to use. Dried food is more costly at the store compared to normal fruit and vegetable. So having a food dehydrator will be cost-effective if you eat dried food more often. Also, one good thing is it will extend the shelf life of your food to around a year if you store your food in the right place and the right way.
Greater Capacity
You have to consider the capacity according to your demand. The dehydrating process takes time. So having a large dehydrator means time saver but also takes more space. However, the small one is good for a small kitchen to process small units. So you have to check the capacity according to your need.
Dehydrate beef jerky supported
Make sure your food dehydrator is capable of dehydrating beef. Not all of them are supported by dehydrating beef jerky. If you not only dehydrating fruit and vegetable but also making jerky, make sure your machine is capable of doing that. However, a good food dehydrator takes 4 to 8 hours to dehydrate beef jerky in a food dehydrator. You have to marinate the meat of the beef for at least 7 to 8 hours. Also, when drying the beef jerky in the dehydrator, make sure it dried completely.
Even Airflow System
Good food dehydrator has even airflow all over the trays.
Adjustable thermostats in your food dehydrators
Check if your Food Dehydrator has adjustable thermostats to maintain, set or change temperature.
Fits Your Dehydrator’s Needs
This is the most important thing when choosing a Food Dehydrator. Decide what type of food or fruits your planning to dry, if you have to check the progress while processing the food or the quantity of your food that needs to process. Here we will guide you to choose the best dehydrator to fulfill your needs.
Our Top 5 FOOD DEHYDRATORS
Here are some best food dehydrators for your kitchen-
Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrators at Amazon
Nesco Snackmaster Pro is one of the bestselling food dehydrators for a couple of reasons. It is very easy to use and lightweight. Moreover, Nesco Snackmaster Pro works fast and it will dry fruit, veggies, herbs, nuts, berries, and jerky within a few hours. It has a unique airflow system which is called Converge-Flow, which creates vertical and horizontal airflow. So, this system process the food fast, even, and nutritious drying. Moreover, the top-mounted fan helps to dry the liquid from the food and prevent dripping into the heating chamber. Its Usability and reliable result make it the best seller on amazon.
Features:
- Nesco Snackmaster Pro has an adjustable thermostat. Temperature range: 95℉-160℉
- Powerful Top Mounted Fan inside the Dehydrator.
- This Dehydrator comes with 5 trays, and it is expandable to 12 trays if needed.
- It also comes with 2 drip/fruit leather trays, 2 mesh screens.
- Trays are 13 1/2″ in diameter.
- Save exterior helps block harmful light which destroys the nutritional content of the food.
- Unique airflow drying system forces air down the exterior pressurized chamber make it fast, even, and nutritious drying.
- No flavor mixing and no need to rotate trays.
- Snackmaster Pro allows you to enjoy dried fruits, jerky, veggies, and more.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Lightweight. | ❎No Programmable timer. |
| ✅Easy to use. | |
| ✅ Comes with 5 trays, expandable to 12 trays. | |
| ✅ The top rack is Dishwasher-safe accessories. |
Presto Dehydro Electric Food Dehydrators at Amazon
Presto Dehydro Electric Food Dehydrator comes with plenty of drying space. It comes with six trays, but it can be extended to twelves trays. When using 8 trays it takes a shorter time to dry, but with 12 trays takes a longer time. Adjustable Thermostat, temperature range 90°F – 165°F. This unit has a bottom-mounted fan and the air moves more evenly throughout the machine.
First of all, All Presto dehydrators are now BPA-free. Also, it comes with an unbeatable price, which makes it the best Food Dehydrator on this budget. Idle for the home kitchen to process smaller-sized batches. This is the best food dehydrator for your kitchen. Presto Dehydro also comes with a good array of accessories for making fruit leather and for drying smaller items such as herbs, nuts, and spices. However, it is perfect for the beginner. Presto Dehydro has Digital thermostat and timer settings for precise drying time.
Features:
- Digital thermostat and timer for precise drying time. Temperature range: 90℉-165℉
- The bottom-mounted fan and heating element provide consistent airflow for optimum drying No rotation needed.
- Presto dehydrators come with 6 trays, and it is expandable to 12 trays if needed.
- It also comes with two fruit roll sheets, two nonstick mesh screens trays.
- The bottom-mounted fan and heating element provide consistent airflow.
- No additives or preservatives needed.
- You can make jerky from meat, poultry, and seafood.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Bisphenol A (BPA) free. | ❎ A little loud. |
| ✅Easy to use. | |
| ✅ comes with 6 trays, expandable to 12 trays. | |
| ✅ Trays and covers are Dishwasher-safe accessories | |
| ✅ Good price. |
Nesco Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator at Amazon
Nesco Grandmaster processes the food quickly and efficiently. Moreover, The temperature gauge is an excellent feature. It comes with 8 trays, 8 fruit leather trays, and 8 of the netted trays. That’s a great deal! A lot of food needed to fill up the whole unit of Nesco. Moreover, one best thing about Nesco Grandmaster is drying food quickly and evenly. The timer can set up to 48 hours of drying time. Also, it is very easy to clean and comes all the with accessories you need. Trays are dishwasher safe. Nesco Grandmaster is very simple.
However, the Gardenmaster is bigger but makes a lot of noise. Another negative thing is that it does take up a fair amount of counter space. Apart from this, it is an excellent food dehydrator.
Features:
- Nesco Grandmaster has an adjustable thermostat. Temperature range: 95℉-160℉
- Powerful Top Mounted Fan inside the Dehydrator.
- It also comes with 8 dishwasher safe trays that can be extended up to 30 trays. It also includes 8 fruit roll liners, and 8 mesh liners for drying herbs, (1) Recipe Instruction Book, (1) Original Jerky Spice Pack with Cure.
- The quiet, powerful Converge-Flow fan forces heated air up the exterior pressurized chamber, then horizontally across each individual tray.
- It allows you to enjoy dried fruits, jerky, veggies, and more.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Process a bigger unit. | ❎A little loud. |
| ✅Easy to use. | ❎Pricey. |
| ✅ Comes with 8 trays, expandable to 30 trays. | ❎Take up a fair amount of counter space. |
| ✅Trays are Dishwasher-safe accessories | |
| ✅Drying time can be set to 48 hours. |
Excalibur Food Dehydrator at Amazon – Overall best
“Has a 26-hour timer so you can leave food drying while you work or sleep.” Excalibur is one of the largest food dehydrators with plenty of space in it. Which is excellent for large batches of food or fruit to process. It has fifteen square feet of dehydrating space. Also, Excalibur has 9 dishwasher safe trays and each tray is fitted with a nonstick screen. It has two dial systems, one for the temperature and one for the timer.
The dehydrator is easy to use and trays are easy to insert. If you are looking for something inexpensive in Excalibur, try the Excalibur 3900B It does not have a timer. This dehydrator comes with a guide which has detailed instruction in it. Moreover, One best thing about this dehydrator is if you have taller or bigger foods you want to dry, you can just remove some of the trays to make more space for your food.
The negative sides are it takes a lot of space in your kitchen and it is heavy.
Features:
- Excalibur has an adjustable thermostat. Temperature range: 105℉-165℉
- There is a fan at the back of the unit that circulates air evenly.
- Also, it comes with 9 dishwasher-safe trays. Each tray is fitted with a nonstick screen.
- It allows you to enjoy dried fruits, jerky, veggies, and more.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅Process a bigger unit. | ❎Trays not extendable. |
| ✅Easy to use. | ❎Pricey. |
| ✅ This comes with 9 trays. Trays are BPA free. | ❎Takes a lot of space. |
| ✅Trays are Dishwasher-safe accessories. | |
| ✅Drying time can be set for 26 hours. |
Tribest Sedona Express Digital Food Dehydrator at Amazon
The Tribest Sedona Express comes with Glass Hinged Door for Easy viewing. So, it’s easier to check the drying process anytime. The Tribest Sedona Express has an easy-to-use control panel and displays for precision drying. It comes with a dehydrator with 11 stainless steel trays that make space for a lot of dehydrating. The Sedona Express dries beef jerky very well. It was quiet in comparison to other dehydrators. The Sedona Express comes with several dehydrating modes. It can dry the food faster. The timer can be set for up to 99 hours. The Tribest Sedona Express is a bit pricey. However, it comes with a 10 Year Warranty which is a big plus for frequent users.
Features:
- It has an adjustable thermostat. Temperature range: 77℉-167℉
- There is a fan at the back of the unit.
- The Tribest Sedona Express also comes with 11 stainless steel mesh trays.
- Also, It allows you to enjoy dried fruits, jerky, veggies, and more.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅10 Year Warranty. | ❎Trays not extendable. |
| ✅Easy to use. | ❎Pricey. |
| ✅ comes with 11 trays. | |
| ✅Accessories are Dishwasher-safe. | |
| ✅Drying time can be set from 99 hours. |
Now you know how to purchase the best food dehydrator
From our reviews, you already have an idea which food dehydrator does what and what features they have. Some dehydrators can process a large batch of food, some can process a small batch of food, some are very easy to handle, some are hard, Some food dehydrators are very huge and heavy for your kitchen, some are not. Some have loud noise while processing food in your kitchen, some are silent. So a lot of things to consider when purchasing the food dehydrator.
A good dehydrator that fits right for you will save your money and time. So, choosing the right food dehydrator for your kitchen is important. We highly recommend Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator for your kitchen. In Conclusion, We are sure our brief guide will help you to make the right decision and choose the right food dehydrator which will keep you and your loved one’s diet for the better.
If you have any questions or suggestions, comment below.
