A buy dehydrator is a handy appliance for anyone who likes to make their own healthy, shelf-stable foods. These can range from snacks (like herb chips and fruit leather) to meat jerky, fruit rolls, and even whole meals. Dehydrating also preserves the natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes in foods. And compared to commercially prepared dried foods, dehydrated foods tend to be lower in salt and other unhealthy additives like monosodium glutamate.
Unleash Your Culinary Creativity with a Food Dehydrator
Whether you want to dry herbs and citrus zest, create gourmet jerky, or make a quick snack for a hiking trip, you’ll need a good dehydrator to do the job right. In general, look for a model with plenty of space to accommodate your desired food ingredients. Also consider how many trays you need and the type of tray material. BPA-free plastic is the most common, but stainless steel is also available on some models.
Tray shape and size affect how much food a dehydrator can hold. Most stackable models fit four to six trays, and some have an expandable design that can accommodate up to 20 trays. The amount of trays can also impact power use and price: More trays means more initial electrical usage, but higher wattage models tend to dehydrate foods faster.
The type of fan used in a dehydrator also plays a role in how fast and evenly the food dries. The horizontal fan (the kind you see on slide-in trays, like Excalibur) works from front to back across all the trays and is the most efficient.
