Dehydrating allows you to preserve seasonal ingredients—and save a little money. Are berries on sale at your local store? Buy them and dehydrate them. You'll have a great cereal add-on for months. Love the outdoors and regularly go camping or backpacking? Use a dehydrator to make freeze-dried food that tastes better than the offerings at the store. Has your summer garden produced more tomatoes than you can currently eat? Dehydrate them.
A dehydrator can make delicious beef jerky, apple chips, and dried mango. But you need to choose the right one if you want to make tasty food. Dehydrators have become popular and their sales keep increasing every year. But this also means there are many dehydrators on the market, so you need to do a little research to find the best one.
How Does a Food Dehydrator Work?
A dehydrator machine has fans, vents, and a heating element. These work together to send hot air over the food, hasten evaporation, and heat the food. This causes moisture to be released from the food’s interior until its water content is significantly reduced.
Dehydrating food is a proven preservation method that has been used for a long time. When moisture is drawn out of food, the growth of bacteria is inhibited. And when food is dried properly, it can last a long time--which is why you should get a food dehydrator.
It's the perfect machine for people who like to buy food in bulk or want to preserve produce like vegetables or herbs. Dehydrating also concentrates food flavor, so fruits taste sweeter and herbs taste stronger.
While you can dehydrate apples, pineapples, tomatoes, and beef for jerky the traditional way (by hanging them out in the sun), a food dehydrator offers a more controlled environment. And because it has trays, there’s plenty of space to make the most of your yield.
Electric food dehydrators make the drying process almost foolproof thanks to accurate temperature controls and proper air circulation. They are designed to dry foods fast at the recommended temperatures. Electric models also have a fan and a heating element and stack several trays to maximize the drying area.
Our Choice for the Best Dehydrator: PARIS RHÔNE Food Dehydrator Machine
If you’re tired of eating store-bought snacks filled with preservatives, get the PARIS RHÔNE Food Dehydrator Machine. It's speedy, consistent, and easy to use.
It comes with 6 stainless steel trays that can accommodate a massive harvest. 480 watts of drying power, a uniquely designed fan, and a powerful motor work together to dry food quickly and quietly.
The rear-mounted fan generates 360° airflow circulation, ensuring food dries uniformly. A see-through door allows you to quickly check on your food as it dries so it doesn’t get too dry.
The device's digital control panel makes for accurate time and temperature control. You can set the precise drying time and temperature (95ºF to 158ºF). A tilted LED screen lets you quickly see the time and temperature. This model only produces 48dB when running, so you can dehydrate food overnight as you sleep.
Use the food dehydrator to dry foods to different temperatures (high for beef jerky and low for apple slices). Its light-blocking exterior ensures more nutrients are preserved during the drying process. You’ll also love the useful accessories it comes with—like the mesh sheet and the fruit roll sheet. The trays are all dishwasher-safe, which means easy cleanup.
The dehydrator is built for safety and is ETL certified. It has BPA-free trays and an automatic shutdown function. Its innovative drop-down door allows you to easily place and remove trays
Features to Look for in a Food Dehydrator
Heat Distribution and Airflow
The biggest challenge during dehydration is ensuring that heat is evenly distributed to all the food you’re drying. Some food items will be further from the heat source, so be sure to choose a dehydrator machine with good airflow.
Before you buy one, research its heat distribution and airflow. Horizontal flow food dehydrators offer effective heat distribution and airflow, while vertical flow models feature fans and other design elements to boost airflow.
Ease of Use
For the most part, dehydrating food is easy. But there are features that can make the process easier for you. The main one is a simple control panel. The control panel will determine how quickly you get used to the unit. An automatic shutdown feature is also important. It ensures the unit shuts down once food is dehydrated.
Also, look for a model with dishwasher-safe components and consider how much work will go into cleaning the different parts. Dishwasher-safe components mean less work for you.
Temperature Controls and Timer
Some food dehydrators have a fixed temperature—don’t get one. Choose a model with adjustable temperature if you’re serious about dehydrating. Different foods have different drying temperatures, so one temperature can’t dry them all. A timer is also important, especially when you have to dry food at a specific temperature for a specific amount of time. And once the dehydration process is complete, a timer can switch off the dehydrator on its own.
Space
If you want to dry large batches of food, space should be your top concern. You can look for a dehydrator that has room for more trays. That way, you can add more trays based on your needs. Alternatively, you can get a dehydrator with multiple spacious trays. You won’t have any problem when you need to dry a lot of food.
Don’t Wait, Get the Best Dehydrator Machine for Your Kitchen Today!
Dehydration existed before refrigeration. It was one of the earliest forms of food preservation and provided a safe way to keep food as the moisture dried out. Dehydration also concentrates food flavors; fruits taste sweeter and herbs are more flavorful.
Whether you want to make homemade fruit rollups or preserve produce, a dehydrator machine can do the job. Get the PARIS RHÔNE Food Dehydrator Machine and start making dried snacks at home that don’t have preservatives. Make dried strawberries for your morning cereal, a batch of banana chips for your kids, or even beef jerky for the dog.
