There are lots of food dehydrators to choose from and it would take you a lot of time to sort through all the features and reviews so we decided to make it easy for you by compiling a list of the top 3 Best Food Dehydrator reviews with the best features and pricing.
One of these 3 Food Dehydrators are sure to be a good fit for your needs. We have done all the research for you and put our findings neatly here on this page. No need for you to spend an hour doing the research yourself.
Best Food Dehydrators
1. Excalibur 3900B 9 Tray Dehydrator (cream of the crop)
The Exaclibur 3900B is a great food dehydrator that is perfect for larger families and gardens. It comes with 9 trays, 10 year warranty, adjustable thermostat and their patented Parallex Horizontal Airflow system which dehydrates foods faster and retains more nutrients without having to manually rotate the trays.
The reviews for the 3900B is also stellar with most people giving it 5 stars.
You can read our full review of the Excalibur here.
2. Nesco American Harvest FD-1018P 1000 Watt Dehydrator (best value for money)
You just cannot go wrong with the Nesco FD-1018P Food dehydrator. It has a ton of raving reviews online and people are very happy with it.
The American Harvest packs 1000 watts of drying power, 8 trays and can expand to 30 trays, adjustable thermostat, patented techology for faster drying and much more.
Some people are saying that they are drying their foods 4 times faster with the FD-1018P than with the previous food dehydrators they owned.
With all the great feedback, reasonable price and excellent features we feel that you will get the best value for your money with this product.
You can read our full review here.
3. Nesco FD-75 Snack Master (best low budget)
This little dehydrator has over 2000 almost 5 star reviews on Amazon alone. It has also been a best seller in the category for a few years now so it is obvious that it is a great choice especially if you look at the price.
The Nesco FD-75A is a smaller food dehydrator and comes with only 5 trays which is perfect for people with smaler families and gardens.
It comes with the same technology and features as it’s older brother the FD-1018P.
If you don’t need to dehydrate a lot of product at once then this little dehydrator would be your best bet.
You can read our full review here.
Food Dehydrators Offer Long Term Safe Food Storage Options
There are a number of great reasons why you should buy a good quality food dehydrator. Proper food dehydration offers a wide range of health benefits, can help you save money, and has a number of cooking benefits.
However, making the right choice when looking for the best food dehydrator means understanding what you should look for to ensure you get the best unit for your money. That’s where our food dehydrator reviews comes in.
How To Build a Food Dehydrator
Maybe you are a handyman and don’t feel like spending a couple hundred bucks on a food dehydrator. Below you will find a good video that explains in detail how you can build your own for pennies on the dollar.
Understanding the Health Benefits of Dehydrating Food.
When you go to the grocery store and buy canned, dried, or preserved foods, you are getting far more than you expect. Many canned foods such as vegetables for example, contain high levels of sodium as a preservative, along with many other artificial ingredients.
This can be a problem for anyone who is on a low sodium diet. Many also contain chemical preservatives that have been proven to be unhealthy when consumed in large quantities. Chief among these is MSG or mono sodium glutamate, a substance that has been found to cause digestive issues, headaches, and sleepiness among many other issues.
Pre-packaged fruits tend to have extra sugar added that tends to eliminate the healthy reasons why you choose to eat fruit as a healthy snack. However, when you dehydrate your own foods, you get to control how much, if any, sugar or salt is added.
At the same time you will not be adding MSG or any other form of chemical additive, making your foods extremely healthy.
Different Types of Food Dehydrators and How They Work
The vast majority of the food dehydrators on the market have a fan mounted in the back of the unit or on the bottom. This fan is used to blow hot air over and around the trays of food being dehydrated. This hot air removes the water content of the foods slowly until the foods are completely dehydrated.
Other models operate using the convection method. These use a heating element typically mounted on the bottom of the unit that allows the heat to rise up and dry the food.
Convection dehydrators are silent as they do not contain a noisy fan like the traditional food dehydrator, but they tend to take twice as long to get the job done. This is especially true for anyone who lives in an area where humidity levels are higher than normal.
There are two basic styles of food dehydrator, those with trays that stack on top of each other and those where the trays are slid into a box with a lid or door that closes. Stacked trays tend to limit the size of the foods or items you are drying, and many require you to use all trays even if you are not drying enough food to fill them.
Slide in trays are fully adjustable to let you dry a wider range of foods and items as you only need insert the trays you plan to use. Look at the 3 food dehydrator reviews above to see examples.
What to Look for in a Food Dehydrator
There are several things you should look for when choosing a food dehydrator to ensure you get the best possible model to fit your needs.
How it will be used:
Consider what you plan to use your food dehydrator for, will you be drying one type of food or do you need one that can handle a wide range of foods and items. The best food dehydrators feature an adjustable thermostat that lets you choose the best temperature for the foods you are drying.
Many herbs need to be dried at 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but meats needs to be dried at 145 degrees.
Will your dehydrator be left running:
If you plan to buy a dehydrator that will be left running while you are at work or overnight, you should be looking for one that has an automatic shut-off? Most feature a timer that can be set for a number of hours and will then shut the unit down. This lets you take care of business without having to worry about your foods becoming over dried and ruined.
How much food will you be drying:
Consider carefully how much food you think you will be drying each season. For example if you have a large garden, you may want to buy an extra-large capacity unit as it is sure to see plenty of use. On the other hand if you only plan to use your food dehydrator for smaller projects or occasionally, a smaller less expensive model might be a better choice.
What other types of cooking will you be doing:
If you are planning to use your food dehydrator for other forms of cooking such as making yogurt and fruit leathers, you should look for one that includes non-stick sheets to place on the trays. These will make the job much easier and far less messy when the time comes to clean up.
Food Dehydrators Save You Money
While the initial outlay for a good quality food dehydrator can be high, the right one can save you a lot of money over time. For example you can make your own potato chips for a fraction of the cost of buying them in the stores. Along with this, you will find that as you dry your own foods, you will be reducing the amount of food waste produced in your house.
For example, if you buy bulk fruits when they are fresh and in season to save money, you can dehydrate the extra before it goes bad and use them in a number of recipes during the rest of the year. Dehydrated strawberries for example are great in oatmeal, on salads, and in cold cereals. They taste fantastic as a simple snack, and your children will love them.
In order to determine which food dehydrators are the best on the market, KitchenChatters studies a number of professional test results. In these tests a panel of experts take the time to perform a range of comparative tests that determine each unit’s ability to dehydrate a range of foods in a variety of conditions.
At the same time we look at what consumers have written with regard to their experience with the different food dehydrators. Our report lists the best food dehydrator models and how to pick which one will be best for your needs.
Finally we look to be sure that not only is each of the models test still being manufactured, but also that they can be found anywhere in the country.
Here are our 3 recommendations again. One of these dehydrators will be sure to fit your needs and budget nicely.
We hope you found value on our food dehydrator reviews page. If you have some questions please feel free to leave a comment.
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