Maximize Your Kitchen’s Potential with These Food Dehydrators

Your first consideration when it comes to a dehydrator is going to be how much food you can effectively dry out. Dehydrators utilize multiple horizontal trays that allow you to fill your dehydrator from floor to ceiling with food. Still, some dehydrators are larger than others, and if you tend to a garden or have need to go through a higher-than-average volume of food, you may find that a larger dehydrator is better suited for you. Vertical dehydrators can also often be expanded with extra trays sold separately.

Dehydration is often a slow process, so if you want to make sure you aren’t spending half the week on your food needs, make sure that your needs align with the capacity of your dehydrator.

Perhaps the most important distinction between the five dehydrators on our list is between horizontally-drying and vertically-drying products. While both are able to dehydrate food just as effectively given enough time, there are a few differences and benefits between picking one or the other.

Horizontal dehydrators often come in stainless steel builds and utilize horizontal fans to blow air across the food rather than through it. This results in less taste and flavor transferring between different types of food in the same dehydrator, which can be a bit of an issue with vertical options. Horizontal dehydrators, however, are more expensive, heavier, bulkier, and take up more cabinet space overall. For small kitchens and spaces, this can be problematic. Likewise, horizontal dehydrators cannot be expanded using extra stacks. If you have more food to dry than can fit in the dehydrator, you’ll just have to work in batches.

Vertical dehydrators are able to get around this due to their design. Should you need more space, you can purchase many extra trays to add to the existing number and increase the overall square footage to your exact needs. Since hot air is being blown into the dehydrator from the bottom, though, flavors and tastes from foods in the bottom tray can transfer upward to the upper trays. Likewise, this design means that the top tray will dry out slower than the bottom tray. Uneven drying can be a bit of a frustrating issue—especially when working with meats—so you may need to dry for longer to achieve the same dehydration than with a horizontal option.

For more pros and cons to each type of dehydrator, be sure to check out the following table:

The wattage of any appliance is often a measurement of the power of the device. In the case of dehydrators specifically, the wattage will give you a rough guess as to how powerful (and how efficient) your dehydrator will be. Lower powered dehydrators, such as the Samson Brands option on our list, will simply take more time to dehydrate than those with higher wattage, such as the NESCO FD-1018A.

Price differences and other features, though, make finding the right dehydrator more complicated than simply picking the most powerful and fastest option. For example, the issue of weight can be a problem, as dehydrators often don’t have a permanent space in the kitchen and countertop space is often more important to give to microwaves and more often-used appliances. This means that you may be lifting and replacing the dehydrator from cabinets or closets more often than you’d expect. Our dehydrators vary greatly in weight, so a lighter option may be more preferable for other homeowners or those who struggle with heavy appliances.

• Why is space measured in square footage and not cubic footage?

• Dehydrators rely on trays on which food is placed, and these trays are stacked from floor to ceiling within the dehydrator to maximize airflow and prevent any negative space left in the dehydrator. For simplicity’s sake, dehydrators offer their square footage as a measure of the amount of horizontal space offered by the number of trays included in the unit as opposed to the cubic volume.

• Why are some dehydrators expandable and others aren’t?

• This aspect of dehydrators has a lot to do with the design choices made by different dehydrator manufacturers. When it comes to vertical dehydrators, manufacturers are often able to build the fan and heating components in the bottom of the device and force air upward. This means that additional stacks can be added so long as the top section of the device (which keeps outside air out) remains on top.

  Stackable dehydrators often have a stacking limit, as noted with the two stackable options on our list. Horizontal dehydrators, on the other hand, have no means to expand. We recommend taking a look at your dehydrating needs and considering whether or not a stackable dehydrator is going to be necessary for your kitchen.

• What temperatures are best for drying my food?

• Food preservation procedures and safe dehydrating temperatures vary greatly, so it’s always important to double-check the proper temperature for your food. Many of the products on our list also include guides for properly drying and storing food as well as recipes for making some of your favorite snacks.

  Generally speaking, though, you’ll want to keep your temperature near 100 degrees Fahrenheit for sensitive and delicate items such as herbs. If you’re trying to make yogurt, 115 degrees Fahrenheit is often cited. Vegetables and fruits can keep in the 120-140 degrees Fahrenheit range, but meats need special attention to temperature.

  Heat your meats for at least four hours at the 155-160 degrees Fahrenheit range to ensure that your meats are safe to eat. These high temperatures are necessary for killing bacteria that could potentially cause food-borne illnesses.