Best Food Dehydrator Reviews | Buyer’s Guide

Canning is a popular used method to preserve food for long. However, the problem with this preservation method is that preservatives and additives are used which can affect your health. But, you can invest in a food dehydrator that allows you to preserve your food for long without involving preservatives.

A food dehydrator draws out the moisture in the food while retaining all the nutrients and preventing the growth of bacteria. Furthermore, food dehydrators provide results in less time and they don’t raise your electric bills. After going through the best food dehydrators in the market, we have come up with the 5 best models that will improve your experience.

What is Food Dehydration?

Food dehydration is a process that involves removing moisture from meat, vegetables, fruits, and many more foods using a dehydrator, sun-drying, or oven. This process helps prevent growth of mold, yeast, and bacteria from growing and the food is preserved for long while keeping all the nutrients.

If you know what preservatives and additives are put in the food you order or buy, you will see the importance of food dehydration.

Benefits of Having a Food Dehydrator

Helps you save money, energy, and time

When you go shopping, you do something called impulse buying. This is where a have your grocery list, but at last you buy extra items, such as chocolate, drinks, chips, candy, bar, and snacks. If you start dehydrating your own food, you will spend less time at the stores and you will save more.

Increases food shelf life

With a food dehydrator, you can buy loads of vegetables and fruits, dehydrate them, and store for later use without spoilage. Once you buy your food, it won’t last long before it goes bad and you have to consume it instantly. Therefore, invest in a food dehydrator and you won’t experience food spoilage.

You save time preserving the food compared to canning

Using the canning method, a lot of time is used. You have to sterilize your containers or cans before using them so that your food can be preserved for long.

On the other hand, food dehydration requires on washing the food, slicing if needed, and put inside the machine. The process is hassle-free and more convenient.

Gives you full control over the food you eat

If you are always worried about how the food is prepared in fast food chains or restaurants, then food dehydration will be the best alternative for you. In case you grow your own food, it is advisable you dry the food after harvesting to help secure all the nutrients.

You can buy dehydrated food from the store, but some stores use additives and sugars which are not good for your health. Therefore, get a dehydrator and control what you eat.

You will get antioxidants and fiber supply

Comparing dry fruits or vegetables, the dry fruits have high antioxidants and fiber concentration compared to the fresh ones. Still, the dehydrated food will keep Vitamin C, iron, and Beta Carotene all intact.

Those are some of the benefits you can get from a food dehydrator, but if you invest in this quality product, you will see it has many more benefits.

What to Consider when Choosing a Food Dehydrator

There are many food dehydrators in the market and they have different features. Some are from brands but their features can vary. If you want to purchase a quality food dehydrator, below we have a guide with the best food dehydrators that will help you make a good purchase.

Size & Capacity

Like any other kitchen appliance, you will need to check it’s size and the amount of food it can store. A food dehydrator shrinks food to a fraction of it’s original size when dehydrated. The good thing about food dehydrators is that you can find a compact model with spacious and stackable trays that will save you more space in the kitchen. Still, you have to consider where you want the dehydrator to stay, either in the cabinet or over the countertop, and the capacity you need.

The capacity of a food dehydrator is determined by how many snacks you want to dehydrate. If you want to make a few snacks, go for a small and less expensive model. If your food drying includes large batches of meat, vegetables, and fruits, choosing a larger machine will save you the hassle of hydrating in multiple smaller batches.

Functions & Controls

Food dehydrators are equipped with multiple functions that bring more convenience and safety to your kitchen. For instance, the products in our guide have a timer, auto shut off, and overheat protection. The timer is set to run for certain hours, let’s say for 19 hours in 30-minute increments.

After the results are achieved, the machine enters into auto shut-off mode to save more power. Besides, the overheat protection function provides maximum safety in case the unit overheats.

There is a memory function that saves you the hassle of selecting the settings again in case of power interruption. Lastly, a dehydrator with an LCD display and window will be an added advantage because it allows you to hydrate the food with ease and the window allows you to track your food without interfering.

Cleaning

The trays in a food dehydrator have hard-to-reach crannies and nooks that need to be cleaned thoroughly to enhance maximum hygiene. All the trays should be removable and dishwasher safe to make your work simple.

However, the material used to make the trays determines whether they should be dishwasher safe. For the housing, it should be stain-resistant so that it can look great for years.

Reviews of the Best Food Dehydrators

Best Mid-Range: COSORI

Premium Food Dehydrator

 

COSORI brings you this food dehydrator that dries your food by circulating hot air around it. It comes with 1 mesh screen, 6 stainless steel trays, 1 user manual, 1 fruit roll sheet, and a recipe. This food dehydrator can be used to make healthy snacks, dog treats, beef jerkies, bread crumbs, and preserving flowers, herbs, etc.

It has an integrated digital panel with a timer that can be set in 30-minute increments for up to 48 hours. You can make average-sized bathes with precise temperatures between 95-165-degrees F. Besides, the trays, and liners are dishwasher safe to save you the hassle.

The most unique aspect of COSORI food dehydrator is that it operates quietly with noise levels less than 48dB, equaling noise levels recorded in a library. Still, everything is non-toxic and BPA-free to provide you with maximum safety. The auto shut-off comes in when the timer ends and the overheat protection activates if the dehydrator overheats.

With all the safety features and construction, you are guaranteed a safe food dehydrator you can use for years to come.

Features

• It has a customizable timer that can be set for up to 48-hours in 30-minute increments
• Features a rear-mounted fan and heating elements that heat each tray evenly
• Equipped with a digital LED display for simple setting selection
• This food dehydrator is ETL listed for safety and it is BPA-free
• The 6 trays and tray liners are dishwasher safe
• Features an auto shut off and overheat protection that enhances safety

Pros

• Dishwasher safe design makes it convenient and simple to clean
• It operates quietly and doesn’t increase your electric bills
• The stainless steel exterior matches your existing cookware perfectly
• Included recipes take your culinary experience to another level

Cons

• COSORI needs to make some improvements on the control panel because it does not function to expectations.

Quietest and Best for Beginners: COSORI Food Dehydrator Machine

This is another improved model from COSORI designed to dry vegetables, fruits, meat, and many more foods by circulating hot air around the food. The hot air will remove bacteria, fungi, and moisture in your food, preventing health risks and keeping your food from going bad.

Using this food dehydrator is simple because it has a large LCD display that allows you to choose the settings that will dry your food to perfection. Take advantage of the timer that helps you customize time and temperature for each item. You can adjust the time up to 48 hours in 30-minute increments.

To bring you more convenience, the memory function remembers all the settings in case of power interruption, saving you the hassle of setting it up again. Cleaning is simple because the trays are non-stick and dishwasher safe.

COSORI food dehydrator is made from BPA-free and food-grade materials that enhance safety. on the safe side, the dehydrator shuts off automatically when it overheats and the auto shut off will shut it off when the cooking time is achieved.

Features

• It has a smart LED display with simple controls
• Features a timer set for 48 hours in 30-minute increments
• Equipped with an automatic shut off and overheat protection
• Memory function saves the settings in case of power interruption
• It has adjustable temperature between 95 to 165-degrees F
• Comes with a recipe book with 50 original recipes
• Operates at noise levels of less than 48dB

Pros

• This food dehydrator extends the shelf life of your foods
• Simple design makes it perfect for beginners
• It is a versatile and reliable dehydrator suitable for different foods
• The machine is BPA-free, non-toxic, and operates quietly

Cons

• The only complaint is that the trays are hard to clean.

Best for Compact Kitchens: NutriChef Food Dehydrator Machine

NutriChef brings you this multi-tier electric food dehydrator that can be used to preserve a variety of foods and it produces healthy food with no complicated process needed. It is a good maker of organic snacks by dehydrating vegetables, fruits, and making chips.

The food dehydrator features a simple to use one operation button and it does not have complicated controls that can make your job hard. You will find trays that you can use to dry food without using the dehydrator. All the trays are removable to enhance easy cleaning and the dehydrator’s housing is stain-resistant to make the job easy for you.

The good thing about using this machine is that it increases food shelf life with high heat circulation that travels each tray. Besides, it dries the food and removes all the moisture, but still retains 97% of minerals and vitamins. Moreover, you can use it to dehydrate a variety of foods, including fish, poultry, meat, vegetables, fruits, and many more.

• Offers a one-button operation for the best results
• Retains up to 97% of vitamins and minerals
• Features 5 removable stackable food trays
• It’s temperature control system has 180-degrees F
• It is convenient and hassle-free to clean

Pros

• Gives you a faster and effective option to standard dehydration
• It is scientifically proven to increase food shelf life
• The machine is stain-resistant and simple to clean

Cons

• The trays are not machine washable, making them hard to clean
• No automatic shut off.

Best Efficient and Spacious: Gourmia GFD 1950 Electric Food Dehydrator

If you love dehydrated treats, such as homemade fruits rolls, jerky, veggie-chips, but the process involved creating them tires you, here is a good solution. Gourmia GFD food dehydrator is a trusted machine that gives enough room to dehydrate all your favorite foods.

The food dehydrator has a large LCD panel with an LCD timer that can be set up to 19.5 hours drying time in 30-minute increments. It has precise digital controls that activate 360-degrees air circulation for even drying without overheating and no rotation is required.

 Besides, the transparent window makes it easy to monitor all the sheets and all the sheets are adjustable to ensure maximum dehydration.

With this Gourmia GFD 1950 Food processor, forget about storing processed junk. This machine dehydrates your food perfectly while retaining minerals and vitamins, making it a healthy alternative to traditional dehydration. It allows you to season food to your preference or you can use the included recipe book to get new ideas.

Features

• Equipped with a large LCD panel set for 19.5 hours in 30-minute increments
• Features a 360-degrees air circulation system for even dehydration
• It has 8 computer-controlled temperature settings (95 to 158-degrees F)
• Fitted with 6 adjustable shelves that guaranteed maximum airflow and dehydration
• The included recipe book will give you new ideas
• It comes with an extra drip tray

Pros

• It gives you healthy dehydrated snacks or treats
• The spacious design makes it great for food storage
• BPA-free and ETL certified for safety

Cons

• Most customers complain about the door being hard to open and close. The door should flip up but not sliding. You can take out the piece of cardboard at the back and it will work smoothly.

Best for Budget: Elite Gourmet Food Dehydrator

Meet this food dehydrator from Elite Gourmet that allows you to enjoy healthy, dehydrated snacks in the comfort of your home. It has stable temperature control ranging from 95 to 160-degrees F, giving you maximum flexibility to get the best results when drying different foods.

This dehydrator works in a simple way, where the consistent airflow flow forces the heated air into the trays with no rotation required, keeping the air moving to give maximum dehydration.

You will find a base mounted fan that enhances even drying and the large viewing window helps you monitor the drying process without touching the food. Each tray is non-stick and dishwasher safe to make the cleaning process fast and simple.

The unique thing about this food dehydrator is that it allows you to dehydrate your food and store it with no added additives, sugars, or preservatives. It is a perfect choice for those buyers on a budget because the price is reasonable.  In addition, the 350-watts of drying power ensure you dry more food easier and faster.

Features

• Features stable temperature control (95 to 160-degrees F)
• Equipped with a base mounted fan for even drying
• It has a large viewing window for simple monitoring
• All the trays are non-stick and dishwasher safe
• Uses 350-watts of drying power
• Non-slip base ensures it stays in one position

Pros

• The food processor is ETL listed and safe to use
• Allows you to enjoy 100% dehydrated foods with no additives or preservatives
• It is quiet and simple to use
• This dehydrator does not take much space on the counter

Cons

• The problem with this food dehydrator is that it takes long to dehydrate your food.

Bottom Line

There you have the best food dehydrators in our guide above. We hope the review was helpful and you have found a perfect model for your needs. All the dehydrators are safe to use, easy to clean, easy to store, and they will help you enjoy snacks and treats with no additives and preservatives. Furthermore, they can be used on any countertop because they are compact and non-slip.