Best Dehydrator is the Healthiest Way To Preserve Food

With the aid of a good dehydrator, you can preserve the nutrients in the vast majority of foods you like to eat on a daily basis. The dehydration process is still not accepted by everyone either because of ignorance or lack of the right information. During my research for this food dehydrator reviews, it became clear to me that it is one of the healthiest ways to retain the minerals and vitamins in foods just like their fresh counterparts.

If you want to retain the alkalinity and freshness of your produce you should get your hands on a good food dehydrator. When the hydration process is conducted the right way, it will help to prevent the growth of bacteria or other micro-organisms that might be harmful to your health.

Benefits Offered by a Food Dehydrator

Stretch Food Budget – It is the ultimate food preservation product to use when you find your favorite fruit, vegetable, or meat on sale with significant savings if you buy in bulk. Food dehydrators can be utilized by families, hunters, or just about anyone that enjoys cooking at home while also saving you money in the process.

You’ll Know Bad Food – Unlike the foods found in sealed cans, you’ll be able to notice right away if your dehydrated food is still fresh, because any mold would be visible to the naked eye. Can you say that about canned foods that might contain invisible germs and bacteria, which cannot be easily ascertained?

Food Preservation at its Best – If you hate using chemical preservatives and additives, you should know that food dehydrators will preserve all the essential nutrients as it dries out the vegetables, fruits, or meat. It is not uncommon to have your dried foods last for at least three months or longer.

Other Benefits

You’ll save more time and energy using a food dehydrator as compared to an oven when trying to preserve the nutrients in your food products. Even the best food dehydrator will probably cost you less than what would command.

It is the ultimate product to use when trying to prolong the shelf life of your favorite foods while retaining the flavor and nutrients. The variety of food products you can use in a food dehydrator is only limited by your imagination.

Few Limitations to the Benefits offered by Food Dehydrators

You should know that a food dehydrator that is designed for home use will have some limitations as compared to commercial food dryers. It would be futile to try to use one to make onion or garlic powder.

As you know, food dehydrators work by removing the moisture from the fresh food products. Likewise, foods that are high in fat might not last as long after being put through the dehydration process. If you use it one high-fat food like beef jerky or avocados, you should try to consume it within a week or two.

The fear is that the fat might go rancid even in the dried state. To protect the flavor of your beef jerky that was dried using a food dehydrator, try storing it in a freezer.

Best Dehydrator Buying Guide

Just like any food preservation product, there are many brands in the marketplace and below are some of the features you should be on the lookout for. They come in different sizes and shapes, but knowing what you will be using one for is the key to getting your hands on a good brand.

The Size

Your food dehydrator will come with trays, which determines the quantity of food products you can dehydrate. Some will give you the option of adding additional trays.

The Power

Pay particular attention to the wattage of the food dehydrator for it is the key feature to determining the drying temperature and speed. I have seen units come with as high as 1000-watts, and as low as 125-watts. Just keep in mind that the food dehydrators with high wattage will dry your food much faster.

Other Features

It would be nice if the dehydrator comes with internal lighting so that you can see clearly the condition of the drying process. My friend has one with an auto-timing and digital thermometer settings, which makes it far easier to initiate and control the food drying process.

Food Dehydrator Reviews

Keep in mind that you can use a food dehydrator to dry different foods at the same time by utilizing the trays the right way. The drying process is far more appropriate for maintaining the nutrients of the food products as compared to using a drying oven.

With so many brands offering different shapes and sizes of food dehydrators it might be difficult for some to know the best product. Some of the best food dehydrators can be found reviewed below:

1 – Presto 06300 Dehydrator Reviews

This presto food dehydrator is commonly known as model 06300 and comes with some admirable features. The inclusion of vertical airflow technology ensures that the heat created starts off at the bottom and makes its way across the other top trays.

This might be good or bad based on how you look at it since the bottom foods will be dehydrated first. You should also know that the science of air distribution does not mean your food products will be evenly cooked and dried. Let’s look at the pros and cons of the presto 06300 dehydro electric food dehydrator.

Pros:

The presto 06300 comes with the following dimension 14.5 x 15 x 6.2 inches and weighs only 7.5 pounds, which guarantees it will only occupy a tiny footprint on your countertop.

The included 600 Watts ensures enough power to dry just about any type of food product.

The trays that come in contact with your food items is certified to be BPA-Free by the manufacturer.

It is capable of generating temperature from 135 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

You get four trays, which can also be expanded to eight rays.

The removable components are all dishwasher-safe, which ensures quick and easy cleaning routines after each food processing batch.

Cons:

The presto dehydro electric food dehydrator has no timer, neither does it come with a thermostat. This might be a problem for those that do not have the time to adequately monitor the dehydrator as it processes the food items. It is designed to operate at a preset temperature of approximately 165°, which might not be appropriate for all food products.

The Decision:

If you want a food dehydrator with a timer and adjustable temperature settings consider the merits of the at a higher price. This is a compact unit with space for cord storage underneath the base.

This presto electric food dehydrator can be used to dehydrate vegetables, herbs, spices, and fruits. You get a one year limited warranty from the manufacturer to cover any potential factory defect.

2 – Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator FD-75A

Another durable food dehydrator is from a company called Nesco. While they make several models, this review will be about food dehydrator Nesco FD-75A. You also get a 52-page Nesco dehydrator recipes with detailed directions of what type of food creations you can make with the food dehydrator.

Among all Nesco food dehydrators, model FD-75A is compact, sleek with a contemporary design. it is designed to dry foods quickly, which means in just a few hours rather than days as common with other food dehydrators.

Pros:

The dimension for this food dehydrator is 13.8 x 22.1 x 13.9 inches and only weighs 6 pounds. You get 5 Nesco dehydrator trays, which can be expanded to 12 trays.

Nesco FD-75A has a vertical airflow that directs the heat from the top to the bottom with 600-watts of raw power with temperature range from 95°F to 160°F.

It has a thermostat one can use to monitor the temperature outputted by the unit to ensure even drying of your food items.

Cons:

It is disappointing to see it does not have a timer. Also, the lack of clear see-through panel means you’ll have to constantly open the food Nesco Snackmaster to ensure your food products are not over-dried.

The Decision:

Despite the lack of a timer among its features, Nesco Snackmaster pro food dehydrator is beloved by many of the current users with glowing feedbacks that can be found .

The inclusion of an adjustable thermostat makes it one of the best food dehydrators one can purchase online. The product is covered by a one year warranty from the manufacturer.

3 – Excalibur 3926TB Food Dehydrator Review

This is the ultimate product when it comes to having a best dehydrator. It has up to 15 square feet of usable drying space with a total of nine trays. All the essential components like the heating elements, fan, and thermostat are all located in the back of the food dehydrator.

It works by drawing in cool air, which is then heated and evenly distributed throughout the trays. This unit can dehydrate your food much faster, while also retaining all the essential nutrients. Excalibur 3926TB has the following dimension 19 x 17 x 12.5 inches and weighs only 22 pounds.

Pros:

If you reside within the continental USA, you get a five-year limited warranty from the manufacturer. The unit is available for purchase in either black or white color.

It has an adjustable thermostat that gives you the ability to control the temperature, which can range from 105°F to 165°F.

Not only does this food dehydrator come with a built in on/off switch, the poly-screen tray insert is flexible enough to help prevent the dried foods from sticking to the trays.

Cons:

Several users complained about the sound emitted while in operation. One of the biggest con is the price tag. From the feedbacks, it is suggested you have enough food to dehydrate to justify the higher price for this unit. If shipped outside of the United States, the purchaser only gets a one-year warranty.

The Decision:

The Excalibur 3926TB Food Dehydrator is the best brand from all the information we gathered for this best food dehydrator reviews. Just make sure you have enough food items to dehydrate to justify the investment cost. Despite all the attributes, this unit is more appropriate for a large family or a commercial establishment.