In the market, there are plenty of food dehydrators that you can find but have you ever wondered that which one of them is excellent for home use?
The food dehydrator for home use is becoming a necessity these days in numerous homes. People recognize the benefits of dried foods more, and they want to provide healthy meals to their family members.
But the requirement for the home use food dehydrator machines is different from the commercial food dehydrators. Thus, to assist you in this task, we have reviewed the five best food dehydrator for home use in the below article.
Besides the review section, we will also share with you some useful and beneficial info that will help you in making the right buying decision in the end.
Comparison Chart of Best Food Dehydrator For Home Use
| Serial No | Product Name | Temp Range (°F) | Wattage (Watts) | Trays | Max Trays | Timer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NESCO FD-75A | 95 - 160 | 600 | 5 | 12 | No |
| 2 | Gourmia GFD1680 | 104-158 | 480 | 6 | NA | Yes |
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Reviews Of Best Food Dehydrators For Home Use
The following are the five best food dehydrators for home use that we have picked after doing an extensive study and research:
1. NESCO FD-75A Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator
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It comes with the feature of adjustable thermostat 95º-160º F that helps you in drying different foods at the right temperature. There is a 600 watts powerful fan at the top that offers strong drying. You get five trays in the machine which is expandable up to 12 trays as per your need. The opaque exterior of the unit benefits in obstructing the damaging light that spoils the food’s nutritional content. There is no need to rotate the trays in it.
Pros
- The controls of using the machine are very easy and simple
- You can quickly clean at home
- It offers uniform drying of the food without any rotation of the trays
- It does not make much noise during the drying process
- It is available at the affordable price on the market
Cons
- You will not get any timer in it
- There is no on/off switch in it
2. Gourmia GFD1680 Premium Countertop Food Dehydrator
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It is a six tray food dehydrator that you can use at your home. It offers you plenty of space for drying. The manufacturers offer a fruit leather sheet as well as drip tray along with the unit. The accurate digital controls of the machine start 360 º airflow flows for full even drying without the problem of overheating. You do not have to rotate the trays in it. The door of the machine is transparent that provides you with easy monitoring of the drying process. The products have got a certification from ETL for being an efficient, safe and high-quality appliance.
Pros
- It is easy to use with the machine with the help of the instruction manual
- It does not mix the flavor of the foods
- You get a book of recipes along with the unit
- You can easily clean it
- You can cook hard foods like beef and jerky in the unit
- It does not make any noise while functioning
Cons
- The trays are not dishwasher safe
- The duration of the timer is also less
3. Presto 06301 Dehydro Digital Electric Food Dehydrator
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There are six trays in this home use food dehydrator that helps in drying the food without any preservatives or additives. You get sample packets of jerky spice and cure with it that let you cook jerky from seafood and meat. The features like digital thermostat range between 90 degrees F – 165 degrees F. Its fan located at the bottom along with the heating element that offers consistent air movement for best drying. There is no need to rotate the trays in it.
Pros
- The digital controls in the unit are very simple to use and understand
- You get the feature of an automatic timer and automatic shut off in it
- It is quite stressed free to clean
- Digital temperature control lets you dehydrate a diversity of foods
- You get fruit roll sheets and non-stick screens with it
- You can expand the trays of the unit up to 12 trays
Cons
- It creates some amount of noise
- The extra trays are costly
Features to Consider While Buying Food Dehydrator for Home Use
The below are a few essential things that you should keep in mind while buying the food dehydrator for home use:
1) Size and Space
If you have limited space in the kitchen then, pick a stackable food dehydrator which possesses less size. Moreover, you can increase their size vertically by adding trays upward. But if there is adequate space in your kitchen then, you should go for the shelf food dehydrator.
2) Heat and Passage of Air
The stackable food dehydrators face the issue of uneven drying, and you might have to rotate the trays sometimes for avoiding the over-drying. But if you have to dehydrate a large amount of foods then, it’s better to go for shelf dehydrators that have fans ta the back for uniform drying.
3) Modifiability
Sometimes while drying big size foods, we have to take out the extra trays from the machine, and in such case the shelf dehydrators are useful. In stackable machines, your food will not dry evenly as all the racks are quite close to each other.
4) Quality Materials
There are two materials from food dehydrators for home use is made, i.e., metal or plastic. So, if you are buying the plastic version then try to buy the FDA approved plastic without BFA. On the other hand, the metal material always wins the race in all aspects.
5) Portability
The stackable dehydrators come with the benefit of small size and hence lightweight also. Metal dryer machines conversely are larger and weighty.
How to Use a Food Dehydrator for Home Use?
The following are the steps of using a food dehydrator for home use:
1) Place the raw material
Firstly you need to place or organize the raw food over the trays of the food dehydrator without overlapping.
2) Temperature setting
Now, do the setting of the temperature for drying the food evenly on all trays. The best temperature for uniform drying is 104 degrees F.
3) Rotation of Trays
As soon as the dehydrator begins to work, start checking it frequently after diverse breaks of time. If there is any requirement of trays rotation then, do that also. Maximum types of fruits and vegetables need 2 to 19 hours for dehydrating.
4) Storage
Once the food dried out totally, you must cool it down and store it inside the airtight box. Put the box in a dry and dark place. If there is moisture left in the food then, again put the food in the dryer machine for drying.
Who Should Buy Food Dehydrator for Home Use?
It is true that the food dehydrator provides you lots of benefits but still it is not useful for everybody. The dehydration process is very time-consuming and lengthy. However, the outcome could be worthwhile. There are so many people around who benefitted from a food dehydrator for home use:
1) Serious planters
People who love to grow foods in the garden but didn’t manage to deal with the lots of fruits and veggies in the garden found the food dehydrator very useful. They can easily dry these foods in their machine and store it for the next seasons and easily use them during the offseason in their recipes. They can easily store the dried foods more stress-free than the raw foods.
2) Fishing and hunting enthusiasts
All those people who love to go on hunting and fishing can store their favorite foods in the dried form in the kitchen. They can turn the venison jerky into a delicious snack and also preserve the trout, tuna, and salmon in their cabinet.
3) Do-it-yourselves
A food dehydrator for home use is also useful for all those people who love to make their appetizers like dog treats, fruit leather, etc. People, who are more concerned about the store bought foods that have harsh chemicals and preservatives in them can use dried food without any worry.
4) Long-haul campers and hikers
The pre-packaged dried foods in the market are quite costly and unhealthy too. That is the reason lots of campers and hikers prefer to create their own dried foods. These foods altogether can be used for making some delicious recipes during the long trips.
Conclusion
The food dehydrator for home use is becoming quite popular these days as everybody wants to make healthy foods at their home for their family. It is an excellent option to keep you away from the store bought dried foods that have harmful preservatives and chemicals in it.
In the above article, we have reviewed the five best food dehydrators for home use. All of them are the winner in one or more aspect, but the common thing among all is that offer you the best-dried food at a reasonable cost easily at home. Now you have to decide that which food dehydrator is suitable for you for your home use after considering the features like portability, accessibility, and modifiability and heating uniformity.
We hope that this article will help you in purchasing the right food dehydrator for home use that will help you in improving your family’s diet for the future better life.