We have been using food dehydrators for over 30 years. As such, we have learned a bit about what works best for general purpose food dehydrator use.
A lot of folks ask us what to consider when shopping for the best food dehydrator. This is our top 10 things to consider in a food dehydrator.
Okay, we do have a few more than 10 things listed here, so consider the extras a bonus.
The Top 10 Things to Look for in a Food Dehydrator
Some folks consider food dehydrators as essential house hold appliances.
With food dehydrator purchase prices range anywhere from free do-it-yourself options, all the way up to a high-end Excalibur model costing well over $1000.00.
However, for most folks, there is no need to spend more than $100.00. So we put together this list of the top 10 things to look for in a food dehydrator to help you decide on what you really need.
And lastly, we mostly use our food dehydrators for making jerky and dog treats followed by dehydrating fruits, veggies, and herbs.
Power
The first in our list of top 10 things to look for in a food dehydrator, you want a model rated at a minimum of 500 watts of drying power. Most food dehydrators have both a fan and a heating element, so that wattage is somewhat split between the two. So in a sense, this is how much power your food dehydrator would consume with the thermostat temperature maxed out and pushing out warm drying air over your food items. You want all of your food to dehydrate in a reasonable period of time. So the more wattage the better.
Our opinion, consider another brand if the manufacturer doesn’t provide complete product specifications that includes the wattage rating.
A Fan for Air Circulation
The second in in our top 10 things to consider in a food dehydrator, does it have a fan. The food dehydrator needs a fan for air flow. The fan moves air across the food products and pushes moisture outside of your dehydrator. Some food dehydrators have the fan mounted in the base, others have the fan mounted on the top, and yet other have the fan mounted on the side.
Our opinion is the fan should not be mounted in the base of the dehydrator. Where we live, things generally fall down because of gravity. What about where you live? Many inexpensive dehydrators have the warm air blower fans located on the bottom of the appliance, not positioned on the top or the side. Small bits of food, spices, and excess jerky marinade will fall, — and fall into the blower fan and cause future cleanliness issues or maybe even worse, a burned-out fan motor.
Expandability
The third in our list of top 10 things to look for in a food dehydrator is expandability.
Most food dehydrators you may buy include 4 or maybe 5 drying trays in the box. Can the food dehydrator handle even more drying trays? Could you even buy additional drying trays?
What is the maximum number of drying trays your food dehydrator holds? Two pounds of lean beef cut into jerky size strips will fill between 4 and 6 drying trays of our Nesco FD-61 food dehydrator. (Our Nesco FD-61 is expandable up to 12 food-drying trays)
Look at the manufacturer’s website for optional accessories, add-ons, and even for a copy of the owner’s manual of your prospective food dehydrator.
Fruit Roll Sheets
The fourth in our top 10 things to consider in a food dehydrator, does it come with fruit roll sheets and can you buy extras? Fruit roll sheets are handy not only for making fruit rolls, but also for drying herbs, spices, sauces, and even making dog treats.
Can your dehydrator accommodate more than one fruit roll sheet? Read the owner’s manual. With some food dehydrator models, you can only use 1 or 2 fruit roll sheets at a time, no more. Check the manufacturer’s website for the owner’s manual and see what it says.
Mesh Screens
The fifth in our list of top 10 things to look for in a food dehydrator, some food dehydrators also come with mesh screens that flex for easy removal and drying smaller or sticky items. Can you buy extras? This is a must-have item when we’re preparing for outdoor weekend trips or making dog treats for our BFFs.
Some mesh screens for food dehydrators have a “top” and a “bottom” side. The bottom feels smooth to the touch, and the top, where the food is placed, is more “pointed” or with pronounced ridges to the touch. In other words, the top side has less surface area to contact (or stick) to the food.
Can you get Replacement Parts
Okay, we’re half way there. The sixth in our top 10 things to consider in a food dehydrator, does the manufacturer offer replacement parts? Eventually you will need to replace a drying tray due to normal wear and tear.
Many food dehydrators require a minimum number of drying trays during normal operation, even though the drying trays maybe empty. For example, the owner’s manual of my own Nesco FD-61 says Always use at least 4 trays when drying in your dehydrator, even if tray(s) are empty.
Adjustable Temperature Control
The seventh in our list of top 10 things to look for in a food dehydrator, does the food dehydrator have an adjustable thermostat for temperature control? No, not a minimally useful low-medium-high temperature control switch. What temperature is low or high really? We know exactly what 150 °F (66 °C) means!
Knowing the drying temperature is part of taking notes and record the results of your efforts.
Cleanliness
Eighth in our list of top 10 things to consider in a food dehydrator is keeping it all clean.
It’s very likely that the plastic drying trays and tray accessories are hand wash only items. Liquid jerky marinades may require a bit of drying-tray soaking for easy debris removal and clean up. So, could you fit one or more drying trays into your kitchen sink?
A toothbrush is handy to gently scrub soaked food trays.
However, a clean-up time-saver step is to allow ample time for your liquid marinade to drain from the meat using a strainer or colander before loading up the dryer trays. Otherwise, a bit more scrubbing may be necessary to get it all clean.
Investing in the Future
Invest your food preserving future is ninth is our list of 10 ten things to look for in a food dehydrator.
Food dehydrators models come and go. Will the accessories you buy today fit and function on the food dehydrator you buy tomorrow?
When our no-name department-store brand name food dehydrator failed years ago, so did our investment. So consider investing in a well-known food dehydrator brand name. For example, when our Nesco FD-60 failed (our fault), we were able to reuse everything on our new Nesco FD-61.
Your food dehydrator needs may be modest now. What will they be next month or next year? Purchase the largest capacity food dehydrator aligned with features you feel are most important.
Drying Bulkier Items
You maybe just interested in drying meats for jerky. So we put this at the bottom in our list of 10 ten things to consider in a food dehydrator.
Can you dry bigger, thicker, or larger items? For example, could you dry larger items like flower blossoms? What about those big bundles of herbs? Or maybe larger slices or pieces of fruit such as figs or apricots.
What is the working space between those food drying trays? Our Nesco FD series food dehydrator offers about an inch of space between the dryer trays. Adding the Nesco “Convert-A-Tray” adds another inch of space to work with. Does the vendor offer convertible trays or tray spacers for drying these larger bulkier items?
Bonus Feature, Other Considerations, Beyond the Top 10
We could have named this the top 16 things to look for?
Storage
Where does it sit while in use, and not in use? The kitchen counter or perhaps a spot in the garage? A food dehydrator does take up space. If you dehydrate a lot like we do, you may want to consider a dedicated area for the appliance. We have a dedicated area in our garage with room enough for two Nesco FD61 type of food dehydrators.
Power Supply
It seems that many appliances today have shortened power cords offered up as a safety feature. You may also need an extension cord.
Timers
Some food dehydrators sport a timer. We have never found this feature to be very useful. After all, we prefer to dry our foods until we determine they are done. However, an auto-shutoff timer could be thought as a handy safety feature.
Getting Stuff from Here to There
Portability. Consider that you may have maxed out all of your food dehydrator drying trays with a generous supply of meat strips or garden bounty. Is that stack of loaded drying trays difficult to carry? Are you a take it all out in one trip kind of person? Could you easily carry and maneuver it all around furry family members and out to your food dehydrator drying station? We fall into the 2 or 3 trip category.
A Warranty?
A warranty. Reputable manufactures provide a product warranty in the unlikely event of a failure due to material or workmanship. A one-year warranty and website product registration are a good sign.
Cost
This was a tough one. We purposely put it here at the bottom. We like to compare, evaluate, and research the features. Yes, you get what you pay for. We have owned several cheap no-name store-brand food dehydrators. They all broke down and we could not salvage or reuse anything from the old to the new. What a waste!
There is nothing wrong with trying to save money. And there is a huge difference between being frugal and being cheap. In being cheap, you save money in the moment. And, in being cheap, it could cost you more in the future as the items buy break down or quickly wear out.
On the other hand, being frugal offers a similar savings upfront. However, you need to invest time comparing, evaluating, and researching your preferred product options. So buying a high-end product could still be frugal if you know it will last for years, offers a warranty, or could save you money over time.
What We Use
You may have guessed that we favor the Nesco product line.
Many years ago, we purchased the Nesco FD-60 food dehydrator to replace a no-name department-store food dehydrator.
And we are glad we did. We didn’t buy the top of the line most expensive model. Actually, it was the middle of the line at a modest price.
Since that purchase, we bought another FD-60. And then a FD-61 after the FD-60 was retired.
Amazon carries many of the Nesco food dehydrators and accessories. Be sure to check them all out here.
Check out my other food dehydrator recipes and links here on my Food Dehydrators page.