The Ultimate Food Dehydrator Buying Guide

Discover the things to consider when shopping for the best food dehydrator.

A dehydrator is great for drying foods. You can dehydrate a number of different things. Some people enjoy preserving fruits and vegetables.

But it’s also perfect for making beef jerky and venison jerky. After you’ve gone hunting and processed the meat, you can make your own jerky at home with a food dehydrator.

There are four main things to consider when looking for the right electric food dehydrator. To find one that’s best for you, follow these tips from Blain’s Farm & Fleet.

1. What food will you be working with?

First, consider what you’ll be dehydrating. If you’ll be using your food dehydrator for a variety of foods, it’s best to get one with an adjustable thermostat that lets you choose different temperature ranges.

Different foods require different temperature settings for dehydration.

Some dehydrators are also harder to clean than others. If you’re dehydrating food that’s going to be messy, look for a dehydrator that will be easy to clean. You’ll want one with removable parts that are dishwasher-safe.

2. What size and shape do you need?

Most food dehydrators come in a box or circular shape. When you’re choosing a shape, think about where it’s going to sit in your kitchen, and make sure to get a size that fits.

You also have to think about how much food you’ll be dehydrating. Get one that’s large enough to meet your needs. For example, some food dehydrator machines have a greater number of trays than others.

3. Do you want to use stackable or pull-out trays?

Food dehydrators come with trays that you can individually pull out or shelves that come stacked on top of each other.

A food dehydrator with trays is easy to use. You simply pull out the tray you want, without having to worry about the ones below or above it.

Stackable trays work well, but can also cause some issues. If you want to get to any middle or bottom trays, you have to lift the top trays. You run the risk of trays toppling over and spilling your food.

4. Do you want horizontal or vertical air flow?

Food dehydrators come with either horizontal or vertical air flow.

Horizontal air flow can help even out the heat between trays. And it helps with cutting back on flavors mixing when you’re dehydrating multiple types of food. Vertical air flow is good for heat distribution, but can cause flavor mixing.

Typically, food dehydrators with pull-out trays have horizontal air flow, whereas stackable ones have vertical air flow.

If you’re still unsure about which type of food dehydrator is best for you, you can always read food dehydrator reviews.

A food dehydrator review can help you see what other customers like or dislike about the product. Plus, you can see what everyone else is making in their dehydrator.

At Blain’s Farm & Fleet, we have everything you need to process meat from turkey hunting, deer hunting, and more. Choose from a wide selection of meat grinders, sausage stuffers, and meat slicers.

Plus, you can make your own venison jerky and sausage with jerky seasonings and collagen casing.

For more buying guides like this one, check out our Cooking & Recipes Blog.