A food dehydrator is a versatile kitchen appliance that removes moisture from foods to preserve them for long-term storage. With a quality food dehydrator, you can make tasty dried fruits, vegetables, herbs, jerky, fruit leathers, and more, all from the comfort of your home.
Below we dive into the top 10 reasons why a food dehydrator can be a worthwhile investment for your kitchen.
1. Preserve Foods Long-Term
One of the biggest perks of a food dehydrator is its ability to extend the shelf life of foods for months or even years longer than their fresh counterparts. By removing moisture, food dehydration inhibits the growth of spoilage-causing mold, bacteria, and enzymes.
Common foods you can dehydrate include:
- Fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, mangoes, strawberries, etc.
- Vegetables like carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, etc.
- Herbs and spices
- Meats into jerky
Once dehydrated, these foods can be stored at room temperature in a cool, dark place for up to 2 years. Fruits and some vegetables can last even longer, up to 20 years according to some sources!
Having a stockpile of dehydrated foods means you always have ingredients on hand for nutritious meals and snacks. It’s a great way to preserve abundant garden produce or make the most of seasonal sales at the farmer’s market.
2. Retain More Nutrients Than Other Preservation Methods
Many common food preservation techniques like canning or freezing can diminish vitamins and other heat-sensitive nutrients. Food dehydration uses low, sustained heat over time which is gentler on delicate nutrients.
Studies show that dehydrated foods retain more vitamins A, B complex, C, and E compared to canned or frozen foods which can lose up to half their original nutrient content. Minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and iron also hold up better through controlled dehydration.
3. Make Delicious Homemade Snacks
A food dehydrator opens up a whole world of healthy snack possibilities! By making your own fruit leathers, veggie chips, dried herbs, granola bars, and jerky, you control exactly what goes into them.
Get creative with fun flavor combinations using your favorite nuts, seeds, spices, citrus zests, vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate chips, coconut, and more. Tailor snacks to your own dietary needs by excluding problem ingredients.
Kids love being involved in pouring fruit purees onto leather trays or mixing up crunchy granola ingredients. Snack time can be fun, nutritious and economical for the whole family.
4. Save Money in the Long Run
Purchasing a quality food dehydrator represents an upfront investment, but one that can pay off in the long run. As you get into a routine of dehydrating foods when they are bountiful or on sale, you’ll start accumulating an impressive stash of ingredients for mere pennies on the dollar.
Having ingredients like fruit, veggies, and jerky stockpiled cuts down on unexpected mid-week grocery trips. You’ll also save money by making your own healthy snacks instead of buying pricy packaged versions.
Over time, a food dehydrator easily saves you much more than its original sticker price. It’s a smart kitchen investment that will keep saving you money for years.
5. Reduce Food Waste
It’s estimated that up to 40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten and ends up in landfills. Produce spoils quickly, and even freezer-burned or stale pantry items often get tossed.
A food dehydrator provides the perfect solution for eliminating many types of food waste. Transform foods that would otherwise spoil into preserved ingredients.
Got overripe fruit or sad looking veggies? Don’t toss them out! Dehydrate them instead. Have some leftover cooked rice or crusts from sandwiches? Grind them up to make dehydrated breadcrumbs or croutons.
Getting into the habit of dehydrating foods before they spoil means you extract their maximum usefulness while cutting down on waste.
6. Ideal for Camping & Hiking
Dehydrated foods are a camping must-have since they take up little backpack space and weigh much less than their fresh equivalents. Just add hot water or milk to rehydrate them into a hearty meal or snack.
Some great options include:
- Dehydrated meat chunks for stews and chili
- Backpacking meals like pad thai, curry dishes, jambalaya, etc.
- Just-add-water soups and chilies
- Trail mixes with dried fruits, coconut, nuts, seeds, cereals
- Granola bars, fruit leathers
- Powdered cheese sauces, milk, eggs
- Vacuum-sealed jerky
- Dried veggie crudités
With some advance planning, you can dehydrate hearty meals tailored to your tastes so they’re ready to toss in your pack. Tired of bland, boring backpacking food? A food dehydrator lets you create delicious fare to look forward to on the trail!
7. Allows Stocking Up Seasonally
One of the best things about owning a food dehydrator is that you can preserve bumper crops of seasonal produce to enjoy all year long.
In the summer, load up on berries, stone fruits, melons, zucchini, herbs, greens, corn, and more when they hit peak freshness and lowest cost. Stock your pantry with ingredients like tomatoes, peppers, and onions in the fall.
Come winter, you’ll be thankful for your summertime strawberries, peaches, and veggies while everyone else complains about produce quality and price.
A food dehydrator lets you capture seasonal flavors at their best so you can enjoy summer’s bounty in the dead of winter.
8. Emergency & Disaster Preparedness
Having a supply of shelf-stable dehydrated and other preserved foods is smart for emergency preparedness. Whether it’s personal hardships, extreme weather, power grid failures, or other disasters, you’ll be glad to have a stockpile of supplies.
Dehydrated foods are ideal for emergency food storage because they are:
- Nutritious – Packed with concentrated vitamins and minerals
- Shelf-stable – No refrigeration required; lasts for years
- Lightweight – Easy to transport to shelters/alternate locations
- Space-efficient – Requires less storage space than other preservation methods
- Versatile – Can accommodate dietary restrictions
- Customizable – Tailor foods to your family’s unique needs
Experts recommend keeping at least a 2 week supply of emergency food provisions. A food dehydrator allows you to conveniently build up a diverse stash over time.
9. Make Homemade Pet Treats
If you have a beloved dog or cat at home, a food dehydrator opens up inexpensive options for homemade treats. You control exactly what goes into them, avoiding questionable ingredients often lurking in commercial pet foods.
Some healthy treat ideas include:
- Dehydrated meat jerky
- Fruit/veg bites – apples, sweet potatoes, carrots
- Fish jerky made from salmon, tilapia, etc.
- Herbal treats like chamomile or catnip
Customize preferences for your pet’s age, activity level, digestive issues, allergies and more. Show your furry friends some love with nutritious goodies made specially for them!
10. More Energy Efficient Than Oven Drying
Although it’s possible to dehydrate some foods in your oven, a dedicated food dehydrator offers much greater efficiency and consistency. Food dehydrators are engineered to maximize airflow and retain low, steady temperatures optimized for drying various foods.
Benefits of Using a Food Dehydrator Include:
- Very little heat is emitted into your kitchen
- Convection air flow dries foods faster
- Set-and-forget simplicity
- Consistent, adjustable temperature settings
- Stackable trays multiply drying capacity
- Safer and easier monitoring of progress
- Automated shutoff feature prevents over-drying
Oven drying can take up to twice as long, heat up your kitchen, consume more energy, and require lots of checking while also risking over-drying foods.
Trust your ingredient preservation to an appliance designed specifically for the task!
A Worthwhile Kitchen Investment
A quality food dehydrator is designed to perform the specialized task of removing moisture from foods while best retaining nutrients, flavors, and textures. This versatile appliance earns its keep through considerable savings over time from reduced food waste, lower grocery bills, and eliminated costs of packaged foods and treats. You just may find yourself falling into pleasurable new culinary rituals centered around this ingenious appliance!