Best Food Dehydrators Under $100

When you’re in the mood to snack, unhealthy options come to mind first. But, you may want to try a food dehydrator and make your own snacks right in your kitchen. Not only will they be healthier, but also cheaper in the long run. Think banana chips, kale chips, and homemade beef jerky.

Here are a few tips on what to look for in the best food dehydrator under $100 and a few reviews to help you start shopping.

Benefits of Owning a Food Dehydrator

With a pretty small investment, you can create a healthy lifestyle for you and your family, and save money while you’re at it! With dried food, you can retain most of the nutrients from the food allowing you to benefit from many of the same minerals and vitamins you would get, if you ate the food fresh. Having a store of dried foods is also a good idea if you live in areas prone to hurricanes or power outages.

Considerations When Buying a Food Dehydrator

Heat Distribution & Air Flow

Keeping your food at a consistent temperature that is high enough to dry out foods is a pretty simple scientific concept. The biggest challenge is making sure that the food is heated evenly. Having an effective airflow helps to make sure that food items farthest from the heat source will dry at the same rate as the food that is closer.

One of the best designs for even drying is called horizontal flow. Vertical flow models are also effective and may include fans and design elements that are meant specifically to help improve the airflow of the machine.

Ease of Use

Dehydrating food is pretty easy in general. You won’t find a lot of difference between machines in how much work is needed, but there may be features that help make the process a little easier. Not having to switch around the shelves, needing to check on your food regularly, and easy cleaning are all good features to have.

Size and Capacity

This feature depends completely on how much food you plan to dry and how much you want to do in one batch. You also want to consider how much counter space you have for a new appliance. For those that have gardens, you may want to consider a larger machine that can dry food in bulk, but if you only want to make a few snacks, a smaller machine may be more appropriate.

Noise

Some machines will produce more fan noise than others. If fan noise is something that you cannot live with, make sure to do some research and find quiet models.

Convenient Features:

Here are a few additional features that can make a big difference.

• Thermostat – Different temperatures allow different types of foods to dry better, so having an adjustable thermostat in your dehydrator will give you the best results. If you know you are planning on drying more than one food type, look for a dehydrator with an adjustable thermostat.
• Timer – It is often easy to forget about food that is drying since it will take a few hours. Having a timer will help guarantee that you check on your food when needed and notify you when it is done.
• Auto Shutoff – If you plan to dry food overnight or while you are out running errands, having an auto shut-off is a nice feature to have to prevent over-drying.

Presto 06301 Dehydro Digital Electric Food Dehydrator

Compact and functional, this budget-friendly food dehydrator is an excellent option for beginners and dehydrating pros alike. The 6 trays offer more than enough space for an average family’s drying needs, and the digital thermostat and timer make the whole process effortless. This food dehydrator also comes with cure and spices for jerky, 2 fruit roll sheets, and mesh screen trays—everything you need to start drying your own foods!

Nesco Snackmaster Encore Food Dehydrator

The name Snackmaster truly does this machine justice, for it comes equipped with a beef jerky gun with 3 tips, 2 fruit leather trays, 2 clean-a-screens for drying herbs, and 5 jerky spices and cures! Whatever you’d like to dehydrate, this model can tackle. The top mounted fan spreads hot air equally throughout the 5 BPA-free stackable trays, so you won’t have to worry about your food getting dried unevenly.

Nesco FD-75A

Boasting 600 watts of drying power and a top mounted fan, Nesco FD-75A can generate the maximum quality and speed for dehydrating vegetables, fruits, and beef jerky, letting you dry out food in hours. Equipped with an adjustable thermostat, it gives you the flexibility to dry a variety of foods. The dehydrator has 5 trays (expandable to 12) and an Opaque Vita-Save exterior to protect nutrients, so you can also dry spices and herbs, as well as make dried flowers or potpourri at home. It comes with 2 mesh sheets, 2 solid sheets, 3 jerky spice packets, and a recipe book.

NutriChef PKFD12

There’s a lot this food dehydrator has going for it. Equipped with 5 stackable trays that are dishwasher safe, temperature control for preservation, and heat circulation that’s scientifically tested for food safety, it effectively dries food while retaining up to 97% of nutrients and minerals. While it does not have all the bells & whistles the other machines on this list do, it is easy-to-use.

As you can see, drying your own foods can be a pretty simple task. When you consider the types of food you enjoy eating and the different options that dehydrating your food can give you, you will see a ton of new healthy options to add to your diet. Once you have decided what features you prefer in a food dehydrator, you can easily find the right machine that will work for you and your family.