PRESERVED FOODS ARE ALL NATURAL Food is spoiled because of microorganisms which grew inside or…
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST FOOD DEHYDRATOR 2019
Food dehydrator is a versatile kitchen appliance. In the fruitful harvest season, with the help of one food dehydrator, you can easily make dried fruits such as bananas, tomatoes, cherry… and give to your friend and neighbors. Moreover, you could gather herbs and flowers, dry them without lots of time and efforts. With the developing technology, the task of drying fruits and vegetables or meat is easier than ever. Cutting, chopping and evenly spread out, choosing time and then food dryer does all the works.
Do you know how to choose a food dryer for your kitchen? This article today review clearly some features of a dehydrator, give you some helpful suggestion to choose the best.
THE SALIENT FEATURES YOU MUST PAY ATTENTION
PRICE AND DIMENSIONS
The Food dehydrator producers offer lots of size, dimensions in different ranges of price, from some dozens of dollars to several hundred dollars. The price depends on materials, style, technology and more. For example, stainless steel model costs more than plastic. You should choosing the model within the price range match your budget, but you could consider to pay more to extra function or larger box. You should also pick out the size that fit with the area that you choose to place the machine. Some small dehydrator can fit on the countertop and some big model requires bigger space.
CHOOSE THE WAY IT DRIES FOOD
Most of traditional products uses fans to flow the hot air to evaporate water, and more advanced products use convection. Each of this line has different advantages and disadvantages. The dehydrator using fan gets can dry food quicker, only 1- 2 hours for herb and 3-4 hours for juicy fruit slices.
Fan-vertical air movement: Fan is placed on top or bottom of the dehydrator, and hot air was thrown up or down vertically. With the fan at the top, it’s easy to clean, because the water doesn’t drip down the fan. And vice versa with fan is set at the bottom. It’s very dirty and hard to clean. But the biggest weakness of this design is that all the tray doesn’t receive the same temperature. Those trays near the fan dry faster than others. So keep in mind to change the order of the trays during the process.
Fan-horizontal air movement: The fan is placed in the rear of the dehydrator. The hot air is blown through every tray, drying evenly and so there is no need to rotate. Clearing is easy with this design.
Convection dehydrator: The convection air cleans the dirt in surface of food which otherwise is not sucked by fans. This model runs quietly and consume less electricity. But it needs double the amount of time to get the similar effect as the fan – dehydrator.
STRUCTURE AND CAPACITY
Based on the construction, the food dehydrators are divided two main categories: the first consists of the machines which are by many trays that stack one upon the other and the second includes one rigid box with removable shelves.
The stack ability dehydrator is composed of separated trays which could sit on top of each other. Some model could stack up to 30 tray maximum and amazingly expandable up to 30 inches. You could install more trays on top when you need. It is very convenient and flexible, isn’t it? Consumer can choose either small or big space depending on their demands. This expandable feature is perfect in small kitchens.
The box and shelf dehydrators consist of one rigid box and several removable shelves. All the shelves are easy to remove, give big space for leavening bread or making yogurt. It is usually combined with rearing- fan or convection system.
ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS
More additional functions mean more money. For example, temperature notification and auto-control system. In fact, some users complain that the model lacks of time setting and thermostat that makes them uncomfortably keep eye on all the dehydrating process. Some others get special task like air filtration, make sure the drying process avoids contamination.
CONCLUSION
At this summer harvest season, it is a great idea to make dried fruit and store until winter. There is no need for long time and effort to dry them under the sunlight. Fetch away the fear of intoxication from mold growing on the drying tray or poisonous drying process. Let buy a food dehydrator and start with some dried meal recipes, for example beef jerky.
