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Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
A food dehydrator isn't a kitchen necessity, but if you've already got all the basic gadgets then it's a fantastic addition to your lineup. Just think of a pantry stocked to the ceiling with dried apricots and cherries, chewy fruit leather, and all varieties of delicious meat jerky.
When I set out to test, I was surprised how many different variations there were to such an incredibly basic system (one you could probably mimic in your oven if you didn't feel like spending any money). In the end, I rounded up the top brands in each of three categories: round top-down dehydrator, large mid-range box dehydrator, and a giant commercial model.
In each of the dehydrators, I dried tomatoes, pineapple, mangoes, apples, and jerky made from beef and turkey. I found all of the products did a fine job drying the food, but it was the extra features of each product and each one's user experience that set them apart from one another. When you're making your buying decision, your investment should be based less on how good the thing is at drying — they're all fine — and more on how well each particular design fits into your kitchen and your budget.
Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Encore Food Dehydrator
For the average home cook who isn't doing huge bulk dehydrating and just wants something basic and simple for their kitchen, Nesco's $70 FD-61 American Harvest model the best of the bunch. It's a standard, round tray-stacking system with a heater fan on the top. It's basically exactly what you imagine when someone says the word "dehydrator." Unlike other round, top-down dehydrators, this one is powerful enough that it doesn't require you to rotate the trays. Though it can be a bit annoying to check in on the dry cycle because to see one tray, you have to lift all the other ones out — including the fan. That's not unique to Nesco, it's a problem with all of the round systems. That said, one big benefit of smaller, round systems like this is you can fit the trays in the dishwasher, which makes a huge difference. The benefit of buying an all-in-one kit system like this is you get a bunch of very useful extras that allow you to make things like fruit leather, which requires a special tray. What makes this particular model stand out above other options from Nesco is the fact that it comes with a jerky gun. It sounds like a silly gimmick, but the jerky gun is actually kind of awesome. It's a very similar device to a cookie dough gun and it allows you to make jerky with ground beef, which, for regular jerky eaters, can reduce the cost of making jerky by quite bit. You simply mix your ground beef with spices (also included) and squeeze lines of jerky out directly onto the trays. And, for what it's worth, jerky made with ground beef is a lot easier to chew and surprisingly delicious. Some varieties sold online don't have the jerky gun in the box, but you can always pick one up separately for $15.All photos: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
