Gallery: Jerky Toys: 4 Home Food Dehydrators Tested
01Photo: 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](http://www.nesco.com/products/Dehydrators/Dehydrators/FD-61-Snackmaster-Encore-Food-Dehydrator/session_7f2ea88d962c/) 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](http://www.nesco.com/products/Dehydrators/Jerky-Gun-Kits/Jerky-Works-Kit/session_7f2ea88d962c/) for $15. 
02Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
Nesco FD-75PR (5 Tray) Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator ------------------------------------------------------ This model of Nesco is basically the exact same as the American Harvest version. In fact, the trays are completely interchangeable. However, I'm including the [FD-75PR](http://www.nesco.com/products/Dehydrators/Dehydrators/FD-75PR-5-Tray-Snackmaster-Pro-Food-Dehydrator/) ($70) because this model has a design flaw that's worth keeping an eye out for in any basic round dehydrator. And that's the handle. Because this type of dehydrator requires you to regularly remove the top-mounted fan attachment to check on the progress of your drying, the design of the handle actually makes a huge difference to ease of use. Unlike the American Harvest, which has a hand-hold built into the fan attachment, the Snackmaster Pro has a separate handle that lifts up from the system. This is fine for removing the lid, but if you hold the handle when you're putting the lid back on to the trays, it's front-heavy. This keeps the lid from hanging straight, and it requires a lot of fiddling to get it back on top the trays just right. The American Harvest model gives you much more control over this process. It seems like a small complaint, but trust me, after hours and hours of drying fruits and veggies it became extremely annoying. Also, this version doesn't come with a jerky gun, so you'll have to spend the $15 for that luxury. 
03Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
Excalibur 5-Tray With Timer --------------------------- If you're planning to do lots of bulk drying, but you don't have room for a giant professional system (and you're not drying, like, an entire deer) then the $350 [Excalibur](http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/dehydrators/5-tray/radiant-blueberry-5-tray-w-plastic-trays) is a good choice. It's a box dehydrator with trays that slide in and out, which means you can examine them one by one without having to dismantle the entire system. It also comes in lots of colors, which is really unusual for any dehydrator. This version comes with a timer, too, though I found that only fools time their food drying. There's absolutely no way to predict how long something is going to take to get to the perfect dryness level. You just have to watch it. The advantage to a large system like this is that you can get a lot more stuff dried at once, and the system isn't nearly as fiddly as the circular plastic Nesco models. That said, a big box dehydrator is much louder than the standard round system. This model is also much deeper than it is wide, which makes putting it anywhere on your countertop awfully awkward. For some reason, Excalibur requires you to screw the door's handles on yourself, and the door isn't attached, so sometimes it can be weird to get it to hang on the dehydrator correctly. Also, it's all metal on the outside, so it can get pretty hot to the touch. One other important thing to note about the larger systems is that they don't come with all the bells and whistles of all-in-one kit. With the Excalibur, you have to purchase non-stick mats and fruit leather accessories separately. Though, interestingly, one of the fruit leather drying mat options sold by Excalibur is silicon -- which you can also use in your oven (most bakers know of these as [Silpats](http://www.silpat.com/) and will be thrilled to hear about this feature). 
04Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED
Cabela's 80-Liter Commercial Food Dehydrator -------------------------------------------- For the most part, [Cabela's giant dehydrator](http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Commercial-Food-Dehydrators/714059.uts) is kind of ridiculous. But I'm also not a big hunter, and I live in a tiny city apartment (I couldn't get the Cabela into my kitchen and had to run my dehydration tests in the entry hallway). It's clearly not the right dehydrator model for my needs — but that doesn't mean it isn't awesome. If you have tons of space and you're drying in bulk, then this Rolls Royce of food dehydrators is for you. Interior capacity measures 80 liters. It has a glass door and an interior light that lets you check on the progress of your food without letting any heat out. It's also the only model I tested that has a digital display. The system has an internal thermometer that lets you know when it achieves your set temperature. It also has a digital timer, though I've already mentioned why that's never very useful. This thing is also super powerful. While it was running, it heated up my entire tiny little apartment so much that I had to open all the windows. But the exterior of the unit never got that hot. Lastly, and somewhat shockingly, the price is extremely reasonable considering all the fancy stuff that you get with it. Available for around $300 online, the Cabela is $50 cheaper than the Excalibur, which isn't nearly as fancy or as large. The Cabela also comes with crossbars you can attach to hang-dry sausages and other meats. My only real complaint is the trays. They have kind of a wide mesh and, unlike the Nesco and the Excalibur, it doesn't come with smaller sheets to lay on top of the trays — so food sometimes falls through. Also, because of their size, cleaning the trays is a pain. And oddly, to get the trays in and out, you have to swing the door all the way open — like, 180 degrees away from closed. Otherwise, you can't slide the trays in and out without the door being in the way. 
