Which dehydrator is right for me?

Dehydrating is an ancient method of preserving food in a vitamin-preserving way. Dehydrating food opens up a whole new world of possibilities. In addition to the classic drying of fruit, vegetables, mushrooms and herbs, the dehydrator can also be used to make raw food pizza, fruit bars, fruit leather or crackers. To intensify the flavour, you can also marinate vegetable skewers, for example. A food dehydrator is also suitable for fermenting food.

What is dehydrating?

Depending on the temperature selected, dehydrating is a gentle way of removing water from food. This has several advantages: the food is preserved, it also tastes better because the flavour is intensified and concentrated. And the consistency changes, which makes new flavour experiences possible. A fresh apple has a very limited shelf life, whereas an apple dried in slices in a dehydrator to make apple rings has a very long shelf life (up to 1-2 years).

Drying food in the sun has been practised in all cultures for thousands of years. However, it is not possible all year round in all climatic regions. In addition, the temperature in direct sunlight also rises above the so-called raw food limit of 42° C, which has a negative effect on the heat-sensitive vitamins and enzymes. This problem is also common with dried fruit bought from supermarkets or organic food shops. Here, too, the food is usually dried at high temperatures for reasons of cost and time, and sometimes even deep-fried with the addition of oils. Purchased dried fruit also often contains sulphur to extend its shelf life and prevent it from turning brown.

Sulphur is viewed rather critically by health-conscious people. People with an intolerance to sulphur and people with asthma, where it can even lead to life-threatening situations, need to be careful. Dried foods without additives that have been dried to raw food quality are only available from a few suppliers. And this is where your own dehydrator comes into play as a very useful kitchen appliance.

How does a food dehydrator work?

The principle of dehydrating is based on a stream of warm air that passes over the food and gradually removes the moisture from it. Classic dehydrators only dry with warm air. However, there are also infrared dehydrators that work with infrared waves in addition to warm air. Sunlight consists of visible and invisible rays. Infrared light is one of the invisible rays. In contrast to the classic hot air dryer, which dries the food to be dried from the outside in, the infrared dryer dries from the inside out.

As already mentioned, it is important to be able to set a low temperature on the dehydrator to protect the vital substances. This is why all dehydrators in the Keimling range have the option of selecting the temperature for the quality feature "raw food quality dehydration". The flavour also suffers when dehydrating at high temperatures. Not only do the heat-sensitive nutrients suffer, but it also has a negative effect on the structure of the sugar, the appearance and the flavour.

When drying apples or making vegetable crisps, I can place my food directly on the drying grids. The drying racks are coarse-meshed, i.e. the moisture can also be released very well on the underside. For drying mushy foods, e.g. For raw food crackers or fruit leather, special dehydrating films are available that prevent seepage. Dehydrating films have the advantage over baking paper that they are not coated, are easy to clean and are also reusable. The special films are made of Teflon or silicone. The food can therefore be easily removed from the film. The use of Teflon is unproblematic because, unlike a pan, the film is not exposed to high temperatures and does not require the use of (scratchy) kitchen utensils.

How precise is the information on drying times in recipes?

More helpful than pure time specifications in dehydrating recipes is information on the consistency in which a food should be dried, e.g. "crispy" or "crumbly". Due to the different dehydrators, the times given in recipes should be treated with caution. The dryers vary in size, are equipped with fans of different strengths, have different loads and the temperature and humidity in the room also play a role. It is therefore advisable to take a look inside the appliance every few hours to assess the progress of the drying process. If the dehydrated food is to keep for a long time, there must be no residual moisture, otherwise there is a risk of mould.

Note: "Information in recipes should only be used as a guide".

There are dehydrators made of plastic and stainless steel. It has no significant influence on the dehydrating process, so you can decide according to personal preference or design.

Do I always have to fully load the dehydrator?

No, because the heat source only runs intermittently, i.e. When the dehydrator is half loaded, it will also switch on less frequently than when it is fully loaded. Regardless of the load, the fan runs continuously, but as it only consumes a fraction of the power that the heater does, I don't really have to worry too much about wasting energy.

Can't I dry my food in the oven instead of a dehydrator?

No, the oven is not really suitable for this. This is because the oven usually works with circulating air. In contrast, the dehydrator has a horizontal air flow that is distributed over the drying grids for even drying. In addition, the oven is not designed to remove as much moisture as the specially designed dehydrator. To get started, however, you can try the oven at 50°C with a wooden spoon in the door to remove the moisture. In the long term, however, it is advisable to invest in a dehydrator.

Many dehydrators are equipped with an air filter. The air drawn in by the appliance is cleaned of any air pollution before it reaches the food to be dried. This feature is particularly interesting for people who live in the city on a busy road. The filters can be washed out and can also be replaced after some time (they are available as spare parts in the Keimling shop).

Stackable dehydrators, i.e. those that can be extended with dehydrator shelves, are no longer offered by Naturkost. Keimling Naturkost no longer offers them. Even if they have the advantage that the grids can be adapted to the amount of food to be dried. Their main disadvantage is that the design does not optimise the removal of moisture. As the heat source and the fan are located in the lower section, the upper grilles receive both too little heat and too little air. When using a larger number of grids, it is also necessary to laboriously rearrange the grids. Despite rearranging, I don't get a really uniform and even drying result.

If you want to save space, you can take a look at the Sahara dehydrator from Brod&Taylor, which has the special feature of being foldable. This is particularly interesting if I only use the appliance seasonally to preserve my fruit and vegetable harvest. I can then store it the rest of the time to save space.

Dehydrators are very versatile. They can be used to make healthy snacks, for example to replace the classic potato crisps with a healthier option, vegetable crisps. I can also use it to dry germinated seeds (sprouts) to enhance my salad. Even foods that are only available seasonally, such as horseradish, can be enjoyed all year round with the food dehydrator.

What should I look out for when buying a food dehydrator?

If you are looking for a particularly quiet dehydrator because it is not possible to set it up in a separate room, you should take a closer look at the infrared dehydrator due to its particularly quiet operation.

If noise is not the decisive factor, you can opt for one of the larger dehydrators. A larger appliance usually also means a larger and therefore somewhat louder fan.

The next selection criterion is the quantity to be dried and therefore the drying surface required. Garden owners who want to dry larger quantities of fruit and vegetables seasonally should choose a larger appliance. As already mentioned, running a large appliance at half load from time to time is not a problem. A small appliance for large quantities must then run correspondingly more often.

Another question I need to answer is the installation location. If I want to place it on a shelf or on top of the fridge, a front control panel makes a lot of sense. If the dehydrator is to be installed in a cupboard, it is important that the door is open or removed during operation and that there is sufficient space on all sides. The space is necessary so that the dehydrator can draw in the required air and release the dried and moisture-enriched air accordingly. This prevents heat build-up or mould formation. It is also important to ventilate the room sufficiently; ideally, a window should be tilted during operation.

Of course, the budget also plays an important role. However, you should bear in mind that this is a long-term purchase. Because the dehydrators offered by Keimling Naturkost dehydrators are of high quality and can be used for many years, if not decades, if used properly.

I can choose between stainless steel and plastic. Dehydrating films are available for all models.