Dehydrated foods can be healthy and delicious and help you reduce food waste. However, homemade dehydrated foods have more benefits than most store-bought foods. Many packaged dried fruits and vegetables contain added sugars and/or oils to enhance flavor and taste, which adds extra calories. Some also contain additives or preservatives that you may not have in your kitchen to protect the color of the finished product or extend shelf life.
In fact, dehydrated foods have the same nutritional value as fresh foods. "They still have the same calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, sugar content and fiber.", believes nutritionist. "The only difference is that the reduction in water content and the reduction in volume make the calories of dehydrated foods higher by weight."
Dried fruits contain more concentrated calories and sugars than fresh fruits because they remove water. The same satiety will come from more sugar, so it is not recommended to eat too much.
More nutrients and vitamins will be preserved at low temperatures, compared with other high-temperature cooking methods (boiling, steaming, baking, etc.), this is the advantage of the dehydrator.
How to choose a better dehydrator?
First of all, we must consider that the tray of the dehydrator is in direct contact with food, and must be food-grade 304 stainless steel or food-grade plastic. Between stainless steel and plastic, I would choose stainless steel. As you all know, plastic is more easily damaged during continuous heating and cooling, while stainless steel does not have this problem. The same is true for the shell and other parts. Stainless steel is preferred. Waterproof motors are preferred to ensure that water does not cause leakage during evaporation. Other knobs or touch screens you need to consider are your personal preferences, and this is not the primary consideration. Then the most important thing is to choose a size that suits you.
By the way, stainless steel meshes should be of high quality. Some meshes will have desoldering, which can easily cause injuries.
There is also the need for formal certification, which is a must for factories.
For commercial scenarios such as factories and food production, we would recommend large machines.
88 trays dehydrator:
24 trays heat pump dehydrator:
24 trays dehydrator:
For home use, I would recommend smaller machines because in situations where drying requires less space, a small dehydrator can meet your needs and take up less space, making it more energy-efficient.
12 trays small dehydrator:
