Food Dehydrator Brands & Their Popular Models – June 2020

Food dehydrators can be a valuable addition to any kitchen. They help you make healthy snacks and conserve fresh produce for later use. These units can handle herbs, various vegetables, fruits as well as different meats. They are ideal for people that want to preserve food for winter months. Moreover, they promote creativity with new recipes and approaches to cooking.

Food dehydrators can be left to work overnight or while you’re busy doing something else. Higher quality models do most of the work for you. In contrast, less expensive ones need to be checked on occasionally. There are a lot of brands and units to choose from which makes buying one somewhat difficult. That’s why it’s always worth the time to know a little bit about each company and what it offers. To that end, here are some of the most well-known brands on the market:

Nesco

Nesco is a brand that has been around for over 30 years. Their food dehydrators are among the most purchased, but they’re not the only products this company offers. Namely, they sell bakeware, roster ovens, and steamers among other things. We have tried out three of their models for and consider them worthy of consideration.

The Nesco Snackmaster FD-75A which is a good unit for its price and offers a recipe book for beginners. It also has different temperature settings for use with different produce. The FD-61WHC comes with a gun for pureed fruit or minced meat jerky and a good assortment of trays. To conclude, Nesco is a brand that has brought many people into the world of drying food. That’s why we always recommend that people check them out.

Recommended reading: Our list of top rated Nesco dehydrators

Excalibur

The Excalibur brand, which was established in 1973, has products that often come recommended and have good reviews. They are not just for home use but professional kitchens as well. This company has a variety of different high-quality appliances that speed up many tasks. There’s everything from cheap products to units and machines made with stainless steel. It safe to say that this brand has something for everyone no matter what your budget is.

For instance, the Excalibur 2900 is a unit with great reviews and impressive features. It has a horizontal air flow, known to be superior in efficiency to vertical models. It also has a capacity that is bound to be appealing to larger households. Finally, there’s an adjustable thermostat that helps you dial in the right temperature. Looking at this model, we wouldn’t hesitate to try out other Excalibur units.

Hamilton Beach

Hamilton Beach is a USA based company which produces various home appliances and commercial equipment for restaurants. The company was founded in 1910 in Wisconsin. Their products are mainly marketed in Canada, Mexico, and the US. Among the appliances they offer are blenders, mixers, slow cookers and food dehydrators. Their devices can be found in many households across North America as well as restaurant kitchens. Decades of experience result in well-designed and affordable products that look good in any setting.

The Hamilton Beach 32100A food dehydrator, for instance, is an affordable model that offers a lot its small price. It comes with an adjustable thermostat that’s a part of a digital control panel and easy to use plastic trays. Aside from that, it’s made more versatile with a fruit roll sheet and small mesh sheet for herb drying. All in all, this model is an excellent option for anyone wanting to try drying and preserving food.

NutriChef

NutriChef offers quality cutlery and cookware products, both for home and commercial use. Their products are easy to use and made with quality in mind. This company has a long history that spans back to its founding in 1874. It is always evolving and bringing innovation to the market. What’s more, many celebrity chefs have used and prefer to use their units over other brands.

Among all the cookware and bakeware, NutriChef also offers various appliances. These include vacuum sealers and food dehydrators. When it comes to drying produce, they have a range of units suitable for different needs and budgets. Whether you’re a beginner or already well-seasoned in making jerky or drying fruit, you can find a model for you. Moreover, these units use high-quality plastics and come with good warranties.

Presto

Presto has a long tradition of making small kitchen appliances. It started out with the name National Presto Industries in 1905 in Wisconsin. At first, they produced pressure canners, before moving on to make cooking appliances for home use in the 1930s. They have been expanding and updating their range of products ever since. Among the products they offer today are food dehydrators, mixers, rice cookers, and so on. You can’t look for kitchen tools without coming across this company.

In regards to food dehydrators, Presto offers a few models that range from entry level to more expensive and higher quality units. In other words, they have something for every budget and need. Newcomers will find their units useful and affordable. For example, the Presto 06300 is a good choice for people that don’t want to spend too much money. It can give new users a taste of food drying without having to empty out their wallets.

Waring Pro

Waring is well known because it was the first company in America to manufacture a home blender, but they didn’t rest on their laurels. They’ve built themselves up into one of the leading businesses and produce high-quality kitchen appliances. Their range of products has products for both consumer and commercial use. Among their line of home appliances, they have everything from slow cookers to juicers and blenders.

Waring Pro offers two food dehydrators, one is a vertical and the other a horizontal flow model. Both are moderately priced and made to high standards. Each offers an adjustable temperature control with food-safe plastic trays or shelves. No matter which one you choose, you’ll be able to make a wide variety of dried snacks and preserve many different fruits, vegetables, herbs, and meats. Waring is also one of the few companies that offer a limited five-year motor warranty to their customers.

L’Equip

L’Chef, the company behind L’Equip, produces and distributes high value and quality products that promote a healthy lifestyle. They provide good customer support and service when needed. L’Chef has more than 35 years of experience in manufacturing home-use appliances. They also have an exclusive partnership with Bosch and distribute their kitchen appliances in the US and Canada.

L’Equip offers juicers and food dehydrators to their customers. They have two different stackable models for drying various produce like meat, vegetables, and fruits. Both units have a good set of features and are priced accordingly. One notable feature is the variable temperature control which is ideal for those who want to get the best results. Other than that, their products feature a sturdy design with food-safe plastic trays which promote ease of use. For anyone looking to get into food dehydration, L’Equip is a worthy choice.

Magic Mill

Magic Mill is part of Royalux Inc., a distributor, and manufacturer of many different small kitchen and home appliances. They offer slow cookers, blenders, food dehydrators, various grinders and other products. Their line-up includes everything from entry level to semi-professional units, so there’s something for every home and budget.

As far as food dehydrators go, Magic Mill has one model on the market at the moment. This unit features six trays and a horizontal heating system for optimal airflow. Although it comes with a higher price-tag than most, it offers many useful functions and good value for the money. The one feature that stands out the most is the digital control panel. It has an adjustable timer and temperature for less tinkering and better results. Besides that, you get an even distribution of heat.

Open Country

Open Country is a brand that produces many different appliances for game processing, fishing, camping and food drying. It also sells jerky seasoning packets for ground or whole meat strips. These packs can be used with beef, turkey, chicken, venison, fish, wild game, etc. They come in several different flavors that can suit any taste.

Open Country have a few different food dehydrators in their line-up of products. There are models for smaller budgets as well as more advanced products with more features that come at a higher price. For those who like to make jerky, some units include plastic guns for minced meat and a collection of spice packets. But, there’s more to their food drying machines than meat. You can use also use them to preserve various fruits, herbs, and vegetables, or to make rolls and other treats.