Power
The higher the wattage the more powerful and efficient a food dehydrator will be. It is important to remember that a unit with high wattage will not always mean that it will dry food fast than a unit with lower wattage. Model design also plays a big factor.
Temperature Control
Different types of foods require different temperature ranges to dry properly. The majority of dehydrators have an adjustable thermostat, which is very useful because it allows you set the appropriate food drying temperature. Dehydrators without an adjustable thermostat have a fixed temperature.
Size and Capacity
The size and amount of trays determines the overall capacity in a unit. A unit’s dimensions, number of trays, and ability to use expandable trays, like in the stackable dehydrators, determines the drying area measurement.
Built in timer
A few dehydrators have built in digital timers. This give you the ability to load up the dehydrator with food and set a specific drying time after which the unit automatically shuts off. A super convenient feature that prevents you from having to remember to turn off the unit at odd times.
Types of Dehydrators
There are two types of food dehydrators, stackable dehydrators and shelf dehydrators.
In stackable dehydrators: the trays are positioned on top of one another with each individual tray having a hole located in the center. The fan and heating element are generally located either at the top or at the base of the device and produces vertical air flow. The design of stackable dehydrators makes then very flexible. Depending on the amount of food you want to dehydrate, you can add or remove additional trays as need in order to change the capacity inside. These additional trays are usually sold separately. With this stackable design, you will have to unstack and re-stack trays in order to check the progress on each individual tray.
In shelf dehydrators, the trays act like shelves that can be pulled out, just like the trays in a conventional oven. This makes it extremely easy to check the process of food on each individual tray. The fan and heating element are generally located at the rear of the device and has horizontal air flow. Unlike stackable dehydrators, with shelf dehydrators you are unable to add additional trays to increase capacity due to its box shape design.
Both types of dehydrators have their own advantages. Therefore it is very important to determine your intended use of a best food dehydrator.