Yes! I believe that dehydrator’s are worth it and I will explain why….
1. Food Storage
One of the biggest goals we have on the homestead is storing food. We want to be prepared in case something happens. But I don’t want a bunch a food that is gross and I am never going to eat. Like those nasty freeze dried food packs. I want food that taste good and last for awhile. Thankfully dehydrated food is both. Not only will it last a long time but you can make some amazingly delicious foods.
You can dehydrate anything from meat to fruit, veggies and so much more. We have been having so much fun testing different types of foods. Unfortunately we can’t test how long they last because we eat them to fast. There is seriously so much you can do with a dehydrator…
2. Endless possibilities
Once you start dehydrating you will not want to quit. You can dehydrate just about anything. Here is just a short list Of the foods you can try to dehydrate
- Fruit
You can really dehydrate just about any type of fruit. I have always loved pineapple, bananas and apples. But I also just tried strawberries and those are amazing as well. On my last batch of banana chips on sprinkled some cinnamon on them and it was delicious. For dried fruit there really is not a recipe. You just slice up whatever fruit you like and throw it in the dehydrator.
- Meat
You can make some seriously yummy jerky. You can used sliced meat or I have even used ground beef or venison. There are lots of yummy marinades to pick from on pinterest.
- Veggies
You can make kale chips, zucchini chips sweet potatoes and so much more. If I have some extra veggies that are going bad I just slice it up and throw it in the dehydrator.
- Spices
You can make your own spices. You can dehydrate herbs and either keep them whole or you can dehydrate things like ginger and garlic and turn it into a powder.
There are so many more things you can dehydrate this is just a few ideas to show you the endless possibilities.
- Nuts
Some people don’t know this but it is better for you if you soak nuts before you eat them. It makes them easier to digest. But when you do this they will obviously be wet right? So you need to dry them out! Hello dehydrator. You can also make yummy spiced or glazed nuts! So good.
- Yogurt bites
You know those little yogurt bites you can buy at the store for your toddler? The ones that are like $3 for a tiny little pack? Well you can make your own! Just put your yogurt in a zip lock cut the corner and squirt little dots onto your tray. If your really crazy you can even use your own homemade yogurt.
- Veggie Chips
You can make veggie chips from pretty much any veggie. And the nice thing is your homemade version will not be filled with chemicals and crap like the ones at the store. You would be surprised at how many other ingredients are in things that sound healthy like veggie chips!
3. Save money
As you can see there are lots of yummy food you can make with a dehydrator. If you start doing the math you will be blown away at how much money you can save. If you tend to buy beef jerky often you will know how much money it cost. You can spend $7 on one bag. When you can it yourself you can either buy beef ( for much cheaper then that) or use venison like we do which cost us nothing.
Same with dried fruits. If you buy them already dried they can add up very quickly. If you take advantage of sales and get your fruit at a good deal you can make quite a bit of dried fruit for very little money.
4. Health
As I have mentioned in my other post whenever we can do things ourselves it is much better because we know exactly what is going into it and it will be so much healthier. The same goes for dehydrated foods. Especially meat. All of the packaged jerky’s have fillers, chemicals and sugars. When we make it ourselves we can choose what spices go into the meat and we do not have to worry about any of the fillers.
5. To Preserve meat
I know I already said this but I believe this needs a spot of its own. Meat is something that we need to store. I for one cannot live without meat. And how cool is it that we can preserve meat and not have to freeze it?
Plus, dehydrated meat taste different and is a nice change of pace. It is so nice to have such a healthy protein packed snack on hand.
6. Save refrigerator/Freezer space
Dehydrating food is a nice way to save space in the fridge and freezer. Whether that is meat, veggies or fruit. Like I mentioned if you have a fridge full of food that is close to going bad just dehydrate it. It will free up space and help you not waste the food.
7. Sweet treats
One thing I have not mentioned is fruit roll ups. My kids love fruit roll ups and fruit snacks. ( I mean what kid doesn’t?) But I hate buying that stuff. It is so full of dyes and chemicals and I just hate when I fill my kids up on that stuff. And no I am not one of those crazy paranoid parents that never let junk food touch my kids lips….But I do try my best to feed them as healthy as possible when I can. Anyway, Back to the fruit roll ups. All you do is blend a bunch of fruit, throw in some sweetener or sugar and pour it on the tray. Once it is done cut it into strips and there you have it! And it is really good. Those don’t last long around my house.
It is so fun that you can make such yummy treats with good healthy ingredients. It sounds so good I think I will go make a batch right now…
8. Easy
I have already explained how easy it is but I mean I just have to give the easiness of it a little more attention. As a mom of 3 almost 4 I do not have any extra time. I love feeding my family as healthy as I can but It has to be some what simple. You guys dehydrating can not be any easier. I mean you either just slice up some fruit or make a quick marinade. The machine does all the work for you. Can I get an amen? Dehydrating rocks!
And the clean up is SO easy. You don’t even have to wash the trays most of the time. I generally just wipe them down and they are ready for the next time. If you do need to wash them they are dishwasher safe! Dehydrating is seriously the easiest preserving method EVER!
My pick
Now that I have convinced you that you have to try dehydrating you are probably wondering where to start. If you really want you can dehydrate things in the oven. It is not the best option though because you have to dehydrate things for so long and you probably don’t want your oven tied up for that long. Thankfully you can get dehydrators for a pretty decent price. I will share with you the one that I own and really love.
Now, You do not need one as fancy as this one. But I really love it a lot. A few of the things I love about it are..
- Easy clean up
The trays are so easy to clean. I hardly even have to wash them I just wipe them down and it is ready to go for the next load.
- Comes with everything you need
it comes with slotted trays which are good for most things but then it also comes with trays with fully covered bottoms for things like fruit leather and nuts. Some of the cheaper models only come with the slotted trays.
- Quiet
When you dehydrate you will run the machine for a very long time. You want to make sure that it is quiet because no one wants a super loud noise going for 8 hours or more! This machine has a little hum but is very quiet.
- No work
You push the button and walk away! You don’t have to worry about rotating the trays or anything.
But as I said you can find ones on amazon between $30-$50 that will get the job done as well!
Q&A
Are home dried foods cheaper and better than those in health food stores?
In general it cost 1- tenth the amount of what it would cost to buy it in the store. If you buy dried food often you will most likely be able to pay for your dehydrator in 6 months!
Will dehydrating the food make it unhealthy?
NO! Actually, dehydrating food is one of the healthiest ways to preserve food. When food reaches 120 degrees or hotter it kills the enzymes in the food. We need the enzymes to help our digestive system break down the food.
Dehydrating is also the best method because you don’t need to buy all the supplies like you do for canning. That being said I think there is still a place for both types of preserving methods.
How long do dehydrated Veggies last?
Dehydrated veggies can last up to 8-10 years! As I mentioned dehydrating food is better because it does not kill the enzymes. So Why not take some of your veggie crop and dehydrate it? There are so many yummy ways to preserve the veggies.
How long does dehydrated Fruit last?
Dehydrated fruit will last for about 5 years. So again, this is a great way to preserve your fruit. It will not even last that long in the freezer and how great is it that you don’t to to store it in the freezer and pay for all that electricity?
How long does dehydrated meat last?
Unfortunately, meat does not last nearly as long as veggies. It will last about 2 weeks out of the fridge. But if you refrigerate or freeze it you should be able to get it to last a year. And really it will not take much space because it shrinks so much after it has been dried.
Is a dehydrator worth buying?
I would say yes. If you love dried foods and buy them often it will pay for it self within a couple of months. And again it is so nice to have yet another way to preserve food and become more self-sufficient.
How do I save the most money with dehydrating?
Like I said you can save so much money if you dehydrate things yourself. And if you plan you can save even more. Now it is going to take a little playing around but once you figure out the things you like it will be a breeze. So first figure out the foods you like dried. You can pull things out of your fridge or freezer and test it or grab a few things at the store.
Once you decide what you like plan around it. When you are planing your garden plant more of the things that you want to dehydrate. If you need help planning a garden check out my post here. Or watch sales at the store and grab fruits and veggies when they are on sale. The great thing about dehydrating it that it is so easy you don’t have to plan a whole day for the process. You just slice up the food and throw it in. So great!
How do you properly store dried food?
Are you ready for this? The answer is so easy you are gonna freak out! Well at least I did. All you do is put it in a air tight container. Yes, that is it! You don’t have to buy jars and spend forever canning. You don’t have to blanch the veggies and than prepare them for the freezer. ALL YOU DO IS THROW IT IN AN AIR TIGHT CONTAINER! Either a freezer zip-lock or a container. That is it!
Do you need a Jerky gun in order to make Jerky?
You do not NEED a jerky gun to make jerky but it will make the job much easier. I made jerky with ground meat and had to flatten it on the tray by hand. It worked but it took awhile and it did not turn out as nice. With the jerky gun it looks just like jerky from the store. If you are interested in getting a jerky gun I would check this one out on amazon.
Are there disadvantages to drying food?
The one disadvantage to drying food would just be the taste. Some people don’t like the taste of dried food. But as I have said if you have an excess of food and need to preserve it some way it is better then having it go to waste. And honestly I love the taste of dried food. But like I said you will have to test it for yourself and see what you like.
Also, a lot of dried foods are more of a snack and not so much a meal. Which is nice in a way to have to option to preserve all your own food for meals and snacks.
Final thoughts
As you can see I am a big fan of dehydrating foods. I can’t emphasize enough how easy it is. I know I have already said that a million times but its true. IT IS SO EASY! With any other preserving method you have to set aside at least a day to do the whole process and sometimes even more then that. When it comes to dehydrating you just slice the food and you are done.
Another reason I love it is because I am a fruit person and up until now I have not found a great way to preserve fruit. Freezing is okay but it is not the same at all. And obviously freeze dried fruit taste different then fresh but I really like it. It almost taste like candy to me.
I totally understand if you are on the fence about whether you want “another” kitchen appliance laying around. I hate having a bunch of useless things laying around that I never use. But if you are into preserving food I promise you will not be sorry. If you are like me you will become addicted to trying to dehydrate everything you can find. Please let me know what you have tried and the foods that were a total disaster. I would love to see what you all are trying!
As always I hope this was helpful to you as you take the plunge into the world of dehydrating! I can’t wait to hear about all of your yummy ideas.
Happy Homesteading!
~Courtney