What food dehydrator do I purchase?
Mine is made by Nesco, and it seems to work OK. It’s round, with a fixed diameter and removable shelves that allow you to dry as much or as little as you’d like. It does take up a lot of space, however, which is frustrating in my tiny, tiny kitchen. One feature I’ve been meaning to invest in: trays for making fruit leather. The default trays on my dehydrator are not solid — plastic criss crosses back and forth with lots of holes to maximize air flow. In general, I’m not sure the dehydrator was the wisest investment on my part. Dehydrating is extremely time consuming — six-plus hours per batch. I don’t like leaving the dehydrator on when I go out (fear of fire, I guess), which means that any time I try to dry stuff I pretty much have to give up an entire day of my life. The foods that have dried have not turned out very tasty — I feel like I’m better off eating produce fresh, when it actually tastes good. Commercial dryers seem to do a much better job than my home dehydrator, and mos
