Best Food Dehydrator Under $100
A dehydrator under $100 can be a great purchase for anyone who is just starting to get into dehydrating foods. If you’ve been thinking about drying food in your kitchen, but you are not sure if you want to invest a lot of money, then a dehydrator under $100 is the ideal unit that you can use to get a better understanding of how to dry food.
Dehydrators under $100 also make a great gift for teenagers or kids who want the experience the joy of drying their own food without the need to buy it from a marketplace. It can also be a great experience for the whole family to get together and dry the foods that they all like in their very own dehydrator.
Comparison Chart for Best Dehydrators Under $100
| Serial No | Product Name | No of Trays | Watts | Adjustable Thermostat | Temperature Range Degrees F | Timer | Weight in pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nesco FD-75A | 5 to 12 | 600 | Yes | 95-160 | No | 9 |
| 2 | Nesco FD-61WHC | 5 | 500 | Yes | 95-160 | No | 8.76 |
| 3 | NutriChef Food Dehydrator | 5 | 250 | No | 180 | No | 3.1 |
| 4 | Gourmia GFD1550 | 5 | 500 | Yes | 105-158 | Yes | 8.7 |
| 5 | Nesco FD-60 Snackmaster | 4 to 12 | 500 | Yes | 95-155 | No | 6.85 |
| 6 | Eastman Outdoors 38254 | 4 | 245 | Yes | 90-160 | No | 7.65 |
| 7 | Hamilton Beach 32100A | 5 | 500 | Yes | 100-160 | Yes | 8 |
| 8 | L'EQUIP 528 | 6 to 12 | 500 | Yes | 95-158 | No | 11 |
| 9 | Nesco FD-28JX Jerky Xpress | 4 | 350 | No | Fixed Temperature | No | 5.5 |
| 10 | Rosewill Countertop | 5 | 250 | Yes | 95-155 | No | 6 |
The biggest advantage of drying food at home is that you can be 100% sure about the ingredients in the dried food. When you buy dried food from the market, you can never really be sure about the chemicals and preservatives present in the food. You can also try to dry foods according to the recipes and flavors of your choice. If you are going on a trip, you can dry a large batch of food very easily and it will be more economical as well as healthy to carry your own dried food for snacks or cooking your own meals.
In this article, we are going to take a look at the best dehydrators under $100. Be advised that the prices of these dehydrators were under $100 at the time of writing of this article and you should use your own judgment in case of a future price change.
Reviews for Best Dehydrators Under $100
1) Nesco FD-75A Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator
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The Nesco FD-75A Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator is a small and powerful unit that offers immense drying capacity. The dehydrator comes with a top mounted fan that offers a drying power of 600 watts. With five trays that offer ample drying capacity, you can also add up to 12 trays for drying larger batches.
Designed to look great on any kitchen shelf,
this dehydrator also has a Vita-Save exterior that keeps the nutritional value
of the food intact. Another useful feature of this dehydrator is the Converga
Flow drying system. In this system, the hot air is forced down an exterior
chamber and then it spreads over all the trays. In this method of drying food,
there is no need to rotate the trays as all trays get an equal amount of heat
and food dries equally. If you’re looking for a small unit that will help you
dry large quantity of food then pick this unit today.
2) Nesco FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator
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The Nesco FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator is the ideal dehydrator that you can use for making jerky of any kind. It comes with several attachments that can help you in making jerky from any kind of meat. The unit is easy to use and it comes with 500 watts of drying power. The top mounted fan offers ample drying power that dries the food in all the trays equally with the patented Converga-Dry system.
With 5 trays, there is ample space to dry all
the food that you want to dry. The trays are also made from BPA free plastic
which means you can dry food on the trays without the risk of contamination.
Whether you want to dry meat to make jerky, dry fruits or dry herbs and
vegetables, you can do it all in this dehydrator. If you are looking for a
dehydrating machine that offers a complete range of drying abilities, pick this
one today.
3) NutriChef Food Dehydrator Machine
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NutriChef is a well known manufacturer of dehydrators that offers quality equipment that works well for beginner as well as expert dehydrating enthusiasts. The NutriChef Food Dehydrator Machine is designed to be simple yet powerful. The dehydrator comes with a single button operation and you can dry food in the 5 trays that can be stacked when not in use. The maximum temperature of the unit is 180 degrees F and it works efficiently to remove the moisture from the food to dry it properly.
Most of all, this dehydrator is small in size which makes it easy to store, transport, and carry. You can place it on your kitchen shelf while you are using it and it does not take much space if you want to store it in a cupboard when it’s not in use. The silent operation of the dehydrator makes it ideal for use in busy households and it is also really easy to clean.
4) Gourmia GFD1550 Food Dehydrator
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The Gourmia GFD1550 Food Dehydrator is built with efficiency and power in mind. The unit comes with 5 trays that offer ample drying space for the food that you want to dry. The trays can be nested for storage so that they do not take up too much space. You can keep the dehydrator running for up to 36 hours with the timer function. It is also easy to set up the temperature with the digital temperature controls and start drying the foods that you like.
Whether you want to dry herbs or make beef
jerky, this dehydrator is versatile enough to handle all tasks with ease.
Another advantage of this dehydrator is that you can dry as much or as little
food as you want. The unit works flawlessly with one or five trays and it is
really simple and easy to use as well. If you’re looking for a basic
dehydrator, pick this one without a doubt.
5) Nesco FD-60 Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator
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If you are looking for a small dehydrator that packs a lot of drying power, then the Nesco FD-60 Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator is the perfect fit for you. This dehydrator comes with 4 trays that offer a lot of drying space for all kinds of foods. Add to it, the patented Converga-Flow drying system makes sure the trays get an equal amount of heat and food dries properly on each tray. With this system, there is no need to rotate trays either.
The dehydrator has a top mounted fan that makes cleaning the unit much easier as compared to dehydrators with bottom mounted fans. You can adjust the thermostat as per the recommendation of the recipe that you are following. The fan offers 500 watts of drying power that makes it ideal for drying everything from meat to herbs, fruits, and vegetables.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a dehydrator for beginners or as a spare unit in your kitchen, you can easily pick a dehydrator under $100. It is easy to dry a small batch of food in your dehydrator and if it supports more trays, you can always dry more food once you feel comfortable with dehydration of food.
While most dehydrators under $100 are not equipped with all the features you might need, you can get a decent set of features that can get you started with your dehydration efforts. Make sure you go with a branded name that also offers warranty and the kind of space that you are looking for.
We hope this article has helped you in making a decision regarding the kind of dehydrator you want to buy. Feel free to leave a comment with your suggestions or inputs about the kind of articles you’d like to see in this space.