Save 20% on our highest-rated food dehydrator

Get the Excalibur Food Dehydrator for a great price [View in a Web browser →]( [America's Test Kitchen] EXCLUSIVE DEAL [24 HOURS ONLY — SAVE 20% and get FREE SHIPPING →]( SAVE 20% on our Highest-Rated Food Dehydrator Excalibur Food Dehydrator $299.99 $239.99 FREE SHIPPING [BUY NOW]( [We maintain strict objectivity in all testing. Learn more →]( The New DIY (Dry It Yourself) What do kale chips, dried thyme, and beef jerky have in common? They’re all dehydrated foods. While you can dry some foods in your oven or microwave, food dehydrators are more convenient and produce better results. They have fans that circulate air to facilitate dehydrating, and they can dry large volumes at once. Of the five models we tested, one consistently earned top marks for drying a wide variety of foods uniformly while preserving their flavor. winner HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Excalibur Food Dehydrator Tasters praised the quality of foods dried in this large sliding-tray machine, noting that they retained fresh flavor while also achieving the dry, pliable-to-crisp qualities we were after. Although it’s bulky (the size of a large microwave) and the most expensive machine in our lineup, it also held the most food and completed each task quickly. The spacious square trays fit long slices of beef jerky and round apple slices and slide easily into the unit. The lid lifts off to make it easy to check the progress of drying foods, and the timer allows for truly hands-off, walk-away dehydrating. REVIEWED IN COOK’S COUNTRY september 2016 [Speed: 3/3, Cleanup: 3/3, Ease of Use: 3/3, Food Quality: 3/3, Tray Capacity: 3/3] KEY: good ★★★ fair ★★ poor ★ [BUY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST]( BONUS OFFER WITH TODAY’S DEAL Save 25% on Kitchen Hacks Get 1000+ tips from the pages of Cook’s Illustrated that will help you cook well with what you already have on hand. [Book Cover]( $19.95 $14.95 [BUY NOW]( [Dried Foods]( How We Tested Food Dehydrators We tested five food dehydrators, using them to dry apple slices, kale, thyme, plum tomato halves, beef jerky, and mango-apple fruit leather. For each test, we consulted product manuals and industry guidelines for food safety. Panels of tasters evaluated the results in blind tastings. We also rated the models on how easy they were to set up, use, and clean. Slide or Stack? Food dehydrators come in two styles—large boxes with trays that slide in and out like oven racks, and those composed of round, stackable trays that seal together and are capped by a lid; our lineup included both. Both styles work on the same general principle: A heating element warms the air, and a fan blows it across the trays, carrying moisture away from the food and sending it out through vents. Space Case Sliding-shelf machines had trays that were at least 11 inches across. They were easy to load and held more food. Stacking-shelf machines had doughnut-shaped trays with holes in the middle for air flow, so their usable surface was no greater than 5 inches from the center to the outer edge. Arranging round slices of produce and strips of jerky on these trays sometimes felt like a jigsaw puzzle, and fewer pieces of food fit. [Controls]( UX We rated the machines on the intuitiveness of their controls and how easy the trays were to assemble. The best models could be set to precise temperatures and had built-in timers that shut them off automatically. We also preferred models that offered easy access to the racks during drying cycles, with doors or lids that could be removed to check progress without interrupting the cycle. Time on Task Dehydrating foods is an inherently slow process, so we preferred models that worked more quickly. We deducted points from dehydrators that took noticeably longer than average to dry foods sufficiently. [Tasting Beef Jerky]( How’s It Taste? For each dehydration test, we ruled out variability in individual pieces of fruit and meat by combining foods and redistributing them evenly in the machines. A panel of test cooks and editors evaluated the texture, appearance, and overall quality of the foods in blind tastings. Cleanup Throughout testing, we washed each machine’s drying trays, mesh inserts, and lids or doors by hand and wiped out their frames. We noted if any had small nooks or crannies that were difficult to scrub clean. We preferred models with accessories that are fully dishwasher-safe. [BUY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST]( [Dehydrator]( Winning Traits of the Excalibur Food Dehydrator • Top marks for taste and texture of dried beef, produce, and herbs. • Nine 11-inch square trays are easy to load and hold more food. • Trays are dishwasher-safe. • Design enables easy checking of food as it dries. • A timer with automatic shutoff allows for hands-off operation. don’t miss your chance to save! $299.99 $239.99 FREE SHIPPING [BUY NOW]( Kits for Cooks [The Prep Station]( This food prep station sets the stage for safe, clean, and successful cooking. [Learn More →]( [Essential Knife Set]( Just the four core pieces you need. No gimmicks or filler pieces. [Learn More →]( Objectivity first, last, and always. America’s Test Kitchen does not accept advertising and conducts equipment tests without the knowledge of product manufacturers. 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