In your search for the best dehydrators on the market, you may have run across the often-sold-out Salton Food Dehydrator and wondered if it was a good choice. In this article, we’ll be providing you with an in-depth Salton Food Dehydrator review to help you make a decision!
Let’s get started!
The Salton Food Dehydrator
A great budget-buy and a favorite among first-time dehydrator users, the Salton Food Dehydrator is simple to use and won’t burn a hole in your pocket at $69.99. The Salton’s temperatures range from 95 degrees to 158 degrees Fahrenheit, making it versatile and good for dehydrating foods from fruits and vegetables to meats. The dehydrator is really simple to operate, as it only features a single dial for temperature control and a red ON and OFF button to power the machine.
The 25o-watt motor and fan allow for even drying, though some users have complained that this dehydrator takes longer to dehydrate foods than the recommended time frame. For example, while with other machines fruit may take 4 hours to dehydrate, with this unit, it may take up to 6 or 8 hours. This leads us to believe that this dehydrator may not be the best option for those who want to make jerky, and may only be suitable for fruits and vegetables.
This dehydrator includes 5 adjustable stacking trays made of food-grade, BPA-free plastic, along with a vented lid to increase air circulation inside the machine to eliminate hot spots.
Advantages
- Wide temperature range to dehydrate many different types of food
- BPA-Free unit
- A vented lid to encourage air circulation
- Very affordable. Great as a budget buy for first-timers
The Salton Food Dehydrator is often sold out in stores and online due to the fact that it is highly affordable and easy to use. It has a wide temperature range that will allow you to dehydrate practically any type of food, including meats (albeit for a longer time than usual — more on that in the Disadvantages section), it’s BPA-free, and features a vented lid for proper heat circulation and even drying.
Disadvantages
- Made with plastic materials (trays)
- May take longer to dehydrate than other dehydrators
As the saying goes, ‘you get what you pay for’, and it’s no different with the Salton Food Dehydrator. It’s a decent machine and an even better budget buy, however, the quality is lower than that of other dehydrators under $100. This is because many users have complained that it takes significantly longer than the recommended amount of time to dry specific food types. What should only take about 4 hours ends up taking about 8, which can definitely be frustrating if you don’t have the time or will to wait all day on food to dehydrate.
The trays are also made with plastic (though food-grade), which is often a deal-breaker for those that are concerned about health and potential transfer of microplastics and chemicals onto their food.
Why Try a Dehydrator?
If you’re considering a dehydrator, but aren’t sure if it’ll be worth the purchase or of much use to you, consider these benefits!
- You’ll create less waste. A dehydrator will help families save money in the long run, as they can buy veggies and fruits in bulk without worrying if they’ll turn brown and need to be thrown away. If bananas start to get a little too ripe before you plan to eat them, simply slice them, spice them, and dehydrate them!
- Your family will have access to healthy snacks. Rather than buying bags of chips or cookies, you can make delicious, homemade snacks that are great for kids and adults alike.
- You know exactly what goes on your dehydrated foods. If you’re concerned about artificial flavors, dyes, and harmful preservatives in your family’s snacks, you’ll breathe a sigh of relief with a dehydrator. With a dehydrator, you’ll be able to spice and sweeten your dehydrated foods yourself and know exactly what goes in it.
- You’ll have an emergency food stash for a few years. In the event of an emergency, dehydrated foods will be a good backup to have. They usually have a shelf life of about 5 years in a home setting but have the potential to last a decade.
- No allergen worries. If you or someone in your family has food allergies, you’ll have peace of mind knowing they haven’t been in contact with the dehydrated food in your home.
- Dehydrated foods are great for outings and traveling. Going on a camping trip, hiking excursion, or on the lake? Dehydrated foods are lightweight and easy to throw in a bag and go!
Tips for Using Your Dehydrator
Using a dehydrator is pretty straight-forward, but there are a few tips that can help you along the way! Like…
- Use lemon juice to preserve color! For fruits especially, like apples or bananas, soak them in a half and half mixture of lemon juice and water for 3 to 5 minutes, then place on the tray to dry.
- Be sure the slices are thin enough. Fruit, veggie, and meat slices should be around 1/4 an inch thick to dry as quickly and evenly as possible.
- Ensure that the food is completely dry before storing it. If the food is still sticky or moist, then it’s not finished dehydrating. Put it in the dehydrator until it’s dry to the touch.
- And make sure that it’s cooled down! Dehydrated food should be 100% cool before it’s stored. Any steam will lead to moisture inside the container or bag.
The Verdict
So after our Salton Food Dehydrator Review, what have we concluded? Is this dehydrator worth the plunge?
For the money, this is a decent dehydrator, but it does have a few flaws; namely, that it takes longer to dehydrate foods than most other dehydrators around the same price do. Plus, it’s components (the trays especially) are made of plastic. This can be a concern for many health food aficionados, however, the unit does use food-grade and BPA-free plastic.
Overall, this is an easy dehydrator to use for first-timers, it’s very affordable compared to many dehydrators on the shelves, and while it dries slowly, it gets the job done in the long run!