AnaIf you have ever wondered about whether or not you should get a food dehydrator, the answer is YES! You can do so many snacks and dry food items for regular eating or for emergency storage, and it preserves the nutrients that are in the food since it is basically raw. When you aren’t feeling good, or if you’re a preggo mom during morning sickness, the BRAT diet is usually recommended – bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. Well, I go for banana chips because they are just so good!
Once I figured out how to make them in my dehydrator, I never bought them again. Apples, pineapples and mangoes are always a favorite too, so it’s fun to make those as well. Blueberries are great for throwing into recipes like muffins or pancakes. The list is endless! Make your own jerky, just the way you want, without all the added extras and preservatives.
I have the Chefman 5 Round Dehydrator; it has five removable/stackable trays, easy to clean, electric, adjustable and compact. I’ve made a variety of fruits in it so far, and the fam always loves when I prep dried food snacks for the month. I’ve added some extra pics at the end of this post for your viewing pleasure. Here is the link for the one I have, and it is amazing! Please use my links below if you choose to dive into this venture, since I will earn a small commission from the sale through Amazon’s Affiliate Program. Thank you in advance for supporting small businesses like mine!
Here are other options for lower budget versions, however I have not used these myself so if you choose one of these, please share some feedback from your experiences in the comments for other readers! If you are wanting lower budget, I would make sure it is easy to clean and use (my number one priority!) and has removable/rotating trays to ensure your food dries evenly since you want to rotate them often during the process.
Also, if you are already a pro and are wanting to do more at once/have more options, this one is higher cost but also a great recommendation. I will most likely be upgrading mine in the future, since the one I have was intended to get us started and accommodate simple needs.
You will also want to plan for storage, as these will not keep very long if you do not store them properly. Be sure your food is completely cooled to the touch to keep from holding any moisture, since this will reduce the shelf life of your food. If you are drying in bulk for prepping long-term storage, there are some additional steps you will need to take, which I will cover in another post. For general snacking and short term storage, once they are completely cool to the touch, store them loose in an airtight glass jar with a gap at the top to allow space for shaking/mixing every so often. If they are properly cooled, they will keep for 7-10 days with no condensation. Here are some storage containers you can use if you need ideas:
As promised, here are some more pictures from my own dehydrating fun. Please leave comments and questions below- I would love to hear about your favorite snacks and the kind of dehydrator you have! 
