DEHYDRATORS AND FOOD DRYERS
We have offered Classes in Dehydrating foods for over 25 years and have taught them in person clear across Canada. We recommend the following Food Dehydrators as good quality and long-lasting units that will dry your food efficiently and produce great results quickly. All good dehydrators should have both a fan and a heating element as well as a thermostat that keeps the temperature at a constant place to ensure even drying of the produce. Good dryers should be easy to clean (box shaped ones, you will have to crawl inside like cleaning an oven), and should come apart easily. Higher wattage units generally dry faster than lower watt dehydrators. Never leave your dryer outside overnight. You can put it out in the daytime on a dry day, if you need to dry something that creates an odour like onions or garlic.
Why do we carry these type of dehydrators?
After 34 years of retailing and using dehydrators we have really got a sense of what we think works and doesn't work. We have carried several types of dryers in those years and have narrowed down our stock to include what works great, and is easy to use and clean, AND can be repaired here in Canada. We have found that the box shaped dryers that we have sold, (Excalibur and Equi-Flo) tend to waste energy and efficiency because their air-flow is not re-circulated the way it is in the stacking dryers. Unless you are doing a full dehydrator of food, energy is wasted with empty trays, and the trays all need to be rotated laterally in the box shaped dryers as the food closest to the element will dry faster than the food closest to the door. The dehydrators we carry can be expanded or reduced to accommodate the amounts you have and are really efficient in their energy use (about .04 an hour). Our Raw Food Diet customers as well as our outdoor enthusiasts and even just the customer who wants an easier way to preserve their tomatoes , all love these hard working dehydrators we have featured below.
GARDEN MASTER PRO DEHYDRATOR BY NESCO--This has been our best selling dehydrator here in Canada for over 20 years we have sold it. It's 8 stackable trays allow it to dry larger volumes easily and since it can be added to, (up to 30 trays) you can do even more, or you can just dry 1 tray if you only have a small amount to dry. The 1000 watt fan and heating element make it the fastest dryer we have ever seen. Most items like fruits and vegetables dry overnight and apple slices dry in about 5 hours.
See the Garden Master Dehydrator Demonstration here
GARDENMASTER DIGITAL CONTROLLED DEHYDRATOR BY NESCO
This unit has a top mounted fan eliminates liquids dripping into the heater chamber. It expands to a giant 20 trays so you can dry large quantities all at once! With 1000 watts of drying power means you can dry more food, faster. The patented Converga-Flow® forces heated air down the exterior pressurized chamber, then horizontally across each individual tray, converging in the center, for fast, even and nutritious drying. No flavor mixing! No need for tray rotation. Click here for Gardenmaster pricing.
Check out our Dehydrator Tips and Tricks Page which also includes several recipes to use dehydrated foods. 
L'EQUIP DEHYDRATORS are our most economical dehydrators but still offer uniform, consistent drying. The L'EQUIP™ Dehydrator captures the good taste of fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, because it dries food uniformly and consistently - even in the corners and on every tray. Now we have 2 models to choose from-- the Regular 6- tray 528 model and the Digital Filter Pro Dehydrator. L'Equip Dryers have computer controlled thermostat which keeps the temperature uniform at all times. Printable product information sheet
Click here for L'Equip Dehydrator pricing
L'EQUIP FILTER PRO DEHYDRATOR --New online demo here
CLICK HERE FOR A L'EQUIP FILTER PRO DEHYDRATOR DEMONSTRATION MAKING FRUIT LEATHER
This smaller 6 tray dehydrator is perfect for those smaller spaces yet without losing the quality in both the dryer and the product it creates. It will dry most foods overnight. The clean air-flo filter system and the temperature control with the 550 watt fan and motor and thermostat will keep the food at a constant temperature and make it a breeze to use. The computer controlled thermostat keeps the temperature constant at all times during the drying process, ensuring uniform drying. -Printable product information sheet.
Check out our online weblog for exact instructions on drying food. (Put dehydrator in the seach engine)
