Drying Time
A fast drying food dehydrator is important. The faster the food dries, the less energy you will use running the machine. It will also allow you to make snacks without a lot of planning time. The fruit or meat is usually cut into fairly thin pieces and placed on the racks in the dehydrator. Depending on how thick the pieces are, the type of food you are dehydrating, and the amount of dryness you desire determines the amount of time required to dry the food.

Size
Consider your use for the appliance. There is no need to use 5 trays when you are only drying one apple. However, if you will be drying alot of food at a time then extra trays would be very helpful. If the machine has a small "foot print" it is a lot easier to find counter space.



Easy to Clean
Easy clean up is not a luxury, it's a necessity. The trays should be made of a material that does not retain odors or flavors. Trays that lift off easily have slots that are concurrent are a plus. Concurrent slits allow the air thru and the juice and other drizzle to remain on shelf to be cleaned away easily.

Noise Level
A good dehydrator should be very quiet when running. Remember your dehydrator will be running for hours and the noise level may matter.

Heating
Always check for enclosed heating element and an adjustable thermostat that ranges between the temperatures of around 85 - 160 degrees F. Optionally you can look for a model with computer controlled temperature, as it is more convenient to handle, using a dial to regulate.

Air circulation
Whether your model comes with a fan or blower, there can be two types of air flow: horizontal and vertical. The horizontal flow is clearly the one with most advantages and it is strongly recommended. It reduces flavor mixture so several different foods can be dried at one time; all trays receive equal heat penetration; and juices or liquids do not drip down into the heating element.

Trays
Most dehydrators have "add trays later" feature. this more flexibility to expand your use later. A good food dehydrator should have trays that are webbed. This will allow the forced, warm air to circulate around the food. The webbing should not be too tight or the air will not circulate properly. The webbing should allow the tray to be sturdy and the trays should be stackable. This will allow for a significant amount of food to be dried at one time. There should be a tray insert/liner for liquids that are drying. This insert has no webbing, and is perfect for pureed fruit for fruit roll-ups..

TEFLEX Sheets
Your Food Dehydrator should come along with reusable, non-stick TEFLEX Sheets. It is important that they are cut to fit your model's trays. Make sure to buy them separately if they are not included in your dehydrator's price.

Settings
A good food dehydrator has a variety of settings that can be coordinated with the type of food being dehydrated. Settings should also include an hour gauge so that the amount of time can be calculated .

Drip pan
A good food dehydrator should come with a drip pan that can be removed and cleaned, and fully protects the electrical or heating unit from drips.