Best Dehydrators for Making Jerky Meats and Fish

The dehydrator combines high-quality materials, a solid appearance, flexible settings options, and sufficient performance for rapid processing of any products, all at an attractive price. In terms of design and construction, it resembles an oven: a robust steel body, sliding grates, and a door with a recessed handle and a transparent glass window for visibility of the contents. The construction is complemented by two side handles for easy carrying.

Above the door is a touch control panel containing a display for displaying selected settings — temperature and time. Overall, both the experienced user and the novice first using such equipment will find it easy to understand the controls.

With a power of 800 W and using a convection drying system (built-in rear wall fan), the dehydrator provides quick and uniform heating in the working chamber, as well as protection against overheating. A wide range of temperature settings (from 35 °C to 85 °C) allows you to prepare a variety of different products. Typically, dryers are limited to a maximum temperature of 70 – 75 °C, but higher values are available here, which will be useful for drying jerky and other meat products.

Besides this, users can use the timer to set the desired cooking duration (up to 24 hours) or use automatic programs with preset settings. They contain optimal temperature and time parameters for fruits, vegetables, meats, yogurt, and herbs, as well as a separate program for warming.

The capacity of the device can be called medium. The chamber allows placing 12 trays, but its volume is not very large (28 liters), and the racks themselves are quite compact in size (30x28 cm). The package includes 12 stainless steel trays and a special tray for pastille.

Ergo company dehydrator has a good price-quality ratio: a model in the mid-price segment combines quality materials, a fairly large volume, convenient management, and flexible settings. Thanks to the body made of matte stainless steel, the device looks stylish and easily withstands active daily operation. The construction is complemented by a metal door with a large transparent window, allowing you to monitor the process and control the readiness of the products.

The internal chamber with a volume of 30 liters is divided into 12 tiers and provides the ability to load a large number of products at once. A powerful motor (850 W) ensures rapid heating, the rear-mounted fan — circulation of hot air and uniform drying at each level, and a special fuse protects against overheating. At the same time, the equipment is not too bulky: its dimensions are 41x33x40 cm, and its weight is 7.5 kg. For convenient transportation, recessed side handles are provided.

Thanks to the wide temperature range, the dehydrator is suitable for drying almost any products: from vegetables and fruits to meat and fish. But keep in mind that the package only includes standard stainless steel trays with a mesh bottom — special pastille trays are not included in the set.

Thermostat allows you to adjust the temperature from 35 °C to 75 °C, and the timer will count the necessary time and turn off the heating upon completion. In addition, there are automatic programs that eliminate the need to manually select the necessary parameters. These are 10 programs with preset settings for preparing frequently used products: apples, bananas, kiwi, mushrooms, tomatoes, chicken, pork, fish, etc.

Simple and understandable control is provided by the touch panel with a display, showing the temperature inside the chamber and the time remaining until the end of the drying process.

The dehydrator is a universal solution for both home and professional use. It features high power, good equipment, doesn't take up much space, and has medium capacity — with 6 trays size 34x38.5 cm available for placing products. At the same time, the distance between them is sufficient to accommodate whole berries, meat sausages, and thick slices of vegetables and fruits. The mesh trays are made of stainless steel, which is durable, long-lasting, and does not deform under high temperatures. In addition, this material allows washing in a dishwasher.

The model's power is quite high — 1000 W. But the main feature is the presence of two fans on the rear wall. They ensure even drying in any part of the working chamber and eliminate the need to move the trays during the cooking process. At the same time, the safety system disconnects the power in case of overheating, thereby protecting the equipment from breakdowns.

Flexible settings allow for optimal parameters for any tasks and product types — from fruits and herbs to meat, fish, and their products. The temperature is adjustable from 35 °C to 70 °C, and the timer can be programmed for up to 99 hours. In addition, two modes are provided: FAST for fast drying using both fans and SLOW for slow cooking with one fan on.

The control panel consists of buttons and two small displays, which make it convenient to control the time and temperature settings.

The dehydrator provides gentle drying of almost any products, maintaining their natural taste and beneficial properties. These can be vegetables, fruits, herbs, meat, fish, and bread, prepared as a healthy snack or for long-term storage. To achieve the desired level of dehydration, the thermostat allows temperature adjustment from 35 °C to 75 °C. And to avoid overdrying products and not having to monitor the time yourself, there is a timer for up to 24 hours, which will shut off the drying upon completion of cooking.

The device is universal not only due to a wide range of temperature settings but also due to the various accessories in the package. 10 trays made of durable stainless steel are suitable for whole pieces, small fruits, and sausages, allowing juices and moisture to drain through the mesh bottom. A special tray with a fine mesh is designed for drying herbs, spices, and greens. And a plastic tray with a solid bottom prevents liquid from leaking and allows you to prepare pastille or even porridge. All accessories can be cleaned in a dishwasher after use.

The volume of the dehydrator's internal chamber is 56 liters, which means the model is quite spacious for a large number of preparations. At the same time, 10 trays measuring 39x38 cm fit inside. A powerful heating element (1100 W), a large fan, and an overheat protection system provide uniform heating at all levels and safe operation. Thanks to horizontal airflow and fan placement (on the rear wall), no drops drip on it, and the smells of different products do not mix during drying.

Moreover, important little things positively affect the work and operation. The body made of stainless steel stands out for its strength and durability. Handles for carrying are located on the sides since the device cannot be called compact, and its weight is quite significant — almost 17 kg. A door with a glass window offers a view of the contents of the internal chamber. And a touch control panel with displays allows for precise control of settings and does not collect dirt due to the absence of protruding elements.

BioChef company dehydrator is not cheap and represents a qualitatively executed, high-performance model for use both at home and in a professional kitchen. Its main "trump card" is the presence of two heating elements with a power of 500 W each and two fans, which can work simultaneously or separately. The FAST mode uses both fans for quick drying, while the REGULAR mode — uses only one fan for thorough drying or possibly energy saving if you need to load a small amount of products. Both heating elements have overheat protection.

Regardless of whether one fan or both are working, products are dried evenly at each level. In total, the chamber can hold up to 6 trays measuring 39x34.5 cm at once. They can be moved, adjusted in height, and unneeded trays removed to create more space: for example, the dehydrator can be used for dough proofing or as a yogurt maker for preparing fermented dairy products.

Another plus of the model is the good equipment, allowing you to expand the list of products suitable for drying. It includes 6 main trays made of stainless steel, 2 non-stick sheets for pastille and liquid content, and 2 fine-mesh trays for herbs, spices, nuts, and other small ingredients. However, pastille sheets don't have edges, so you should carefully distribute the puree on the surface to prevent it from spilling. Meanwhile, the manufacturer sells trays with edges separately.

Among the settings offered by the dehydrator is a thermostat with a temperature from 35 °C to 70 °C and a timer for controlling the duration of the process. After the set time, the device automatically switches to WARM mode, which is heat retention. The chamber maintains a minimum temperature (35 °C) to keep already-dried products in an optimally dry state and prevent moisture from entering the chamber. Therefore, it is better not to forget about the contents for a long time to avoid overdrying.