Only fruit and vegetable dryers will help you quickly stockpile for the winter.

Fresh fruits and vegetables contain many useful ingredients and vitamins necessary for our body, but how to save all this until the winter cold, when you really want a rich compote or fragrant mushroom soup.

Electric dryers with or without a fan can help with this, which are specially designed for fruits and vegetables to make harvesting at home.

Using this modern household appliances, any housewife will quickly dry the gifts of the forest or harvested from the infield, while the guarantee of preservation of all useful ingredients is almost complete. To understand how such dryers work, what is the secret of their careful drying of different products, you need to read our article.

Types of products

Adherents of a healthy diet use a dehydrator, it is also a dehydrator for mushrooms and berries. In stores, this technique can be found under the name a vegetable dryer or a household dryer for a whole list of other products that include meat and fish. Using these products, you can make cookies, vegetable cakes, and some housewives use them to dry medicinal herbs.

The peculiarity of such dryers is that they keep plant food alive by drying only the liquid in it, while the shelf life increases by tens of times. Losses of useful properties during drying amount to no more than 5%, and during freezing 10 times more. For example, when apples and mushrooms are dried, they become significantly dehydrated, but after prolonged storage it is worth pouring them with warm water, as they are restored to the previous level.

Now a few words about the types of dryers:

Convective

The evaporation of moisture from the products here occurs under the influence of hot air, so they are released with a fan in the lower part, which ensures even distribution of hot air throughout the internal volume. Dryers of this type are most popular among Russian consumers because of their efficiency, reliable operation, compactness and low cost.

Heating

The movement of hot air here occurs naturally, at the bottom there is a heater, but the fan is not in the design, so these models are not in great demand among the population.

Infrared

The processing methodology is quite similar to the drying of products under the influence of sunlight, only the source is an ultraviolet heater. Thermal energy is transferred to the objects to be dried, while moisture is removed, and the color given by nature remains unchanged. Such products show the best results, although they do not differ much in the quality of execution, they are economical and easy to use, but their price is much higher, the work process takes longer, and the assortment on the market is small.

Tablecloth Dryers

Such products are equipped with an infrared emitter (IR), which consumes little electric energy - they can easily be rolled up into a small roll or spread on any horizontal place for use. They have a small usable area due to which productivity is, accordingly, low.

Most consumers prefer dryers made in Russia, because it is easier to find components in the event of a breakdown, and the price is of great importance.

Key Features

This is primarily power, the option of supplying hot air, material and the presence of a control panel. The speed of preparation of the final product depends on this parameter: the higher it is, the faster the home assistant will turn the fruits into dried fruits. The power directly depends on the size of the product: a dryer for three pallets can have up to 500 W, and a large one for 6-7 pallets - 0.6-1 kW.

Some consumers are sure that a more powerful professional dryer will complete the whole process faster, but this is a mistake, because the performance depends on the capacity of the pallets, and the drying time is about the same, only the noise during operation will be much stronger. For home use, the best option is devices with a power of 350-500 watts.

As a rule, the control panel consists of a thermostat, with which users set the temperature regime of drying. The control is mechanical or sensory, the second option is a modern method to control the drying process. Such models come with a timer,

They have a digital screen on which the whole process is displayed, switching buttons, but they cost a little more than the standard ones with a rotary switch.

Principle of operation

Dehydration of products occurs due to the circulation of hot air from the bottom up, during drying, fruits and vegetables do not change their color and appearance, only slightly decrease in size. All vitamins do not evaporate, but remain inside the products; they are preserved during such processing.

An electric dryer will not only come in handy for annual harvesting of mushrooms, berries, fruits and vegetables for the winter, but it will also help to wither the meat and fish. Only in processing should we take the most ripened fruits when they have fully gained useful substances. Dried foods can be used in the winter to make compotes, homemade pastille, bake flavored cakes or cook hearty mushroom soups.

If the product is used correctly, rinsed after each use, then it will work for a long time and without repair.

How to choose

Before you buy a dryer, you need to determine the number of pallets, what kind of performance you need, optimal power, capacity of pallets, temperature variation and the material from which the body and mesh are made. If you thought through all these parameters and carefully weighed, now you need to choose the manufacturer, but let's start in order.

Capacity

It depends on the number of pallets and their dimensions, the classic of the genre here is 3-5 levels, from 3 to 5 kg of various fruits can be dried in one cycle. For serious gardeners who have a small garden in the country, it is better to choose dryers with six trays, then up to 6 kg of the crop can be processed for one drying.

On sale there are models with processing at a time up to 15 kg, but this is already for those consumers who dry products for subsequent sale. Some manufacturers deliberately slightly overestimate the volume of dryers, and it is needed only when drying whole mushrooms, and more importantly the size of the pallet: cut products are placed only in one row and at some distance from each other.

Therefore, a product with 6-7 trays with a height of 30 mm will be more productive than a 5x50 mm dryer, given that the diameter of the products will be identical.

Power

We have already spoken about this parameter in detail, we only recall that models designed for 350-600 watts are considered optimal options. They have normal capacity, work quietly, do not wind the counter. The most powerful options are dryers up to 1 kW, they are chosen when quite large volumes need to be processed annually. When buying, consider the power-capacity ratio.

Temperature conditions

The purpose of active drying is to preserve all vitamins and useful properties to the maximum, for example, for convective products there are such modes:

1. Gentle (Low) - 30-40 ° C, it is relevant for drying medicinal herbs and greens from the beds.
2. Middle, here the temperature spread is 45-55 ° С.
3. Increased (High) - 60-75 ° С.

The second and third options are used to dry vegetables, fruits, berries, mushrooms, as well as meat and seafood.

Some models are available with a fixed temperature, 2-3 positions, more advanced samples with a function of smooth adjustment. Infrared products work well in the temperature range of 40-60 ° C. Experts advise choosing dryers with several modes of changing the temperature, if the family budget allows.

Material

For dryers, manufacturers use two materials:

1. Metal - strength, durability and reliability there is no doubt, but such a design will have a very solid weight, all surfaces will be very hot, which will lead to additional energy consumption. The metal structure with its appearance will scare away the potential buyer, they can be used only in the country or in your own house, but not in a city apartment.
2. Plastic is more often used for the production of such products: the mass of the structure is small, it is rather simple to assemble and disassemble, all parts are easy to clean. If you use transparent plastic with special strength, you can follow the process without opening the product cover. When choosing a dryer, pay attention to the quality and odoriness of such a material. The bulk of modern dryers for home use is made only from food grades of plastic.

Type of control

Electronic control with touch buttons and a digital display is not only very convenient, but also less polluted, allowing you to more accurately set the temperature regime. Mechanical control is more reliable in operation, rotary switches rarely break and work properly for many years.

Food containers

They are available in round and square form, their location can be of two types:

1. Vertical is the standard for many convectors of the convective type for fruits and vegetables, they are installed in the form of a dense shelf, and are covered with a lid on top. The heating element and fan are located at the bottom of the main body, less often mounted in the cover of the device. The second option, experts call it more convenient, because moisture and small particles do not fall on the heater.
2. The horizontal arrangement is borrowed from industrial analogues of high power and capacity - the trays are on special supports of the openwork type, they can be removed, while the distance between adjacent trays increases.

This design is convenient for preparing yogurt, and a common heater is located on the back wall.

Additional functions

Such options make working with the product more enjoyable:

• there is an opportunity to cook homemade pastille, wrap meat or fish - this is doubly pleasant for the consumer, if it does not affect the final price of the product;
• the air supply system to the pallets differs depending on the model of the dryer - the best products ensure even distribution of hot air, while the odors are not mixed;
• it is convenient to use a timer so as not to forget when to turn off the product, otherwise the products may dry out;
• overheating protection - this function is installed on almost all products.

If you are an avid mushroom picker, then the ability to control the height of pallets is useful to dry some varieties of forest products without chopping.

TOP 10 best dryers

This is not a rating when each of the presented models occupies a specific place, but rather a simple overview of products from domestic and foreign manufacturers.

Spectrum Device ESOF-0.5 / 220

• Item Type: Convection Type Dryer
• Management: mechanics
• Power Consumption: Up to 500 W
• Availability of pallets: 3 pieces
• Maximum load: not more than 3.0 kg
• Heating temperature range: up to 60 ° C
• Material: cases - white plastic, pallets - opaque plastic
• Dimensions: 325x325x300 mm
• Warranty / Service Life: 1 year / 10 years

Rotor SSH-002

• Type: Electric Dryer
• Management - mechanical
• Power Consumption: 520 W
• Internal volume: 20 L
• Number of trays: up to 5 pieces
• Maximum load: no more than 5 kg (1 kg per tray)
• Heating range: 30-70 ° C
• Material: white and opaque plastic
• Dimensions: 390x390x400 mm

SUPRA DFS-523

• Item Type: Convection Dryer
• Management: mechanics
• Power Consumption: 250 W
• Pallets: quantity - 5 pieces, height - 34-50 mm
• Maximum load: not more than 5.0 kg
• Heating Temperature Range: 40-75 ° C
• Material: White Plastic
• Dimensions: 205x265x245 mm
• Weight: 1.94 kg

Marta MT-1951

• Type: product - electric dryer, control - electronic
• Power Consumption: 250 W
• Internal volume: 11 L
• Number of trays: 5 pieces
• Electronic timer: up to 72 hours
• Electronic control: 35-70 ° C
• Material: white and clear plastic
• Dimensions: 280x315x250 mm

SUPRA DFS-527

• Item Type: Convection Type Dryer
• Management: mechanical
• Power Consumption: Up to 500 W
• The presence of pallets: 5 pieces
• Maximum load: 5.0 kg
• Heating Temperature Range: 35-70 ° C
• Material: cases - white plastic, trays - transparent plastic (height 23 mm)
• Dimensions: 285x335x225 mm

Gemlux GL-FD-01R

• Type: product - convection-type dryer, control - electronics
• Power Consumption: 500 W
• Internal volume: 20 L
• Trays: quantity - 5 pieces, height - 35 mm
• Load Limit: 5.0 kg
• Heating range: 40-70 ° C
• Material: white and clear plastic
• Dimensions: 333x365x265 mm

Polaris PFD 1605AD

• Item Type: Convection Dryer
• Management: electronic
• Power Consumption: Up to 350 W
• The presence of pallets: 5 pieces
• Maximum load: not more than 5.0 kg
• Heating Temperature Range: 40-75 ° C
• Material: cases - white plastic, pallets - transparent plastic
• Dimensions: 260x320x285 mm
• Empty weight: 2.68 kg

VolTera 1000

• Type: product - convection class dryer, control - electronic
• Power consumption: 1 kW
• Fan Heater Unit: Lower Location
• Mesh tray: quantity - 5 pieces plus 1 for pastille, height - 40 mm
• Maximum load: no more than 5 kg
• Heating range: 40-70 ° C
• Material: White, Opaque ABS Plastic
• Dimensions: 388x388x351 mm

BelOMO 8360

• Item Type: Convective Dryer with Fan
• Management: mechanics
• Power Consumption: Up to 500 W
• The presence of pallets: 5 pieces
• Maximum load: not more than 5.0 kg
• Heating Temperature Range: 15-60 ° C
• Material: white opaque plastic
• Dimensions: 343x343x270 mm

Ezidri Snackmaker FD500

• Type: product - electric dryer, control - electronic
• Power Consumption: 500 W
• Number of trays: up to 5 pieces
• Maximum load: no more than 5 kg (1 kg per tray)
• Heating range: 35-60 ° C
• Material: White Plastic
• Dimensions: 340x340x268 mm
• Weight: 3.15 kg

findings

The range of dryers for home use is quite extensive, so it is not easy for the Russian consumer to choose the best option. We hope that this article will help you make the right choice.