Are Food Dehydrators Safe?

Charlice Eedu
Aug 26, 2017 · 3 min read

Many people often ask this question.

And if you care about your health too, this is a question that should be ringing at the back of your mind when you want to purchase a food dehydrator.

While some dehydrators are expensive, they cannot be recommended over cheaper ones without first considering the quality of material used in manufacturing them.

It is very important that you consider the materials used in a dehydrator before buying it.

There are two types of food dehydrators: plastic and stainless steel.

There has been a lot of talk about whether or not it is safe to buy plastic dehydrators and whether stainless steel dehydrators are superior.

In order not to repeat the argument here, I will give you some pointers here so that you can understand better.

Some manufacturers like Excalibur use Toxic Polycarbonate (BPA) in their dehydrators. Don’t let the “BPA-free plastic” from manufacturers deceive you.

According to our research, there are many brands/models from Excalibur on the market that fall in this category. This includes their Omega dehydrators, Oyster dehydrators, and Presto dehydrators.

However, Excalibur have some commercial stainless steel dehydrators that are safer and worth looking into.

Unless you don’t want to spend a lot of money on your first try (if you are buying for the first time), you may be put off by the stainless steel models.

But they can give you the best bang for your money if you can afford them. TSM and STX also have some stainless steel dehydrators with no plastic inside.

They are worth looking into if your inclination is towards stainless steel dehydrators.

This article is not to batch the plastic dehydrators. There are many brands out there that are safe and that will actually costs you a few dollars.

Look out for the following materials when buying these as these denotes that they are very safe materials:

  • Polypropylene (PP)
  • Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
  • Silicone
  • Acrylonitrile Styrene (AS)
  • Acrolonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)

When you see any of these materials, they should give you a clear conscience that you are buying plastic free from toxin.

Unfortunately, many manufacturers may not list these materials unless you research them. So will help you list those that use them here so that you don’t have to do the research yourself:

  • All of Nesco dehydrators are made from PP
  • TSM dehydrators are made from the combination of ABS
  • Weston Supply dehydrators have AS trays with the housing made from ABS and silicone netting sheets
  • STX International dehydators have ABS housing while the tray is made from AS
  • Ronco dehydrators also fall in the same category as STX international dehydrators
  • Waring Pro dehydrators as well as the L’Equip dehydrators are equally manufactured from these toxin-free plastic materials.

If you have this far, you should probably have answers to your questions now. However, if you are still not sure of what the answer is, then here you go.

Food dehydrators are generally safe, provided you choose the right one. Unlike certain products (a good example is a baby walker), food dehydrators are not reported to be dangerous to health.

Neither have there been reports that people should stay away from them.

From this, the stainless steel versions are the best option if you can avoid them. If not, you can look at those models made with safe plastic.

A Little Information on Commercial Food Dehydrators

There are commercial — size food dehydrators and also smaller size food dehydrators. The commercial size units are for drying large quantities of food items and they typically costs more than the the smaller-size dehydrators.

You can use the smaller ones at home for your dehydration needs. These machines also operate at different temperatures ranging from 50 degree C to 70 degree C. This temperature scale is suitable for vegetables and fruits as meats and other heavy food may require higher temperature levels.

Most commercial food dehydrators are for producing large quantities of dehydrated foods. They are usually produced for companies who want to make large quantities of dehydrated foods and resell to consumers. Usually, they are not suitable for home use except if you have a large family that lives on dehydrated foods.

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Charlice Eedu

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