I love eating dried snacks like beef jerky and dried fruits while I am hiking trails, but these types of snacks can be crazy expensive. They also have added sodium and sugars from preservatives that can be bad for your health.
Luckily if you are willing to put a little time and money into it, you can make these healthier and cheaper versions of these snacks yourself using a dehydrator. A Cosori dehydrator can be a perfect solution.
- Digital timer goes up to 48 hours with automatic shutdown.
- Temperature can be adjusted between 95 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Nine square feet of room for dehydrating snacks.
- Sleek and modern look.
- Very heavy at 25 pounds.
- Higher price than other budget models.
Cosori Premium Food Dehydrator Review
The Cosori Premium Food Dehydrator has a very modern design to it. The outside is all black and chrome stainless steel and wouldn’t look out of place in a professional chef’s kitchen. It has a clear glass loading door that allows you to check how your food is drying without opening it repeatedly. The dehydrator itself is about 12 and a half inches tall, 13 and a half inches wide, and 18 inches deep.
Make sure you have plenty of countertop space to keep it on. It also weighs about 25 pounds, so if you travel frequently, this might not be the best dehydrator for you. If you struggle to lift heavier appliances, make sure to get some help setting it up. It comes with six regular drying trays, a mesh tray, and a flat solid tray. Cosori also throws in a free recipe book that you can try out.
Trays/Capacity
This dehydrator comes with six stainless steel metal drying trays giving you an overall space for 9 square feet of food. This is more than enough for an average family. These trays are removable and can be spaced out to accommodate larger food items.
The entire dehydrator is 18 inches deep, giving you plenty of space to layout food evenly. The mesh tray is designed to dehydrate smaller items like herbs and nuts without them falling through. If you like gummy fruit snacks, they include a flat tray that is perfect for making these from fruit puree. Don’t forget you can make home fruit wine.
Timer and Thermostat
The built-in timer on the Cosori Dehydrator is impressive, to say the least. It is capable of being set in 30-minute increments all the way up to 48 hours, which is two days of dehydrating time without touching it. It also has a built-in auto shutdown, so you don’t have to be present when the timer runs out to turn it off. Good if you forget it’s running for those two days.
This dehydrator has temperature control options that allow you to get just the right temperature for the fruits or meats you are drying out. This control lets you adjust it from 95 degrees all the way to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. That level of control gives you a remarkable range of different snacks to make.
Performance and Quality
The Cosori Dehydrator runs with 600 watts of power, but it isn’t loud at all with its ultra-quiet run technology. You can run it overnight without any annoying sounds keeping you awake. The dehydrator has a rear-mounted fan that keeps the airflow and temperature consistent to ensure your food is dehydrated efficiently. The controls are simple, with three buttons for the timer and temperature settings. The digital readout on the front is easy to read. The outside is a very durable stainless steel making it a long-lasting kitchen appliance that looks good as well.
Care
Dehydrators can be a pain to clean since all the juices from your snacks have the time to drip and get everywhere while the process is taking place. The Cosori Dehydrator makes it easy to clean. The horizontal layout and removable trays that lets you get deep into it. All it takes is a damp towel and some soap to wipe out the inside. The individual drying trays are all dishwasher safe as well. If you don’t want to worry about wiping the dehydrator out after each run, just put some aluminum foil to catch any drippings and keep things mess-free.
Cost
The Cosori Premium Food Dehydrator is a durable investment for a family looking to make their own healthy dried snacks. If you shop around online for a while, you can find these around $160. It’s definitely not a budget model dehydrator, but for the number of features and space you get, it’s well worth the price. Cosori also offers a one year manufacturer’s warranty to cover any issues with defective parts. They also give you the option to extend the warranty by a year if you want to cover it longer.
FAQs
What are the best foods to dehydrate?
This is very much based on personal taste. My favorites are beef jerky and fruits. You can make all kinds of jerky from a variety of different meats from plain beef to wild game like deer or turkey. With fruits, I like making dried apple chips with cinnamon or dried bananas to snack on. You can also use vegetables, like peppers and green beans, to make a much healthier alternative to potato chips.
