5 really good reasons to own a food dehydrator (psst: one is “avocado chips”)

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Photo by smiteme – CC BY 2.0
Tower of zucchini chips by smitemeCC BY 2.0

If you own one, it’s time to pull out of whatever cupboard or garage shelf you have it in, and get it up and running again! If you don’t, you may end up like me, and really feel like you should get one after reading these 5 really good reasons you need a food dehydrator

1. It’s fun with science

From our post: Using a food dehydrator for fun and science!

Apparently putting a dehydrator in a house of nerds turns it into an on-going science experiment. These experiments have left us with a good list of what foods worked and what didn’t when it comes to dehydrating. So now I’m sharing this list with you, Offbeat Homies, including the deliciousness ratings on a scale of 1-5…

2. Save money and prevent food wastage

I know that it’s cheaper to buy groceries in bulk. There’s nothing I love more than a Costco run. But I can’t often finish my bulk binges. Just dehydrate what you can’t finish — fruits, meats, and veggies — for future snack attacks!

3. Make yummy fruit snacks

I’m a slut for fruit snacks — they are yummy, and portable. But what I didn’t realize is that some dehydrators have a setting for making those awesome fruit leather thingies too!

Photos from "how to make strawberry leather in a car"
Photos from “how to make strawberry leather in a car

You can store dried fruit on the shelf for a few weeks, in the fridge for a few months, or just toss it in the freezer like we do. Around half a gallon of strawberries turns into about a cup of fruit leather, so space in the freezer won’t be a problem. The real trouble will be keeping your fingers out of this natural, vitamin-rich candy until the cold season rolls back around.

You can read more about how to make strawberry leather over here!

4. Dehydrated avocado chips is a thing

Here’s a handy-dandy, and adorable video on how you can make them with a food dehydrator…

5. They’re not just for food!

You can use a food dehydrator to make cool home decor, like dried chillies…

Or make your own brand of potpourri with flower petals, and citrus slices.

Teach me, Homies: What else is a food dehydrator good for? What creative things to do you with yours?

Comments on 5 really good reasons to own a food dehydrator (psst: one is “avocado chips”)

  1. Pet treats! My husband is obsessed with his dehydrator, so we always have the usual suspects on hand: dried oranges, kiwi, banana, pear, and tomatoes. For the holidays, he also makes catnip fish treats for our fluffy princess. He uses the recipe from The Dehydrator Bible.

    • My guess (never having tried it) would be that since they only do 6 hours in the video that it isn’t fully dehydrating the avocado and that the flax seed coating absorbs some of the oils that come out. I’m a bit skeptical.

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