Looking for reasons to dehydrate food?
Are you on the fence about a food dehydrator and wondering if it’s really all it’s cracked up to be? I can personally guarantee you that a food dehydrator is sure to greatly improve not only your health and finances but also have a positive impact on your life.
Don’t believe me? These are 20 awesome reasons to dehydrate food right at home! And be sure to check out my dehydrating recipes at the end.
1. It’s So Simple to Dehydrate Food
Dehydrating food is super easy these days. Not that it wasn’t before. All you need is a basic dehydrator and some food dehydrating directions that can easily be found on the internet. And if you’re hoping to find a cheaper one to see if it’s something you’re even interested in, you can find them on sites like eBay and Craigslist. One of the top reasons to dehydrate food is because it’s simple.
2. You Can Preserve Food For Long Periods of Time
When stored properly, dehydrated foods can last for months or even years. So if you’re looking for a way to stock up on food for emergencies or long-term storage, dehydrating is a great option. This way you’ll also be able to stock up on your emergency foods and not have to worry about them going bad when you really need to use them.
Dehydrated foods also make for a tasty snack that’s not too messy while you’re out traveling on the highway.
3. You’ll Know Exactly What’s In Your Food
Dehydrated foods are a lot healthier for you than going with processed foods and ones that contain additives, too much sugar, and preservative names that you can’t even pronounce.
When you dehydrate foods, you are in complete control of what goes into your food and how it is prepared. You can ensure that there is little to no salt, sugar, or fat added to your food once it is dried; plus, you can add your own healthy seasonings.
4. It’s Healthy and Nutritious to Dehydrate Food
Not only do you have the comfort of knowing exactly what is in your food, but you can also be happy to know that dehydrated foods are all-natural and have more nutrition in them than most others. Thus said, you’ll be providing your family with more vitamins and minerals to help them meet their daily requirements.
5. Dehydrated Foods are So Light and Take Up Less Room
Did you realize that once food is dehydrated, it holds only a fraction of the size and weight that it once did? This is great news if you’re looking for a way to lighten your load when packing for a camping trip or adding to your emergency stockpile in your designated stockpile area. The more food you can fit on your storage shelves the better.
6. You Can Make Some of Your Favorite Snacks, Only Healthier
Dehydrating foods can help you create healthier versions of some of your favorite snacks, like chips. By dehydrating things like kale, sweet potatoes, and even bananas, you can create delicious and nutritious chips that are so much better for you than their store-bought counterparts.
7. You Can Easily Take Your Dehydrated Foods With You on the Go
Dehydrated foods are lightweight and easy to pack, making them the perfect food to take with you when you’re on the go. Whether you’re hiking, camping, or just running errands, it’s easy to grab a few of your favorite dehydrated foods and snacks and go.
8. Lower Risk of Spoiling and Bacteria
Did you know that when water content has been removed from food, there’s a much lower chance of bacteria growing along with it going bad? Those should be great reasons enough for you to use this food preservation method.
9. Dehydrating Fruits and Vegetables in Season Saves You Money
Dehydrating your own food can help you save a lot of money in the long run, especially if you dehydrate foods that are in season. Fruits and vegetables are typically much cheaper when they’re in season, so dehydrating them is a great way to save some money and enjoy them later.
10. Enjoy Your Favorite Foods Out of Season
Don’t have the patience to wait until your favorite fruits and vegetables are in season again? Now that you can dehydrate them, you can pull them out to enjoy whenever you want.
11. Don’t Be Afraid to Stock Up On Sales and Bulk Deals
Even if you don’t have a big family, you can still stock up on some great deals and bulk items because you’ll be able to dehydrate that food without worrying about wasting it and your money.
12. Dehydrated Foods Have Intense Delicious Flavor
You’ll be amazed at how much more intense the flavor is of certain foods once they’ve been dehydrated. And that’s certainly not a bad thing I can assure you! Foods like tomatoes, peppers, and berries are especially delicious when dehydrated.
13. Great for Hiking Trips
You use up a lot of energy if you’re someone that enjoys hiking. At some point during the day, you’ll need a delicious and nutritious snack to give you that boost you need, which is exactly what some of your favorite dehydrated foods will do for you.
14. You May Discover Your Picky Eaters Prefer the Dehydrated Version
Whether it’s because of the different texture or it simply tastes different in some way, you may be able to get your children to eat their greens after all by simply dehydrating them! Dehydrated foods can be a fun and healthy way to get kids to try new things, so it’s definitely worth a shot.
15. Dehydrated Foods Can Be Rehydrated
If you find yourself in a situation where you need or want to rehydrate your food, it’s not a problem! Just add some water (or other liquid) back to your dehydrated foods and they’ll be good as new in no time.
16. Dehydrating Is a Great Way to Use Up Leftovers
If you have some leftover fruits or vegetables that are on the verge of going bad, dehydrate them instead! This way you can still enjoy them later and know that you haven’t wasted any food. And that’s a great feeling to have.
17. Dehydrated Foods Contain Less Sodium
If you’re someone that has to watch their sodium intake, then dehydrating your own foods is a great way to do so. You can control how much (or little) sodium goes into your foods, which is something you can’t really do with store-bought items.
18. You Can Dehydrate Almost Any Food
From fruits and vegetables to meats and even dairy, there are very few things that you can’t dehydrate. So go ahead and experiment with different foods and see what you come up with. You might be surprised at how delicious some of them taste once they’re dried.
19. Dehydrate Non-food Items
Besides only being used on food, a dehydrator can also dry dog treats as well as a bouquet of flowers that can then be used for potpourri. If you are looking for more reasons to dehydrate food at home, then this is an important reason. Yes, you can dehydrate non-food items.
20. Something Fun to Do with the Kids
Dehydrating food with your kids is not only a great teaching moment, but it’s also fun for them. They’re sure to be amazed at how small their fruits and veggies become and can be enjoyed later.
More Reasons to Dehydrate:
- How to Make Dehydrated Oranges
- Dehydrating Apples at Home
- DIY Dehydrated Chicken Feet for Dogs
- Ground Beef Jerky Recipe
There are so many benefits when you learn how to dehydrate food. It will have a positive impact on your health, and budget, while at the same time preparing your family for any emergency that could come your way. Can you think of any other reasons to dehydrate food? I’d love to hear from you!
