How to choose an electric dryer for vegetables and fruits
When choosing an electric dryer, it is worth first of all paying attention to its type, since it is he who determines the taste of the finished product.
content
- How to choose an electric dryer for fruits and vegetables: the main criteria
- Advantages of an electric dryer
- Types of electric dryers
- Options for the selection of electric dryers
- Additional functionality
- Summary: how to choose an electric dryer for vegetables and fruits
- Top manufacturers
- Video on the choice of dryers for vegetables and fruits
We recommend to get acquainted with rated the best dryers for vegetables and fruits.
How to choose an electric dryer for fruits and vegetables: the main criteria
When choosing an electric dryer, you should pay attention to the following technical characteristics and functional features:
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Type (infrared, convection, heating, dryer-tablecloth);
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Power;
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Number and depth of trays;
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Tray location;
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Body material and trays;
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Temperature modes of operation;
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The ability to smoothly adjust the temperature;
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Type of control (electronic, mechanical);
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Additional functions.
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The manufacturer of electric driers is also important.
The advantages of the electric dryer for vegetables
Modern electric dryers for vegetables, fruits and other products have a number of advantages over the classical ways of preparing such dishes (namely, dried curing, drying in the oven or under the rays of the sun).
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The main advantage is a high drying rate with preservation of the taste of the product. For example, it would take only a few hours to make apples, while in direct sunlight they would lie for a couple of days. And in the oven, these fruits would just be baked.
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The second advantage is independence from the weather. You can even dry fruits, vegetables, meat and other products on a rainy day.
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The third advantage is the lack of contact with insects. Indeed, hanging fruit, vegetables or mushrooms on the balcony, you can attract them flies from all over the city. And so the meat and fish especially collect flocks of midges. Thus, products cooked in an electric drier become so hygienic that they can be eaten without prior washing.
Also worth mentioning is the possibility of temperature control. This allows you to dry both very quickly and gradually. Of course, the taste qualities of products prepared in different temperature conditions will differ.
Types of electric dryers
Structurally and according to the principle of operation, electric dryers for fruits are of four types - heating, convection, infrared, tablecloths-dryers.
Heating dryers
Heating - the simplest structural and the most inexpensive dryers. They simply installed the heater, which creates a high temperature. Under its action and drying products.
Virtues
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Simple and durable design.
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High power consumption.
disadvantages
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High power consumption.
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The deterioration of the taste of the product - the most important disadvantage of heating dryers. That is why now they are practically not represented on the market.
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Strongly spoil the taste of dried products due to the lack of artificial air convection.
Convection dryers
Convection - the logical development of heating dryers. In addition to heating elements, they have a fan installed, which provides the movement of hot air. These dryers are versatile and suitable for almost all products - from fruit to mushrooms or meat.
Virtues
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Natural taste of foods ;.
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You can dry several different types of products in one device.
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Versatility.
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High drying rate.
disadvantages
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High power consumption;
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Hot air can lead to the destruction of certain vitamins and other beneficial trace elements in fruits.
However, convection dryers are one of the best choices for home use.
Infrared Dryers
Infrared dryers affect the products they prepare by a stream of directed infrared radiation. Therefore, the moisture from the vegetables from the fruit evaporates, but their color, taste, even in some cases, the size and vitamins with useful trace elements remain.
Infrared dryers are suitable for infrequent home use. They will be an excellent option for people who seek to preserve the excellent taste and utility products.
Virtues
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Natural taste of products;
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Preservation of vitamins and nutrients;
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You can dry a variety of types of products, including at the same time (in some models);
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Preservation of a natural look and color of products;
disadvantages
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Long drying time (for some products - up to several days);
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The high cost of the device;
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Large dimensions of the device;
Dryers-tablecloths
Dryer-tablecloth - one of the options for the implementation of an infrared dryer. Emitters in it are installed in a flexible, foldable substrate. On it and fit the products that are planned to be dried.
Such dryers are suitable only for products that calmly withstand prolonged exposure to the open air. For example, apples when cooking using such a device may darken. But the carrots or mushrooms retain their taste and appearance, so they can be dried on a tablecloth.
Virtues
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Natural taste, appearance and color of products;
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Relatively low power consumption;
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It is possible to dry different types of products (including at the same time on large tablecloths);
disadvantages
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Very long drying time;
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Relatively low efficiency;
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Take a lot of space on the table;
Options for the selection of electric dryers
When choosing an electric dryer, you should pay attention to the following technical characteristics of the device:
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Power (for heating and convection dryers);
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The number and depth of trays (determine the practicality of the device);
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Tray arrangement (vertical or horizontal);
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Body material of the device (plastic or metal);
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Temperature regimes;
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The ability to smoothly adjust the temperature.
The practical and performance features of the dryer are also influenced by additional functions such as pasta cooking mode or automatic shutdown timer.
Power
The power of the heating element is the most important parameter that determines the speed of cooking products in the heating and convection type dryers.It does not matter much for infrared devices, since in this mode the intensity of processing vegetables and fruits depends more on the operating parameters of the radiator.
The vast majority of household dryers for fruits and vegetables have a capacity of up to 1 kW. But such performance is simply not needed by such devices. In most cases, 400-500 watts is sufficient for drying products of plant origin. But this is true for devices with 3-5 trays.
But if you plan to use a dryer for drying meat, fish, some types of fruit or berries with a high amount of moisture in the composition, you should pay attention to more productive models designed for 700-1000 watts. Similarly, this is true for dryers with 6 or more trays.
It is worth remembering that the more powerful the dryer, the higher the power consumption.
Number and depth of trays
The amount of products that can be simultaneously processed in the dryer directly depends on the number of trays. For periodic home use, models that are designed for 5-7 containers are suitable. But on farms the performance of such a dryer is not enough, you will need a device with 15-20 trays. But they should be equipped with powerful heating elements of 3-5 kW, which will lead to increased power consumption.
The depth of the trays determines the size of the pieces of food that can be placed in such a dryer. For most households there will be enough models, the height of containers in which is designed for 3-5 cm.
In addition, large pieces of food dry out worse - they can have a heterogeneous texture when prepared, when the edges are excessively “fried” and there are still wet areas inside. They are poorly stored and can deteriorate over time.
As a result, it is not recommended to choose dryers with extremely deep trays, as well as to handle very large pieces of food.
Tray location
Despite the fact that the construction trays in the dryers are almost always placed "in a column", depending on the location of the heating element or convector, they differ in vertical and horizontal.
Vertical Tray Dryers
In dryers with a vertical arrangement of trays, the heating element is located above or below the column of containers, and the air flow passes through them. This is one of the most common designs.
Virtues
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Low price;
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Compactness.
disadvantages
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Not suitable for the simultaneous drying of several types of products with bright flavors or flavors, because they are "mixed";
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For high-quality drying will need to periodically rearrange the trays.
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To assess the availability of the product will need to disassemble the structure;
In addition, dryers with a lower arrangement of the heating element or convector require careful handling. You can not wake or spill anything on it. Therefore, they are not suitable for drying juicy vegetables or fruits (such as chopped tomatoes).
Dryers with horizontal tray
In dryers with horizontal trays, the heating element or convector is installed on one of the walls, and blowing occurs in the same plane as the products lie (and not perpendicular to them, as in a vertical structure).
Such dryers are an ideal solution if you plan to process various juicy products like tomatoes and some types of fruit.
Virtues
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Extremely low risk of damage to the convector;
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You can prepare pastila or other products on a "liquid" basis due to the absence of holes in the trays;
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Ease of access to the lower trays;
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Lack of "mixing" tastes of products;
disadvantages
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High cost;
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The inability to scale by adding new trays.
Body material
The material from which the dryer case is made does not directly affect the performance of the device. But its practicality depends on it. The body of the dryer can be made of plastic or metal.
Plastic shells are most often found in dryers with vertical trays. After all, in fact, it is these containers that form the device case. And, in order not to overheat, they are made of plastic.
Plastic case
The models, which case is made of transparent plastic, allow to visually assess the readiness of products without disassembling the structure. However, over time, they additionally lose their attractiveness due to the appearance of scratches and similar damage.
Virtues
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Low price;
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Low mass;
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Easy to wash;
disadvantages
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Low resistance to mechanical stress, such as shock or similar damage;
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Not always attractive appearance.
Metal case
The metal body does not make the dryer more durable, but it improves some other practical qualities. In a metal case, dryers with horizontal trays are most often performed.
Virtues
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Attractive appearance;
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Resistant to mechanical damage.
disadvantages
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High cost;
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Any dirt on it is very noticeable and poorly washed;
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High mass;
Temperature conditions
To ensure the most vivid taste of foods, as well as preserve vitamins and other useful substances, it is recommended to dry them under different temperature conditions. Therefore, it is desirable that the dryer is equipped with an appropriate regulator.
However, an extremely large number of temperature regimes for the dryer is simply not necessary. Enough basic:
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30-35 degrees - for drying chopped herbs;
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50-55 degrees - for drying vegetables;
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55-60 degrees - for drying fruits;
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65-70 degrees - for drying meat, fish, as well as some types of bulk products.
It is self-evident that if, for example, you do not plan to dry meat, fish and herbs, a very simple device with one or two temperature regimes in the range of 50-60 degrees is sufficient. But for more possible applications, you should pay attention to models with an extended range of heating intensity options.
Smooth temperature adjustment
If the dryer will be used for processing several types of products at the same time, as well as for drying some dishes, it is recommended to choose a model with a function of smooth temperature control.
In this mode, the intensity of heating increases or decreases gradually, ensuring the best preservation of taste and other organoleptic characteristics of the product.
If you do not plan to use the dryer in the above options, the corresponding function is simply not needed.
Additional functionality
Among the most practical additional functions of the dryer are:
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The possibility of making pastila is most often realized in dryers of the horizontal type. Used pallets do not have holes.
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But in convection-type dryers such an opportunity most often cannot be realized for structural reasons. The holes in the trays are needed for mixing the air, and when closed with a layer of marshmallow, the device can simply overheat.
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The ability to cure meat or fish can be realized in both types of dryers. It implies a special temperature regime and a special intensity of air convection. Most often, it is implemented exactly at the program level.
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The hot air supply system directly to the pallets speeds up the drying process, but changes the taste of the products.It is designed for quick processing of dishes that do not "cook" - for example, herbs or mushrooms.
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The material of the pallets for the horizontal type dryer does not change either the drying speed or the taste of the products. Is that plastic trays do not heat up, but more fragile - but metal, on the contrary, heat up, but they have the highest mechanical strength.
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Overheat protection is an important feature for a vertical type dryer. If for some reason the convection of heat between the pallets is broken, the heating element can be damaged. Therefore, dryers equipped with this protection are more durable.
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The auto-off timer is a useful feature for advanced dryer users. It allows, for example, to put products for processing at night, and in the morning to get them not over dried. However, it is not always possible to “guess” how long it will take to dry one or another dish.
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The ability to adjust the height of the pallets is a useful feature if you plan to dry large-sized products. But this is undesirable for the reasons described earlier. Therefore, the practical benefits of adjustment is quite controversial.
Summary: how to choose an electric dryer for vegetables and fruits
The simplest and optimal method of choosing an electric dryer is the following:
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Determine the budget. If it is more than 10 thousand rubles - you can safely choose a model with a horizontal arrangement of trays. If less, then with vertical;
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Determine performance. If you plan to dry no more than a few kilograms of food a week, a model designed for 500-600 W is suitable. But for processing the entire harvest of apples from the grandfather's cottage, a dryer for 1 kW or more is intended;
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Determine the type of products that are planned to be processed in the dryer. If you want to simultaneously dry several products with different tastes at once, or to prepare a marshmallow, you will need a model with horizontal trays. Otherwise fit with vertical;
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Identify the importance of preserving vitamins. If it is critical - need an infrared dryer. If not, convection will do.
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The dryer-tablecloth is suitable only for a very small amount of processed products.
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After determining the type and power, you can pay attention to other characteristics of the device.
Top manufacturers
Among the best manufacturers of dryers are the following companies:
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Supra, "Rotor", "Hot Dry" - produce high-quality convection dryers budget class;
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Tefal, Scarlett, Polaris, Petromash, Voltera - high-quality convection and infrared dryers of the middle class;
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Rommelsbacher, Ezidri, Rawmid - top-class quality convection and infrared dryers.
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You can also mention the company Katrina, which produces dryer-tablecloths.
In the following articles, our experts tell us what is better - juicer or juicer and secrets juicer selection for vegetables and fruits.
Video on the choice of dryers for vegetables and fruits
Attention! This material is the subjective opinion of the authors of the project and is not a guide to purchase.