Published: September 11, 2025 Last Updated: October 15, 2025
Every home should have a solar food dehydrator as a tool in your effort to keep food costs low while extending the shelflife of the foods you currently have. In this article, we will look at the food dehydrator and why every home should have one. Let’s begin!
What is a Food Dehydrator
A food dehydrator is a device that is used to remove the moisture out of foods. You can slice apples or bananas and place them in the food dehydrator to remove the moisture. They may become chewy slices or even crispy as a chip depending on how much water you remove.
Why Should You Get One
Removing the water from foods is one of the most basic methods of preserving foods so that they store longer and allow you to eat them. Think of dried mushrooms in a packet in the supermarket. Think of raisins or powdered cow milk. These are all examples of foods where most or all of the moisture has been removed to allow for a longer shelf life.
How Dehydrators Work
Most of the home food dehydrators work using household electricity. There is a small heater inside the machine to heat the air. This hot air is then blown over your food and the moisture evaporates slowly. People run their dehydrators for 4, 8, 12, or more hours depending on what kind of food is being dehydrated. If you do a lot of dehydrating, then you can expect this will use a lot of electricity, leading to a bigger electric bill.
Why A Solar Dehydrator
I already have an electric food dehydrator and I love it for dehydrating my nuts, tomatoes, herbs and more. But I don’t like having to use a lot of electricity to dehydrate and preserve my foods. The thing about using a solar dehydrator, it uses the power of the sun instead of electricity. As you most likely know, the sun and the air does a naturally wonderful job of dehydrating anything you leave outside. Thus a solar dehydrator will allow you to dehydrate more of your summer produce for storing in the winter without increasing your electricity bill.
Using A Solar Dehydrator Correctly
A solar dehydrator requires plenty of sunlight in order to work well. Cloudy days will not allow your solar dehydrator to heat up enough to dehydrate your food. It is important to put your dehydrator in full sun on nice sunny days. The next issue is over-heating and burning your foods. Because inside your solar dehydrator can get extremely hot due to the heat from the sun, it is important to design it with proper ventilation that creates a cooling breeze to blow over your food. Make sure your design includes lots of ventilation. With ventilation comes concerns about bugs or pests getting into your dehydrator to get free food. Ensure your ventilation holes are tiny and use metal to get larger pests out.
Save Hundreds On Your Grocery Bill
Using a simple solar dehydrator can help you save hundreds of dollars on your annual grocery bill. You can buy fresh peas, beans, nuts, in bulk from a farmer or bulk supplier. Then you can dehydrate them and they can last for 6 months or more if stored correctly. Then you’ll simply have to hydrate them before you cook them. It is a simple and very cost effective way to prepare yourself and your family for those cold winter months.