I was admittedly ignorant about this topic. It wasn’t on my priority lists until recently, when I came across a random YouTube video about the irony between all-you-can-eat buffets and how they seemingly made this problem worse.
It was an understatement to say that more than 30% of the world’s food is thrown away.
“Some foods that are thrown are still edible!”
This situation becomes more severe when people realize that a portion of those is still healthy & edible.
But they ended up in the trash bin because of minor imperfections, such as an apple forming an unusual size or a carrot with a few specks of dirt.
One solution to this problem is using a food dehydrator.
It’s not an end-all answer to the food wastage trouble but could play an influential role in small farming families for people in lower-income communities across Asia.
Why More Than 931 Million Meals Are Wasted
To put things into perspective on the problem’s comprehensive, China alone experiences food wastage with more than 91 million metric tons.
That’s equivalent to around 75,833,333 worth of meals. (Figures are calculated based on the average weight of one meal which is between 600g – 1,200g.)
In comparison, the United States only experiences a quarter of this, with 15 million worth of meals contributing to food wastage.
If we combine all the countries, the resulting wastage is 931 million tonnes of food going to the landfill yearly.
“It is by no means a comfortable number to remain.”
That is why exploring the different possibilities, such as using solar-powered food dehydrators, is being done in the distant villages of India.
How Dehydration Helps Solve Food Waste
What makes a food dehydrator a proponent of the solution to food waste is its ability to preserve foods like fruits, herbs & vegetables for more than a week.
It is a less costly alternative than a refrigerator unless you plan on keeping something cold like ice cream.
“A must-have for every camper!”
Dehydrated food is considered the recommended snack for campers who value their health.
Instead of cooking a meal and bringing a gas stove, a dried snack made from fruit and vegetables offers a more nutritious option that saves them not only time and money.
But food dehydrators usually require multiple hours to operate and a constant flow of heat.
“It’s an affordable luxury – food dehydrator.”
Some people may consider it a luxury spending for struggling residents living in the far-off countryside.
However, there are alternatives to this that require no electricity to operate.
One of which is by using a solar-powered food dehydrator.
It is typically best for small farming communities and lower-income households as a substitute for preserving food.
What is Solar-powered Food Dehydration? (And its benefits)
The Impact: Solar-powered food dehydrators help reduce food waste by up to 40% in developing countries for stages past the harvesting process.
“It won’t get rid of any food nutrients!”
Food dehydration doesn’t take any of the nutrients awaybut reinforces them.
The benefits of a dehydrated food prevent any microorganism from growing, which is the main element that will lead to spoilage.
“They are not just for campers!”
Surprisingly, dehydrated foods are not just a camping utility. Besides people primarily using it for cooking beef jerky, you can also dehydrate vegetables & herbs.
They are a great addition to soup dishes such as stews and casseroles.
We discuss some of the advantages of using a solar-powered food dehydrator versus an electricity-powered one in the next section, but with it comes an inspiring story of how a struggling female farmer brought out their family from starvation through a solar-powered dehydrator.
A Real-Life Story: How Food Dehydration Save This Family from Starvation
Female farmers are in the minority in the region of India.
A 28-year-old mother of two children struggled to find work as job options became limited because of the pandemic.
Her name is Sunitha Muthe.
While this name might not mean anything to you, she is just one of the 300 farmers who were able to bounce back from severe hunger during the onset of the crisis.
After trying different side hustles to provide for her family, one that proved to work was solar dehydration.
Image 1.1 Sunita, a 28-year-old farmer
“I was first hesitant about the whole business model.”
She was initially hesitant about the whole idea, but after trying to dehydrate a piece of turmeric, she found the process not too complicated and a great way to mix in her work life while looking after her kids.
Through this venture, she was able to reap $550 per month.
This number might not seem livable but is higher than India’s minimum wage requirement.
“I’m earning higher than minimum wage!”
After seeing the results, she doubled down and tried out other crops for dehydration, such as onion and ginger.
What made her still pursue this side-hustle up to this very day was a contract with a startup business.
In the written papers, Sunitha doesn’t need to find a buyer, hassle taking care of inventory, and manage the logistics. All she needed was to process the dehydration, and the same company would buy it from her.
“A startup that directly impacts the everyday life of farmers.”
This business agreement not only worked well for the benefit of the startup but also other farmers. The founders realized that if they were to leave it alone to the farmers and simply sell a solar dehydrator, it would be a product-based model only.
Selling products only isn’t a bad business model.
They are also part of the trading industry which is one of the critical factors behind businesses ending up on the Fortune 500 list.
But the company soon realized that farmers lacked the right skills in sourcing products, supply chain management, and financing operations.
They decided to switch up the agreement to highlight the farmer’s primary asset, the dehydration process.
Bonus: Honest Opinion: Devanti Food Dehydrator Review
Different Types of Food Dehydration Methods
In cases where you don’t reside in an area with the sun shining out all day, we included the different types of dehydrating methods and show what makes each one different.
| Food Dehydrator | Oven | Microwave | Air | Sun | |
| Heating Temperature | Consistent Heat | Consistent Heat | Consistent Heat | N/A | Varies per weather |
| Utility Cost: | Electricity | Electricity | Electricity | Free | Free |
| Price | $60 – $200 | $50 – 135 | $69 – $99 | Free | Free |
1. Using a Food Dehydrator (Electric)
| Advantages (Pros) | Disadvantages (Cons) |
| *Offers the highest heating temperature
*Designed specifically for preserving foods the longest. |
*Most Expensive item in the list |
The main benefit of the electric dehydrator is its consistent heating temperature for your food.
It is excellent if you want to minimize checking the status of your ingredient every single time.
“It’s less costly for my electricity bill!”
Compared to using an oven, the electricity consumption is much more bearable. With this, they can maintain either the highest or lowest temperature constantly for more extended periods.
However, they are priced higher and much more expensive for first-time buyers.
This product might not fit everyone’s price range, but it will be one of your kitchen appliances that will last for years to come, ensuring you get what you paid for in the long run.
What Makes It Different: Best for prolonging the lifespan of food through preservation & dehydration
2. Using an Oven to Dehydrate Food
| Advantages (Pros) | Disadvantages (Cons) |
| *Great for beginners
*Most people don’t need to buy one. They already have one at home. |
*Not energy-efficient |
If you don’t plan to purchase a new kitchen appliance, using an oven could be an option to dehydrate foods, but we don’t recommend it.
We shared a few details about how the oven could add more dollar signs to your electric bill versus using a food dehydrator. One reason is that ovens don’t have any fan installed which circulates the heat inside the machine.
“Your oven can never & will never dehydrate.”
You also need to verify if your oven can reach the required temperature setting of at least 140° F. If the oven can’t reach this number, it won’t dehydrate but only warm up your food.
It also makes it impossible to cook beef jerky since they need the highest temperature setting of 160° F.
What’s more, you would need to cut up the sizes of your food into much smaller pieces.
The general rule of thumb is that your food should be 1.5 inches shorter than the total capacity of the oven.
Doing this will allow for more air circulation.
To put things into a more precise measure, your food should have 3 inches of free space above while having 2.5 inches in between trays.
“An external fan setup is needed!”
It would help if you also prepared a permanent fan placement outside to improve air circulation inside the oven. At the end of the day, we won’t advise you to follow this method.
What Makes It Different: Avoid doing this method.
3. Using a Microwave to Dehydrate Food
| Advantages (Pros) | Disadvantages (Cons) |
| *Next best alternative to a food dehydrator
*Dehydrates herbs & vegetables |
*Foods might taste different |
Your microwave could work well in dehydration, but it won’t work well for all types of food.
If your only plan is to dehydrate vegetables and herbs, a microwave will still help you fulfill that function. But cooking beef jerky is another thing since they require constant heating temperature for long periods.
Dehydrating foods in a microwave might cause food to taste different.
At best, the drying process will give you a taste of an overcooked food rather than a dried one.
What Makes It Different: 2nd best alternative if you place to use a machine.
4. Natural Air to Dehydrate Food
| Advantages (Pros) | Disadvantages (Cons) |
| *Can be done indoors
*Free |
*Only dries a select number of foods |
The beauty of air drying is that you don’t need to rely on the weather to finish dehydrating your food.
“Why you need to have good air circulation.”
The process starts in a room with wide-open windows, a shaded backyard, or an attic with enough air circulation.
Image 1.2 Air-dried food
They are best for drying herbs and other air-dried vegetables before proceeding to the next stage.
It includes crops like mushrooms and peppers. You don’t need to blanch first. Simply tie them into one rope and leave them hanging.
“Make sure to keep it away from any predators!”
You can choose to place anti-mosquitoes window nets to prevent any birds or animals from entering the room unexpectedly.
What Makes It Different: Only dehydrates herbs
5. Natural Sun to Dehydrate Food
| Advantages (Pros) | Disadvantages (Cons) |
| *Natural method
*Free |
*Sunlight-dependent
*Takes long periods to dry |
One problem with drying foods in the sun is they are based on the weather.
The drying process will proceed as planned if it’s sunny throughout the day. But cloudy weather could take thrice as long to be fully dehydrated.
“Drying process will take 3X longer!”
Generally, it would take nearly 3 – 4 days for your ingredients to dehydrate fully.
It also might not be the most effective method in stirring away prospective hungry birds and animals from attempting to sneak your food away from you.
Nonetheless, it is one of the most affordable and traditional methods that started this dehydration process.
What Makes It Different: If you prefer a natural dehydrating process
Bottom Line: Which Method Is The Best?
If you’d ask us what method to use, it would have to be the food dehydrator.
Their purpose is not to warm up foods like an oven or radiate heat like a microwave. But they are made with one goal — to dehydrate foods & preserve them in the long run. This fits our criteria for combating food wastage which is why we picked it.
“But food dehydrators might be expensive for some people.”
However, If you are on a frugal budget (only read this if you are, we would advise you to try out sun drying.
Be warned that the process is not easy since dehydration times take days compared to only a couple of hours which a food dehydrator machine is capable of.
“A cheaper alternative – Solar Powered Method”
The alternative, of course, is creating your DIY solar-powered dehydrator, but if you aren’t the type of person to fix things & solve machine problems on their own, then this might not be the ideal method for you.
If it were up to us, we recommend you borrow your neighbor’s food dehydrator instead of pushing through the sun drying method.
FAQs on Food Dehydrator:
1. Can you dehydrate candy in an air fryer?
Yes, you can dehydrate candy using an air fryer.
Simply place your marshmallows in the provided rack of your food dehydrator. Preheat the air fryer for 15 minutes, then place the candies in. Set the temperature to 160°F and run for 2 hours until they are fully hardened.
Once the timer signal’s that the process is finished, place the candy on a plate to cool before taking a bite.
Safety Tip: Place a metal tray or foil sheet below the rack in case leaks from dehydrating the candy.
If you want to check how the process works, we included a short video on how you could dehydrate your candy.
Note: The terms “freeze-drying” and “dehydration” are the same. The main difference is that freeze-drying removes 99% of the moisture, while dehydration only eliminates 95%.
2. How to dehydrate grapes without a dehydrator
In order to dehydrate grapes without the use of a food dehydrator, you need to first clean the grapes by washing them beforehand.
Start blanching the grapes by boiling them in water, then dump them for half a minute. The next step is immediately soaking them in a pool of ice to cool down.
“Why you need to blanch the grapes first.”
While blanching is mainly used in preparing vegetables, it is one of the ways to dehydrate your grapes later on.
Next, leave a few cuts in the grapes without entirely chopping them in half. The process is somewhat similar to preparing a hotdog where you make a thin slice on the upper part and the entire whole.
Once finished, place them in an oven at a temperature of 140°F that will last between 4 – 6 hours. They should appear more like raisins in color and shape to know if they are ready.
There you go. You now know how to dehydrate grapes without using a dehydrator.
3. What’s the recommended drying temperature for fruits, vegetables, beef jerky & herbs?
It varies, but the recommended drying temperature for fruits is between 125°F – 130°F.
For vegetables, it’s 115°F – 130°F. For beef jerky, 160°F is the standard number most customers recommend for you to start the dehydration. Lastly, for herbs, it will be 95°F – 105°F depending on the type of herb that you plan to use.
| Type | Drying Temperature |
| Fruits | 125°F – 130°F |
| Vegetables | 115°F – 130°F |
| Meat/Jerky | 160°F |
| Herbs | 95°F – 105°F |
