The quantity, type or size of the food that can be dehydrated depend on the sizes, make and specifications of a dehydrator. It is therefore important to purchase a food dehydrator while bearing in mind the purpose for which we intend to use them. This will enable us to buy the kind of dehydrator that will meet our particular needs. For this reason, there are those specially meant for use at home which dehydrates small quantity of food items and those that are used in dehydrating bulk and large quantities of materials. The latter are commercial food dehydrators and we are going to learn about them in this post.
Here I’ll show you what you need to know about commercial dehydrators – which are those used for drying large foods; a buyer’s guide to choosing the best Commercial Fruit dryer.
What are food dehydrators?
Food dehydrators are machines that are used primarily to take out the moisture contents of food items or herbs which eventually makes it possible for us to store them for longer periods.
However, it is noteworthy that they do not just elongate the shelf lives of food materials only, they, in addition, do that while ensuring the intact preservation of their nutritional contents as well as their natural flavours.
Types Of Dehydrators
Basically, dehydrators are constructed in two different ways with regards to their airflow mechanisms, sizes and costs.
- The first type is the box and shelf food dehydrator which has horizontal air flows across it that facilitates uniform drying of food and which is quite good in producing meat jerky. Additionally, these type of dehydrators have their heat sources positioned at the back of the equipment and they do not come cheap, not to talk of their usually large sizes.
- The second type is the stackable food dehydrator. This one bear its heat source beneath the gadget but does not allow for even drying of food always. They are compact and also easy to store. They also have the advantage of being cheaper than the bulk and shelf food dehydrators but are not too good at producing meat jerky.
Whichever one you prefer, the choice is yours to make since they are both great at drying food effectively.
What are commercial food dehydrators?
Commercial dehydrators are those kinds of dehydrators that are capable of drying large quantities of different type of food items at the same time. These dehydrators have a large number of trays for drying. They also have very powerful electric motors fitted with fans to cool them and thus, prevent overheating and damage which may result due to prolonged use.
Most commercial food dehydrators are manufactured in the bulk and shelf design. This means that consideration of space for storage is an important factor since the bulk and shelf dehydrators are quite large and hence use up much space in storage.
Why commercial food dehydrators?
If you are wondering why exactly you need a commercial food dehydrators, here are some major reasons why:
- Commercial food dehydrators are important for business purposes like in hotels and restaurants because large materials of different types are involved and so the need for multiple drying trays is a serious issue.
- Certain substances must be separated using different trays during drying or else you risk their denaturation and loss of taste or flavour. Imagine, for instance, drying meat and vegetables on the same tray! You certainly risk denaturation of the vegetables, don’t you?
- Also, commercial food dehydrators are fitted with reliable cooling mechanisms that allow for very long uses without the fear of damage. Since it is understood that workers may be quite busy in restaurants and hotels where commercial dehydrators are mostly in use, they have control features that prevent damage due to forgetfulness or using beyond time.
- Features such as the adjustable thermostat for heat regulation and the timer which can be set to turn off the device at anytime its work is gauged to have been completed. All these will prevent undue wastage and loss in the business.
- A dehydrator utilizes the heat generated by its electric coil to dry food and so the retention of heat is of paramount importance. For this reason, most commercial food dehydrators are equipped with see-through glass windows that allow you to monitor the drying without the need to open them up, the consequence of which is heat loss and prolonged poor drying.
- Commercial food dehydrators are also manufactured using very tough and durable materials in such a way that they will serve you for long without any fear of damage or loss.
- Foods that are dehydrated are very healthy and can stay for a longer period of time.
The various uses of commercial food dehydrators
If you still need more reasons why you need a commercial food dehydrator, here are some things this machine can do for you that you may not conveniently get elsewhere:
- Primarily, commercial food dehydrators are meant to remove moisture from food items which will prevent the growth and activities of destructive microorganisms thereby extending their shelf lives.
- They equally serve other purposes as well. For instance, commercial food dehydrators can be regulated using their thermostats to ensure that food items are dried without denaturing essential proteins, nutrients and mineral salts especially as proteins are known to be damaged by excessive heat.
- The combination of the timer, automatic shut-off mechanism and the adjustable thermostat all contribute to preserving the colour, flavour and texture of food items and they are provided in all commercial food dehydrators.
- Since most commercial food dehydrators have very high ratings of heat production, they can be set to high temperatures in such a way that we can use them as ovens for cooking too. In other words, commercial food dehydrators can be used not only as regular dehydrators but also as ovens, depending on their temperature settings.