We Declared This Food Dehydrator the Best of the Best, and It's Discounted in a Rare Sale

From herbs and tomatoes to apples, softer squashes, and leafy greens, we're reaching the end of our favorite late-summer and fall produce. Though there's still some growth happening, many home cooks are kicking their favorite preservation techniques into high gear, and one of those is dehydrating.

Though dehydrating has been around for a long time, we can thank technology for giving us coveted machines that speed up and improve the process. The only downside is that they can cost hundreds of dollars, which is why we need to tell you about this rare sale we stumbled upon. You can snap up the Magic Mill Food Dehydrator, which is a tested Food & Wine Fave, for 21% off at Amazon.

To buy: Magic Mill Food Dehydrator, $150 (originally $190) at amazon.com

This dehydrator works like many others: It circulates warm air for a long period of time to help draw out moisture in food. This is key for preserving, since moisture leads to expiration (unless it's properly sealed, like in canning). Its rear-mounted fan ensures even drying, so you don't need to worry about rotating any sheets while they're in the machine.

The Magic Mill is roughly 15 pounds and takes up a footprint of 18 inches by 14 inches. In addition to the appliance, it comes with two mesh sheets, seven drying trays, two nonstick trays, and two gloves.

It also has a ton of perks, including an automatic shut-off, a 24-hour setting, a digital thermostat and timer, and a warming mode. It even gives the options of a raw mode or fast mode, where you can adapt the cooking time and temperatures for raw ingredients, or if you're in a hurry. The glass door also makes it easy to check in on the progress without opening the machine.

Our testers compared machines' air flow, heating, size, weight, and overall design. At the end of the tests, they found the Magic Mill to be the best machine overall. (They aren't the only ones, nearly 2,000 Amazon shoppers have left perfect ratings too.)

The Magic Mill dehydrator is a favorite of our testers since it is easy to use and clean (all the trays are dishwasher safe) and has a thoughtful design. They also note it performs well in all aspects and isn't as loud as other options.

The Food & Wine testers also appreciated the fact that the door to the machine opened easily and stays open while you're loading it with the trays, which were easy to slide in and out. They also liked its automatic shut off and the "keep warm" feature. The glass door feature made it easy for testers to check the dehydration progress, and most of all, they found that the quality of the food wasn't compromised. Everything dried evenly, and nothing seemed to stick.

It's an essential heading into the cooler months, so snap up the Magic Mill Food Dehydrator now while it's on sale. It doesn't get discounted too often, so it's best not to wait on this one.

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