Growing Your Own Herbs This Year? Our Favorite Food Dehydrator for Preserving Them Is 43% Off

As hard as it is to believe, spring is on its way, which means produce lovers across the country are gearing up for another abundant season. Herbs are one of the first plants to pop up, and for those of us who know just how plentiful they can be, a food dehydrator seems like a better idea each and every year.  

It’s the perfect way to extend the life of those aromatic leaves and sprigs, and now's the best time to buy one. One of our tried-and-tested favorites is on sale: Score the Nesco Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator while it is 43% off at Amazon. The biggest bonus? It's our top choice for dehydrating those delicate herbs. 

To buy: Nesco Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator, $91 (originally $160) at amazon.com

Not only is it effective, but this Nesco dehydrator is very simple to use. You can arrange the trays in any way you like depending on what you’re using it for. It comes with four, but you can actually fit up to 20 if you have a ton of ingredients to preserve. 

The adjustable time and temperature settings will allow you to customize exactly what you need for each ingredient. While heating, it stays cool to the touch, and opening and closing the machine is as easy as tugging at the handle on the top lid. The temperature range is versatile too, since it goes from 90 degrees Fahrenheit at the low end to 160 degrees Fahrenheit at the high end. 

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This is important, especially if you’re preserving delicate ingredients like herbs. It does a great job at keeping the flavor-filled oils in the leaves without overheating them. Since the trays are round, you may need to trim certain stalks or stems, though. 

The machine conveniently has temperature guidelines for certain foods, like herbs, fruits, vegetables, and seeds marked on the top of the lid, though you can always experiment. Certain pieces are dishwasher-safe, but we recommend cleaning the trays by hand, which will still be a breeze. In fact, these were the easiest to hand wash out of all the machines we tested. 

With such a good discount right ahead of spring, you’ll want to grab this Nesco Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator in time to preserve all the herbs you have coming your way. But don’t wait too long, since we’re not too sure how long it’ll stay on sale as we approach the busy produce-filled months. 

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