What does dehydrator mean?
A dehydrator is an appliance designed to remove moisture from food, thereby slowing spoilage and concentrating flavor. Most household models consist of stacked trays, a heating element, and a fan that circulates warm air — typically between roughly 95 and 165 degrees Fahrenheit (35 to 74 degrees Celsius) — over slices of fruit, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, or meat. By lowering water content, the machine inhibits the growth of bacteria and mold, allowing foods such as apple chips, kale crisps, dried mango, jerky, and herb blends to be stored for months without refrigeration. The term derives from 'dehydrate', itself built from Greek roots meaning 'away from water'. Though the concept of air-drying food is ancient, electric dehydrators became widely available in the late twentieth century as part of the home-food-preservation movement. Today they are popular with gardeners, campers, and cooks seeking additive-free snacks, and they are valued for being simple, energy-efficient, and easy to use.
nounA device or appliance that removes moisture from food or other substances, typically used to preserve fruit, vegetables, herbs, and meat by drying them.
- An electric kitchen appliance that dries food by circulating warm air, preserving it by removing moisture.
"She sliced the apples thinly and arranged them in a single layer in the dehydrator overnight."
"The recipe calls for drying the mango slices in a dehydrator at 135 degrees for about eight hours."
"He bought a secondhand dehydrator at the farmers' market and now makes his own beef jerky every month."
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple appliances or models.
"Stackable dehydrators are popular because their trays can expand to hold large harvests."
A good dehydrator can turn a whole crate of summer tomatoes into a jar of intensely flavored 'sun-dried' tomatoes — no sun required.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dehydrator
Dehydrator was formed in English from the verb 'dehydrate', which combines the prefix 'de-' (from Latin, indicating removal) with Greek 'hydōr' ('water') plus the Latin-derived agentive suffix '-or'. The underlying Greek root 'hydro-' has produced many related words, including 'hydration', 'hydraulic', and 'hydrogen'. The appliance sense arose in twentieth-century American English alongside the growth of commercial kitchen equipment, building on the older chemical sense of a dehydrating apparatus.
Related word forms
How dehydrator is actually used
The word is informal-to-neutral in register and appears chiefly in cooking, homesteading, and food-preservation contexts. In everyday speech, 'food dehydrator' is often used on first mention for clarity, since 'dehydrator' can also occur in technical contexts (e.g., industrial gas dehydration). British and American usage are identical.
Easily confused with dehydrator
A desiccator is a laboratory vessel using a drying agent like silica gel to keep contents dry, whereas a dehydrator is a household appliance that circulates warm air through food.