Two useful machines for a garden surplus or a well-stocked freezer, and often misunderstood. A dehydrator dries food so it keeps in the cupboard. A vacuum sealer takes the air out of a bag or box, mainly to keep food better in the fridge and freezer.
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It blows warm air over trays of thinly sliced food until most of the water has gone. Apple rings, dried tomatoes, herbs, mushrooms and fruit leathers are the usual starting points. What matters when you choose one:
Some air fryers have a Dehydrate setting. That's fine for trying small amounts, but a basket holds far less than a set of trays. You may already own one.
A dehydrator's heater switches on and off to hold the temperature, so it draws less than its rated power most of the time. The figures below are the most it could cost: a machine rated at 600 W (Excalibur's figure; UK Juicers' listing also says 700 W) running flat out at today's price cap.
| Drying time | Energy at full power | Cost at most |
|---|---|---|
| 4 hours | 2.4 kWh | £0.63 |
| 8 hours | 4.8 kWh | £1.26 |
| 12 hours | 7.2 kWh | £1.90 |
Our calculation from the rated wattage, not a measured figure. Ofgem's price cap average for 1 October to 31 December 2026, paying by Direct Debit; your tariff may differ. The price cap explained.
There are two kinds:
Either one keeps air off food in the freezer, and can help opened dry food such as coffee, nuts and dried fruit stay fresher. Fresh food that's been vacuum packed still goes in the fridge or freezer, with its usual use-by date. They only run briefly for each bag, so the electricity they use is small.
There's no single answer for home-dried food. It depends on the food, how dry it got, the packaging and where you store it. The Food Standards Agency's advice on preserving food at home covers recipes, containers and labelling.
For a store cupboard you can rely on, shop-bought tins and dried food with printed dates are simpler. A store cupboard that sees you through.
Prices checked 4 November 2026. Specs are from the shops' listings.
Six stainless steel trays with the air blown across them from the back, a thermostat from 29 to 74°C and a timer up to 80 hours. The kind of machine to buy if you dry a lot.
Nine square plastic trays with the air blown across them from the back, an adjustable thermostat from 35 to 68°C and a 26-hour timer. More drying space than the six-tray model, for less.
Sold out at Juicers.co.uk when we checked on 4 November.
A dual-basket air fryer with a Dehydrate setting. Good for trying a few apple rings or herbs, and useful every day besides. Two baskets hold far less than a tray dehydrator, and Tower doesn't publish the drying temperature on the page.
Five stacking trays, each 31 x 25 cm, over a fan and heater in the base, 40 to 70°C. Fine for herbs and fruit. VonShef's manual says not to run it for more than 40 hours at a time.
Another five-tray stacking dehydrator, 35 to 70°C, with no timer, so you have to remember to switch it off.
Ranked by fit: a heat sealer first for bulk freezing, then hand pumps. Prices checked 4 November 2026. Specs are from the shops' listings.
Seals bags cut to length from a roll, with modes for moist and dry food, and a handheld hose for vacuum containers. Costco is a membership warehouse, so check its terms first.
Sold out at Costco when we checked on 4 November.
A rechargeable hand pump with glass containers and valve bags that you wash and reuse. Handy for the fridge and freezer. It only works with Zwilling's own bags and boxes; it can't seal ordinary bags.
A small rechargeable hand pump for Lakeland's StayFresh bags and containers, which are sold separately. A low-cost way to see whether vacuum packing suits how you cook. It doesn't heat-seal ordinary bags.