This inexpensive food dehydrator is a low-stakes commitment for delicious homemade jerky, fruit leathers, and more

• If you're on a beef jerky or fruit leather kick, a food dehydrator can help cut costs if you're serious about swapping out pricey $7 jerky packs at the store for homemade versions.
• The $40 Presto Dehydro Food Dehydrator is a low-stakes way to test your commitment to the process.
• One of the great things about a dehydrator is how easy it is to prepare the food before putting it onto the machine, and that's certainly the case for the Presto Dehydro.

Tools like a Kitchenaid stand mixer or a pasta maker are fun, and they're good to have if you're thinking about "getting into" a new culinary activity. But the downside? They can be expensive and may not be used more than a few times before you're offloading them on Craigslist.

Enter the Presto 06300 Dehydro Food Dehydrator, an inexpensive investment if you're into dried fruit, fruit leather, beef jerky, and more. I bought mine for $40 but have seen prices fluctuate, so I'd suggest shopping around first. At this price, purchasing a food dehydrator will help cut costs if you're serious about swapping out pricey $7 jerky packs at the store for your homemade versions.

My review of the Presto 06300 Dehydro

While the Presto Dehydro doesn't boast all of the bells and whistles of a more expensive version, it's a low-stakes way to test your commitment to the process before throwing down a few hundred dollars. With a four-tray layering system and transparent top cover, the Presto gets the job done. The machine takes up a good amount of counter space, so you want to make sure you can give up the real estate (or a cabinet) for your new kitchen tool, as well as an outlet nearby as well. When in use, the machine will create a whirring noise, so keep these factors in mind.

The Presto Dehydro comes ready to make meat jerky and dried fruits and veggies, but additional kits containing mesh screens, fruit roll screens, and accessories for fancy snacks like fruit leather have to be purchased separately.

The racks are dishwasher safe and pretty easy to clean, though if you pick something sticky, you'll pay for it later trying to scrub remnants from the crevices off the racks. That said, half of the fun of making jerky is using meat you've marinated in the sauce of your choosing, so I'd say the delicious results are worth it.

One of the great things about a dehydrator is how easy it is to prepare the food before putting it onto the machine. Marinate thin strips of beef in a homemade or store-bought sauce, or slice different types of fruit, and then layer them on the trays. You can stack four trays at the same time, though it's not recommended to dehydrate different foods together since they'll have different processing times. A more expensive model can take care of that desire pretty easily, but I've never felt the need to.

The Presto operates at a preset temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and will have to be manually changed by the user if a recipe calls for a different temperature. An easy-to-understand manual is included in the box with the machine. One thing to note is that dehydrating takes a few hours at a minimum, and sometimes can take longer if you're preparing fattier cuts of meat. This isn't a five-minute snack — though the results will be eaten much faster than that.

If you love trying new things in the kitchen, I can't see you going wrong with the Presto Dehydro. It's easy to and fun to use, and making just a few batches will have already saved you money on store-bought options.