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Home » Which Saves the Most Money – Dehydrating, Freezing or Canning?

Which Saves the Most Money - Dehydrating, Freezing or Canning?

by Adrienne 153 Comments Published April 28, 2011 Updated: Jan 02, 2019

This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.
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Which food preservation method is the most frugal? Dehydrating, Canning, or Freezing? The answer might surprise you!

With the cost of food going way up, many are choosing to buy in bulk and store for future use.

But is it really worth it?

Many of you know that a week ago I started a series on How and Why to Dehydrate.  In the middle of that series, I had the opportunity to write a guest post at Kitchen Stewardship on Frugal Food Storage (that post is a must read if you are trying to eat well on less money).

Well, all of this talk about food preservation really generated a lot of interest and a lot of questions.

One reader commented that she was interested in purchasing a dehydrator and/or a freezer, but her husband wasn't sure about the cost savings, once one adds in the expense of the appliance and the ongoing cost of operating it.  Doing food preserving on your own certainly gives you control over the procedure and the quality of the food, and it is a great step towards a more "whole foods" oriented lifestyle, but we all want to know that we can save money while doing it as well, right?

Well, I did a little digging around and found a fabulous resource that outlined the costs in a very detailed manner.

And after seeing the following chart, any of you who have purchased a dehydrator will feel quite affirmed in your decision (and those who have not will have one more reason to do so). You'll also see what is the cheapest way to preserve food.

 

FOOD PRESERVATION ECONOMIC COMPARISON

(Of course, costs have changed since this post (and since the book was printed), but I still find this very interesting.)

Food Storage Bags for Freezer

{Photo Credit}

FREEZING:

Estimated cost - 16.2 cents/pound

Equipment Needed: Freezer @ $270 amortized over 20 years* = $13.50/year

Repairs: 2% of purchase price = $5.40/year

Packaging: $25.00

Electricity: To operate freezer at 5 cents/kilowatt hour = $35.28
To blanch 250 pounds of food (4 min/pound) = $1.99

Total to process 500 pounds of food:                                                     $81.17

Canned Peaches and tomatoes

 {Photo Credit}

CANNING:

Estimated cost - 5.5 cents/pound

Equipment Needed: Pressure canner @ $65 amortized over 20 years* =  $3.25
Water bath canner @ $10 amortized over 20 years = $0.50

Repairs: 2% of purchase price = $1.30

Packaging: 24 dz quart jars @ $4.39/dz amortized over 10 years = $10.53
24 dz lids replaced each year @ $.49/dz = $11.76

Electricity: To pressure can 140 quarts at 5 cents/kilowatt hour = $1.44
To water bath can 140 quarts =  $2.22

Total to process 560 pounds of food in 280 quarts: = $31.00

Dried Bananas Dehydrator

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DEHYDRATING:

Estimated cost - 4.8 cents/pound

Equipment Needed: Electric Dehydrator @ $190 amortized over 20 years* = $9.50/year

Repairs: 2% of purchase price = $3.80

Packaging: $500 one-pound plastic bags = $2.50

Electricity: For drying food = $6.50
For blanching 250 pounds of food (4 minutes/pound)= $1.99

Total to process 500 pounds of food:                                                     $24.29

 

(*If the equipment is used for less than the full amortization period, the cost per pound of food increases significantly.  Also, if smaller amounts of food are processed, the average cost per pound will increase.)

The above information comes from page 5 of Preserve It Naturally (2010), a book about dehydrating that you can purchase from Excalibur Dehydrator.

The data I use above are from the book, but the costs of energy, equipment, etc. have clearly changed and will vary according to your personal situation, i.e. your energy costs and how good you are at finding bargains on packaging, etc.   Still, I think this is an eye-opening comparison.

Individual situations aside, it's clear that dehydrating and canning are extremely cost-efficient ways to store food.  Of course, that doesn't mean that freezing isn't a great option either.  I mean, if it costs 16.2 cents per pound to freeze something and you can secure the type of deal that I did at a local store about 4 months ago when we got grass fed lamb for about 3.25 / pound, then paying an extra 16 cents per pound still makes the lamb a great deal.  Also, there are just some things that lend themselves better to one form of preservation than to another.  For example, I don't wish to can or dehydrate meat or chicken broth, but those items both freeze quite well.

So -- I think I have now put my inquisitive mind to rest.  And -- I am feeling pretty good about our second fridge, chest freezer, dehydrator, and even about the second chest freezer that we plan to buy later this week.  Bring on the sales -- I have room to store the surplus!  Now if I can just learn how to can :-)!More posts on dehydrating:

  • Saving Money with a Dehydrator
  • Easiest Sun Dried Tomatoes
  • Boosting Nutrition with a Dehydrator
  • Super Yummy Kale Chips
  • Save Time and Space with a Dehydrator
  • How and Why to Soak and Dehydrate Nuts and Seeds

And some great posts on freezing:

  • The Easiest Way to Preserve Herbs
  • Storing Prepared Beans

If you don't have a dehydrator yet, I whole heartedly recommend the Excalibur Dehydrator, but a blogger friend of mine told me that she has this dehydrator and loves it:

This Nesco Dehydrator is great for drying herbs, fruits, veggies, and more!

Here is a great book to get to learn more about dehydrating, and it has tons of recipes in it.  I don't own it yet, but plan to get it soon.

The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook - Learn How to Dehydrate and use your dehydrator to store foods inexpensively!

Top Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/galant/

Did you expect dehydrating to be the cheapest way to preserve food?
Which food storage methods do you use?  

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About Adrienne

Adrienne Urban is the Founder and Owner of Whole New Mom. She has a background in research, journalism, insurance, employee benefits, financial markets, frugal living, and nutrition. Seeking a better life for herself and her family, she uses research and consults with many physicians and other practitioners to find solutions to the variety of issues they have dealt with including life-threatening food allergies and thyroid and adrenal concerns. WholeNewMom.com is the result of her experiences and knowledge gained throughout the process. Posts are reviewed and verified by the Whole New Mom team.

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  1. Minnie Mcfall

    May 04, 2020 at 6:17 pm

    I want to dehydrate for long term storage in canning jars, My question is this.

    Do I need to put one of those oxygen packets in everything ?I intend to vacuum seal the jars {if I can find a sealer.

    Thank you

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      May 05, 2020 at 2:52 pm

      Hi there. It depends on how long you are planning to store them. I would look up what you are storing and how long. What are you planning to do?

      Reply
  2. Stacey

    April 20, 2016 at 6:22 am

    i like to can. I've gotten most of my jars at yard sales. You need to inspect and clean them prior to use but it's cheaper that way. I just got about 80 jars for $8. Some where old and may be worth money. You need new lids but rings are reusable.

    Reply
  3. Victoria@Mellowkitchen.com

    February 26, 2016 at 1:33 am

    You are persuading me! I really want one now. LOL!

    Reply
  4. Debbie

    January 30, 2016 at 8:00 pm

    I'd like to know where you get a dozen canning jars for $4.39 per dz. To purchase new they are $10.00 and up.
    If you know of a resource that is less please share with us.

    I have all the canning equipment and an excalibur dehydrator but not much in freezer space.

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      January 31, 2016 at 10:28 am

      Hi there. The post was written awhile ago, so I assume prices have increased, particularly as canning has gotten more popular.

      Reply
  5. Thor

    September 30, 2015 at 4:20 pm

    I would love to see your input on freeze drying. Do you have any experience with this? Do you plan to try it if you have not tried already?

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      October 03, 2015 at 12:21 pm

      I buy freeze dried foods but the freeze dryers are very expensive. Tempting though!

      Reply
  6. Stewart Higgins

    July 25, 2015 at 12:13 pm

    I would LOVE to know what model you recommend. I have been thinking about this – thanks!

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      July 27, 2015 at 10:22 am

      This is the brand I use and love.

      Reply
  7. SavoieNeal

    July 02, 2015 at 5:09 am

    This seems to assume that there is no value to labor/time. However, as a stay at home mom, I view anything that allows me to save money as very worthwhile. I’ve done all three, and will continue to do so.

    Also worthy to note: a pressure canner, though a bit scary, is worth the extra money because (1) it saves LOTS of time because the processing times are much shorter and (2) you can process all canned foods in it, including meats, vegetables, broths. The water bath canner is recommended only for high acid foods such as tomatoes and fruits.

    Dehydrating is fun to involve children. We loved dehydrated apples and peaches last summer.

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      July 02, 2015 at 12:18 pm

      You are correct about the time issue - I was only thinking about money in this post but it is very important to consider. I have both canners but haven't used either. I'm nervous and could use a teacher :).

      Reply
  8. shawna

    November 14, 2014 at 8:21 am

    What about freeze drying?

    Reply
    • Adrienne

      November 14, 2014 at 11:18 am

      I assume b/c of the cost of the machine that this would be cost prohibitive. I looked at a machine and wow are they pricey!?!?

      Reply
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Welcome! I'm Adrienne, and I'm here to show you that Healthy Living Doesn't Have to Be Hard! Here, you'll find basically everything you need to make healthy living doable--healthy & easy flexible recipes, tips for clean beauty and a natural home, essential oils, beginner gardening tips, and more. Learn more about me here.

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