How to Get a Dehydrator in Stardew Valley 1.6 (& How to Use)

Update 1.6 in Stardew Valley gave us plenty of great new ways to refine food, like a Fish Smoker and a Dehydrator. The Dehydrator can turn all sorts of fruit and shrooms into valuable Artisan Goods. Here’s how to get a Dehydrator and try it out for yourself!

Stardew Valley Dehydrator Guide – How to Get & Use

The Dehydrator will make good use of your extra mushrooms and fruits by processing them into dried Artisan Goods. This will make them more valuable and increase the energy and health they given when eaten. There are two different ways you can get a Dehydrator: by getting the crafting recipe or choosing to start the mushroom cave.

How to Get a Mushroom Cave

You get a Dehydrator immediately when choosing to start up a mushroom cave. This option is given to you upon reaching 25,000 accumulated profits. Demetrius will stop by your farm with the choice.

If you choose the mushroom cave, you’ll find the Dehydrator in the cave in the upper right corner. This is a great way to get the Dehydrator without spending extra gold. However, you are giving up the option to have fruit bats, which can be equally beneficial.

You can get the Dehydrator without starting the mushroom cave by purchasing the crafting recipe.

How to Unlock the Dehydrator Crafting Recipe

If you’re not planning on getting the mushroom cave but still want to use the Dehydrator, you can purchase the crafting recipe and make it for yourself. You can get the recipe from Pierre at his shop.

The Dehydrator is at the bottom of Pierre’s General Store list and will cost you 10,000 gold. Pierre’s General Store is open just about every day from 9 am to 5 pm. The only days that he is closed are Wednesdays.

How to Craft the Dehydrator

Once you have the crafting recipe unlocked, you can now find it available to craft in your Crafting menu. It will require a few specific ingredients:

• Wood x30 – Picking up sticks or from trees
• Clay x2 – Digging up sand and dirt with hoe
• Fire Quartz x1 – In the Mines

How to Use the Dehydrator

Once you have your Dehydrator made or available in your cave, you can put it to good use. To start, make sure you have five pieces of fruit or mushrooms in your inventory.

You can take your five pieces of fruit or mushrooms to the Dehydrator and click on the machine to place them inside. It must be five pieces at a time. Unfortunately, it will only dry them out in packs, and you can’t do it on one fruit or shroom at a time. With the fruit or mushrooms inside, it will begin to process. This takes time. I placed some in at around 3 pm in-game time and had to wait for them to be available the following day.

When they are ready to be collected, you’ll see the icon pop up over the machine with your created product. It works on just about every raw fruit or mushroom. Vegetables and other crops cannot be placed inside it.

Dried mushrooms and fruit are exceptionally better for you than the raw varieties. This makes them into Artisan Goods, which sell for a lot more gold, and it increases the energy and health they give you when you eat them. Keep placing fruit and mushrooms into the Dehydrator every day to make a profit off of them, or save them for when you need them!

Check out GameSkinny’s Stardew Valley hub for more guides like this, such as getting a Bait Maker or earning Mastery points!