Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun

Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun

Excellent Kit!
I was in the market for a dehydrator mainly for making beef jerky, as I am a jerky lover. I visited frequent local chains such as Walmart (in 4 different cities). All stores seemed to be out of the base Nesco FD-61 model. I reluctantly ordered this kit from [...] as it contained all the 'extras.'

When it arrived I opened the box to see:

o) Nesco American Harvest FD-61 Food Dehydrator. One base, 4 large trays, and a power head rated at 500 watts, variable climate control (~95-155 temp range for various things). Most of the accessories that came with the kit were located inside the trays. Made in the USA! The dehydrator is rated as whisper quiet and is rather quiet. The emitting hum is close to quiet window-mounted AC unit. The unit is very stable and the construction is excellent. This unit really does get warm.

o) One extra tray (totalling 5 trays). Keep in mind that although this unit is expandable to 12 trays, you may have to begin rotating lower...

Best Choice of Dehydrator!
I had read many reviews on this site and others about which dehydrator to buy. I was impressed by all of the great things I read about the Nesco FD-61, so I got it!

I have used it 2 times and now have some comments to make. I started with 5 trays of mixed fruits, banana chips, orange slices, and apple slices. I dried them for approximately 12-15 hours. The bananas were not that great, still a bit too chewy. The apples were PERFECT. They had the same taste and texture as the store-bought dried apples. The orange slices were great (according to my 12 yo son) and crunchy. My deduction is that it's probably better to only use one type of fruit at a time. I'll be trying the bananas again on their own and see if I can get them a bit more crunchy next time.

The second time I decided to use the handy jerky gun and spices that came with the unit. I bought some 3% fat burger. (it calls for VERY low fat meat) I mixed it up with the 'general' spice packet that came with it...

Great product at a good price
This is the first dehydrator we've used, although we did some sun-drying in years past. Cookie sheets on the porch are not capable of handling this year's bumper crop of peaches, apples, and apricots -- but this machine is! The dehydrator works great; it is well-designed and made of good quality materials. It is also quiet and easy to clean. The top-mounted fan distributes air evenly, although we found it useful to rotate the top tray to the bottom after the first 2-3 hours of drying. After that, the trays can be left in place. The dehydrator includes five trays, each capable of drying 20 medium-sized apricots (split in half). That's a 100 apricots per load!

The machine lacks an on/off switch and must be unplugged when checking on the drying, so we use it with a lighted plug-in switch from a hardware store (about $3). The instruction book is very well-written and helpful. Overall, it's a great product and made in USA too.

The FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express All-In-One kit has a top mounted fan. Easily dries fruit, vegetables and jerky quickly and evenly. Dries food in hours not days. Comes with 5 trays and jerky gun. Unit disassembles easily and all parts are dishwasher safe except the power head. The Opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful lights which destroys nutritional content of food being dehydrated. The Patented fan flow radial air action forces air down the center of the unit and horizontally across each tray for fast, even-drying. No need to rotate.

• All-in-one kit has a top mounted fan
• Easily dries fruit, vegetables and jerky quickly and evenly
• Comes with 5 trays and jerky gun
• Includes fruit roll sheet, clean-a-screen for drying herbs or sticky fruit; recipe guide
• Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging

Nesco American Harvest FD-1020 Gardenmaster 1000-Watt Digital Food Dehydrator

Nesco American Harvest FD-1020 Gardenmaster 1000-Watt Digital Food Dehydrator

Works like a charm, better than Excalibur models
I feel confident in saying this Nesco Gardenmaster is a better quality product than the Excalibur 9 tray, both of which I have used. I first tried the Excalibur and quickly realized it took too long and was too cumbersome to be effective and needed a new thermostat after just three weeks. I found myself babysitting the unit, switching trays and drying only during the day when I could turn it off manually. The 9 tray I had did not have an automatic timer and was just a pain in the neck. I sold it on Ebay after two months. I ventured out into the world of dehydrating again after two long years of resentment. I tried the Nesco and was so happy I did. The digital controls offer exact results every time, the automatic shut-off allow you to dry at night without waking to adjust trays or check results.
The capacity is huge with the add on trays offered and the powerful fan dries the bottom tray equally as fast as the top. The top mounted motor keeps drips from causing a...

Nesco Gardenmaster Dehydrator
I bought 2 Nesco American Harvest Food Dehydrators in 1974. One for me and one for my grandmother. They were used extensively for drying fruits and vegetables as well as making jerky. After 24 years, the plastic became brittle so I thought it was time to replace them. Because the original dryers worked so well for so long, I immediately looked for the same brand. I bought the Gardenmaster plus 6 extra trays because it is the largest model and I dry large quantities. Within the past 2 weeks - how long I've had my new dryer - I have dried about 8 bushels of apples. Since the tree is still full, I will probably dry that many more before moving into jerky season.

The only complaints I have seen on this dryer have related to concerns regarding "recipies" not listing exact drying times. As an experienced food dryer, I can tell you this is the same no matter which dryer you use. I would be concerned about any dehydrator that stated otherwise - drying time depends on the...

This is the one to get
This is a high quality food dehydrator that is simple to use because of the digital control and the top heater and fan. I wouldn't even consider a food dehydrator that does not have the top heater/fan. This one does not need to have the trays rotated during use and also heats to the recommended 160*.

I have had my Nesco American Harvest FD-1020 for a year and have used it so far only to make ground beef jerky, but I've given it extensive use for that. I cook the meat at the 160* setting for approximately 6 1/2 hours, but the amount of time varies by the ambient humidity. I set it outdoors to use and when in southern Arizona, if the meat slices are thin, 6 hours was sufficient. In Texas, I have needed to leave the meat cooking for 7 hours. I don't care for the smell of the cooking meat, necessitating the outdoor use.

For ease of cleaning, I recommend purchasing the clean-a-screen mesh sheets for each tray, Nesco American Harvest MS-2-6 Clean-A-Screen...

The Gardenmaster digital food dehydrator comes with 4 trays and accessories. Easily dries fruit, vegetables and jerky quickly and evenly. Dries food in hours not days. Unit disassembles easily and all parts are dishwasher safe except the power head. The Opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful lights which destroys nutritional content of food being dehydrated. The Patented fan flow radial air action forces air down the center of the unit and horizontally across each tray for fast, even-drying. No need to rotate. 1000 watts of power.

• 1000-watt 4-tray digital food dehydrator dries in hours instead of days
• Flavors don't mix; no need to rotate trays; opaque exterior blocks harmful lights
• Adjustable thermostat; 48-hour digital timer; dishwasher-safe parts
• Includes recipe book, solid sheet, mesh sheet, and jerky spice packet
• Measures approximately 15 by 15 by 9 inches

Ronco Food Dehydrator, Yogurt Maker and Beef Jerky Machine

Ronco Food Dehydrator, Yogurt Maker and Beef Jerky Machine

Gardener's friend
If you garden and raise fruit of any kind, this is a useful device. It's also good if you have kids. Here's why:

You can take apples, peaches, strawberries or other fruits and make candy-like healthy snacks. It's a nice alternative to canning, which uses a lot of sugar. So you can preserve your crop rather easily. All you need to do is slice the peeled or unpeeled fruit. To prevent browning due to an enzymatic reaction, you can dip each slice into a solution of ascorbic acid (available at the pharmacy) or in lemon juice. You can also make yogurt in this, using the gentle heat as the incubator to keep the milk with yogurt starter warm in jars overnight.

The trays feel a bit flimsy; this is a lightweight device and it is a bit large. So you'll probably have to find a place to pack it away unless you have a lot of counter space and use it all the time.

Inferior product
Executive summary: spend ten dollars more and get the Snackmaster model instead. I've got a Snackmaster FD-50 that I bought a year or so ago, and more recently my sister picked up a Ronco FD5, so I've had a chance to compare the two, side-by-side. Buy the FD-50, not the FD5. Details follow.

First, the Ronco FD5 is slower. It takes up to twice as long to dry food as the Snackmaster. This may not seem like a big deal, but it's the difference between being able to dry three batches of apple slices in a single day off, versus only one batch.

Second, and more important, the Ronco FD5 does not dry evenly. This is probably because it doesn't have a fan, but it's very annoying. For one thing, it means you need to rotate trays. Regularly. It's no good to set the thing going and then go do other things for four hours; you have to stay close enough that you can monitor it and rotate the trays every hour or so; otherwise the bottom trays get dry, and the top ones...

Great Dehydrator
A nice inexpensive dehydrator great for those of you on a budget, in school, or just a newbie to dehydrating. I have owned one for at least 3 yrs and love it. However, after these wonderful yrs of daily or weekly consistent use, the trays have now begun to break up. My only drawback is that cost of the replacement trays are looking to cost as much as the actual dehydrator. So now, I am wondering do I buy a different one.

I like the Ronco dehydrator because it makes jerky fast. You don't need to use preservatives when making pet treat jerky as long as you properly dehydrator the food. It is a silent easy to learn dehydrator.

The only real pain was rotating and switching the trays other than that it pretty much runs itself. You can safely run it 24/7 and you not overly worry about something going wrong in the household.

I recommend this product to everyone. Once you get experienced with dehydrating and wear it out. Easily replace it like I am going to do with the same brand or...

As Seen On TV, the deluxe 5-tray electric Ronco Food Dehydrator is also a yogurt maker and beef jerky machine. No fan or motor is used; instead silent, powerful convection airflow dehydrates food. Includes a food dehydrator recipe book. No. 1876. Made in USA. 10-1/2Hx12-3/4Wx12-3/4D".This Ronco dehydrator dries everything from fruits and vegetables to meats and seafood to flowers and herbs to flour-and-water dough for crafts. It makes beef jerky (and other jerkies) and, with the aid of a little unpasturized yogurt as a starter, it also makes yogurt. This 5-tray model is a medium-size convection-air dehydrator, as opposed to the 10- and 15-tray models that use motorized fans, and runs silently. It can take a day or two to dry apple slices, which may be longer than a motorized-fan unit. Up to five trays can be stacked on the base, and then the unit plugs into a wall socket. The included trays are 12-1/2 inches in diameter, the unit is 12-3/4 inches high, and instruction/recipe booklets come with it. For fruit rollups and dried herbs and flowers, special trays and screens can be ordered separately. --Fred Brack

• Dehydrates foods for snacks, camping, hiking
• Operates silently with convection air flow; no motorized fan
• Includes five trays for drying fruits, vegetables, jerky
• Fruit rollup trays and herb/flower screens sold separately
• Makes yogurt in eight hours

Sedona Digitally Controlled Food Dehydrator (SD-9000)

Sedona Digitally Controlled Food Dehydrator (SD-9000)

Great Dehydrator- Crazy Expensive!
We researched all the raw-food approved dehydrators out there for months, and just before ordering a nine-tray Excalibur saw this newly-released marvel. The design is great; dehydrates well. Love the glass door, the dual fan option, the night-time setting (quieter), and the easy-to-clean interior. Digital display is great too. The biggest drawback is how crazy expensive this thing is (hence the 4 stars). After buying the unit, plus the silicon nonstick sheets (from another vendor, which we just trimmed with scissors), we could have put a down payment on a yacht. I also wish Tribest would offer a ten-year warranty, considering the investment, and especially since it has computerized components (which are never as reliable as the old-fashioned stuff). We bought the Sedona as an investment into our health, and I do think it will pay for itself in a decade or so. (We aren't even close to 100 percent raw, though. We mostly dehydrate snacks: crackers, fruit leathers, kale chips, and the...

Hero To Zero! Asleep at the Wheel!
We received our new dehydrator in a defective state: bad heater assembly. We needed to ship it back to the manufacturer for repairs. The manufacturer requests that you ship the product back in the original box (keep the box!) We received the same unit back yesterday with all the screws missing from the back of the machine. The technician failed to put one single screw back into the dehydrator and shipped it back to us. After removing the unit from the container the machine was set on the counter for inspection and testing. One could imagine what it would look like without screws. The body was lop-sided and the door wouldn't close properly. Turning the machine around I observed "zero" screws holding the machine together. To make things worse, the front of the machine is scratched. Needless to say the wife is not happy.

Recommendation: If this item is a "must have" make sure you test the heating assembly within days of receiving it. Turn it on and verify both elements...

Awesome Machine !!!!!!!!!
I recently purchased this dehydrator over the Excalibur. Did not like the review on how noisy the Excalibur was. This is an excellent dehydrator it's ready to use right out the box. Easy to use love the control buttons and glass window. Placed order on Amazon and within two days got my dehydrator. I'm not a raw foodie, but trying to switch to healthier snacks. So far I have made zucchini chips, plantain chips, dehydrated sweet peppers, flax crackers, and kale chips. Awesome piece of kitchen gadget. It's a little pricey but well worth the price.

An Advanced Digitally Controlled 9 Tray Food Dehydration System - Sedona® is the elegantly easy way to dehydrate raw whole living foods, preserving the natural nutritional value and taste without using artificial preservatives. Compared to other leading dehydrators, Sedona® offers stunning features like the see-through glass door and unsurpassed performance utilizing the latest digital dehydrating technologies with accurate temperature controls.

• 110V Model
• Easy on/off switch, electronic digital display with digital temperature control and timer
• Quiet, energy efficient operation
• See-through glass door
• BPA free plastic trays and tray mesh screens
• Dual fan technology