Nesco FD-61WHC Snackmaster Encore Food Dehydrator with Jerky Gun Kit for Great Snacks and Jerky, 5 Trays, Gray

I will admit, I did a lot of research before buying a dehydrator. This is our first attempt at dehydrating and I think it is fair to say that it definitely takes practice and experimentation.The Nesco Snackmaster came with the jerky gun (cool acessory!), jerky seasoning and cure packets, 5 trays, the fruit roll sheet and the clean-a-screen. We have done a few batches of jerky, some dried bananas and cranberries. The fruit roll sheet isn't just for the actual fruit roll-ups as pictured, it would have been a wise choice with the cranberries as they stuck all over the grates...but that was a user error.Pro's:- Quiet to operate.- Dries foods in a reasonable amount of time, keep in mind that if your food holds a lot of water it will take awhile to dry.- Lots of accessories are included to experiment with, with the option of adding more trays.- The included jerky seasoning was actually quite tasty!- Unit is nice looking, not too large or bulky to store (all of the accessories actually fit inside of it with the exception of the jerky gun)- Has an adjustable thermostat on top of the unit to control temperature.- Trays are dishwasher safe (although I never wash plastic in the dishwasher for my own reasons)- I found it maintained it's temperature perfectly. I tested it several times with a thermometer and actually found it to be a bit higher than what I had it set to on the maximum setting. This didn't affect the end result at all however, as I kept an eye on the food anyways.Con's:- No on/off switch, you have to manually unplug the unit.- If you choose to wash the trays by hand it is a bit tricky to get raw food out from between the grates of the tray. This would be the case with any product though so isn't a flaw to this model in particular.- You couldn't dehydrate jars or large items with this model.- No timer or auto shut off so you really do have to be "around" if you are dehydrating something that only takes a couple hours.All in all, not only would I buy this model again I would happily recommend it to anyone looking to get into the world of dehydrating their own foods!

excellent

I have never used a dehydrator before, but grew up watching my mother use hers and hearing my sister rave about hers. So I was on a mission to find a good one that was easy to use for first time users. I looked at many dehydrators and reviews and settled on this one. When I opened the box and began to wonder what to do it became intimidating, but I was determined to figure it out and start using it.I am very excited to report that the manual was a breeze to understand and I had the dehydrator together and was ready to use it. I went out and bought a bag of oranges, since that was my favorite from my sisters dehydrator and cut them as thin as I could manage and placed them on the racks like the manual said to do. I then set the temperature and plugged it in to start it. It was not exactly quiet, but it was not overly loud either. It was just a mid sounding hum. I check on them after about 3 hours just to see where they were in the drying process and they still looked like they had quite a while to go. I ended up having to run it for about 10 hours to get them to the proper dehydration for storing. But it said it could take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours depending on the humidity level in your house. I was very pleased with the end results. I did find a couple of slices that I had not managed to get quite thin enough and were still just a little chewy but only a few, so I just put those few back in and finished them up separately. I didn't have to store them long because my family wouldn't stop eating them. I'm just glad I got a few.The next thing I attempted was jerky. First off let me tell you that the seasoning that comes with it is very good. My kids and husband were very impressed with its flavor. Of course, tastes are a matter of personal opinion, so you will have to decide for yourself. But here is a tip, the spice is very strong for the salt. The first batch I made I did with a very lean roast. I followed the directions to the letter and the jerky was delicious, but a little heavy on the salty side. I like salty jerky, but this was even a little to much for a salt aholic like myself. So I made another batch with burger that was 98% lean. But this time I used only 3/4 of the package of seasoning and followed the rest of the directions to the letter again using the tool for making flat strips. My husband and I loved the second batch, but my kids preferred the first batch made with the roast. So it just goes to show how different palettes prefer different flavors and consistancy. Also, I am not a experienced dehydrator user and recipe maker, so I don't know if it is actually ok to use only 3/4 of the package for 1 pound of meat, but I did and we ate it all and we did not get sick. We ate it up within about 4 days though. Now as far as the attachment goes, it worked perfectly. I did have a little meat left in the bottom, but I simply took the press apart and (after washing my hands) molded the remaining meat into a strip and placed it in the dehydrator. I guess if you are the type of person that doesn't like to get your hands dirty or touch meat, that might not appeal to you, but I am fine doing it that way and I didn't lose any meat. I was very pleased with just how fast it drys the meat. After only 4 1/2 hours per each of my batches, one batch being the roast and the second being my ground beef, they were both done and dried completely. I had checked on both of them after 2 hours and dabbed off the excess oil like it says to, but there just wasn't much oil in the first place. Then after checking again 2 hours later they actually looked done at that point, but I left them for another 1/2 hour anyway.Over all it has been working great and has performed extremely well. I have had it for 4 months now and use it almost every week for so many different foods from drying herbs, fruit, vegies and meat. I would recommend this dehydrator for anyone starting out or even for those who have lots of experience drying food. As long as you follow the manual and all its tips and advice and recipes for drying times, you can't go wrong.

I have had this for over 2 months now and have made many batches of dried fruits, fruit leathers, and jerky. It works very well and I have had no problems with it.A few of the trays came a bit warped, where one side of the tray is above the centre hole and the other half is below the centre. But as long as I line up the low sides of the trays with each other, the spacing is still fine.The fruit leather sheets have worked well for me. Everything is easy to keep clean. I'm actually quite pleased with this product. As a starter dehydrator it's an excellent choice.A few things I have discovered that would be preferred to have (the next time I buy a dehydrator):1. An on/off switch.2. A timer feature so that I can have it run for like 6 hours while I sleep and then shut itself off.3. I think I would prefer a rectangle or square tray shape without the centre hole. This is mostly for being able to make fruit leather that doesn't have to be pie shaped. But it's also because with the hole in the middle you lose some space.

Defective piece sent.