Nesco American Harvest FD-50 Snackmaster Pro 4-Tray Dehydrator review and price compare 2025

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Product overview

Brand	NESCO
Material	Plastic
Color	White
Wattage	500 watts
Item Dimensions LxWxH	14 x 13.5 x 8 inches

product features

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500 watts of power dries foods and flowers quickly and evenly
Dehydrator measures 13-1/2 by 8-1/4 inches; four trays are each 12-3/4 by 1/2 inches
Patented system pressurizes heated air up through and across each tray
Thermostat adjusts from 95 degrees up to 145 degrees
Dehydrate fruits, vegetables, herbs, jerky, granola for camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities

product description

Product description

Made in the USA - Nesco American Harvest FD-50 Snackmaster Pro 4-Tray Dehydrator Professional food dehydrator and jerky maker uses patented fan to force heated air up the exterior pressurized chamber. Heated air is forced horizontally across each tray for fast, even and nutritious dehydrating. 1200 RPM motor and specially designed 5in. fan ensures the fastest, most nutritious drying.

Amazon.com

Drying apple slices in just six hours and beef jerky in nine-and-a-half, this 500-watt dehydrator is exceptionally fast for its price range. Its patented system pressurizes air up through the drying trays' outer rings and across each tray, ensuring not only speed but uniformity, so foods dry evenly. The dehydrator's thermostat adjusts from 95 degrees F up to 145 degrees F, offering flexibility for drying different items. Each of the four trays is 12-3/4 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch deep (the durable plastic dehydrator is 13-1/2 by 8-1/4 inches overall). Additional trays may be purchased, providing up to a total of 10 square feet for drying lots of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and/or flowers at one time. A fruit-roll sheet inserts into a tray so that applesauce or other fruit sauces can be dried into healthful snacks. You can also use the tray for drying other liquid foods, such as soups and sauces, for camping trips. This dehydrator comes with beef-jerky spices and a booklet with recipes and instructions. --Fred Brack

product details

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Questions about Nesco American Harvest FD-50 Snackmaster Pro 4-Tray Dehydrator

Will it work on 220 volt?

where to buy tsller racks

Where can I get a booklet to learn how to use American Harvest dehydrator?

Answer: If you didn't get one with the machine, go on line. Most manuals are online now. As for how to use it, what more do you need than slice, lay out on shelves, put lid on top, turn on machine, let run for several hours or until slices are dry. Dry to taste. Happy dehydrating! They are fabulous snacks for kids, and so healthy.

Answer: Check online on the web site.

Answer: I don't know, but Google is a great start.

My fd-50 no longer works. are my trays compatible with any of the newer dehydrators such as the 75a?

Answer: The FD-50 trays only fit the FD-50 Dehydrator.

Does this dehydrator have a grey protector tray to cover fan

Answer: It's white color.

Answer: Yes it does. Sorry for the slow response

Answer: Yes it does.

What extra trays do u order for the FD-50?

Answer: did not order any extra trays for the FD-50.

Answer: I ordered the FD-30 trays and they fit perfectly. The machine is powerful enough to handle the two I bought, and I think could easily handle two more, but that would be very tall and I don't have that much produce to dry. I may in the future, and use them for making the fruit rollups.

Answer: They can be ordered separately and come in packs of 2. We ordered 3 packs for our needs.

Will trays for thr fd50 fit the older model fd50/30? They look very similar.

Answer: Yes, the trays for the fd50 model also fit the fd50/30 and the fd40 models.

I need a new top lid for my FD-50

Do you have drying trays for FD50?

I have the American Harvester FD 40 and I need to replace the trays, no FD 40s on here so which trays do I order? From the FD 50???

Are the trays BPA free?

Answer: Yes, all of our plastics are BPA free.

Does anyone have an old Snackmaster Pro FD-50 dehydrator they want to sell?

How many consecutive hours can I run the dehydrator for?

Answer: I run mine 8 hours at a time with no issues.

Answer: I have used mine for 12 hours at a time -- I turn it off at night -- and it doesn't heat up, and stays efficient. Not sure if you need to turn it off at night; I just do for safety reasons that may or may not be valid. The machine is sturdy, simple, and results are excellent.

Does anyone know where to get extra trays and fruit leather trays for this dehydrator?

Answer: I ordered my extras right on Amazon. Look around.

Do you still sell the anodized aluminum jerky/granola bar press?

where do i buy taller racks fir dehydrating

Answer: We do have a thing called a convert-a-tray, the model number you would look for is CT-2P.

Answer: Have no idea. If they're not on Amazon, they don't exist. Good luck.

What screens for the trays do i order for this fd50 model

How many additional trays can be added to this dehydrator? Thanks

Answer: I have used as many as 12 trays, but I recommend rotating them part way through so that they dry more evenly.

Has anyone used this to cook analog tape for restoration purposes?

Answer: Never thought of that. Might it damage the tape? Have no idea.

Answer: Yes they certainly have!! This is actually a common practice with the dehydrators.

Can I purchase a lid replacement?

Are the trays BPA free?

Answer: Yes, all of our plastics are BPA free.

need manual forFD-40

Answer: Try the Nesco Website.

Product reviews of Nesco American Harvest FD-50 Snackmaster Pro 4-Tray Dehydrator

mgr : broke

Have had this for a number of years. It just quit working. I took it apart but can't see anything to repair. It is a travesty to have to throw all this machinery out for lack of repair.

Suzanne M. Pinto : makes great jerky

works terrifically and was clean and well cared for.

Takomsa : Multiple uses and still works well

I purchased this back in 2001 and also purchased two additional trays. I've used it for making jerky, my wife uses it for drying herbs, flowers, fruits, and even projects. After 13 years of light use, it's still working as well as the day I purchased it. As it's just a little bit noisy, we put it in the garage when we need to use it (which also keeps the heat out of the house). It's not a glamorous item, but it works fairly well and just keeps working year after year. That should be all the selling point it needs.

M. L. Laug : Gardener's friend

This was our first time buying a dehydrator and this proved to be a good choice. It requires little assembly and the booklet provides good information including instructions and recipes. The applicance is quiet and easy to use. It is quite useful for those who grow their own fruits and vegetables and can be overwhelmed with the size of the bounty and cannot eat everything while it is still fresh. The times vary so you have to experiment and figure out what works best each time you do it and making fruit leather takes a bit of practice. Overall, I found this product to be a good buy and would recommend it to others.

R. Adler : good product...

This Nesco food de-hydrator works well and does an excellent job. There are newer, larger and more powerful models available, but this does a good job for me.

kitchen junkie : A workhouse, but trays with hole in the middle can be a bit awkward for food removal...

It's a great machine - it's worked flawlessly for a long time, and dries food evenly and well. That's what it's supposed to do, right? But - I personally have issues with the tray design. I understand that the holes in the middle make for even air flow, which of course is crucial - I don't contest that. However, that design complicates the removal of certain items from the trays, especially when using the flexi-screens. It's not much of a problem for larger sliced items like bananas or veggies, but I don't just use this for fruit & veggies - I also use it to dehydrate herbs, and soaked nuts & grains. Trying to remove a screen covered with dried loose small objects, when there is a hole in the middle, makes for a lot of mess in the kitchen! I've figured out how to sort of squeeze the screen together into a funnel to pour out the items, which works reasonably well, but it isn't simple. (Perhaps I just shouldn't be dehydrating small loose items in here - I suspect something like the Excalibur is better suited to that, with flat shelves.) Anyway, just something to be aware of - think about what your use for this is and, if you'll be drying lots of small things, you might want to start with a dehydrator with flat hole-less shelves instead. If you're doing slices of food that can be more easily picked up, I wholeheartedly recommend this dehydrator.

Sandykayak : After 17 yrs in garage it started right up!

I think I bought it a good 25 years ago. Didn’t use it that much and when I moved it just sat in the garage for 17 years until the “don’t give your dog commercial chicken jerky” scare a few years ago.

I was amazed that after all that time it came to life and worked for another 2-3 years. The cable is a bit worn and the bottom plastic has overheated and warped.

It doesn’t owe me anything and I see a used one for sale for $100!!! I don’t think so! I just want to make sure that its replacement will use the 8 trays etc.

JD Omaha : Nice countertop dehydrating workhorse

This is my 2nd Snackmaster Pro - I've made hundreds of pounds of jerky and dried fruit on this machine. It is well worth the money.

Elge S. Spalding : Nesco Dehydrator FD-50

Excellent product made in the U.S.A. Does exactly what I needed it for. (I am baking Ampex 407 recording tape). Thanks

Warren B. : Good Product

We have been very satisfied with this dehydrator. It works well and does everything it claims to do. Not all of the parts are dishwasher safe which is the only drawback we found.

JAB : Still works like new after a decade

I've had this dehydrator for over a decade and it still works exactly like the day I bought it.

Pros:
* It is really easy to use and has the right amount of temperature settings
* Because of the way the trays stack it is very easy to clean.
* You can also buy additional trays to expand the size.

Cons
* Because of the way it is built you have to un-stack to check on what you are dehydrating instead of just looking into a window.

Lin : what fun! no preservatives

More quite than I expected. I use it outside in our screen room due to the heat it generates. Cleans with a damp sponge if necessary, trays may go in the dishwasher. Quickly realized I needed extra "screens", makes getting the dried food out much easier. Ordered a book on dehydrating since the phamplet just didn't tell me enough of how to know when done, and recipes etc. So far have done: onions, parsley, cilantro, peppers, mushrooms, strawberries and bananas. Everything turned out great except bananas, cut to thick and did not cook long enough. The phamplet that came with states cook parsley 20-24 hours! It was done in 8 hours. Not easy to fit into a work schedule when you are not sure when it will be done.

Wendy A. B. Whipple : Incredibly easy to use.

I love my dehydrator. The thing is easy to use, with a controllable thermostat labeled for whatever you're drying (high temp for meat, low for herbs). The manual that comes with it is easy to understand, and has terrific recipes in it. I highly recommend getting the two extra trays, a fruit leather sheet, and plenty of the "clean-a-screen" inserts. (And if you're feeling really adventurous, the jerky making kit is *awesome*!)
Once you've made banana "chips" in your dehydrator, you'll never buy those nasty fried store-bought ones again! Pineapple is delicious dried, and dried apples are simply marvelous. You can dry almost anything, and know exactly what's in it. Why pay good money for chemicals and so-so taste, when you can make your own really healthy snacks for you and the kids in this very handy appliance?
It just isn't any simpler than this!

Fernando Casas Cruz : Healthy snack - Happy life

Actually is hard to get snack food without preservatives or anyother dangerus additives, so you have to create your snacks by yourself. Nesco is a great tool to improve family's diet.

I live in Costa Rica and I have used with wide range of tropical fruits like mango, papaya etc.. It always does an outstanding performance.

C. Buck : Very pleased

I bought this dehydrator on the recommendations of all the reviewers and I have been totally pleased with it. I have tried tomotoes, mangos, bananas and jerky. The only drawback to this is the fact that drying food is more an art than a science. I have done 3 batches of jerky, and each time it gets better, but still too dry. I am narrowing the drying times down to within a few hours, but still not quite perfect. Other than the On-the-job-training in drying times, this works quite well. I am please with it and would recommend it to anyone. The plus is that I have even found accesories for it at Wal-Mart!

Warren B. : Good Product

We have been very satisfied with this dehydrator. It works well and does everything it claims to do. Not all of the parts are dishwasher safe which is the only drawback we found.

R. Adler : good product...

This Nesco food de-hydrator works well and does an excellent job. There are newer, larger and more powerful models available, but this does a good job for me.

Manny Barriger : Snackmaster Pro 4-Tray Dehydrator

I purchased the Snackmaster Pro-4 for my wife. She had an abundance of tomato's and didn't want to do any canning, therefore she felt that dehydrating them would be a new option. The unit has worked well, I ordered 4 extra trays with it, because what comes from the manufacturer was to small for our initial needs.

On the first run 100 tomatoes were dehydrated, it took roughly 48 hours to do it. In the end the tomato's were well dehydrated. After that we smoked some hot peppers with hickory wood in our smoker, then dehydrated them. The job was a little messy, because all of the seeds came out.

The unit is a little noisy, estimate that it sounds like a microwave fan running. After a while it becomes annoying, if you are around it all the time. Additionally we have been storing the vegetables in italian rubber seal glass clip jars.

We find that loading the unit at night before going to bed works well for us. That way when we get up in the morning, the job is either done, or almost there.

Hope that helps....

Manny

R. Adler : good product...

This Nesco food de-hydrator works well and does an excellent job. There are newer, larger and more powerful models available, but this does a good job for me.

Karen Cookson : If you love fruits, you'll love this!

This machine went to work the minute it arrive. It's harvest time, and this year was The Year of the Apple. And the Pear, and the Plum, and lots more. We can only make so much applesauce, apple pies to freeze, apple cider and bake so many dishes with apples added. How to keep this treat throughout the year? Dehydrate! It works like a charm, is simple, and easy to keep clean.
If you live on a farm, have a garden, or live in the city and buy fruit, you can use this. These are the best snacks for kids to have, and so good for them, and they love them! Every family could use one of these.

M. L. Laug : Gardener's friend

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