Nesco Snackmaster Encore Food dehydrator, Gray review and price compare 2025

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Product overview

Brand	NESCO
Material	Plastic
Color	Gray
Wattage	500 watts
Item Dimensions LxWxH	13.5 x 13.5 x 9.25 inches

product features

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500 watts of drying power provides even heat distribution
Adjustable temperature control (95°F - 160°F)
(5) BPA Free trays with 0. 8 sq. ft. of drying area per tray - Expandable to 12 trays
Proudly made in the USA of global and domestic components
Includes (1) Jerky Gun with three tip attachments, (2) Fruit Roll Sheets, (2) Clean-A-Screens, (5) Jerky Seasoning & Cure samples, and a recipe & instruction book

From the manufacturer

Patented Converga-Flow system ensures even drying

The Best Food Dehydrators in the World.

NESCO/American Harvest has been the leader in food dehydrators for over 30 years! These units feature patented technologies that dry your food faster and more evenly than any of the competing models available, we know, because we've tried them all! Our Converge-a-Flow air flow assures even drying from top to bottom, without the tray rotation required by others.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced 'pro', making beef jerky, drying fruits, vegetables, herbs, or flowers, NESCO/American Harvest offers the best units available.

Nesco Snackmaster Express Dehydrator with Jerky Gun

Model FD-61WHC

Introducing the Snackmaster Express All-In-One Kit. It's sleek, contemporary design features 500 watts of drying power, and generates maximum speed and quality for dehydrating fruits, vegetables, beef jerky, and venison jerky.

Helps dry food in hours, not days like ordinary food dehydrators. The top mounted fan eliminates the worry of liquids dripping into the the heating chamber!

It contains everything needed to dry all types of food including top mounted fan, 5 trays, 5 jerky spices and cures, a jerky gun with 3 tips, 2 Fruit Roll Sheets, 2 Clean-A-Screens, and a recipe book/care use guide.

Patented Converga-Flow drying system
No need to rotate trays
Dries food in hours, not days
500 watts of drying power with top mounted fan
Adjustable thermostat to dry foods at proper temperature
Dishwasher safe (except powerhead)

product description

Product Packaging:Standard Packaging

The NESCO FD-61WHC Snackmaster Encore Food Dehydrator is designed to be the ultimate kit for beginners or experts. Accessories include a jerky gun with three tip attachments, two fruit roll sheets, two clean-a-screens, five jerky seasoning & cure samples, and a recipe & instruction book. This dehydrator comes with five (13 1/2″ diameter) trays and expands up to 12 trays so you can dry large quantities at once, with no tray rotation needed. Additional Add-A-Trays sold separately. The adjustable temperature control (95°F -160°F) gives you the flexibility to achieve the best results when drying different foods that need varying temperature settings. The quiet, powerful Converga-Flow fan forces heated air down the exterior pressurized chamber, then horizontally across each individual tray. The air flow then converges in the center for quick, consistent drying that is four times faster than other dehydrators. The top mounted fan eliminates liquids dripping into the heater chamber. The NESCO FD-61WHC Snackmaster Encore Food Dehydrator is great for dehydrating fruit rollups, banana chips, apple chips, jerky, and other healthy snacks.

product details

important information

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Questions about Nesco Snackmaster Encore Food dehydrator, Gray

I find some models proclaim BPA free, and others do not. I am looking for a model that is BPA free. FD-61 Snackmasters Encore Food Dehydrator?

Answer: Is the nesco 1018 bpa free also

Answer: I just called the company and they said all the food contact surfaces are BPA Free.

what are the dimensions?

Answer: 13x11x13 inches. If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the item it has the dimensions and a bunch of other stuff that is helpful.

Answer: Rebecca O. The diameter (distance across) is 13 ½", the circumference (distance around) is 42 ½", the height depends on how many of the trays are used - with 5 trays the height is 10". I set it in a counter corner; therefore, it takes a square space of 13 ½" x 13 ½" of counter space. I hope that this helps to sufficiently answer your question.

Answer: The box is 13x13x11 and the dehydrator in the box in the side. I think while in use it is about 12" high and about 13" wide.

Answer: 13.5 in wide and 11 in tall. Each tray is 1.5 thick.

Answer: 12 inches in diameter, and 5 trays and about 9 inches high

Is this anodized aluminum ?

Answer: I find this question and the answers very humorous since the product comparisons list the material as aluminum. Should't Amazon remove the product for false advertisement then?

Answer: I dont think so? Its some type of plastic.....but will not melt or rust. Easy to clean with a small scrub brush, soap and water.

Answer: No it is not. It is made of a very hard plastic type of material. I like it and it works well for our family.

Answer: No it is plastic

what is the jerky gun?

Answer: The recipe book calls for ground beef to make the jerky. Once you mix it together you pack it in the gun and squeeze it. The ground beef comes out a slit in the end. It helps you get uniform pieces so you don't have some done and some not done.

Answer: It if for creating jerky out of ground beef or ground meat of any kind. You load it into the "gun" and you pull the handle and you can make round jerky lengths (like Slim Jims) or you can spread it on the rack in flat strips. It works just like you were using a caulk gun.

Answer: It works sort of like a cake decorator. It is used to extrude ground meat and seasoning on to the trays for making jerky. I use it for extruding fruit pulp for fruit leather when not filling the whole tray.

Answer: You pack your meat into it and it's squeezes it out into nice even stripes to dehydrate just like you buy at the store

I live now in Europe. Will it work here since it's 220volts?

Answer: You can buy a transformer that steps the 220V down to 110/120V (looks like a block with the standard European plug on one side and 110V outlet on the other side). Look in the electronics section/travel section of stores. These are pretty common and run around $20.

Answer: My guess would be no. It is marketed as 120v. 220 might burn out the motor.

Answer: I wouldn't think so. It isn't like a laptop, which has a power supply that can adapt for the different voltages. I think the motor would just burn up.

This is the only one that has 'ALUMINUM' listed as material but on the pictures it just looks like the plastic ones. Is it ALUMINUM?

Answer: No aluminum it is just plastic. Maybe part of the motor inside could be but I do not see any.

Answer: it is plastic, the only aluminum I see is the fan blade

Answer: No aluminun that I'm aware of. All trays are plastic, and lid.

Answer: Its plastic

Is there an adjustable thermostat? Is there automatic on/off timer?

Answer: yes on my FD-61WHC there a adjustable thermostat, but there is not a timer, 95 to 155 degrees F the unit is 500 watts and works great..

Answer: Yes there is an adjustable thermostat, 95 to 155 degrees F. the unit is 500 watts and its works great for beef jerky and veggies. There no auto timer

Answer: The temperature control is adjustable (~95-155 degrees). There is no auto shut off or timer on this dehydrator.

Answer: Yes, there is an adjustable thermostat. No, there is not an automatic on/off timer

Answer: There is an adjustable thermostat. It's a great machine and pretty much foolproof and NESCO is a reliable and helpful company. You won't need a timer for the drier, but if you wanted to you could just plug it in to one of those outlet timers you can buy at any hardware store.

Answer: No to the timer. Yes to the adjustable thermostat. I agree that it makes great jerky and is very easy to use and to clean. I liked it so well that I bought one for my son.

Answer: Yes you can adjust temps. It even tells you what temps to use for seeds, fruits, veggies, spices, jerky, etc. There is no on off timer though. I've never found a need for that.

Answer: Yes ther is a dial to control the temp. No there is not an automatic on/off timer.

Answer: There is no on/off automatic timer on this model. It still works great without it and is one less part to break.

Answer: And yes there is an adjustable thermostat. The machine is very easy to use and clean.

what is the average length of time for sweet potatoes

Answer: Are you looking to make sweet potato chips, or to dry them as flakes to rehydrate as mashed sweet potatoes later?

Has anyone dried chicken tenderloins? If so, how did they turn out? My vet recommends using chicken we as humans eat vs the chicken jerky for animals.

Answer: OHHH my little one loves them. I do this every week. I usually buy chicken breast, freeze it so it is easier to slice, then I slice it nice and thin, and use my dehydrator to make the jerky. He goes nuts for it and will actually wait by the machine till its done. Its great for drying liver for treats to!

can you dry nuts such as filberts in this unit?

Answer: I soak raw cashews for two hours and drain, then I place them in the dehydrator. It takes about 12 hours to dry them properly for the recipe I use to make kale chips. Google recipes will all say 12-24 hours, if I remember correctly.

Answer: Why would you "dry" nuts? Raw nuts are fine on their own. Or you can roast them on a pan with the door of the oven slightly open.

Answer: I've never dried nuts, but I don't see why you couldn't. It might take a while though, since thin slicing of most foods makes for timely dehydrating.

Up to how many trays can you use? I see it comes with 8, can you add more?

Answer: For 2 lbs of meat, I use 4 or 5 trays

Answer: Ours came with six trays then we ordered three extras online. I would also highly recommend ordering liners for the trays. You can add extra trays.... just number them and rotate them during the dehydrating process. We really have enjoyed our dehydrator! Good purchase!

Answer: Mine came with five trays and 2 screen liners. You can purchase extra trays and screen liners, and have a maximum of 12 trays at a time for this unit. (It also says to use a minimum of two trays.) I also highly recommend buying the extra screens. I love this dehydrator!

Answer: The most I ever used was 7 trays and it worked fine.

Answer: do the trays rotate out or do they have to be picked up to check different trays?

Answer: Yes! You can add as many as you like.

Does it come with seasoning mix

Answer: Yes, it comes with 3 packs seasoning and 3 packs of cure. You will need to order extra seasoning, you use 1 package seasoning and 1 package of cure for each 1 lb of meat. The machine is very nice, I also bought several addtional trays and all together made 3 lbs of jerky. The 93/7 ground beef works great!

Answer: Yes, Mine came with 6 packets of original seasoning, and 6 packets of cure. Tasted really good when I made it.

Answer: can i order extra liners

Answer: can't say for sure but I think it came with 4 packages. Maybe three.

Answer: YES IT DOES A SMALL AMOUNT .

Answer: Yes, it did.

Can you buy extra trays? Thank you.

Answer: I believe you can buy extra trays. I haven't looked them up myself, seems like somewhere I did see them. Sorry I couldn't be more specific. I do love my dehydrator. I make chicken jerky treats for my dogs.

Answer: Yes, of course! The unit comes with 5, and you cannot use less than 4 or the fan will burn out from the heat.. But you can purchase extra trays and use up to 8 I believe. It is a great unit, makes excellent dried fruit and beef jerky. I'm very happy with it.

Answer: Yes. Search for trays for your model # on Amazon.

Answer: Yes you can. Saw the option when I bought mine. Patricia's right, you can use up to 8 trays. Would take a little longer, have to rotate the ones on the bottom to the top, since the top dries faster (closer to the fan).

Answer: Definitely here on this site

Answer: Not really sure. It would seem like you could add more but I'm not really sure.

Can you make vegetarian jerky with this, with or without the gun (using TVP, tofu, seitan, etc.)?

My friend owns and recommended me a Nesco dehydrator rated at 700 watts. I see this one is 500 watts. Does this mean it'll take longer to dry food?

Answer: I dont know if it will take longer than a 700. I'm very happy with the dry time of mine. The average dry time is 8 hours, give or take for food types.

Answer: I'm not entirely sure, but I've filled all 5 trays with meat, and it only took about 3 hours for it all to dry. I've heard of people having to dry theirs for 10+ hours.The instructions said it would take 6 hours and the jerky was burnt.

Answer: It will probably take longer if you are dehydrating a large quantity of food or craft supplies at once, because this one is lower power. I'd check the guide which goes along with each dehydrator (you can google them) and see how long they think items will take. This one was plenty fast for my needs, and a good value for the price.

What is the highest temperature on FD-61WHC ?

Answer: 160 degrees

Answer: 160 degrees F

Has anyone made deer jerky and had good luck?

Answer: Yes. We have ground it up and also used strips of the deer sirloin. We used the prepackaged jerky mix, add garlic, soy sauce,Worcester sauce, pepper flakes to taste. It is very good and lean. Healthier than buying beef.

Answer: I myself don't know of anyone who has done that, but I can't see why it wouldn't turn out just as good as beef jerky.

Answer: Yes. I also have ground it up. Used the package mix and added a little hot sauce and it was great. Not as greasy as beef.

Answer: I have it was great!

How many watts?

Answer: 500 watts

Answer: 600. Works quickly for beef jerky. 3-5 hours.

trays are very hard to clean after making jerky, can you spray them with pam first

Answer: If you are using the tray liners with the small holes, stop doing it. We used those those liners once and found they are not needed and were tough to clean after jerky. We don't spray with anything, just soak for a while in hot soapy water and a quick wipe with a brush gets them squeaky clean.

Answer: After Using them to make jerky I try to soak them first then use an old tooth brush or bottle brush to clean them. Seems to work pretty well. Im not sure if I would add more fat(oil) to the tray before Drying. Also the Pam or anny vegetable oil when dried to something is very difficult to remove. Vincent Z.

Answer: I agree with Robert in using a light coat. I have not used any spray on mine and have not found them hard to clean. Hot soapy water and a dish cleaning brush are what I use.

Answer: Directly from the Nesco site, Helpful Hints page:

Answer: I have never experienced any difficulty cleaning the trays, regardless of what I have dehydrated so far. I use a bit of extra warm soapy water on a cloth, and they clean right up.

Answer: It isnt recommended.. I soak them in a sink full of hot water, Dawn dish soap and 1/4tsp diluted bleach (1 part bleach 6 parts water). I turn the trays in that so every part gets to soak. I keep the trays wet while washing them with a soapy non-abrasive sponge. The clean up is much easier this way.

Answer: Yes, you could spray the trays with Pam first.

Answer: These folks say yes: meatprocessingproducts.com/how-to-make-jerky.html

Answer: I spray mine with vegetable oil and it lasts for a few batches of jerky even after rinsing them.

Answer: Instructions say no. I would suggest good soaking in warm soapy water, more than just a few minutes. A brush might also help. Although I've not made jerky yet...

What is the difference between this 61whc and the 61?

Answer: fd61whc is All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun

Are the trays the same as those used in nesco model fd 60 ?

Answer: I think so

Is there room in this to make yogurt?

Answer: I don't know. I think it might be possible but might take more than one tray! They come two to a pack!

What is in the box?

Answer: Read the description but I think all the things that are pictured here. My son received it as a gift but I know that the box included a lot of stuff. Reread the description on Amazon.

Answer: It comes with the base, five trays, the dehydrator head unit, the jerky gun and the tips, and instructions/recipes.

Answer: Everything in the pic

how many watts is it?

Answer: 510w

Did I cut strawberries too thin? Very difficult to peel them off! How do you slice strawberries and how long do you dry them

Answer: I would not slice thin and can use liner for the racks I think the time length was about 8- 10 hours on 135 temp. I want my the book recommendations if this helps also.

Answer: MICHAEL, i SLICED THE SMALL STRAWBERRIES IN HALF. THE LARGE ONES WERE CUT INTO THIRDS. YES, THE BERRIES WILL STICK IF THEY ARE SLICED THIN.

Does this have an on/off switch?

Answer: No it does not, but for a couple of bucks I bought in in-line switch at the hardware store and it took me about five minutes to install. Problem solved.

Answer: No, it does not. When you plug it in it turns on. When you unplug it, it turns off. You adjust the temp with the dial on top

Answer: No it does not. It has temperature setting knob but you have to unplug it to turn it off.

Answer: No, the only control on it is the temperature dial.

Answer: No... Once it's plugged in, it's running! It really doesn't cause a problem at all though, in my experience.

Could you make fish jerky, like with salmon?

Answer: I am sure you can. You just need the right recipe. I made everything from dehydrated pasta sauces, fruit leather, dehydrated chicken, sweet potato flakes, etc. It comes with a handy guide that has a section about fish. Here is info on their website too...

Answer: I've never tried fish jerky, but apparently you can make it. The NESCO booklet provides some tips, including the advice to use fresh fish. Salmon is not mentioned specifically.

Answer: Sorry we can't help you there. We have not yet tried the jerky equipment. We've only done fruit and mint. We love the heat settings that allow excellent drying of various things.

Answer: do not know never tried it, sorry could not help you.

is there any dehydrator that is stainless steel?

Answer: Yes, but they're much more expensive, and all the ones I've seen are front loading and thus not expandable. TSM has a 5-tray one for around $400. LEM has a 10-tray one about the same price. Unless you're using it for industrial purposes, I would stick with the plastic ones. This Nesco says it's BPA-Free, which is why I chose it, even though other manufacturer's *claim* the low temperatures mean BPA doesn't leach out even when they do use it.

Does this make dried fruit similar to that of freeze dried fruit?

Answer: I would say dried fruit is more like a prune or a raisin as opposed to being dehydrated, kind of chewy with some moisture and softness to it.

Can I use trays from my old dehydrator - model FD50/30 with this dehydrator? After many years of use, it died

se pude usar con 220 volts?

Answer: No, es para 120V

Answer: No es para110v

Does the jerky need refrigerated after you make it with this machine or is it shelf stable like what you purchase at the store?

Answer: Don't honestly know about open shelf life...we vacuum seal ours

What is the total amount of recommended trays? I have 6 or 7 now and wanted to add more

Answer: For this size of motor/space it is not recommended to go over 8 trays. Anything over 8 and the food does not dry well and can have wet spots or issues.

Answer: I believe the maximum number of trays for proper drying would be about 11 or 12, but this is perhaps a question better asked of the NESCO company itself. If you are willing to rotate the trays (not hard to do), the maximum would be higher.

Answer: RTFM (Read the Fine Manual): there you will find it says should use a minimum of two trays and can have a maximum of 12 trays.

Answer: You can stack as many trays as needed, but once you get over 5 or so it really starts to affect the drying time.

I'd love to make some dried veggies in this. Does anything come out crispy? (Think kale chips) Or is this best for just fruit and meat?

Answer: Yes. My kale chips come out super crispy if I leave them in for a little longer. Same for fruit but you need to slice it thin. I'm not sure about other veggies thou

Answer: can't see y any vege wouldn't work ,make sure you cook it long enough.let us all know how it comes out ekd

Answer: stuff can get dry and possibly crunchy but you could do most of kale in dehydrator and then put in oven to finish

Answer: Yes,

how long do the dehyraded foods last?

Answer: It depends very much on what food you have dehydrated, of course. I have a jar of apple slices that I dehydrated back in April - it's September 1 tomorrow - and they are in great shape and still tasty. Follow the directions and check to make sure your items are really "dry" and most of the time a little bit crispy. If you have already stopped the process I have found that you can put foods back into the dehydrator if you decide they aren't quite ready yet without any problems.

Answer: I googled the question, it said meats last up to three months, fruits and vegetables up to a year.

Answer: We only use the dehydrator for beef jerkey and it usually lasts two weeks.

What is the difference between this and the nesco model fd-75a (excluding the extras like the jerky gun)?

Answer: I do have but never try it yet don't know

Do you find having the jerky gun makes a big difference?

Answer: I don't know. We bought the dehydrator to make chicken jerky for our dog. My husband just uses 100% chicken tenders, he doesn't add any additives, preservatives or liquids to marinate it.

Answer: Yes, especially if you make healthy jerky. By removing all saturated fat from the meat.. Be healthy & creative add sea salt

Answer: Its good for marking the pieces the same size. Also good for making the jerky sticks.

Answer: We have never used the gun.

Is this unit noisy and does it generate heat if used indoors?

Answer: "Noisy" is a relative term. You can hear the fan, but I run it all night occasionally in the kitchen, and it doesn't affect my sleep. As for heat, yes, it does generate some heat. The trays are gently warm to the touch, but certainly don't put out a lot of heat in the room.

Answer: It's not very noisy--about the loudness of a portable fan set on low. I keep it in the living room on a table while I watch TV and it's fine. The heat is minimal. It does produce some, but not enough to really affect the temperature of a room.

Answer: I keep mine in the kitchen, which is open to my living room. It is not at all noisy. It produces a low, white noise, not even at the decibels of a bathroom ceiling fan - much lower sound. The walls of the counter around the unit do not get warm or if they do, it's not really noticeable.

What is the range of temperature that this dehydrator has?

Answer: Hello,

Answer: 95-160F

how much electricity does it use

Answer: Not as much as your bathroom lights. It is very efficient and quite fast. The other day I made some jerky and it took only about 4 hours.

Answer: It use 110 v

How much drying space

Answer: The FD-61WHC comes with 5 trays that are 13.5 inches in diameter, but can be expanded up to 12 trays (extra trays sold separately) for additional drying space.

Answer: You have 5 trays that are 13" diameter with a 2" empty circle in the center of each one. I've only used mine for making beef jerkey out of hamburger and it will hold 2 lbs of hamburger meat laid out in strips which results in several strips of great jerkey.

Answer: Have used mostly for jerky and my only rule is do not allow touching. The few times I have done fruit or vegetables the same rule would apply. As far as I can tell the Nesco Dehydrator provides good air flow / circulation and that is what I think is critical.

Answer: Doesn't appear to be an issue, with food touching at least mine does good. I fill all the trays with vegetables.

Can you use the included spice without the cure for the jerky?

Answer: My opinion is, that besides not lasting as long without the cure, the cure itself has salt in it, so the jerky may not be salty enough

Answer: You can cook the meat slices in a brine or marinade to an internal temp of 160 and then dehydrate or dehydrate and refrigerate. if you are storing at room temp, use cure. Botulism is bad news...

Answer: Using a cure is important if you are going for long term storage. Otherwise, there really is no need. I use my own marinade without a cure...jerky doesn't last long in our house.

Answer: The cure is to prevent bacterial growth during dehydrating. So there may be alternatives like salting, etc. The spice mix and cure don't necessarily need to be used together, spice just adds flavor, but you will want to research and make sure your cure-alternative is safe so you don't risk food poisoning.

Answer: Sure can, it just won't stay good for as long. No harm in not use the cure

Can you make bacon jerky in this.

Answer: I am not sure, I did smoke some ham and slice it thin and make jerky with it. This came out real good. If I was going to try it I would cook the bacon some first to render as much fat as possible. Also for long term storage keep it in the fridge or freezer. Thanks for the idea! I will have to try it now.

Answer: You could, although there is too much fat in bacon. Fat is what spoils the meat. The best jerky is made with the cuts of meat with the least fat marbling...the cheap cuts of meat actually make the best jerky.

Answer: we've only tried venison and beef

What comes in the box? How many fruit roll sheets and clean-a-screens? This answer seems to be from zero to a few. Thanks to all that answer.

Answer: Sorry for my slow response. Been away. :) I think that there is one fruit roll sheet and 2 clean-a-screens. I am not sure of your names for the items, but I receives one smooth tray with no holes and two trays that had holes, but were closer together, like a net. The drying trays have wider spaces. Hope I could help!

Answer: If I'm not mistaken, i got 2 fruit roll sheets and one flexy screen (currently away from home otherwise i'd check box). I guess the flexy is the clean-a-screen? I have used the dehydrator very successfully for a bumper tomato season (4 times - full drying screens) and I have made jerky once using sliced beef (not needing the gun). I use fruit roll sheet as a drip pan.

Answer: The description of it is what comes in the box.

Answer: I'm not sure what "clean a screen" means. I got 2 solid sheets and 2 tightly meshed screened sheets and 5 shelves that are somewhat loosely screened.

Answer: When I ordered this package deal I also ordered additional items, but, if I'm not mistaken two fruit roll sheets/liners were included. I simply love this little machine and when I see produce on sale I dehydrate the extra vegie's as soon as I get home - you will really appreciate having this machine around too! It's a good machine and price! Love it! :0)

Answer: The description says it comes with one of each, but mine came with two of each.

Answer: You're welcome and I can assure you that you will really enjoy using this machine.

Answer: One of each.

What is the voltage of this air dryer

Answer: This is run on 120 Volts

does this have a timer on it

Answer: No, it does not have a timer. You have to time things yourself. It's not a big problem, however, as I like to check periodically for readiness. Sometimes things are done long before the time on the recipe.

Answer: No. It doesn't have a timer. It varies so much as to how long it takes to dehydrate any particular type of food. I've used mine 4 times now, I realize that the 4-8 hour drying window can be much longer depending on how much I load the trays and how thick I slice the pieces. You really have to get to know it first. It is the fastest, easiest dehydrator I've ever used. I don't have to move trays around. I love it

Answer: No Linda it does not have a timer. That is one thing I have notices I would have liked.

Answer: No timer

Answer: I bought this updated version for a gift to my daughter-in-law because I love my old one. I don't believe it has a timer. I don't think a timer would be beneficial because if you cut slices too thick it could change the amount of time required. I have

what are Clean-A-Screens? do you use them with lets say apples or any fruit I should ask?

Answer: Yes you can. They are different than the the hard plastic round trays that have bigger openings. The screens are cool. They have small diamond shaped openings and are flexible.

Answer: A trays is what u place whatever you want to dehydrate

Answer: I truthfully don't know.

Where can I get replacement trays for Della dehydrator , the 9 tray blue trays ?

Answer: You can purchase them from the manufacturer.

Is this BPA free? TIA.

Answer: I just checked Nesco's website and it indicates that it is BPA compliant. Hope this helps. I am really enjoying mine and gave beef jerky away with our Christmas cookie plates we give to friends and neighbors every year. I plan to order two additional trays.

Answer: I have no idea. I'd check the Nesco website first. If the answer isn't there, call customer service. They're very helpful.

Answer: My best friend Google told me it was

Answer: Sorry, unsure. I would assume that it would be. I guess you could contact Nesco.

Any idea why this won’t ship out for over 2 weeks?

Answer: No essential things seem to be taking longer due to covid

Product reviews of Nesco Snackmaster Encore Food dehydrator, Gray

Kristina M Weltzin : Broken on arrival

Unfortunately, I didn't even get to use this product ONE time before it broke. I was so excited to receive this and spent time prepping raw meat and pressing it out via the jerky gun (which honestly was a pain to use). Then plugged it in, saw a dim light in the top piece on but no noise was made and walked away.

Came back 1 hour later as instructed and all the meat was still COMPLETELY raw. I tried adjusting the temperature dial and looking to see if there was an on/off switch I missed...nothing. The light in the top was not on and the dehydrator did not work at all. I did a lot of research and really want this dehydrator to be the one but am very skeptical after this terrible first experience.

RandomSybil : It has been very easy to make healthy all natural dog treats instead of ...

This dehydrator stays out of the box and ready for use in our house. With a 13 year old chocolate lab and a neighborhood full of dog friends, we use this dehydrator for making lots of dog treats. We buy the bogo bags of chicken tenderloins and make jerky for the pups and lots of other flavor varieties of jerky using the extruder. It has been very easy to make healthy all natural dog treats instead of buying mystery ingredient products for our dog and his friends. I have recommended this product to friends and neighbors.

another reviewer : After 10 years mine freaked out, got too hot and warped the plastic trays

After 10 years mine freaked out, got too hot and warped the plastic trays. I was drying some jerky and after it was done, I noticed the plastic trays were warped. Don't feel I can trust the temperature control anymore.
I used this machine a few times in the summer and fall. It was not like I used it every day. Previously it did seem be the temperature it was set on. Overall pretty good, but not great.

Honest but true : Motor started smoking on very first use ruining all my fruit.

Would definitely give zero stars if possible. When I got the box it looked like it had already been used and returned but I wasn’t sure so tried it anyway. I prepped about $10 worth of fruit, loaded it up, and when I turned it on and it started smoking really bad and ruined all my fruit. The fan never turned on and I could never get a hold of their customer service. At least Amazon is returning it.

Alan : Excellent Machine for Jerky!

Quick Shipping. I also ordered two additional trays so that I would not run out of tray space. I made my first batch of delicious Beef Jerky using the seasoning that came with it. I used 93/7 lean ground beef and dried it for 15 hours occasionally blotting the grease off of each piece. I could not be happier. I took some to work to share and everyone said it was better than the stuff you pay through the nose for. The machine works well, just the fan is a little noisy, and the smell of the jerky drying takes over the house. The wife said next time, plug it in outside on the patio.
The gun works well and I also made some sticks using the stick attachment. I look forward to experimenting with more items, fruits, vegetables.
The machine is well made and I think it is a quality product.

Frogflier : Great Product!

This was a Christmas purchase for my family of four sons that love beef jerky and dried fruit snacks. It came well packaged and with instructions that were fairly well written. Here are our observations:

- Good capacity that is scaleable to the amount of food you are dehydrating. The trays all stack so you can leave out ones you aren't using.

- Fairly easy clean up - the trays are fairly non-stick. However, I imagine the mesh can get some messier foods stuck in-between to make cleaning more time-consuming.

- Easy to use temperature control.

- Accessories like jerky gun seem to work well, but we'll see how long the plastic tool lasts.

- Unit's fan is a bit noisy and will produce a fair amount of heat (like a blow-dryer on low). Not a real issue in the winter, but may add unwanted heat to your home in the summer.

- As indicated in the manual, food drying time depends on factors such as the thickness, moisture content, surface area, etc. The best way to determine drying time is to experiment and keep a log of how long certain foods take so you don't have to keep checking in the future.

Overall, we're very happy with this appliance. It definitely but a dent in our jerky expenses!

BR : Best way to get your jerky fix.

the noise is very minimal, sounds like a bathroom fan

fits about 1.5lb of jerky on all supplied trays (using ground meat and gun) . My timings were waaaaaaay off from what the instructions and reviews say. Id be able to throw 1.5 lbs in and have it done in 3 hours tops. The product is great, ive used venison, beef, turkey, pork and bison. the best combo ive done so far is Berkshire ground pork, Nesco original seasoning, red pepper flakes to taste, and a couple shots of pure Grade B maple Syrup. its insanity, you gotta try it....maybe one day ill try dehydrating something healther. but till then, thank you Nesco Meat Jerky Machine.

Ted : OMG Raisins take a long time!

I love this machine. It has been running non-stop for two weeks now. Just about everything takes a shorter time than they say except raisins... and bananas (they take about 12 hours). Raisins, whole and un-blanched, take about 48 hours. They are the biggest, sweetest raisins I ever tasted. (I mean huge!) They took so long I decided to take them outside in the sun. When the bees started showing up, I put them back. This thing will be even better in the winter. It pumps out a lot of heat. Tomatoes are awesome! I get my stuff from the back of the fruit and veggie isle where the old stuff is packaged up for a quick cheap sale. It was costing me a fortune before that. Beef is still expensive. I had a hard time cleaning the trays until I got a boat bristle brush. No issues now. I cut the jerky mix in half and added a bit of salt, sugar and red peppers. That way I got two times as much for my money. My only complaint is with other members of my household yelling at me for shrinking all the food in the house.

J. Earl : Excellent dehydrator

Wanted a dehydrator like my parents, this one was even better. Sure, fruit leather takes at least 12 hours but that's because we're in humid Seattle area weather, the fruit leather still comes out perfect! Buying fruit and using this dehydrator is waaaaay less expensive than buying prepacked dried fruits, it just takes time. I set my unit up at night so it's all done in the morning! I haven't tried the jerky gun yet, excited to though!

Mad Jenny Vane : Excellent Way to Make Prep Food for Emergencies!

You will never buy beef jerky in a store ever again! I only use ground turkey when I make jerky, and it's perfect. Only lasts a few days in my house! Warning: it will make your house smell wonderful as long as the dehydrator's on. I have yet to dehydrate vegetables, but it works so well with jerky, that I'm sure it does wonders for everything else. Get the extender pack if you plan to make a lot of any 1 thing, as 1 pound of turkey can take up all five racks depending on which attachment you use (flat, round small or round large).

isaytomatoyousaytomahto : Love this!

Been researching dehydrators to make jerky and healthy dog treats, this Nesco was the best rated without spending a fortune.

I have had it for over a month and love it. It takes some time to figure drying times, as with any dehydrator but it does what it is supposed to very well.

PROS:
Faster than the bottom element dehydrators because of the top heating fan.
Comes with jerky gun and atrachments to form ground meat jerky sticks (flat or round).
Comes with 2 easy clean and two fruit roll tray linings.
Not as noisy as most.
Didnt burn or brown my countertops from the heat.
Comes with 5 trays.
Does an excellent drying job for the money and even if I had paid more.
Recipes included are basic but a good introduction if this is new to you.
Temperature settings.

CONS:
No off switch. (That is why I gave it 4/5 stars)
No internal thermometer to check actual tray temps.

All in all, very worth while. Does the job well. Would recommend.

iguanas : Makes delicious jerky

I bought this for my boyfriend last Christmas. He loves using it and everyone loves the jerky he makes with it ( good simple recipe: marinate beef strips in worcestershire sauce for a day + ground peppercorns) , including strangers on the ski lifts. He managed to figure out how to use it without the manual, so it must be user-friendly. We can fit like 2 lbs. of beef strips in one sitting. The one gripe is that the trays are a pain to wash, especially if you're using all 5 of them. But just don't be lazy.

We've yet to use the jerky gun or the spices that came with the dehydrator. I plan on attempting dried mango slices with it soon.

Makes an awesome gift!

Erica : Awesome Dehydrator at an Awesome Price

I bought this dehydrator as a gift for my husband, primarily for making jerky- and I've found myself using it more often than him! I admit that we have no used the jerky gun, or the seasonings that came with it.
Just the dehydrator and the plastic mats. I've made dried fruits, dried herbs, jerky and have even dried flowers with it. Everything has turned out wonderful, and the instruction booklet is incredibly helpful if you're a beginner. I have found that more often than not we only use 3-4 of the available trays. The capacity of this dehydrator is impressive.
5/5, great purchase. Bought it two years ago and would buy it again.

Jess : Good quality at good price

It is quiet and very, very easy to use. I haven't made jerky yet but I have made tons of yummy Apple chips, banana chips, and grapes. The only reason why I didn't give 5 stars is that the dehydrating times in the guide book should be longer. If I would have removed the fruit at the suggested times they wouldn't have been done. I just 'eyeballed' and they turned out great.

The D Family : Loving It!

This is my first dehydrator. I have been researching dehydrators for a few months and with all the reviews and information I found, this seemed to be a great "starter". I have used it 4 times so far and have dehydrated jerky, mangos, apples, bananas, tomatoes, onions, and applesauce fruit roll-ups. It is efficient and does exactly what it's made for. The jerky tube thingy works very well, but as another poster stated, it leaves a bit in the tip after it's expelled the total of what the plunger can push out. I just use my finger to push the rest of it through.

The things that would be nice, and that I would look for in my next dehydrator, would be a timer to turn it off and I would buy a square one next time, just because trying to arrange the jerky and such on a round surface isn't always easy. At this point I am looking into buying more trays so I can maximize my output.

All in all a great machine, great price and I am very satisfied with my purchase.

J5Family : I love this dehydrator and I also like the jerky maker

I love this dehydrator and I also like the jerky maker.

What I like:
1. The temperature control lets you change it from very low heat to pretty high heat.
2. You can dry just about anything (veggies, fruit, snacks...)
3. It doesn't put out a lot of heat.
4. The bottom tray catches all the drippings.

Yummy things to try:
Eggplant bacon jerky (WOW is this good!)
Zucchini chips (make sure to cut them pretty thick)
Herbs (use the inserts with tiny small holes)
Candied orange peel

What I don't recommend
Meat (unless you use a cure and know what you are doing)

J. Earl : Excellent dehydrator

Jackie : Tasty Jerky and Banana Chips

The Snackmaster is a fairly standard dehydrator.

Pros:
* It comes with 5 trays which is nice because I only use two or three at a time, and swap them out between uses so I always have a clean set ready to go.
* It has a heat setting on top so you can set more sensitive items at a lower temperature, however I usually dry things with the top two settings
* I'm drying a lot of veggies so I can make vegetable soup this winter.
* Dried Onions and Garlic are great to use for cooking later.
* The Jerky gun is nice, however it is messy. Make sure you don't overdry your jerky, or you'll literally cut your gums up eating it.
* Banana chips are easy to make- put them on the mesh insert, and half way through, flip the mesh on the tray and they'll dry and peel right off.
* The Jerky mix that comes with it is fairly tasty.

Cons:
* I hate cleaning it. Hate Hate Hate. If you use the platters, and you spill your fruit paste, it'll take forever to clean it off once it dries.
* the base has grooves- if you get drips in those grooves and it gets down to the inside of the feet, you'll never get it out.
* It is dishwasher safe, but the trays don't fit in my dishwasher very well.
* There's no off button, which means you're constantly plugging and unplugging it.

To be honest, you probably won't find a better dehydrator- it gets the job done as well as can be expected. Other than the cleaning grief, it's very nice.

another reviewer : After 10 years mine freaked out, got too hot and warped the plastic trays

David Bohlen : Love it!

Love our dehydrator! We our beef jerky nuts and we have been making it for awhile. We decided to upgrade our dehydrator. This dehydrator is perfect! Easy to use, easy to clean. Anyone can do it! Everyone should try it! It will save you money if you are like us!

Vic : Easy peasy!

Having never done any dehydrating i choose an inexpensive way to get started. The packaging is easy, the shipping was fast, and the instructions are pretty clear.

What's missing is the time needed for each type of dehydrating. This is probably left out because there are to many variables for each item that can be dehydrated. Thickness and sizes of the pieces being the major variable. My advice, fruit takes a long time 10 hours or more and still ends up gummy...probably because i am a beginner but it does take longer than expected. Jerky can be done in 4 hours for a good result.

Bruce J. : Great product and working well.

This dehydrator works great for jerky. Used it twice already and makes three and a half to 4 lb of jerky in 6 hours. I use turkey and 90% lean ground round. Both meats have produced good jerky. The seasoning is great as well. Just ordered two more trays so I can spread out the 4 lb of meat a little easier. Comes with 5 trays which makes three and a half pounds comfortably.

Allen : Works Very Well

If you are into dehydrating, this unit works very well. There is a bit of a learning curve. I attempted to make fruit roll-ups and left it in too long. I used Apples and Pineapple blended into a sauce and then dehydrated. Leaving them in until they are very dry makes them crispy as chips! The best tasting chips EVER too! Imagine crispy chips with intense apple pineapple flavor. Yumm.
I tried making Turkey Jerky. I didn't properly read the directions and made it by grinding up the turkey in the blender and using the shooter. NOT the way to do Turkey! That only works with beef or pork apparently. The Turkey dried up crispy and who wants their Turkey crispy? Well, buy it and play with it. It's a fun learning experience.

DSL : Decent but two very basic things missing

Only had this for a day. Seems like a decent product for the price. However, I couldn't agree more with one reviewer who said it needs two things, both of which seem very basic. There is no switch to turn it on or off. Instead, you have to pull the plug. I never assumed a product wouldn't have a switch. Every decent electrical product in my house has a switch so this one seems to me like a glaring oversight. Think about having to unplug your blender or hair dryer to turn it off. Also, a timer would be most helpful. Assuming some people go to bed and to work and will be away form their drying food for a number of hours. Both of these shortcomings are likely $2 options for which I think most users would gladly pay.

Amazon Customer : one of my favorit kichen gagets yet!

It makes great jerky! It is easy to use and easy to clean. The dishwasher cleans the racks right up. It is a little loud so I just put it out in the garage and set a timer. It is neat that you can just order more racks to expand its capacity. Most dehydrators you are stuck with the size you buy. This one you can add or remove racks to best suite your needs.

someonewhoshops : Best on the market for price point

I had an earlier version of this dehydrator years ago and loved it. Finally, it stopped working. I bought another brand to replace it but it didn't seem to work as fast or as quietly. So I sold that one and went back to this brand. Although it doesn't have impressive bells and whistles which may be temping in other brands, it works very well through it's simplicity. The spice pack I received contains only hot spice packs, so buyer be aware...I would have like to have had a variety. But the spices are delicious. Now that it's summer, I fill my dehydrator with whatever I choose, stick it in the garage and let it go all day. No added heat to my kitchen. Easy Peasy!

Ty : Had I realized it would work this well, I would have bought one years ago! I also reviewed the jerky gun

Dubious at first, but wow it really works!!! Immediately out of the box I put in some marinated beef strips, plugged it outside, and within a few hours I had perfectly delicious beef jerky. This is my new favorite toy!

I plugged it in outside in the shade, as I wanted to minimize the heat and smell inside the house. I live in southern California, and I think the heat outside helped to speed up the process as it was done much faster than I thought it would be. We did some veggies as well, and it was also much faster.

About the jerky gun: I thought it was a very silly thing until I read another reviewers comment about how it really worked, so I tried it. And it does work! I was amazed. I put in the seasoned ground beef, squeezed it out onto the trays, and in a few hours I had beef sticks! This comes with a few packets of seasoning, and I found them to be delicious.

I highly recommended this, especially for the price. It is easy to clean and easy to store. I'm thinking about buying some more for Christmas presents.

Amazon Customer : Great Starter Product

First time user of a dehydrator. Great product. It can hold 3 Lbs of ground beef at a time. Have made Dehydrated vegetables and fruit. Great healthy snacks for the family. The Gun provided is really small, have to reload it several times. I invested in a better quality and a bigger capacity, It is worth it. This product has saved us a lot of money. I think it has paid for itself in savings in just 5 months. example of savings 3 Lbs of ground beef will make a pound of Jerky. Beef Cost $15.00. A pound of beef jerky cost approximately $29.00. I saved $14.00. It is also healthier because I do not use any chemicals to preserve it.

DanaMe : Jerky for the win!

I bought this for my partner for Father's Day over a year ago because we had made some jerky in the oven and everyone in the family loved it. This dehydrator makes the process much simpler and faster, and the jerky is great. As soon as we got it, we tried just about everything we could think of we had on hand. I had some cans of pineapple chunks and mandarin oranges in the cabinet, and both of those dried up great, really sweet and chewy without all of the extra sugar you sometimes get in packaged dried fruit. Bananas and apples were not as popular, but I think that just our family. Last year we had an enormous amount of cherry tomatoes and we dried those and got a delicious product that's like sweet tomato raisins! I will say those took a very very long time. We have found, however, that our jerky takes much less time than is called for in recipes, so it is important to keep watching every few hours. The racks are a bit hard to clean, but I have found that if you flip the beef strips over 1.5-2hours in, you have less sticking, and slightly easier clean up. The gun for ground beef is great, and if you use the spices with it, you will end up with something that resembles a slim Jim or other packaged jerky, which is super tasty, but the seasonings do have some chemicals that are easy to avoid in strip jerky. I haven't found an alternative recipe for ground beef that I like as much yet though. All components of this kit are easy to use. If I had one wish for an additional feature it would be a timer so that when it gets late and I decide the jerky needs a couple more hours, I could go to bed '... A longer cord wouldn't hurt either. Overall, I would recommend this product to anyone wanting to dehydrate and/or make jerky on a regular basis.

The D Family : Loving It!

Lady glitter sparkles : Loved it for a year then it stopped working

I was really excited about this dehydrator when I first got it a year ago and tonight it just stopped working in the middle of dehydrating jerkey...these things should last more than a year. Not acceptable. I was also becoming skeptical about the #7 plastic. Maybe bpa free, but doesn't mean it's not toxic. I will be replacing with a different brand and hopefully one that is stainless and will last more than a year.

PermanentMarker : Great Product

I used this product for my recent camping trip. I used it to prepare food for my jet Boil cooking stove. The product literally ran for about 2 weeks straight, 20-24 hours a day and helped me prepare food for a 9 day trip. While I did like the attachments that came with it, I did not use them all. The jelly/fruit leather plates are nice, but i think for sauces and fruit purees that parchment paper worked better. The parchment paper items where always dry before the items on the jelly/fruit leather plates. I would actually have to peel items off the fruit leather trays and flip them over to completely dry. That is my reasoning for 4 stars.

J5Family : I love this dehydrator and I also like the jerky maker

machine_punk : Wow! Who knew jerky could be this good?

I've only had this a couple of weeks, but the jerky you can make with this machine is absolutely amazing! I haven't had as good of luck with fruit leathers yet, but I didn't particularly follow any tried-and-true recipe, either.

This unit is well built. It is a bit annoying that they supply an 'odd' number of trays (5) with this unit. You can only buy add-on trays in units of 2, so you have to either max out at '11' trays, or buy an extra (it recommends you don't use more than 12 trays at one time).

I actually just went ahead and bought another dehydrator and a couple of extra trays (5 + 5 + 2 = 12). So, I can either max out one unit, or run both units at the same time for quicker results. I got the whole extra machine and two trays for the same price it would have cost to add 4 more sets of trays.

Anyway, I'm wondering why I waited so long to get a dehydrator. I love the jerky it makes and I cannot wait to figure out what else it can do.

Ty : Had I realized it would work this well, I would have bought one years ago! I also reviewed the jerky gun

Daquan J. : Came with nothing it advertised

I ordered this item and it didn't come with the jerky nozzle, clean-a-screen, instructions, or recipe guide. The dehydrator was packed in a bag in a box that had already been opened. I literally got an incomplete set and have had no way to contact the manufacturer. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT AT ALL. Spend your money on another brand that you trust - this is not it.

Jackie : Tasty Jerky and Banana Chips

Alan : Excellent Machine for Jerky!

Lien : Awesome purchase

This is a fantastic dehydrator. Bought this in conjunction with the apple peeler to dry fruits. We had apples, pineapples, peaches, bananas, strawberries and tomatoes in this.
All turned out fantastic and was full of flavor. I did my fruit both natural and covered with a cinnamon and sugar mix and they were wonderful. Much healthier and fresher homemade. You control the thickness of your fruit as well as how crispy you prefer.

Diana M. : Great dehydrator for our first...husband was happy with the first batch of jerky he's ever made!

Bought this for my husband to make jerky. He's made one batch so far and is making his second batch as I write this review. He's never made jerky before nor has he ever used a dehydrator. The beef jerky took about 6 hours and it was done...which was much faster than we thought it would take. We really didn't know what to expect since we don't have any previous experience with a dehydrator but he was happy with the way the dehydrator worked and really enjoyed the jerky. Can't compare to others since this is our first. It was pretty quiet too...low hum/fan sound...nothing bothersome.

BarbaraS34 : So glad we bought this one!

We really didn't know anything about a dehydrator or the brand to buy that was best for our needs. This one was perfect! We were afraid it would be another appliance that made its way to the basement for storage. But because it is so easy to use and big enough to make a nice quantity of whatever it is you want to make, we found we use it a lot! Our favorite thing to make is jerky. It came with the neatest dispenser that is so easy to clean, it makes making jerky a pleasure. The grandson's love jerky, too. And it is expensive in the stores, so we feel we got a great deal! Thank you Amazon!! You're the best!

Lisa : Received the Nesco dehydrator pretty fast. I have used it and it seems ...

Received the Nesco dehydrator pretty fast. I have used it and it seems to do a good job. Like all dehydrators it's dependent upon the a lot of conditions on how fast your item of choice drys. I sliced potatoes 1/8" thick and they dried well and did not turn grey or black. I chose bananas and sliced then from 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. They were a little ripe and did not dehydrate as well. They tasted really good though and can't say they went bad because they were eaten fast. My husband has only two concerns... that is it takes so long to dehydrate and how much is our electric bill going to raise. He doesn't seem to think this is going to be cost effective over already dehydrated backpacking food. I guess we both will have to see since I just started using it.

krisanne allen : Would have been 5 stars....

The dehydrator is everything we wanted and expected. However, we purchased this specific product for the jerky accessory. We used the dehydrator for fruit first and everything came out delicious. Once we cured the meat and put it in the jerky gun, we realized the trigger on the gun does not work. Overall, the dehydrator is great, but disappointed in the jerky accessory. Would have given 5 stars if the accessory was functioning.

Joan Lambert : Easy to use and of good quality

I haven't had a dehydrator for several years, and am in love with this thing. I've dried kiwi, apples, mango, pineapple, and basil, and made beef/turkey jerky for myself and turkey/sweet potato jerky treats for my dogs. The things I like about this Nesco dehydrator are that I can use only the number of trays that I want to at any given time, all the electronics are in the top part so not subject to getting dripped on, the trays and the bottom part are very easy to clean. All the parts, including the screen and fruit leather tray that came with it, seem to be of good quality and durable. The jerky "gun" is easy to use--I do with it held a bit more (it holds about 1/4 pound of meat, so one jerky recipe requires that you fill it four times), but it's not that big of a hassle to refill, and it's also easy to clean. The jerky seasoning that was provided is delicious and can be used either with ground meat or as a marinade for sliced meat. There's a temperature control on the top that provides guidance about the correct setting for different things that you're drying. There was also a useful recipe book that I lost when I moved and haven't been able to find again...but there is a lot of information about dehydrating and jerky making on the Internet so I've gotten along okay without it.

I paid full for this unit, in case anyone is concerned that this could be a freebie review.

RandomSybil : It has been very easy to make healthy all natural dog treats instead of ...

Jax : Shrinkydinks for adults!

Love it! We've been working ours nonstop this past month: jerky, cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, onions, potato soup, tomatoes, herbs, onions, apples, oranges, banana chips, lemon, lime, fruit leather and more. We bought extra trays, tray guards and fruit trays as well. Works incredibly well, we ought this to make our own MREs for camping. We were able to convert 2 cases of cucumbers into chips in 3 days. Best dehydrator I have ever owned!

UPDATE: I really did love this dehydrator...until it melted down, destroying the entire unit, a batch of jerky and my kitchen wall due to the subsequent fire. Buyer beware

Seahorse007 : A must-have if you have fruit trees.

I love this machine! Great investment. instead of tossing older mealy apples into the worm box, now I dry them and then the slices last a long time. In the summer I will be drying the apricots and plums from the tree. We can never keep up with all the fruit, even if we make jam. But now we can! I have also dried strawberries, kiwis, pears and apples that were mushy or too ripe. If I have a large stock of ripening fruit, I keep the machine going for days, and I don't worry about cleaning the racks. I just keep loading the up with slices of fruit. I takes about 24 hrs for 1/4 inch slices to reach a dry but chewy consistency.

I bought the dehydrator b/c I have a persimmon tree that does not quit and we absolutely can't keep up with the hundreds of fruits it produces now. If you know anything about Hachiya persimmons, they have to be completely ripe, to the point of being like jelly, before eating them. If you eat them too soon, the tannins will make your mouth feel weird and unpleasant. But they can be dehydrated before they are ripe and the heat breaks down the tannins. I have dehydrated several hundred partially ripe persimmons since early Nov and almost everyone who visits will nosh on the slices because it is like candy.

I have not tried to make fruit leather or jerky, so cannot speak to the effectiveness of the dehydrator for those tasks. But I have to say the if you have fruit trees of any sort that give bumper crops year after year, this little investment will help you reap the benefits of your harvest without having to give away more than you want or spend hours making jars of jam and pies and whatever else you can think of. The dried fruit has a really long shelf life.

Doug : DOA and made in China

First, it was dead on arrival. It simply would not power on. In looking for a switch or something obvious missed, I noticed the fan could not physically turn due to a misalignment in assembly. I opened the unit up as shown. After reseating the fan, still no go. In testing with a multimeter, the thermostat piece was not functioning. In doing all this, I noticed the made in China stamping on the heater/fan/control top. Well, I'm sorry, you cannot prominently stamp "Made in USA" on your boxes and feature that in your listings while the heart of the unit, the single most important and valuable piece, is made in China. Disingenuous at best, and fraudulent at worst. Do not hide behind the small print "made with global materials" in such an egregious case as this. The "of global components" stamp is, in my mind, for small ancillary pieces in the box.

Kim U : I love it!

I bought this to dry herbs out of my garden. I read a lot of reviews on a lot of different food dehydrators and chose this one. I have used it about 4 times now and am very happy with it. I dehydrated apples, also, and it did a good job. I tried the beef jerky using hamburger and one of the flavor packets that came with it. It was DELICIOUS!!! The herbs did well, too. You have to use the mesh inserts in order to keep the finer-leaved herbs from falling through the rack. I tried drying apples and herbs together and the herbs tool a little longer, but I just removed the trays they were on and let the apples go a little longer. The taste did not spread from one item to the other, either. I would definitely recommend this. It is also easy to add trays to.

Luetac : Dries Apples & Pears like a Dream!

We have had this for 4 years.

Pros:
* It has a blower/fan that blows the warm air around, so you don't have to rotate trays.
*Does have a Temp. Control
*Everything dries pretty evenly
* The Plastic is a Quality Material. They have not cracked or broken.
* I put one of the "fruit roll-up" trays on the very bottom, as a Drip Tray for Easy Clean-Up
*Has Two Fruit Roll up Trays...I love making Fig Fruit Roll Ups!
*You can purchase an Expansion pack/ extra trays

Cons:
-No timer
-Does not automatically shut off
-wished it came with a couple more trays
-Wished it had a storage bag to keep all the trays and accessories from falling all over the place

I have never used the Beef Jerky Set.
I would definitely buy this again, or give it as a gift

you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you