Nesco FD-80A Square Shaped Food Dehydrator, For Snacks, Fruit, Beef Jerky, White

This makes great jerky! I use it at least once a week. The jerky always gets eaten way too fast. I just use a meat seasoning (a "Monterey" -type garlicky, pepper, salt and other spices) shake-on style mix that I put into a plastic bag. I throw the meat strips in, season them for as long as I can (in refrigerator) then spread them out on here and six hours later, voilà! Hubby loves the stuff. It's so much healthier than chips. More filling. I also dry fruits (too calorific for most people . . . they end up great, but almost as bad as candy since they're so sweet and you tend to eat more of them.) Also, I've dried veggies for chips (most get too thin and too brittle), and spices (these work pretty well). There's no mystery to drying stuff with this. And there's no reason to buy the more expensive models. It is relatively low cost; it works well, and the meat dries quickly and is not in contact with the plastic for very long. Plus, temps only go up to 160 degrees. I am not worried by the plastic. (All meat is wrapped in styro and plastic, anyway. There is even a plastic coating inside most butcher paper! How are you ever going to avoid it anyway?)

I live in a Tiny (540 sq ft) House in farming community in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Winters can seriously hamper and/or disrupt transportation. Electricity can be off for a day or two. My son and his wife said dehydrated food takes up less space than canned or frozen food. It was their suggestion I look at dehydrators, most specifically the NESCO FD-75A Snackmaster Pro since it is not only a workhorse but comes with fruit sheets and extra screens. In fact, some of their trays are from my husband's and my NESCO dehydrator from the 1990's! Thought the screens are yellow (due to age) they're still going strong. After reading reviews I decided to purchase the NESCO FD-80A Square Shaped Food Dehydrator due to its square shape. Utilizing every bit of space is essential in a Tiny House. Though my house is on the large side for a Tiny House, space is still at a premium. When not in use my NESCO FD-80A Square Shaped Food Dehydrator sit atop my refrigerator. with other small appliances. When in use it is on the counter or kitchen table. This little dynamo worked great right out of the box! I've dehydrated apple slices from a local orchard. Tomatoes are next, as well as fruit leather made from local plums. I seriously recommend the NESCO FD-80A Square Shaped Food Dehydrator to anyone who wants an economical money and space saving impressive and effective food dehydrator.

This is my second of these dehydrators. I like it so well that I bought the second one even though the thermostat quit working on the first one after only a few months. None-the-less, they give excellent results. The variable temperature is a must. They are well designed for maximum capacity, easy to clean and store, and quiet. The price is a real value compared to other models without the features that this one offers. I do wish that simple replacement parts for the electrical part were available but I searched online for days and could not find any parts, even from the manufacturer. I could have fixed the first machine with a simple little part on the motor. If I need to get another dehydrator I will still try to find this model.

This is a great priced item. Ive been using it continuously since I got it. I did not want to start out with a more expensive dehydrator if I didnt know I was going to use it enough. Who knows maybe it wont even be my starter dehydrator....I may not upgrade if this works for all my needs!!! I definetly had to buy more trays because I couldnt dry enough in one sitting, I have not received the extra trays to see how well it will hold 6 trays versus the 4 that it comes with. Ive currently made fruit rolls, dehydrated apples, strawberries and chicken jerky made by the strips. All came out wonderful. I will be making chicken jerky (with jerky gun) for my shepherd who is very picky when it comes to snacks. Im happy to be able to give her a snack that I know wont be recalled next time I go to the local big box pet store.......which has happened several times!!! Im currently making a batch of chicken jerky using my jerky gun and ground jerky......really looking forward to tasting this!!! We hike, camp and I cycle for miles at a time so having these items on the shelf will be very benificial to both my pocket book and not having to eat all the extra preservatives. UPDATE 4-24-13 I purchased the extra trays (2) and found that it does increase the drying time by what I found to be 1-2 hours. This is not a deal breaker for me but I was a bit disappointed and needed to schedule my going into the dehydrator time accordingly. My trays are a bit discolored from drying a batch of carrots which again is not a deal breaker but for some I know that it would really bother them. I have dehydrated about 8lbs of meat and quit a few apples and strawberries so far and they all have turned out great. I do switch the trays around and have labeled them 1-6 so I know what trays have been switched and to where. I really feel this aids with the drying as the top two trays get the most heat. All in all I'm still happy with my purchase .

Good value for the price point. It’s a staple in my kitchen and is used all the time for everything from veggies for soup to egg whites for protein powder. I make chips, jerky and dehydrated meals for camping. By far my favorite tool and this dehydrates evenly and without burning. Quiet enough to sit on my counter, easy to use and no complicated mother board to go awry. Basic and reliable.

I had sought out a Dehydrator after having a scare of the Chicken Jerky Dog Treats that were being made in China. I have two beautiful Papillon children and would just die if I fed them something that would cause them harm. I figured I could make chicken jerky and dehydrated sweet potato snacks for the dogs that would be healthy and poison free. I read several reviews of the Nesco brand models and decided on the FD-80A square shape unit because it just seemed to be the most logical for what I wanted due to the amount of usable rack space. When the unit arrived I immediately unpacked it and pulled out the instruction manual. The instruction manual is very comprehensive and the recipes included are extensive! Honestly, this unit is larger than I had originally thought at purchase. The size isn't really a deterrent to me but if you have limited counter space you might want to consider the dimensions before purchasing if your desire is to keep it on the countertop. The dimensions are as following (in case you missed it like i did in the Amazon product description). Dimensions: 15.2 x 10.2 x 15.6 inches ; 9.9 pounds (as stated by Amazon). Those dimensions are wonky if you ask me. I measured this unit all put together (with the included base and 4 trays) to be about 13 inches squared (width and depth) and 8.5 inches in height (with the handle laying flat). I didn't have a way to weigh it but I also doubt the 9.9 lb weight claim. I mean all the weight would come from the top fan unit because the trays are as light as an empty take out container! The power cord measures 4 feet. This seems more than adequate. The manual states that the trays and the base (NOT the top fan unit people!) are dishwasher safe, top rack only but you must remove them from the dishwasher BEFORE the dry cycle. Well, I don't know how many of YOU have a dishwasher that informs you when the dry cycle is starting but I sure don't have one of those. I won't trust it in the dishwasher because I wouldn't want to take the chance of a tray getting misshaped by the hot water/steam. But to me that is a moot point because they are soooo easy to wash by hand. A quick rinse with your sink sprayer and you are done. I really like the fact that this dehydrator has a TOP fan. Some are fanned from the bottom up, resulting in slower and more uneven dehydrating. The top fan fits easily onto the top layer rack. It has a dial that starts at 95 degrees F to 160 degrees F and their Celsius equivalents. Printed on the top of the fan is a degree guide. Herbs & Spices 95 degrees, Nuts & Seeds 105 degrees, Fruits & Veggies 135 degrees and Jerky, Meats & Fish 160 degrees. I want to tell you guys though that ONE fine mesh screen that lays on one of the regular trays is INCLUDED with this unit. So if you have seeds or smaller items that might slip through that you want to dry, you don't have to worry about having to order the "extra" fine mesh screens. Yes I agree with all that say this dehydrator is quiet. I am a light sleeper and I can hear my stupid GE Profile fridge easier than this dehydrator overnight. At first I got concerned that because it was so quiet it wasn't working right. Then, after it dried everything perfectly, I figured it was just a design win. As I mentioned at the top of this post I got this dehydrator mainly for the use of making safe treats for my dogs. But as I go along day to day I find a lot more uses. For example: Two days ago I peeled about 15 "Cutie" oranges to put through my juicer. In the past I would have taken those peels and tossed them in the trash. But as I was peeling them I thought "Hey, these peels would be good after dehydrating to use in baked goods or teas or several other things! I also had some apples in the produce bin on their last legs that had been intended for an apple cobbler that didn't happen...so I thought "hey..I can dehydrate these and use in baking or for snacks or to put in my oatmeal!" Then I realized I had a score of cilantro in my produce bin as well that I had used for guacamole...YES..I dehydrated that! So, you really will be amazed at the amount of money you can save by dehydrating the items you would normally be tossing in the trash. A TIP FOR EASY CLEANUP: Only use the amount of trays that are housing items. If you have an empty tray(s), remove before starting the process. Line the bottom catch base with foil or parchment to catch anything that might "drip". I highly recommend this dehydrator. I love it and I think everyone should have one! ON A SIDE NOTE: If you want to make Jerky for your dogs (or for yourselves) research the Nesco Jerky Gun here on Amazon. I bought the dehydrator and then realized that the Jerky Gun is imperative to make nice Jerky treats from ground meats (cheaper to do it that way too).

We (my wife and I) are still experimenting w/beef jerky and associated rubs & marinades, but it does a phenomenal job with them! We marinate the (sliced) meat for at least 24 hrs, then lay the strips out on the trays, set the temp, plug it in and let it do the work. Every couple of hours we wick up oils from the meat w/paper towels and simultaneously reverse the tray stacking sequence to allow more thorough drying. (As the directions state, do not overlap the slices or you'll wind up with two partially dried pieces of meat.) The trays are quite satisfactorily large and there are enough (4) to dry a goodly amount of product at one time. We lightly oil the trays on both sides before laying out the strips to reduce problems w/meat sticking and to make clean up a lot easier. Make sure the trays are aligned and fit properly, as well as the cover, which contains the heaters & blower (not a difficult deal). The absence of a on/off switch is a non-problem; pulling the plug when tending to the product, or when finished, will strain neither muscles nor gray matter. The most difficult thing we have to do in the drying process is cut the meat to size/thickness. We highly recommend this unit to anyone who has a desire for home dried products. Note: There are no shortcuts; drying meats and such can take a very long time and we make it a point that one of us will always be in the house when this machine is doing its job.

I selected this item due to solid reviews, and the fact that high-end models tend to have square trays, rather than round. Reviewers observe that the square trays hold more food. I first dried a batch of parsley, rosemary, sage and chives. The herbs dried to my satisfaction in about 26 hours, about two hours longer than specified in the manual. I next dried a batch of spiced apples and pears, dried to my satisfaction in the ten hours called for in the recipe, to a pliable texture. The motor is quiet, and the trays cleaned nicely, with no transfer of flavor from batch to batch. Bear in mind, you may need to purchase accessories to use this product as you intend. It comes with four trays, and one screen (that rests on top of a tray) to hold small items that might fall through the trays, such as herbs. If you wish to dry small herbs (like thyme and chives), you should have one screen per tray. Screens sell for about $8 for two and are reusable. You can add four trays maximum, as this unit will hold eight trays total. If you want to make fruit roll-ups, you will need reusable fruit roll-up accessories. I've already purchased extra screens for herbs, and may purchase two additional trays. Bear in mind that drying is time-consuming, so extra trays will be efficient, so long as you are drying a big batch of items that can be dried at the same temperature. In terms of capacity, with four trays, I dried six apples and two pears that were widely spaced. That produced two pint jars and one half pint jar of dried fruit. Hint for apples--don't core them. Just slice them (preferably with a mandoline) without coring them, but knock out the seeds. The center of your apples will have a star shape. Slice the pears lengthwise--they will be a beautiful, recognizable pear shape. No need to peel the skin from either. This is an affordable, quality product.