NESCO FD-75A Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator, For Snacks, Fruit, Beef Jerky, Gray

As I researched dehydrators, every instinct said get the ‘all metal’ type. A friend has one of those, and loves it. But I wasn’t sure I’d use mine much, and space was another issue. So, I decided to buy the Nesco. The trays can be removed so the storage height isn’t as much (but you do need to store those extra trays somewhere!). And it's less costly…I’ve had this 3-1/2 weeks now, have used it over 12 times, and can’t believe how much we love it! I would strongly recommend the use of a mandolin with any dehydrator. We prefer our fruit crisp, like a chip, rather than like a fruit leather. That means the thinnest slices possible unless you with to wait extra hours. Our favorite is apple, super-thin sliced (.75mm), peel left on, dehydrated at highest heat (yeah, the info says lower heat, which is great if you have 8 hours) for 4 hours (allow the fruit to cool a bit before checking crispness – you can always start it back up and add an hour). The apples are like a super-sweet chip! Sometimes I sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on half of them. On the next slice level up (1.5mm) I’ve dehydrated grapes, green and gold kiwi, pears, strawberries, bananas, oranges, lemons, and limes.For the juicier fruit (everything but apple) I put a bit of avocado oil on a paper towel and lightly rub each tray (helps keep the thin slices from sticking). The juicier fruits take me 6 hours at highest heat. I love the mixed fruit, and break apple rings up to bite size, keeping them in a large, air-tight container. Storing all in screw-top jars keeps them crisp for me. I do not pre-soak them in anything, and they do not discolor. Banana tends to break up so I hold the mandolin over the tray while slicing. Any leftover bits end up in a bowl and I enjoy that for a nice snack. The oranges are fantastic in hot teas, and my spouse loves them in his bourbon and coke. I also put lemons in my teas, and the dried lime slices are lovely in a gin and tonic.The flavor of dried fruits is intense, as it ups both the sugar and flavor level when removing the moisture. I ordered 2 extra trays, and found that I needed to add 1-2 hours to my dry times with those in place, but I get more done at once.Keep in mind, you will want to unplug this unit and rotate the trays (I do it once, maybe twice, every 2 hours at most, and have never had anything darken or burn). Also, there are to vent slits – when you first start up the unit, moisture will come out of those – so place it away from any wood it items you do not want wet! I put a couple towels beneath those two areas for the first hour. The trays are easy to clean, and if food get stuck on, just soak those trays.I don’t plan to upgrade – I love this unit. It’s a keeper!

When a neighbor gives you a basket of apples ... or pears. This is really easy - rinse the fruit and slice it thin. We did buy an inexpensive apple corer. You lay the fruit out and plug it in, that is all there is too it. Just make sure you have counter space for this - it will be running for many hours. We now have mason jars full of dried apple, pear, and tomato slices.

I bought this dehydrator mainly to make beef jerky, and after seven months of use we have not been disappointed. So far we have made the following:- beef jerky- orange slices- grapefruit slices- apple slices- banana slices- green beansThere are many recipes for beef jerky, but I would recommend the one on allrecipes.com which is a good, hearty, all-around tasty jerky. The Nesco came with packets of jerky spices, but I haven't used them, nor have I used the Nesco recipe. Just slice your beef (an electric knife is best), marinate overnight in a mixture of Worcester, soy sauce, pepper, garlic, onion, cayenne, and pepper flakes, then dehydrate them on high for 8-10 hours. Delicious!The jerky can be tough to chew. They recommend slicing against the grain, to minimize the length of fibers, which does help a bit. I've tried pounding the beef with a 48-blade tenderizer to make the jerky less tough, but it doesn't really make much difference for all of that work, though it does help with marinading more thoroughly. The best solution I've found is simply to take smaller bites, and it's just easier to chew up! Lasts longer, too.The other success story is apple slices. I don't bother with their special fruit tray. Just core and slice the apples (we have one of these old fashioned "Johnny Apple Peeler" hand cranked models that does a whole apple in 10 seconds, a must-have if you do a lot of apples), stick them on the regular trays, and give it about 8 hours on the fruit setting. I freeze the slices afterwards to maximize longevity. I bought a 6-pack of mealy, mediocre apples off the local supermarket discount cart for $1.29 and dehydrated them -- and they turned out sweet and delicious. Then, after a month or two in the freezer, in a freezer bag, they became apple crisps!I would also recommend trying orange slices. Give it a good 12 hours because there's a lot of liquid to evaporate. They come out sort of like orange crackers. They're crunchy and delicious, peel and all. It's not for everyone, perhaps, but a great trail food along with dried apples and beef jerky.The green beans came out unappetizing. Note that one side effect of dehydration is to concentrate the flavor. The grapefruit came out rather bitter. Still not too bad but don't expect it to be a hit with the kids.Some people use it to dehydrate herbs and spices from the garden. We haven't tried this yet but for this, you probably do want to use the provided special tray that has smaller gaps.The product is assembled in the U.S. from domestic and foreign components. That's OK with me; a little is better than nothing. At least they have a factory here. The important thing is that the company make a good quality product that lasts a long time, and so far, there have been zero problems with this unit. If anything goes wrong, I'll update this review.One deficit is the lack of a built-in timer. However, this problem is easily solved with a $5 lamp timer you can get from the hardware store or online. You just set it to turn off at a certain time, and then you can go to bed or go to work with no worries. It's handy when you have prepared a 10-hour batch of beef jerky and it's only 4pm; you can rest assured it will run the required amount of time and shut off at 2am. Jerky is designed to last for weeks at room temperature, so it will be fine to leave it in the machine for a few hours. The salt is a preservative, but without sulfites or other preservatives, it's a good idea to freeze the jerky and it will last you for weeks or months.This is a great appliance that is very easy to use. We love using it, it's not too noisy, and the main problem has been finding a spot to keep it in between uses, in our crowded kitchen. I have just ordered two more trays, to be able to make larger quantities; they just stack right in and add a couple of inches to the height of the unit, no big deal.