Nesco FD-75PR Food Dehydrator

I have never written a review before and have purchased many things online before, but I have been so pleased with this little "cheap" dehydrator, that I felt I needed to write this. When I started thinking about purchasing a dehydrator, I did a lot of research including visiting my local Cabelas store and doing a lot of online research. The main reason that I initially shied away from purchasing this model was how inexpensive it was compared to so many of the other models. I just couldn't imagine it could be as good as all the reviews said it was. I was also concerned about some of the features that seemed like they would be important such as no timer and a top mounted fan (as compared to a side mounted which supposedly created irregular dehydrating times) In the end though, I listened to the reviews and purchased it. WOW. I have been so pleased. First, I have owned the unit now for about two months. I have literally run it non stop. I have five kids and I wanted to use it to stretch our grocery budget by being able to buy foot in bulk and store them by dehydrating them. My main issue is that I can't seem to store anything because we end up eating the food as soon as it comes out. This cheap little machine is amazing. First, it's not too big so sits easily on the counter and doesn't get in the way. Second, it dehydrates to food evenly and simply. Third, it is extremely easy to clean (I strongly recommend purchasing extra clean a scrren sheets when you purchase it). Fourth, it's so simple to use. All you do is cut up your foot and throw it on a tray, stack it up and let it go. It's great. Don't worry about the lack of a timer. I have found out you can't really "over-dehydrate" most foods so if you accidentally leave it running for a few hours, no big deal. Lastly, and probably most obviously, is the price. Don't worry, this is one of those times you get so much more than you pay for. Especially if you are like me and new to dehydrating, it's a great place to start. I've subsequently purchased two expansion trays and the machine works just as efficiently with seven trays as with five. I think it goes up to 10 but cant remember. I've dehydrated tons of different stuff on it including carrots, corn, apples, bannanas (the only thing my kids haven't liked), bell peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, onions and lots of jerky. I've even tried dehydrating some leftover soups and stews which worked remarkably well. Definately recommend you purchase a book or two on dehydrating as it helps to know how to do it. One side note: Nesco's jerky flavorings are great and I've purchased more of them which I got for free with their jerky gun, which i've used to good effect also. Well, that's it, I really, really, really have been impressed that something so...cheap, has worked so well.

Nesco seems to be the top runner for reasonably priced dehydrators. We decided to get this one vs the square one because we werent sure how much we'd use it and wanted the cheapest option. Having a temperature dial that goes up to 160 degrees is very handy for making jerky. Otherwise you have to pre-cook the meat which seems like a huge pain in the butt. If you are new to dehydrating, here are some things you should know: JERKY: 1) For jerky, they give you several packets of cure and spices, each of which is enough for 1 lb of meat. 2) There are 2 types of jerky you can make. The first is what you are used to seeing at the store. It uses strips of meat. You buy a lean cut of meat and cut it into strips. Then use a packet to make a marinade and let it sit for 24 hours in the fridge. Then you cut it into even thickness strips and dry. This is the hardest way of doing it by FAR because evenness of the cuts is very important for drying purposes. You want to make sure you cook the meat all the way through, and thick areas can cause big problems. The second jerky method is to use ground meat. The major advantage is that it is much easier to make consistent 'strips' and the jerky is a lot more tender. This is a big deal for those who love jerky but it hurts their jaw because it is so tough. Make SURE that the meat is rated at 95% lean or better. Just because it says 'lean' or 'sirloin' doesn't mean much. Leaner meat means you won't have fat that drips off the jerky that you have to remove with a towel. (like you'd blot bacon that you are cooking to absorb the grease). Remember that the fat does not dry very well at all and can make your jerky go rancid quickly. You also need a food processor or blender because the ground meat is NOT fine enough to work well enough. Furthermore, you do NOT marinade with this method. Instead you add a packet (or whatever recipe of spices, salt, etc) straight into the meat. Hence it must be blended well. Once blended, you can use a cake-decorator (that normally holds icing) to make sticks. I'd recommend just making 1 giant swirl on the sheet as that is a lot more space-efficient than making individual strips. After drying you can break em off as desired. You can also buy their special meat holder that makes nice flat strips if you don't have a cake decorator. I recommend using a sprayer or something to add a fine layer of vegetable oil to prevent sticking. FRUIT: Most fruit is kind of tough when dehydrated. It is NOT the candied dried fruit that you get in stores! Nor is it the new freeze-dried crunchy type. It is also a lot of work to cut it all up in a consistent manner so it all gets dried evenly. Bananas do make for decent chips, but they arent as crunchy typically because you arent dumping them in oil like the chips that you might have bought. I would recommend doing fruit rollups. For example, I used pineapple, mango and some applesauce and tossed it into the processor/blender. They give you 2 sheets for rollups that are raised on the edges. You just dump the fruity-product onto each sheet and it pretty much evenly spreads out FOR you since it is much like applesauce consistency. Let er dry and cut it into pieces. It is tasty and easier. I recommend putting wax paper inbetween each slice though which makes it a bit more trouble but is worth it. This approach makes it easier to add cinnamon or other spices if you want.

As others have said, this machine suffers from a lack of not only a timer, but the simple addition of a power switch. Odd that something which requires careful timing, would not have a built in timer. Otherwise it functions well. Directions are a bit vague, so everything we have dried has been an adventure. For instance, it took us about 2 1/2 days to dry grapes into raisins. Good raisins. But I can only imagine that by the time you add the power costs, boxed raisins would have been a lot cheaper. The Nesco American Harvest FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator is wonderful for making beef jerky. We use their Nesco homemade beef jerky spices, variety pack, and mix the flavors to our taste. Haven't tried ground beef jerky. We slice ours. And the directions for doing that are again a bit vague, but it's not difficult, and the results are fantastic. Clean up isn't bad. If you can't fit the trays into the top rack of your dishwasher, washing by hand is a bit of a chore, and after a batch of jerky, requires a good soak in the sink. But overall, since we purchased it primarily for making jerky, we are pleased with this item.

I am very satisfied with my Nesco dehydrator.I find it is fast and has relativly even heat through out all the trays. This eliminates the need to rotate trays.I have made about 15 batches of jerky and all turned out well. Cleans up easy. A good product.

So happy with my purchase. Works like a charm. The delivery of the item was less than anticipated! Should have gotten one of these years ago.

A straightforward tool, no bells or whistles. It's well constructed and the overhead fan is less exposed to falling debris than a bottom-mounted fan. A timer would have been a nice addition but would have driven the price higher. I've only had the item for a few days and have dehydrated some herbs and some tomatoes. The results have been good but the suggested drying times are shorter than the actual times I experienced. An old-school type appliance that does a good job without being flashy.

It works great. Will be experimenting with various foods in the future.

Have not used it much yet