Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun
Customer Review: This Thing Is Great! Appears Very Well Engineered and Made...
Summary: 5 Stars
First, be sure to get the "Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun" (what I am reviewing here), instead of the "Nesco American Harvest FD-61 Snackmaster Encore Dehydrator and Jerky Maker".
The All-In-One kit comes with an extra tray, the jerky gun, the fine screens (2), fruit liner (1), and 5 packs of jerky spices - all for about $1.50 extra in price (at the time of this writing). The basic kit may include the screens and liner but the product description doesn't mention it whereas the All-In-One does. Other than the extra items in this kit, and especially the extra tray, the two units appear to be identical.
I just unpacked the unit, checked box contents, and took it for a test spin. I am very impressed. The trays themselves are lightweight plastic but seem plenty sturdy. The grey head unit contains the fan and heater and draws air up through the center and pumps it down through the edges. And the base looks like it will contain stray liquids and initial drips nicely. It is quiet but you can hear the fan (not objectionable at all) and it has vents to partially exchange the air continually. There is no on/off switch but while you can just plug and unplug it, I plan to install an inline switch from the hardware store. I am pretty sure this will void the warranty, though, so forewarned if you consider doing the same. The function is extremely simple and I am not worried about warranty. If anything breaks, I'll open it and fix it myself.
It looks very well built - and it is assembled in the USA from USA and foreign-made parts. I guess that's the best you can hope for these days but it was a selling point for me.
The jerky gun looks to be not much more than a plastic and sanitary caulking gun with three nozzles for making two sizes of tubular jerky as well as one strip version. I can't say how sturdy it is but I think you can't just go nuts squirting raw jerky out without risking breaking it. I don't know for sure though and it looks to be adequately sturdy. Keep in mind, though, because I have not used the jerky gun.
I have absolutely no problem of recommending this to anyone (at least at this time and see no reason for that to change). I have a weekend ahead of me of drying smoked chiles and I can't wait to see how they come out! I'll now have something to do with extra bananas, strawberries, and I'm sure lots of other things. I don't know if I'll do jerky, though. I'm wondering how much the jerky might taint the fruit with a meat smell. We'll see...
An excellent purchase that I think I'm going to get a lot of miles out of.
Customer Review: Best Choice of Dehydrator!
Summary: 4 Stars
I had read many reviews on this site and others about which dehydrator to buy. I was impressed by all of the great things I read about the Nesco FD-61, so I got it!
I have used it 2 times and now have some comments to make. I started with 5 trays of mixed fruits, banana chips, orange slices, and apple slices. I dried them for approximately 12-15 hours. The bananas were not that great, still a bit too chewy. The apples were PERFECT. They had the same taste and texture as the store-bought dried apples. The orange slices were great (according to my 12 yo son) and crunchy. My deduction is that it's probably better to only use one type of fruit at a time. I'll be trying the bananas again on their own and see if I can get them a bit more crunchy next time.
The second time I decided to use the handy jerky gun and spices that came with the unit. I bought some 3% fat burger. (it calls for VERY low fat meat) I mixed it up with the 'general' spice packet that came with it and opted to use the flat jerky attachment. The recipe book said it would take about 12 hrs. It also calls for you to pat off the grease every couple of hours during the process. By the time I went to dab them at about 4 hrs... they were almost done! I gave them another hour and they were PERFECT! The general spice wasn't my kids' favorite, so I am on a mission to get them some other flavors.
My next endeavor will be the jerky with the 'sticks' like slimjims. I am going to assume they take longer than the flat sticks, but we'll see.
I have read numerous complaints about wasted meat with the jerky gun. I found that if you use a blunt knife and your fingers, you can get all of the meat through the flat jerky piece. As far as the slimjim/stick piece, a chopstick will push that meat through. Oh, one last thing, your dehydrator (as it comes here) will hold 1 - 1.5 lbs of meat, which is the amount those seasoning packets call for anyway.
For anyone not sure what to get, I would recommend this product 100%! For someone who has never dehydrated before, this is a great and easy product to learn and use. I had read that most units are very loud, this one is NOT. My kitchen is directly next to my living room. I didn't hardly even hear it running. My dishwasher is 10 times louder.
Okay, you've read this... now go click 'Buy'! LOL
Customer Review: Great for backpacking!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this thing. The trays and screens are currently soaking in my tub with some soap so I can dry my latest round of backpacking food for the summer.
I bought this product for a month-long backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevada. I'd previously eaten freeze-dried food, but honestly - the stuff isn't that good, is expensive, and there's never enough. On this trip I ate home-dried fresh fruit (it's hard to find good dried bananas, pears, and pineapple - but easy now!), spaghetti with delicious meat sauce, chicken alfredo, rice and beef and beans, and Thai yellow curry (including homemade yellow curry sauce!) - all due to the dehydrator. I've dried meat (fresh and canned - just cook the fresh first), fruit, vegetables, sauces, beans, pasta, and more on this handy little device, all without a hitch and with delicious results. My meals received major compliments from other hikers, envious of my dehydrator. I've found it great for buying bulk produce from the farmer's market and having dried peaches for months (or weeks, depending on how fast we eat them!), dried herbs, and more.
The device is easy to use - a temperature gauge (which requires a little adjustment since it doesn't go all the way in one direction, but trivial to work around) makes food drying easy and safe - especially for meat. The two solid trays are great for sauces and beans and beef; you can fake more with saran wrap and the other trays. The screens aren't that useful for keeping the dehydrator clean, but are great for smaller things (dried frozen vegetables, smaller dried fruit) and are indeed easy to clean. My only complaint is that the trays themselves are hard to clean; they take up a lot of dishwasher space and are annoying to scrub in the sink, but signs show that the latest technique of tub washing is easy and effective. The fact that the heating element is on the top prevents it from getting dirty (don't want to soak the motor!) and it distributes heat evenly (although you may want to rotate the trays occasionally for best results). The bottom solid tray is washable too. And, as an added bonus, it still fits in the original box, which has gone through two moves safely!
Haven't tried the jerky gun, but it looks fun.
Customer Review: Great Little Dehydrator
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this from Santa last Xmas. What a nice appliance. I have used a couple of other dehydrators, and this one is the best one. Tho it doesn't say so in the description, mine came w/2 roll-up trays, and 2 clean a screen liners.
I have used mine to dry garlic for garlic powder. I use a Kyocera Adjustable Mandolin Slicer to slice the cloves thinly for drying. I have also dried hot peppers, apples, basil, dill, and a few other things.
Pros:
-Top-mounted power unit keeps it free of goop, seeds etc.
-Adjustable temperature.
-Fan circulated heat for even drying without rotating trays.
-Fairly quiet, tho you'll know it's running.
-Easy cleanup. This is where the top-mount power unit design shines. The bottom where all the goop drips goes right into the sink with the trays.
-Clear instructions.
Cons:
-Only one: No power switch. Plug in for on, unplug for off. I solved that with an in-line switch from the hardware store.
The instructions say top-rack dishwasher safe, but they are too big for my dishwasher. Not to worry, tho, because they clean up easily in soapy water. To dry, shake off the excess water, assemble the unit, and turn it on on high for a few minutes.
If you are looking for a dehydrator, this one should be on your short list!
Customer Review: Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun
Summary: 5 Stars
This machine is awesome. Very easy to use. Circulates air throughout the trays quite well. The first thing I did was make the gound beef jerky with the included mixes. Taste just like the stuff you would buy in the store! Satisfying but boring. Since then I have been doing my own (trial/error) recipes with things like curry, teriyaki sauce, and vietnamese hot sauce. All winners especially because the saltiness can be controlled. Also sliced a chuck roast real thin, marinated in a Korean kal bi sauce overnight, and put in the Snackmaster the next day. Fantastic!!! My favorite non meat right now is Zuchini chips (crunchy and sweet. Next runner up is "sun dried" tomatoes. I eat um like candy. One of these days I will try the bruschetta recipe I have for these. Still havent got banana chips down. Made dog treats out of ground turkey and stale cereal. My dogs will do ANYTHING for these treats. Except pick up the doo doo (probably because no opposing thumbs) (thats cool). The beef jerky gun rocks! Its not that fragile. Easy to clean. The trays are another thing. Looking for a tub that I can soak them in. Soaking is the key to easy clean up (humble opinion).