Nesco FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Nesco FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator
Customer Review: wonderful machine
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this product; my 1st attempt at dehydrating; it is time consuming but I cannot buy sugar-free dried apple slices that I like. The home-dried ones with splenda & cinnamon are out of this world. For best results I cut a circle of parchment to fit tray (as recommended by one reviewer)-works better than the fruit leather sheet- and you can reuse them a few times before tossing. I slice apples thin, dip both sides in cinnamon/splenda, it takes 3-4 hrs to dry (you need all 12 trays)to do 4 apples, gala is my fav, grannys are too bitter, & skip the ascorbic acid or fruit fresh (gives it a whang I don't like) and each apple makes 35 slices if you get the borner swiss v slicer (careful it's sharp). I made the apple slices for my weight watcher class, they all had a fit over them. One lady said they tasted like the cinnamon twists at a fast food Mexican restaurant, another said kind of like cotton candy. They come out crispy & sweet!They will lose their crisp unless you vacuum pack them. I purchased the food saver brand based on its reviews & have been happy with my choice.
I didn't have a lot of luck with the applesause leather,didn't like the taste; have to try other fruit; I tried yogurt with peach all fruit jam swirled in it- tasted good but so rich it was difficult to eat; the jerky made with hamburger is out of this world,my men (hubby, brothers, son & boss) could not tell it was made from hamburger (you need the extruder tool by Nesco if you are serious about the jerky making); we liked a little worchestershire sause & red pepper seeds with the enclosed mixes. Try banana chips with splenda & cinnamon on parchment; I was impressed with the flavor & chewy texture (some people don't like the banana flavor as compared to commercial banana chips, but I vote for the homemade one). I am having lots of fun! I would like to try to make a potato chip from mashed potatoes, but that is for another day.Texas had a bumper crop of pecans this year & I put them through the dehydrator on the nut setting a few hours to crisp them up, delicious!Also tried a great snack-rinse the nuts with water, sprinkle with popcorn salt then dry for a few hours. You have a high end toasted snack that makes a great Christmas gift along with the jerky & apple crisps. Also tried cinnamon & splenda on the pecans, which was fantastic (reminded me of a $5 cone of pecans/cinn/sugar we bought in Branson at a show, but much healthier). You can use other spices that you like. I made meringue cookies , tossed in a few mini choc chips, made little dollops & set machine on 160 degrees; I couldn't resist eating them warm-they tasted like somemore's.
One reviewer said the machine was somewhat loud, I don't think it is that loud, unless you run it at night and are a light sleeper. I put a timer on the cord but it would be nice if this was on the machine in the future. It's true the trays are a bit difficult to hand wash,however I prefer hand washing rather than to put through the dishwasher & take a chance on warping. Now my only regret is that I did not buy the higher watt machine; this being my first dehydrator, I wasn't sure I would use it enough to warrant the higher cost. I did find that if I use 12 trays and parchment, I have to switch the bottom couple of trays up to the top after a couple of hours or the bottom 2 to 3 will be lagging behind quite a bit. It will take up some room on your cabinet, and the addition of trays will add height if that is a consideration under upper kitchen cabinets.
Customer Review: Get what you pay for.
Summary: 4 Stars
Nesco Dehydrator FD-75PR 700-W / B000FFVJ3C
This is my first dehydrator and my impression is that it's a good dehydrator for our needs: something cheap and functional for occasional use.
Pros:
- Easy to learn how to operate, just plug the unit in to turn it on and unplug it to turn it off.
- Easy to handle, as it's not too heavy to lift but not so light that the cats can push it off the counter.
- Easy to customize how many drying trays will be used each time; stack more for larger loads and leave off empty ones for smaller loads.
- Generates little ambient heat, so you don't have to worry that it will overheat and burn the house down.
- Easy enough to clean; I've had no problems putting the trays in the dishwasher.
Cons:
- No timer, which is a HUGE issue. When I bought the dehydrator, I thought it wouldn't matter, because the long 8-12 hour drying times just meant that you have to plug the machine in before bedtime and your jerky will be done in the morning, right? Unfortunately, those drying times are "approximate" and if this month's batch of jerky is a little bit thicker than last month's, that's going to mean an extra hour of drying time - something you often won't realize until you go to check and realize that the jerky just isn't done yet. And when it's morning and you have to get to work, you don't have an hour to sit there waiting for the dehydrator to finish. And if you leave it on anyway and come back later, the jerky will be OVER-dried and inedible. There needs to be a way to program "30 minutes more" so you can go on with your life.
- No electronics. Not only is there no timer to set, there's no counter to note how long the dehydrator has been running. You may think you'll remember that you put the jerky in at 8 pm, but sometimes you won't. You'll learn to write it down. Along the same lines, the temperature dial is analog, not digital, and it's surprisingly small and sometimes I wonder whether the temperature I *think* I set it to is the same as what the dehydrator *thinks* it is set to. And that definitely causes the drying times to be unpredictable as well.
- Somewhat noisy. Actually, it's not *that* noisy, but after twelve hours, you might feel differently. And if the kitchen is near the master bedroom and you're planning on leaving the dehydrator going overnight, you may find that the constant "whirr" sound disturbs your sleep. Mileage is going to vary on this issue.
I was really excited about buying this dehydrator, but the seemingly small complaints above (combined with a disappointing experience with jerky extruder guns) have resulted in it rarely being used and feeling like a rather high-priced toy that takes up room in the kitchen. I genuinely think that if the timer issue were solved, it would make a difference, although it is still frustrating that the cooking times are so unpredictable. I'm considering getting a timer for the kitchen outlet, the kind that you can use to keep your lights on when you're out of town, and seeing if that helps any, but the noise might still be a bit of a block for me.
All told, if you're just looking for a decent, solid, cheap dehydrator and you don't mind the above issues for whatever reason, this is a great machine. I just wonder if maybe I should have spent a little more to get something a little more user-friendly as far as my own personal specifications go.
~ Ana Mardoll
Customer Review: Dehydrator Review
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Customer Review: I've used this for three days straight
Summary: 5 Stars
Years ago I bought a Ronco food dehydrator which was a horrible purchase. But, I saw the good reviews on this one and decided to give dehydrating foods another try. I am glad I did. I have eliminated all sugar from my diet and I try to eliminate fat. I recently reviewed a no-carb beef jerky and loved it. Unfortunately, I love it so much, it's cost prohibitive. This Nesco food dehydrator has come to the rescue.
I have only made jerky so far-- but, I've tried ground beef, flank steak, and smoked salmon. The dehydrator comes with some seasoning and curing packs. Because both of them have sugar in it and no nutritional information, I bought some Prague Powder which is an overpriced pink salt and sodium nitrate product which protects the food from excessive bacteria growth.
With the prague powder and soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and Walden Farms no-carb, no cal bbq sauce, I made a marinade for the flank steak and a mix with the ground beef. Since the salmon was already smoked, I didn't do anything for that, but I would have marinated it if it was raw.
The idea of ground beef for jerky was a bit weird for me, since I thought lean steak would be the best choice. But, the jerky was excellent. The texture was tender, the marinade tasty, and I couldn't tell it was ground beef (4% fat, 96 lean). . . it was just good jerky. The flank steak was either overdone or just not very good. I didn't enjoy it, but I still ate it. :(
The salmon was great and I will try that again.
I didn't buy the jerky works kit that comes with this. What I did was mix the ground beef until it was a mush-- and then I made large meatball sized balls, flattened them in my palm to about 1/8 thick and laid them on the dehydrator pans. After just a couple of hours, the jerky was done. And, fresh jerky is EXCELLENT. If I was able to use brown sugar or maple, I bet it would be even better.
The flank steak wasn't as good at all even though I marinaded the meat for several hours. Compared to the ground beef, it was a bit tougher.
I really do recommend this. If I can stop the jerky kick I'm on, I'll try fruit and other things soon. But, this is really an excellent buy. I am so happy with this purchase and I've made the cost back already with all the money I saved on expensive no-sugar jerky.
Customer Review: Nesco FD-75PR 700 Watt Food Dehydrator
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this dryer a couple of months ago and am very pleased with the performance of this product. You may want to purchase more of the screens Nesco American Harvest Clean-A-Screen Tray as it only comes with 2 and there are 5 trays. These help prevent dried foods that have shrunken from falling through the grates of the trays. They are also needed for fruit leathers.
The book that comes with the dryer is good for a starter but not detailed enough. For instance, if you are wanting to dry fruit for storage the best pretreatment is a sulfite dip rather than ascorbic acid or honey. Sulfites are not recommended for people with asthma. Pretreating with an acidic solution or sodium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite or sodium bisulfite (USP or Reagant grade) helps keep light colored fruits from darkening during drying and storage, helps speed the drying process of certain fruits and enhances the destruction of harmful bacteria during drying.
The book does not provide very much detail on blanching vegetables, which is necessary to destroy enzymes in the tissues and also enhances the destruction of harmful bacteria. Different vegetables have different blanching times and over or under blanching may have an undesirable result as far as loss of color and flavor during drying or storage.
The book has many recipes and includes recipes for pet treats, drying crafts, dough ornaments and potpourri.
More information on drying fruits, fruit leathers, vegetables, jerkies as well as info on food storage can be found online at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
A good dryer is a handy tool to have if you grow veggies and fuits and like to have storage of your own creations to enjoy later.
Or make healthy snacks and foods without corn syrup.
The things you will like about the dryer are the size, variable temperature settings, the dryer is on top, very easy to handle and clean and not too noisy. Like others have said, it would be nice to have an on/off switch and a timer.