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: Works as it should but NOT FOR BEEF JERKY
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this originally to make beef jerky. And after a lot of research I gave up on making the jerky. The problem is to make it safe from E-coli you have to use nitrates or preheat it abouve 160 degrees, since dehyrating is technically not cooking it. Some say you don't have to but I wasn't comfortable taking that chance, but hey that's just me. The whole idea was to make jerky that was more healthy so adding nitrates just didn't appeal. But all was not lost as I have been making dried fruit with good success, and it's easy to clean the racks by just soaking them for 15 minutes in the sink. The only issue is unless you have access to large quanties of fruit in season at a cheap price you don't get much bang for your buck. My first attempt was a whole raw pineapple, but when it was finished I had almost nothing to show for it. But, my local Smart and Final sells 7lb. cans of peaches, pineapple and apricots for about $6 that are packed in juice, and that is enough to fill the dehydrator up. Easy, no cleaning or peeling just load it and done! It does take about 16 hours, but just load it in the evening and finished in the morning. It is very quiet so no problems running it. I suspect I might not use it as much once the novelity wears off, but I do make home make ice cream and the fruit is wonderful if only for that. I generally don't eat much fruit as I don't have access to vine ripened so this is still a good way to increase the amount I eat. So.......give it a shot!Customer Review: AWESOME! Made full dehydrated meals for backpacking!
Summary: 5 Stars
I used to have a convection dehydrator and would get very uneven drying.. This dehydrator is great! Although the edges dry a little faster than the middle, that can be expected and it's not a big problem. It's faster than my old one and I love the adjustable dial. It doesn't bother me that there is no timer.. dehydrating isn't an EXACT science.
So far, I've dehydrated several batches of beef jerky, made applesauce into fruit leather, and dehydrated an entire meal! That's right, I made beef and Guinness stew and dehydrated it for camping! I chose to strain the sauce after I cooked it, and dehydrated it separately from the meat and veggies. Before I prepared the stew, I cut the veggies up into 1/4 inch or less cubes.. and after it was cooked, I shredded the beef a little bit and put it on a separate tray. Once it was all dried, I put the "sauce leather" in the blender to make it into granules, and portioned sauce, meat, and veggies into ziplock freezer baggies.
I left it on the counter for 3 days then reconstituted it with enough boiling water to cover it then insulated the container for 10 minutes. After that, I ate it! It was great!!! I'm so excited to take my yummy homemade beef stew on a 4 day hiking trip in December. I think this trip alone will save us enough money on that expensive freeze-dried food to almost pay for the dehydrator!
I don't think you can get a better dehydrator even if you spent 2-3x this amount!
Customer Review: It will open your eyes to a whole new level of beef jerky
Summary: 5 Stars
After doing some research, I took the plunge and ordered this unit- it came with 5 trays and three complimentary "beef jerky" mixes.
If you like beef jerky at all, you should take the plunge and do it yourself. It is extremely easy and a lot of fun.
A few additional notes:
1) The unit is not airtight; the whirring fan will be audible throughout the kitchen and nearby, if you have an open layout. I can hear it from about 20 feet away, and the noise is about what you'd expect from a tiny little fan.
2) Keep checking on it every half-hour or so when you first start- your choice of food and other factors will affect how fast it dries. Don't blindly trust numbers ("4-15 hours for jerky"). I did the first time- and after 4 hours my beef jerky were brittle crackers.
3) By far the most annoying part is slicing and marinating the meat. If you're lucky enough to be near an Asian market, look for cheap shabu-shabu meat or korean bbq meat- both tend to be lean and be presliced very thin, almost perfect for beef jerky. While you're there, pick up some soy sauce and other things from your recipe. =)
4) Remember that the meat will sweat as it dry; don't freak out when you check on it. As soon as it's done (try bending it; it should fold crisply rather than bend, and you should see white muscle fibers), don't overdo it- beef crisps aren't as delicious as they sound.
Customer Review: My new favorite appliance!
Summary: 5 Stars
I absolutely love this dehydrator - I have not stopped using it since I bought it a week ago. So far I have made banana chips, sweet potato chips, dried cranberries, fruit rolls, and beef jerky. This appliance is easy to set up and work. The recommended temperatures work great but the drying times are a little tricky since some say 4-12 hours. I made sure I was home the first few times I used it so I could constantly check on the food to see when it is dried but now that I have the drying times down I do not worry about it being left on when I am not home. The noise level is pretty low and I was able to sleep with it on (the kitchen is right next to my bedroom) - it kind of has a noise machine sleeping effect. The fruit roll sheets and clean a screen trays were extremely helpful and I have already ordered more. I would not recommend drying fruit without the extra screens as they do get sticky and hard to peel off of the regular trays. I haven't tried any of the recipes in the book yet but I plan to try some of their fruit roll and dog treat ones. The jerky seasonings provided were pretty good but I added some of my own seasonings to it for my personal liking. I love the dried fruit and jerky - it is better than anything store bought and a lot healtehr without all of the preservatives. I would recommend this product to anyone wanting a dehydrator for their personal use.Customer Review: First time dehydrating bliss
Summary: 5 Stars
We purchased this unit to dehydrate our own meals for an extended backpacking trip. I was tired of expensive, somewhat bulky, overly-salty bag-a-meals. I also wanted to be able to custom-design to meet the nutritional and portion desires of my son and I. I used many menu items from an acquaintance, Glenn, through his website www.backpackingchef.com. All of the meals I made fit just fine inside my 700 ml titanium mug with some room to spare for stirring. It was great to be able to pack these meals in small, lightweight, reusable craft bags instead of the great big seal-a-meal bags, for what it's worth.
The unit performed flawlessly. We were able to dehydrate everything in less time than expected. The only thing that didn't turn out well were blueberries. We dried grapes at the same time and those made the best raisins I had ever had in my whole life, but for some reason the blueberries didn't shrink down very much despite blanching both for a minute or two. I would highly recommend this unit. Great for drying fruits, vegetables, meats and even canned pastas like Spaghettios.
I have no comparative analysis as this is our first and only dehydrator. You may want to get more solid tray liners as anything saucy, syrupy, or juicy can be dehydrated as a "bark" or later bagged-up for reconstitution.