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: Nesco American Harvest Dehydrator is Fantastic
Summary: 5 Stars
Nesco American Harvest FD-75PR 700-Watt Food Dehydrator
As an herbalist, I do a lot of harvesting and drying. Although most of the herbs I dry are gathering in summer and dried on a series of large screens hung under a drying porch, during autumn damp weather doesn't allow for this method. I resort an indoor method during the cold, wet season. When my previous dehydrator wore out I searched for an affordable, but good replacement. I read the reviews on this product and decided to give it a try, ordering two.
The temperature adjustment has come in very handy, as I don't like to add too much heat when drying wild harvested medicinal mushrooms. Roots and wild berries, such as serviceberries and hawthorn, take a little more heat to dry, whereas I prefer no heat when drying nettles and other leafy herbs.
The heat or air is forced from the top downward, which seems to dry things much more quickly that most other dehydrators that I have used over the years.
This product has proven nearly perfect for my needs. It's only "fault" would be that it is a bit louder than others that I have used in the past ~ but all its other great features more than make up to this tiny "flaw".
Customer Review: Fast and Quiet!
Summary: 5 Stars
I initially ordered this as a jerky maker for my children, we have had several dehydrators in the past that lasted a SHORT time. We opened the box and found it to be smaller than we had thought, at first! Then we used the unit and realized it MORE than makes up for the size with its quality and speed in drying foods! The unit was tested making "hamburger" jerky first, in 12 hours we had slim jim quality meat sticks, while creating the slim jims we marinated the 1/4 strips of beef roast in a teriyaki style homemade marinade. As soon as the "Jims" were done we immediately began the strips, 14 hours later they were complete and only lasted about 2 hours before they were devoured! Then we began the fruit portion of my tests. We dried apples, bananas, pineapple, apple puree, cherries, kiwi, and strawberries. The puree was poured onto the fruit leather inserts one thick, one thin, then the fruit intermingled. After about 8 hours most were done and after 12 all were complete. The thin fruit leather from puree was the big hit better then the commercial version, and the fruit was all eaten the next day at the lake. It includes 2 seasoning packs for jerky but we found them to be more salty then flavorful, so we now make our own! Awesome product, easy to clean too!Customer Review: Great value for money, perfect for home use
Summary: 4 Stars
After some research, I settled on this model as the best combination of size, flexibility and price. I'm glad I did -- this little powerhouse has been doing a great job since day one. I've made raw cookies, sprouted granola, fresh fig leather and all kinds of fruit and veggie chips with it. I haven't made jerky yet, but I'm glad that the variable temp gives me the option to do so in the future.
Pros:
- Has large capacity without taking up excessive counter space.
- Variable temp lets you dry delicate foods without harming nutrients.
- Stackable trays customize the size of your dehydrator - you don't waste power drying empty space.
- Dries contents fairly evenly from top to bottom of tray stack. I only rotate trays once during drying, if at all.
Cons:
- Trays can be tricky to clean unless your sink is large.
- Doesn't have an on/off switch or timer. These aren't deal-breakers to me because drying fruit is not a precision art.
- The top (where the heater/fan is located) is awkward to set aside when you want to rearrange the drying contents. It doesn't rest flat.
Overall, I'd recommend this model highly to anyone who wants a good, all-purpose dehydrator at a reasonable price.
Customer Review: It Does Exactly What I Wanted It To Do
Summary: 5 Stars
This great little machine did exactly what I wanted it to do...It dehydrated my homemade lasagna for backpacking trips. Three trays of very cheesy lasagna dried in 7 hours. And, the lasagna then re-hydrated very nicely.
Having the fan/heater unit at the top works very good. However, I felt it was necessary to turn the food over on the trays and switch the top and bottom trays just once mid-way through because the top tray was drying just a bit faster than the bottom tray.
The unit runs quitely giving off a low, steady hum that is much more quiet than my microwave or a window fan. I didn't even have to adjust the TV's volume while the dehydrator was running, and we did not have to speak over the hum.
An "off" setting for the knob would be nice, but it is not difficult to just unplug the unit. Because drying times vary, I don't feel having a timer would have been helpful.
The heater/fan unit feels sturdy, and the trays are lightweight but sturdy too. I can see how they might warp during the dry cycle in a dishwasher. They handwashed and air dried just fine.
The bottom line: Feel confident purchasing this product, it does all that it claims to do at a very reasonable price.
Customer Review: Great dehydrator
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a noticeable step up from the cheap-o dehydrator I started out with. I also got the Sylvania SA110 15 Amp Heavy Duty Appliance Timer for an extra $13 since this unit does not have a built in timer. This is perfect for dehydrating fruits or meats overnight or while I'm at work without having to worry about over or under drying the food.
The adjustable temperature is great for using this unit for anything from fruit and vegetables to meat, drying everything I've tried so far in about 6.5 hours as opposed to 8-12 hours with my old dehydrator. The racks are fairly easy to clean with a brush, and have suffered no warping or cracking. Also, it comes with a smaller grated tray that sits inside the real trays in order to keep small pieces from falling through the grate. It also has a couple fruit leather, yogurt trays which are solid instead of grated.
As far as loudness, it's quieter than my old dishwasher, and it's not distracting to keep in my kitchen which is a shared space with my living room.
Overall, this was a great investment, and it wasn't expensive to begin with.