Nesco FD-37A Food Dehydrator for Herbs, Fruit, Beef Jerky, 4 Trays, Speckled White

While it is true this machine doesn't come with all the bells and whistles of the expensive machines, It does great. I ordered two extra trays for it which means 6 fairly large trays to work with. That is a lot of food. It does have some noise with it about maybe like a hairdryer on low. It is set to 160 to work so it gets pretty warm in the room it is in. I use mine in the laundry room and shut the door. I could also use the porch. The fan works great and it has dehydrated my items evenly and very quickly, all six trays without having to move trays around. The beef jerky flavoring that comes with it taste great! We used hamburger for a softer jerky since neither of us have teeth anymore. We thought our beef jerky eating days were long over and we both have loved it during our 42 year marriage. A good time table is to check on the progress every 2 hours for doneness, you can go 4 hours for the first check. If this is were a more expensive model with a timer that would be convenient. But for the price and performance, it is no trouble at all to give it a peek from time to time. It was amazingly easier to clean than I thought it would be. That was no problem at all and only took a couple of swipes with a wet rag and it was done! Beside the jerky I dehydrate oranges and tried blueberries also. The orange slices didn't survive my checking on them and so I didn't have any left by the time the beef jerky was ready. They were to understate it delicious and well dehydrated. The blueberries were in too long and came out everlasting gobstoppers. They were well dehydrated and had a lot of taste, but too hard for us toothless people. This is a great inexpensive machine for dehydrating anything you may care to. It is pretty quick about it also. Just try not to taste oranges too much before the rest of the items are ready!

I've used this dehydrator quite a bit since I've bought it, but it works great. We now have delicious home made banana chips. There are a lot of tips and tricks out there on the internet for getting your foods the way you want them if the manual they include isn't enough for you. (ie: getting your chips crispier). A lot of people have complained about the noise. Having ptsd I am very sensitive to repetitive noise and this was a lot quieter then I was expecting from other users reviews. It was much quieter then "box fans" as some have claimed. I submitted my warranty information online without a problem, so should the motor go, as some others have claimed, I am sure that will be covered. I have never used a food dehydrator before so I cannot compare it to others in any way, but the clips that hold all the trays together do seem they should be sturdier and latch on a bit easier. Other then that, so far I am very happy with this and the price I paid for it. Update 1/19/14 I've been using the fruit marinade that By SANDRA J BALKE posted in her review on June 28, 2011, with one tweak. Bananas and certain apples just don't tend to come out sweet enough with just the honey and water marinade So what I have done is taken 1 packet of my favorite sweetener, melted it in a tbsp of warm water, and then add the rest of the water and honey she recommends (and a bit of cinnamon when doing apples, yummy!). I've also made sure (especially with the strawberries) to either spray my trays with a non stick spray or rub them down with a light coat of vegetable oil for easier removal of the fruit. The trays are very easy to hand wash this way, even with the sticky strawberries.

Overall, I’m impressed with the value for the price! It’s simple to use with its fixed temperature control at 160°F, which is perfect for dehydrating fruits like bananas and strawberries. The 400-watt power ensures even heat distribution, and I’ve had no issues with uneven drying. The clear top is a nice touch, making it easy to monitor the process without having to open the trays. The unit is expandable up to 7 trays, which is great for larger batches, though I only use the 4 included trays for now. One thing to note—this dehydrator is fairly loud, so I tend to use it in the garage or somewhere it won’t be disruptive. For anyone looking for an affordable, no-frills dehydrator for fruits, jerky, and snacks, this is a solid choice. Just keep in mind it’s basic and doesn’t offer variable temperature control. Overall, great value!

I'll start with the word of caution: do not put the trays in the bottom rack of your dishwasher. They'll warp due to the extra heat. So wash the trays one or two at a time in the top rack instead. It's not the end of the world if they warp a little -- using them once will get them mostly back in shape -- but just save yourself the frustration. Wash them flat in the dishwasher, on the top rack. As for the dehydrator: what can I say of such things? This was my first, and I've been wanting one for about twenty years. It's great as a way to make jerky (my favorite use), but you can dehydrate basically any organic matter in it. Of course, you probably don't want to dry chicken or pork in it! But I've really enjoyed mine. I can't speak to long-term durability or anything like that, but for my purposes as an amateur food dryer guy, this dehydrator works great. It's a great starter unit, I think. Even if I end up getting a new one that's bigger and fancier, I think I'll hang onto this one for small and experimental projects. Do make sure you read up about using your dehydrator, though -- there are a lot of things to know about drying foods. For example, trim as much fat off your beef as you can before you dry it. Sometimes, apples dry better with a little dusting of sugar and cinnamon on them. That kind of thing. Good luck, and have fun!

Works well, and I like having the separate racks.

I've wanted to dehydrate food for years but never tried it, but now that I'm gardening seemed the right time. Also, I live in SoCal where everything grows. I wanted to keep produce from going to waste as well as make healthy snacks. I couldn't be happier with this dehydrater. Well, OK, in a perfect world we wouldn't use plastic, but I have to balance price point and weight limit when we move. I couldn't justify the price or weight of stainless. Plus, Nesco is made in the US, and I buy US made when that's an option. Nesco includes a detailed booklet with charts of prep and processing time for fruits, veggies, and meat, which is part of customer service, so remember that before buying a brand from overseas. There's no guess work here. You're given the optimal prep specs for this machine. The operation is obvious: plug in and turn on or off. My first attempt was organic bananas from Costco. They cost very little more than regular bananas but have SO much more flavor! Better quality to begin with means better flavor dehydrated. My first batch deserved a little celebration in the way of presentation for my blog, but that got unwrapped and eaten quickly! The bananas and strawberries were round 2. Dehydrated strawberries are so good in cereal! I had a couple of fails: blackberries and raspberries. Those turned out like purple Styrofoam. I didn't refer to the Nesco provided booklet. My fault. Nuts and Bolts: There's no temp control, but that means it's uncomplicated. Instead of temp, you adjust time. A 14 hour cycle might not be convenient for everyone, but it's fine for me. It's as loud as having a box fan running but military housing dishwasher. (slightly quieter than a drive through car wash) Layers stack easily, so it's easy to expand. I bought the expansion, and I haven't come close to needing it yet. That would require a whole lot more prep than I want to do. That expansion pack was over zealous. I suggest newbies save their money.. Clean Up: Remove the food immediately or it will get stuck making cleaning harder. The racks don't fit in my sinks, so I can't soak them in there. I recommend soaking in a plastic storage tub and scrubbing with a brush if you, too, have Barbie sized sinks.

Used for a couple years and I love it still going strong for my jerky

This product works very well for a "no heat settings" dehydrator. It's hard set at 160° which is the most commonly used heat level I suppose, however I make Biltong so would really like to be able to lower the heat level for that so it can dehydrate over a couple days providing a better product. I do love how easy it is to use this dehydrator and the ease of cleaning is wonderful. I just spray it off and toss it in the dishwasher. DO NOT PUT THE HEATING UNIT IN THE DISHWASHER! I feel it necessary to say this since people are lacking common sense these days. I am overall very happy with this purchase. I may purchase one that I have more control over hear settings in the future, and one that has more meat capacity. This one holds 1 bottom round roast cut into slices perfectly.

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Muy buen producto, lo utilizamos por lo menos 2 veces por semana. facil de utilizar y limpiar. unaca descentaja que si le quieres comprar mas vandejas, creo que no te vienen las pinzas para sostenerlas. fuera de eso lo super recomiendo.

Easy to clean, set up and use. Made bacon jerky, tofu jerky, dried coconut, dried strawberries, dry cured salami. I love this thing, its cheap and works well. Cons: - its big! about 16" across so you need some counter space for it. - its loud :( you would not want this running in your living room while watching TV.

I tried reaching out to the company with no luck to replace my malfunctioning item. Very disappointing experience!

Wow - this arrived 2 days ago and tried it today for the first time - luckily I was home as the house would have burnt down! Followed the instructions as per the included manual and within 2 hours the whole thing melted. According to the manual the basic drying time is from 4 to 12 hrs. Massive safety issue and about to follow up - see another Australian customer had the same issue 3 days ago - if only I'd seen that review