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(More customer reviews)This dehydrator is great. I've had the unit for almost a month now. So far I've dehydrated 20 pounds of "eye of round" for jerky. The recipe I used is at Recipezaar (can't post URL), recipe number 161262 (modified a bit to suite my taste, like I added about 1 tsp of onion powder and cut the liquid smoke about 25%). In fact I just did 10 of the 20 pounds yesterday. I've also dehydrated cantaloupe, kiwi slices, strawberries, grapes (come out as plump and juicy raisins), limes, oranges (those were more of an experiment), banana slices and watermelon (now that was interesting... sweet as candy), but back to the review.
I also got two sets of the Add-a-tray (two trays per package). It dries with all 8 trays just fine. I do rotate the trays about half way through, but I'm not sure I would really have to. The instructions say that the trays are top shelf dishwasher safe, but that would limit my dishwasher to only two trays per load, so I take my top rack out of the dishwasher and stand the trays vertically in the lower rack. I can get all eight trays and the base into the dishwasher at once. I figured that my water heater is only set to 125 degrees and I dry jerky at 165, so the trays shouldn't have any problem. Just make sure that you turn off any internal water heating the dishwasher my have and make sure that you turn off heated drying (use air dry). I just wait for the washer to stop, take out the trays and shake them off. Stack them, put on the power head and run it at 125 for 30 minutes. All nice, clean and dry.
Now for the hint that Nesco doesn't want me to share :) for fruit, you really need to use the Clean Screens, but at 8 bucks for a pair, you'll spend $32.00 (plus any shipping) to get enough for all 8 trays. I went to my local craft store (you know the one owned by Michael) and bought 16 sheets of plastic embroidery mesh (7 square mesh) that were 14" X 10" (the ones you would use to make those awful square Kleenex box covers). Take two sheets per tray and cut them out yourself with kitchen shears. Put them together butted up on the long side and then cut the perimeter to fit the tray and cut out the hole (1/2 of the hole in each sheet where they are butted up) for the center and then lay the two pieces into the tray. The sheets were $0.33 each, so 16 sheets only cost $5.28 and a bit of time to cut them out. Didn't really need them for the cantaloupe, but I'd still be cleaning kiwi and bananas off the trays if I hadn't used them. I throw them into the dishwasher with the trays and just run the whole load at once. All in all, this was a great buy and I'm glad I got it.
---- UPDATE 11 January 2010 ----
So, I've spent a few more months with my dry friend... that's a pun... :-)
This unit is now $49. I bought it and am happy with it at $70. Now, there is no reason not to give it a try!
About 3 months ago, I bought the jerky squeeze gun. I got it at BiMart in Oregon for $2 more than you can get it here at Amazon (the instant gratification thing). Available here. Search for Nesco BJX-5 American Harvest Jumbo Jerky Works Kit. My daughter and I make the round "slim-jim" type jerky every couple of months (about 4 lbs of 96% lean ground beef each time). The squeeze gun is as easy as using a caulking gun. Actually even better since you really don't need to be concerned about the aesthetic appearance of the final product... I mean we're taking jerky here and you can't eat caulk. I use the Nesco spicy mix with additional black pepper, powered garlic and cayenne pepper (lot's of cayenne pepper).
We've also, since buying it, done some fruit leather. Just used a jar of store bought apple sauce with a bit of added cinnamon. Next time, I think we'll put a bit of Splenda(r) in it just to "sweeten" the final product a bit. Tip... even using processed apple sauce, we put it through the blender to completely break it down into a slurry.
My "home made" clean screens are still preforming perfectly. Hope this update helps others.
---- UPDATE 20 January 2010 ----
Whoops... I see that the price is back up to $65. Well, still a fine product regardless.
---- UPDATE 2 January 2011 -----
Well, it's been a year and not so much an update as an opportunity to say Happy New Year to you all.
Just before Christmas, the Lovely Mrs. symo, got a really good deal on some rump roast (two 7 lb pieces). It was very lean and after slicing, was easy to cut the one strand of tough sinew out. Used the Mr. Yoshida's again, but this time cut it 2 parts to 1 part water. Then put it into a sauce pan and heated to high simmer (did not let it boil). Added red chili flakes, onion powder, garlic powder and some Ow Powder (www - dot - owhot - dot - com). Let the mixture cool to room temp. I'm still working/experimenting with the final amounts of Ow. Marinaded the slices for 12 hours. Had 6 of the eight trays loaded. On two trays, I sprinkled (liberally) with fine grind black pepper. Came out fantastic.
Now a word about the Ow Powder. If you go to their website and aren't scared, then go back there again :-) This is the hot of the hot. I found this stuff in Albuquerque, at the International Firey Foods Festival. At the festival, I dipped a dry wooden coffee stirrer into the powder. Once the tears stopped, I found that I could drink 3 12-ounce bottles of Budweiser in about 2.4 minutes :-)
For 3 cups of the marinade (2 parts Mr. Y and 1 part water and all the other "stuff" mentioned above), I added 1/4 teaspoon of Ow. Next time I'll probably go with 3/8 teaspoon. This stuff starts off slow, but you will get some fire at the end. It contains a mixture of chili peppers, one of which is bhut jolokia (Indian pepper that was put on the planet by the All Mighty for some sadistic purpose, I'm sure). They also have pure ground bhut jolokia, but I think your should look into a gas mask/respirator before ordering that.
And now a word about the slices. Got a slicer for my B-day in October. One of the various brands that sell for around $69 here and elsewhere (http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Smart-Electric-Food-Slicer/dp/B002JKX59C/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1294017780&sr=8-14). Now this is the way to go for sliced jerky. First time I used it, I cut the slices too thin and the marinade basically dissolved the meat into mush :-) Second time, I sliced the meat somewhere around 3/16. This thickness worked very well. Really, the slicer is a great add-on if you really want to do slab jerky vs. ground jerky.
Oh, oh, oh... just remembered. Also I've taken to starting my slab jerky at the 165 degree setting for about 2 hours and then backing it down to between the 115 and 125 and letting it go until dry. This will cause you to need to rotate the trays, but the results are really worth the extra effort.
So, there you have it. Updated report and a couple of extras thrown in for free :-)
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Nesco/American Harvest FD-80 Square-Shaped DehydratorDry slices of fruit and vegetables, herbs and flowers, granola, or strips of jerky using this easy-to-operate dehydrator. With its square shape, the countertop appliance provides 41-percent more room for drying compared to round dehydrators. It also features a unique air-circulation system with a top-mounted fan and patented Converga-Flow Action, which pressurizes heated air downward through the outer ring and horizontally across each tray, converging at the center. This delivers not only speedy results but uniformity, so foods dry evenly--no need to rotate the trays around during operation. Its 700-watt motor also helps ensure fast drying times for results in hours versus days. A simple control knob adjusts the heat from 95 degrees to 155 degrees F to accommodate appropriate drying temperatures, and printed guidelines on the motor housing help determine the correct thermostat setting. Other highlights include a bale handle for removing the power head, dishwasher-safe parts, and an instruction manual for getting started. The dehydrator measures 14-1/2 by 14-1/2 by 9-5/8 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty. From the Manufacturer
NESCO/American Harvest - "The Best Food Dehydrators in the World." The Nesco/American Harvest FD-80 Dehydrator
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