GUIDE TO FOOD DEHYDRATORS

Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun

Manufacturer : Nesco American Harvest
In Stock : 6

List Price:	$79.99
Price:	$59.95
You Save:	$20.04 (25%)

Features

Dries food in hours not days
5 trays
Opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful light
patented fan flow radial air action
Adjustable thermostat

Product Description

The FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express All-In-One kit has a top mounted fan. Easily dries fruit, vegetables and jerky quickly and evenly. Dries food in hours not days. Comes with 5 trays and jerky gun. Unit disassembles easily and all parts are dishwasher safe except the power head. The Opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful lights which destroys nutritional content of food being dehydrated. The Patented fan flow radial air action forces air down the center of the unit and horizontally across each tray for fast, even-drying. No need to rotate

Customer Reviews

Average Rating of 4.00 out of 22 reviews

Rating :
Best Choice of Dehydrator! - K. B. Lewis, Feb 28, 2008

I had read many reviews on this site and others about which dehydrator to buy. I was impressed by all of the great things I read about the Nesco FD-61, so I got it!

I have used it 2 times and now have some comments to make. I started with 5 trays of mixed fruits, banana chips, orange slices, and apple slices. I dried them for approximately 12-15 hours. The bananas were not that great, still a bit too chewy. The apples were PERFECT. They had the same taste and texture as the store-bought dried apples. The orange slices were great (according to my 12 yo son) and crunchy. My deduction is that it's probably better to only use one type of fruit at a time. I'll be trying the bananas again on their own and see if I can get them a bit more crunchy next time.

The second time I decided to use the handy jerky gun and spices that came with the unit. I bought some 3% fat burger. (it calls for VERY low fat meat) I mixed it up with the 'general' spice packet that came with it and opted to use the flat jerky attachment. The recipe book said it would take about 12 hrs. It also calls for you to pat off the grease every couple of hours during the process. By the time I went to dab them at about 4 hrs... they were almost done! I gave them another hour and they were PERFECT! The general spice wasn't my kids' favorite, so I am on a mission to get them some other flavors.

My next endeavor will be the jerky with the 'sticks' like slimjims. I am going to assume they take longer than the flat sticks, but we'll see.

I have read numerous complaints about wasted meat with the jerky gun. I found that if you use a blunt knife and your fingers, you can get all of the meat through the flat jerky piece. As far as the slimjim/stick piece, a chopstick will push that meat through. Oh, one last thing, your dehydrator (as it comes here) will hold 1 - 1.5 lbs of meat, which is the amount those seasoning packets call for anyway.

For anyone not sure what to get, I would recommend this product 100%! For someone who has never dehydrated before, this is a great and easy product to learn and use. I had read that most units are very loud, this one is NOT. My kitchen is directly next to my living room. I didn't hardly even hear it running. My dishwasher is 10 times louder.

Okay, you've read this... now go click 'Buy'! LOL

Rating :
Jerky Master - Steven Krause, Feb 22, 2008

This is a great little dryer. I can put 2 lbs of London Broil Jerky on the trays and dry it all as once. It also serves as a space heater as it is blowing out 195 degree air at a pretty good rate, lol.

Rating :
Good for beginners - Marissa K. Mackiewicz, Feb 19, 2008

This model is a good one for beginners. It works well, is easy to clean, and relatively light weight. I find that recipes which I follow typically take longer to dehydrate in this machine, but with time, I get very good results. It's a nice feature that this machine has an adjustable thermostat. I definetly recommend it for people interested in starting to experiment with dehydrating.

Rating :
This product use a plastic the may leach toxins - R. Adams, Feb 08, 2008

Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator All-In-One Kit with Jerky Gun

This product uses #7 plastic shelving in the area subject to heating. There is controversy that this type of plastic may leach chemicals when heated. When I discovered this, I returned it.

Rating :
Nesco American Harvest FD-61WHC Snackmaster food dehydrator - Shirley May, Feb 08, 2008

This is a very good dehydrator. It dries fast and comes with everything you need to make great tasting jerky. I haven't tried drying fruit yet but I'm sure I will be as pleased with the results as I was with the jerky. I would recommend this dehydrator to anyone looking for one that comes with everything(including the gun).

Return to Food Dehydrator Guide
Return to Recommended Products