It does take about 5 hours to make the jerky, and we'll flip them every so often and soak up the grease, so you definitely have to keep an eye on it while it is going. But it is fun to make jerky with all along.
One caution I have is the outer edge of the trays dry faster than the middle. I put thicker pieces of meat at the outer edge to accommodate this. We purchased this dehydrator specifically to make chicken (and other meat) jerky for our dogs, as we have already lost one dog due to feeding the jerky that is made in China. Also I feel much better knowing what is going into their jerky treats, which is meat only, no preservatives.
My wife and I limit their exposure when we can. An example is a particular fruit snack that did not contain this dye. When I started thinking about purchasing a dehydrator, I did a lot of research including visiting my local Cabelas store and doing a lot of online research. The main reason that I initially shied away from purchasing this model was how inexpensive it was compared to so many of the other models. I've made a couple of different things in it and all of them took less time than I thought they would. This is my first dehydrator, and I find it simple to use. Oh well, my food will not dry itself so I placed my order. I figured almost 250 5 star rating couldn't be wrong. 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 quietly, giving off a low, steady hum that is much quieter than my microwave or a window fan. I had to replace a very old dehydrator and am so glad I chose this one. I would definitely recommend this. The machine works quickly, and the efficient fan means you don't have to keep shuffling the trays to get everything evenly dried. The temperature settings are nice too, since not everything needs the same amount of heat. It gives jerky a drying time of 4-15 hours. I've dried jerky at least 10 times in it by now, and it's never even taken 4 full hours. The only note I can think to make: I read reviews saying that it ran higher than the temp.
Other more expensive dehydrators have 5 year or even 10 year warranties, so I guess you have to figure out whether it is more cost effective to buy new Nesco dehydrators at random intervals or to buy a better quality dehydrator. We will probably be buying a better quality dehydrator.
I only rotate trays once during drying, if at all. It doesn't have an on/off switch or timer.
I bought an inexpensive timer at the local hardware store to compensate for the fact that it has no auto shutoff, so that takes care of that part. However, if you are buying this because you want to start incorporating raw food into your diet, then you may very well wish you had purchased an Excalibur brand instead.
One caution I have is the outer edge of the trays dry faster than the middle. I put thicker pieces of meat at the outer edge to accommodate this. We purchased this dehydrator specifically to make chicken (and other meat) jerky for our dogs, as we have already lost one dog due to feeding the jerky that is made in China. Also I feel much better knowing what is going into their jerky treats, which is meat only, no preservatives.
My wife and I limit their exposure when we can. An example is a particular fruit snack that did not contain this dye. When I started thinking about purchasing a dehydrator, I did a lot of research including visiting my local Cabelas store and doing a lot of online research. The main reason that I initially shied away from purchasing this model was how inexpensive it was compared to so many of the other models. I've made a couple of different things in it and all of them took less time than I thought they would. This is my first dehydrator, and I find it simple to use. Oh well, my food will not dry itself so I placed my order. I figured almost 250 5 star rating couldn't be wrong. 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 quietly, giving off a low, steady hum that is much quieter than my microwave or a window fan. I had to replace a very old dehydrator and am so glad I chose this one. I would definitely recommend this. The machine works quickly, and the efficient fan means you don't have to keep shuffling the trays to get everything evenly dried. The temperature settings are nice too, since not everything needs the same amount of heat. It gives jerky a drying time of 4-15 hours. I've dried jerky at least 10 times in it by now, and it's never even taken 4 full hours. The only note I can think to make: I read reviews saying that it ran higher than the temp.
Other more expensive dehydrators have 5 year or even 10 year warranties, so I guess you have to figure out whether it is more cost effective to buy new Nesco dehydrators at random intervals or to buy a better quality dehydrator. We will probably be buying a better quality dehydrator.
I only rotate trays once during drying, if at all. It doesn't have an on/off switch or timer.
I bought an inexpensive timer at the local hardware store to compensate for the fact that it has no auto shutoff, so that takes care of that part. However, if you are buying this because you want to start incorporating raw food into your diet, then you may very well wish you had purchased an Excalibur brand instead.
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It's a great quality machine and you get a nice starter package with it. best portable generators for home use.
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