NESCO® FD-80 Food Dehydrator, 700 Watts, Square, 4 Trays

The amount of product you can put on the 4 racks is amazing. Washed the racks in the dishwasher and they cleaned up nicely. Have 4 more racks coming and will be able to dry 12 pounds of meat at a time for jerky. Nice to not have to rotate racks. Put it in at night and the jerky is ready by morning. Dehydrator works very well and is a great value! I have a timer I plan to use with this product next time as there is no on/off switch.

I've been using a 30 year-old old, "as seen on TV", convection type dehydrator regularly for Jerky and dog treat making. The trays had become brittle and were cracking; it took a long time to dehydrate and it was a pain to clean. Time for retirement. I researched thoroughly for a replacement and was constantly pointed to the Nesco FD-80. I couldn't be more pleased ... very sturdy construction; top down heater (adjustable up to 160F) with a remarkably quiet fan; very easy to clean and it holds a lot more on 4 trays than round units hold on 6 trays. It will take an additional 4 trays - purchased separately. Because of the fan and higher heat, it dehydrates everything much more rapidly with no need to "rotate" the trays every couple oh hours. Compared to other dehydrators out there, the Nesco gives fantastic value for $$$. As always, great price and excellent service from Walmart. Walmart was $40 less than virtually all other sites ... including the manufacturer's site.

Too funny that I just got this email to rate the dehydrator and I had just removed a batch of ground beef jerky! Glad I tried this machine. Seems to work well. My only complaint is like everyone else's ... too bad no one thought to incorporate a simple thing like an OFF button. hmmm. no matter. I connected it to a power strip bar with button to turn On/Off. Problem solved. On first batch of ground beef jerky, I used 2-1/2 trays and time was approx. 3 hrs. 2nd. batch was meat strips which time was closer to 6+ hrs. to process. Both types of jerky were good. I am soon to experiment with fruits and will anticipate that the results will be likewise good! Additionally, bought a jerky gun from Walmart and as of one attempt, must admit I'm not quite the expert yet in pushing the meat onto the trays in a nice smooth piece. I ended up picking up imperfect pieces and hand flattening them. The dehydrator didn't know the difference and did its job. Buy one. Walmart's price was superior as always from comparisons I made on Nextag and Bizrate and for certain, the Nesco website. I'm not certain that the square machine has more space than the original round ones, but I'm pleased with it, however, don't be expecting some strong, heavy type of plastic because it isn't, but the trays do appear to be sturdier than first glance.

I am loving this Dehydrator so far. I have had it for a week now and it has been going almost every day. I have done Venison jerky, beef jerky, grape tomatoes, starfruit, bananas, papaya, and apples are next. LOVE IT!! works great and fast. you will not be disappointed. now to get more trays,

Love my new dehydrator. I have had it for about a week and have made apple, pineapple, banana slice along with two types of jerky, strips and ground and everything has come out great. With the ability to control the temperature from 95 to 160 degrees you get to control the proper curing time for products to prevent food poisoning. With the top mounted heat and fan you get even heat through all four trays. If after several hours of drying jerky you were to take the trays out and put them side by side, you would not be able to tell top from bottom. You do not have to rotate the trays but some time I do, so to tell them apart I took a magic marker and put little dots on the trays so I could tell and not ruin their appearance. One trick they tell you in the book is to use a squirt of cooking spray on the trays to prevent any sticking and it is right on. I made beef jerky from meat that I ground and a jerky press and forgot to spray one of the trays that I used and I knew immediately which tray did not get the spray. It wasn't bad but it was easy to tell.

great device. we have little to compare it to because it is our first dehydrator, however, it is great. much bigger and easier to use than expected. only complaint is that the trays cannot be dried (although they can be washed) in the dishwasher. i dont think others at this price can either though. we really like the look of the square machine too vs the round (and it holds much more). dont hesitate to get one

We have had it a little over a week or so and have be using it every day for about 20 hours a day to process our apples and it has been working great. we bought two extra trays so there is 6 trays in it each time and no rotating of the tray is needed. It takes about 10 hours to do 6 trays of apples. We really like it much better than our old RONCO one we had. Can't speak on durability for we have only had it a liitle over a week, but I think it will keep working fine over the long run.

I gave this 4 stars, because in order to dehydrate almost everything you must first buy the extra mesh liners, otherwise the food falls through. Why not just add them on to begin with. Otherwise it has so far done a great job. Have dehydrated multiple kinds of veggies, and fruit. Also made jerky, beef and venison. Would recommend going online and getting the extra trays, your going to need them.

This is a great dehydrator for the beginner -- not too expensive, and easy to use. It has no timer, which means that the user has to watch the clock and keep checking the food to see if it is ready. Also, some units will shut off after a set time, but this one does not. Otherwise, it is quiet, easy to clean, and has multiple temperature settings that are suitable for herbs, fruit, jerky and fruit leather. We have been having a great time -- and have enjoyed dried apples, cherries, strawberries and peaches. Terrific for the summer harvest season!

I was extremely excited to get my new dehydrator. Unfortunately, once I had it full of fruit and vegetables, it worked for one hour then quit! All of the reviews that I read were good. I must have gotten a lemon. I'm going to return it and try again.