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I've always had a keen interest in food preservation methods and have been an avid home canner for decades, but my food drying experience has been limited for lack of proper equipment. I usually dry herbs in a microwave but there's a high fire risk and constant monitoring is crucial to avoid a disaster. There's a whole new world out there when it comes to dehydrating foods and making jerky - one I'm most anxious to explore.

I also tested the Nesco Jumbo Jerky Works® kit along with the Nesco® American Harvest® Dehydrator & Jerky Maker. Read on to see how my home testing went.

Product Despcription

• Nesco American Harvest® Snackmaster® Encore Food Dehydrator & Jerky Maker Model FD-61CN
• Dry food in hours, not days
• Patented Converga-Flow® drying action
• Top-mounted fan and motor
• Comes with 4 trays, recipe booklet and fruit roll sheet
• 500 Watts
• Vita-Save® Exterior. Opaque Vita-Save® exterior
• Expandable to 12 trays (LT-2GP); drying adjusts to the number of trays used
• Unit Dimensions: 13.75" X 9.75"
• No flavor transfers
• Plastic trays are dishwasher safe but top rack only and no drying cycle
• Optional accessories available: Jumbo Jerky Works Jerky Gun Kit, Jerky Seasonings Spice & Cure packets, additional trays, fruit roll sheets, Clean-A-Screen®
• Learn more from manufacturer
• MSRP: $70.99
• 1 Year limited warranty

How the Nesco American Harvest Dehydrator & Jerky Maker Performed

December 15, 2011
Unlike large and bulky hard-to-store models, this dehydrator has a more convenient diameter that's less than 14" and stands just under 10" with the four trays included.

The design of this dehydrator is impressive - simple and user friendly, yet well-thought out for efficient drying and ease of use. A short temperature guide is also conveniently stamped on the lid of the dehydrator; more detailed instructions are in the manual.

As I have learned from testing this dehydrator, there's so much you can dry, that I could easily have extended this test phase to months rather than weeks. I was limited merely because this is off-season when it comes to garden fare. The manual is very informative with tips, charts and clear instructions, which tend to inspire rather than confuse. After drying several types of foods and making jerky, we are very pleased with this dehydrator and dried results.

As noted by the manufacturer, drying times will vary depending on room humidity, thickness of foods and how much moisture is in the food. We started out expecting to need the longer drying times, but we soon learned that some periods could be shortened. And it's very important not to overlap foods, but allow a little room in between each slice/strip. That said, you can get quite a bit on one tray. There was no flavor transfers at all and foods dried evenly whether on the top or bottom rack with no need to rotate trays.

We dried herbs, fruits including pineapple, apples, orange slices, melon, bananas as well as tomatoes and celery leaves. Following the manual guidelines, we sliced apples about 3/8" to 1/2" as well as pineapple. Apples were perfect at that thickness but since there is considerable shrinking, though they tasted fine, we would prefer pineapple thicker and the same with melon. This will mean extending drying time accordingly. Banana slices on the other hand are best thinner, as are orange slices. I also pretreated apples and bananas with Fruit Fresh®, which slows down browning and I strongly recommend a pretreatment for those fruits.

As we found out, raspberries don't do as well dried or would need a very extended drying time, unlike strawberries that could be sliced and dried well. Times varied overall and were either in the lower or mid-range of the guidelines. Experimenting and keeping a chart, is strongly recommended and I definitely agree. Selecting foods with similar drying times for a batch is also a good idea.

We made two kinds of jerky, some from venison strips as well as from ground meat using a jerky gun. Strips of venison slices were mixed with Nesco® Original Flavor Jerky Spice & Cure and refrigerated overnight. Jerky Seasoning packets come with the Jumbo Jerky Works Kit but can also be purchased separately. One packet does a pound of meat. Venison slices were about 1/4" thick and took about 12 hours to dry. These were very nice and such a convenience to be able to dry venison in the dehydrator.

Using the large jerky gun from the Jumbo Jerky Works Kit, we made several pounds of ground beef into three different shapes (tips included). This process requires mixing meat with Spice & Cure packets and filling the jerky gun. There's no overnight marinading required when using ground meat. Drying was also much quicker since the jerky gun dispenses very thin strips - about seven hours drying time. This is such an easy and quick process that took about 15 minutes to mix, dispense and get the dehydrator going. See more about this jerky gun kit below.

As for cleaning, it was surprising how easy the trays were to clean - a little soaking, soft brushing and rinsing, except after the venison strips which took a longer soaking and more scrubbing to get them clean. Cleaning after beef jerky from ground beef (with gun) was quick and painless. Cleaning all equipment including the jerky gun is best done right after use.

According to Nesco, you can wash the dryer racks on the top rack of the dishwasher then air dry, but one rack would take a lot of room and these are reasonably quick to clean by hand after most processes. Though heat generated is low (highest is 160deg F) for drying, I placed a wooden board under the dehydrator to protect the counter for these prolonged periods. I tend to do that with many appliances that generate heat simply as a precautionary measure.

Nesco American Harvest Jumbo Jerky Works Jerky Gun & Seasoning Kit BJX-5 Review

We decided it would be a good idea to test the Jumbo Jerky Gun along with the dehydrator and we're sure glad we did. Having a jerky gun enables you to make jerky from ground meat and spread it out evenly on the drying trays. Without a jerky gun, you're limited to making jerky from thin slices of venison or other meats/poultry. And some people find it harder to chew jerky made from strips, rather than made from ground meat. Being able to test both types of jerky it was easy to make that comparison and pick a favorite - ground meat using a jerky gun.

There are other jerky guns around but the Nesco® Jumbo Jerky Works® is the only way to go. This large jerky gun holds a pound of ground meat, making the process much quicker than with an average-size jerky gun. We loved the different tips and tried every one. We couldn't decide on a favorite since we liked the assorted dried results - sticks and strips.

The process of using ground meat for jerky is super easy and about two pounds of pressed ground meat fits easily on four racks. Surprisingly, the Jumbo Jerky Gun is much easier to use than expected and requires only light hand pressure due to ratchet mechanism to dispense the meat. This kit is well worth the cost and with it you can make jerky year round from ground meat.

Nesco has a variety of Jerky Seasonings and you might want to try some of these. They also have variety packs. You do need spice and cure kits to make jerky since they include crucial preserving ingredients. We only used the Original Flavor and loved it, so we don't want to mess with a good thing. Visit the Nesco Jerky Seasonings Page

Product Description

• Nesco American Harvest® Jumbo Jerky Works Jerky Gun & Seasoning Kit Model BJX-5
• Includes large jerky gun with stainless steel trigger and ratchet bar
• Jerky gun holds one pound of meat
• Three tips for jerky gun
• 5 Original flavor Jerky Spice & Cure packets
• Visit manufacturer

Overall Impression & Related Resources

My hubby is an avid hunter and sportsman and according to him, this dehydrator is well worth the price for making jerky alone. At the price of buying ready-made jerky, you can save money by making your own with this dehydrator and a jerky gun.

I on the other hand, love herbs, dried fruits and vegetables, so I can see the benefit this dehydrator would bring year round to take advantage of fruit and produce sales and to help preserve my garden harvest. And being able to properly and safely dry my herbs which I grow year round, without the fire risk and brown edges the microwave affords, is truly a blessing. Flowers can also be dried in this unit which is a plus for crafters. During testing it was off season for floral in my neck of the woods, but that's something I'd like to try later.

The Nesco American Harvest Dehydrator & Jerky Maker offers tremendous value for the price of this unit which is below $80, given its performance, ease of use and cleaning. This is an extremely versatile appliance that enables you to preserve all kinds of foods plus make jerky, without breaking the bank or expropriating a good portion of your kitchen counter. And it's easier to store than large bulky units. Definitely a must-have tool for those wanting to explore the world of food dehydrating.

Nesco has a good variety of accessories such as extra trays and you can expand this dehydrator to hold 12 trays, so you might want to consider some of these optional items when ordering. And remember that Jerky Seasonings are a must if you want to make jerky.

For the energy misers, you would use less energy using a dehydrator than drying foods in a range oven. In making cases, it's also much shorter time wise. We are on TOU Electricity Rates so I found it very reasonable running the dehydrator during lower rate periods or overnight. I've tried on several occasions to dry fruits and vegetables in the oven, but found that this method resulted in uneven drying and inconvenient extended oven downtime. An affordable dehydrator is the perfect solution.

Nesco® has a good assortment of tips, FAQ's and recipes for their appliances; visit their site to learn more. And remember to use safe food handling guidelines from USDA Safe Food Handling Fact Sheets especially when drying venison or other meats.

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Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.