I couldn’t keep my hands off the dried pineapple, it was like candy! It works great for making your own dried onions, too.

The trays are difficult to clean. If you have a large dishwasher, and can place the trays safely without them getting stuck in the prongs of the dish drawers, then this would be the best way to clean the trays.

This machine takes about 5 hours. The fan built into the top of the machine circulates the air so there is no need to switch trays from top to bottom like the RONCO. We made strips and stick jerky. In 3 hours it was done! They are also needed for fruit leathers. The book that comes with the dryer is good for a starter but not detailed enough.

Furthermore, you do NOT marinade with this method. Instead you add a packet (or whatever recipe of spices, salt) straight into the meat.

It generates little ambient heat, so you don’t have to worry that it will overheat and burn the house down. When I bought the dehydrator, I thought it wouldn’t matter, because the long 8-12 hour drying times just meant that you have to plug the machine in before bedtime and your jerky will be done in the morning, right”

I would also recommend purchasing extra trays. The machine comes with 5 but I had to do two batches because all the meat did not fit in one go around (about 3 pounds of beef). The documentation is basic but good enough. It shows you drying times and has tips & tricks for different foods, recipes included. This is more than enough to get started. The machine is very easy to use, no explanation necessary.

I am not sure if this is even possible to improve but it takes some practice to know when your jerky is done. I immediately sent it back to Amazon. That’s when I ordered this Nesco unit. The book does not provide very much detail on blanching vegetables, which is necessary to destroy enzymes in the tissues and also enhances the destruction of harmful bacteria. Different vegetables have different blanching times and over or under blanching may have an undesirable result as far as loss of color and flavor during drying or storage. Just poor it on your fruit sheet and spread it with your fingers. If you make the layer of fruit thin it will dehydrate with cracks and not peel up as easy.

Otherwise, the trays can get caught on the prongs and if stuck, may break when trying to remove them. Typically, I soak the trays in very hot water and dish detergent for 24 hours and then wash them by hand using a sponge and a vegetable brush.

I have found out you can’t really “over-dehydrate” most foods so if you accidentally leave it running for a few hours, no big deal. REPLACE AUTO GLASS.