This works perfectly for all of these items. I was prepared for drying times (about 1 1/2 days for bananas to become chips and crackers to harden).

I also find myself setting the temp lower on some things, if I know I’m going to be away all day and not be able to tend to the finished product as soon. When using 12 trays, I often rearrange the trays half way through, putting the top tray on the bottom, and continuing until the bottom tray is on top.

You’ll learn to write it down. Along the same lines, the temperature dial is analog, not digital, and it’s surprisingly small and sometimes I wonder whether the temperature I *think* I set it to is the same as what the dehydrator thinks it is set to.

You must constantly keep an eye on the progress of dehydrating your food so as not to under- or over-dehydrate. It is best to consult the instruction booklet that comes with the unit as to the approximate times and set a separate timer. I ended up reading millions of reviews for several days before committing to one. I chose this one because it was more watts than others in the price range and I can control the temperature and the good reviews on several websites seemed to be good. This thing has paid for itself many times over and continues to produce great tasting treats! A correction - I once owned the FD-50 version of this dehydrator. The Nesco beef jerky spice is really great and so easy to use. I use my dehydrator at least twice a month and had no problems so far. This is my first dehydrator and my impression is that it’s a good dehydrator for our needs: something cheap and functional for occasional use. It’s easy to handle, as it’s not too heavy to lift but not so light that the cats can push it off the counter.

It is nice to be able to give the kids snacks that are not full of sugars and things no one can pronounce. I only wish it had a timer. I haven’t tried any of the recipes in the book yet but I plan to try some of their fruit roll and dog treat ones. The jerky seasonings provided were pretty good but I added some of my own seasonings to it for my personal liking. I was able to dry 10 trays (a double batch) of venison jerky in less than 6 hours. The clean-up was very easy and it was quieter than the others I have used. All told, if you’re just looking for a decent, solid, cheap dehydrator and you don’t mind the above issues for whatever reason, this is a great machine. I just wonder if maybe I should have spent a little more to get something a little more user-friendly as far as my own personal specifications go. Although the edges dry a little faster than the middle, that can be expected and it’s not a big problem. It’s faster than my old one and I love the adjustable dial.

It comes with an instruction manual on how to dry different types of food. We are very pleased with the purchase.

Having a temperature dial that goes up to 160 degrees is very handy for making jerky. LANDSCAPING COSTS.