I saved more than that making my first 1 pound of jerky! As others have said, clean-up is a piece of cake especially with the clean-a-screens - I recommend going ahead and getting enough of these to cover each tray.

I’m not sure how it works, but it is very even, without hot spots. The Ronco really needs careful tray rotation. I highly recommend it for the money. I would suggest getting extra trays right from the beginning. As others have said, this machine suffers from a lack of not only a timer, but the simple addition of a power switch. Odd that something, which requires careful timing, would not have a built in timer. The temperature settings on the lid make for fool proof dehydrating. I do recommend the mesh tray liners. The fan makes a little noise but overall it has worked well for us. I like that it has the temperature adjustment on top and the fan is on the top. I recommend this for anyone who likes to cook by using intense flavors - I have used the dried tomatoes on salads, in sauces, casseroles, etc. It is worth it if you’re just doing tomatoes.

The mesh design of the drying trays (think air circulation) gives a lot of surface area for things to stick to so they just require a little more work. Be warned, when you use this, your home will be filled with the delicious aroma of whatever you are making. It will make beef jerky is about 7 hours. I have used this unit about 5 times and no sign of discoloration or usage.

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. The second jerky method is to use ground meat. The major advantage is that it is much easier to make consistent ’strips’ and the jerky is a lot more tender. 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).

We’ve dehydrated beef jerky and fruits. It was trial and error at first but once we realized you need to cut the fruit in large slices, they came out nicely.

One lady said they tasted like the cinnamon twists at a fast food Mexican restaurant, another said kind of like cotton candy. They come out crispy and sweet!

I am very pleased with this product. This is my first food dehydrator and I only wish I would have bought one sooner.

They were too gross to even be pet treats. Pink Recliner Slipcover.