I was in the market for a dehydrator mainly for making beef jerky, as I am a jerky lover. I visited frequent local chains such as Walmart (in 4 different cities). All stores seemed to be out of the base Nesco FD-61 model. I reluctantly ordered this kit from [...] as it contained all the 'extras.'
When it arrived I opened the box to see:
o) Nesco American Harvest FD-61 Food Dehydrator. One base, 4 large trays, and a power head rated at 500 watts, variable climate control (~95-155 temp range for various things). Most of the accessories that came with the kit were located inside the trays. Made in the USA! The dehydrator is rated as whisper quiet and is rather quiet. The emitting hum is close to quiet window-mounted AC unit. The unit is very stable and the construction is excellent. This unit really does get warm.
o) One extra tray (totalling 5 trays). Keep in mind that although this unit is expandable to 12 trays, you may have to begin rotating lower trays to the top during the drying process. With the included 5 trays it doesn't seem necessary, though I do trade the top tray with the bottom tray after the first hour during jerky drying.
o) A Jerky Kit. The Kit included a jerky gun, 3 tips, and 5 cures and 5 seasonings. The Jerky gun holds almost 3/4lb ground beef jerky mix. The tips included extrude a strip shape, narrow beef stick shape, and wide beef stick shape. The seasonings and cures are for ground beef as well. For each one pound of ground beef, you mix in one packet of cure and one packet of seasoning. The gun is great and works well. My only complaint is that that when the plunger is at the end (expelled all beef mix), there is some jerky left in the tip. This is especially true to the narrow and wide beef stick tips as they hold almost a full piece left.
o) Two Clean-a-Screens. These are screens with narrower holes for placement on a tray to prevent smaller food from falling as well as preventing sticky food (bananas, pineapple) from being hard to release once it's done drying. I have not used these yet though I have seen them used and they work well.
o) Two fruit "roll-up" trays. These are trays that cover the existing trays to prevent anything from falling below. The material is on the softer side so food release will be easy once drying is complete. I haven't used them for fruit rolls yet, though I hear they work great for that. I do, however, use them on the bottom tray to catch grease and other 'junk' when I dehydrate my beef.
o) Recipe/Guide. This book has the usual instructions and care handling. It also includes many recipes and instructions, tips and suggestions for preparing fruits, vegetables, meats (i.e. jerky), herbs, desserts, hobbies/crafts, and more. There are many cool recipes in here along with neat crafts such as wreaths that I plan to use.
Overall, this is an excellent kit and well worth the money. All items separate cost quite a bit. Don't forget, it's also made in the USA!
Note: It's been brought to my attention (thanks Div) that the box may be saying Made In USA, but has origin marks of Foreign & Domestic. I don't have mine ready at the moment (been shuffled a few times for various Keurigs), but I'd recommend checking this contradiction if it's a concern for you.
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From the manufacturer
Patented Converga-Flow system ensures even drying
The Best Food Dehydrators in the World.
NESCO/American Harvest has been the leader in food dehydrators for over 30 years! These units feature patented technologies that dry your food faster and more evenly than any of the competing models available, we know, because we've tried them all! Our Converge-a-Flow air flow assures even drying from top to bottom, without the tray rotation required by others.
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced 'pro', making beef jerky, drying fruits, vegetables, herbs, or flowers, NESCO/American Harvest offers the best units available.
Nesco Snackmaster Express Dehydrator with Jerky Gun
Model FD-61WHC
Introducing the Snackmaster Express All-In-One Kit. It's sleek, contemporary design features 500 watts of drying power, and generates maximum speed and quality for dehydrating fruits, vegetables, beef jerky, and venison jerky.
Helps dry food in hours, not days like ordinary food dehydrators. The top mounted fan eliminates the worry of liquids dripping into the the heating chamber!
It contains everything needed to dry all types of food including top mounted fan, 5 trays, 5 jerky spices and cures, a jerky gun with 3 tips, 2 Fruit Roll Sheets, 2 Clean-A-Screens, and a recipe book/care use guide.
- Patented Converga-Flow drying system
- No need to rotate trays
- Dries food in hours, not days
- 500 watts of drying power with top mounted fan
- Adjustable thermostat to dry foods at proper temperature
- Dishwasher safe (except powerhead)
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Compare with similar items
This Item  Nesco FD-61WHC Snackmaster Encore Food Dehydrator with Jerky Gun Kit for Great Snacks and Jerky, 5 Trays, Gray |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | -25% $8.99 List: $11.99 | $10.43 | $79.99 | $14.99 | $21.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 2 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 2 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 2 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 2 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 2 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Easy to clean | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Temperature Control | ||||||
| Durability | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Amazon.com | Sparkfish | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | RawNori Healthy Living |
| material | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic | Silicone |
| number of trays | 12 | 2 | — | 4 | 2 | — |
| shape | Round | Round | Round | Round | Round | Round |
| dishwasher safe | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| weight | 6.8 pounds | 0.14 pounds | 0.1 pounds | 6.3 pounds | 1.15 pounds | — |
Reviews with images
Glad this one works!
I received one of these as a Christmas present from my in-laws, and I was VERY excited to use it. Unfortunately, it was dead-on-arrival, and going through Amazon, it took over a month to get a replacement! I was crushed!!!! This was a present I had been looking forward to a lot! It really sucked because I prepared 3 lbs of meat to load into the dehydrator just to find out it was not working.Eventually I was issued a refund for the gift, and I ordered another one immediately. I had a slight disappointment when the replacement arrived and found the jerky gun didn't work; the trigger wasn't engaging the bar so it wouldn't extrude the jerky unless you constantly pushed on the back of it. It was a royal pain in the rear! But I was still able to get my batch of jerky out and it was good!I contacted Nesco's customer service via phone and spoke with a very nice woman about the jerky gun issue, and she took care of it! I had to wait a couple of weeks for the replacement to process, ship, and arrive at my house, but I'm not sore about that. I am just happy to have a working dehydrator and I was thrilled with the results; great homemade jerky!
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Sionainn
A great dehydrator for beginners!
Reviewed in Canada on January 10, 2017Style: DehydratorVerified Purchase
R P
Perfect starter dehydrator
Reviewed in Canada on April 16, 2021Style: DehydratorVerified Purchase
