Side by Side Comparison of: Presto vs Nesco

Don't want the preservatives and additives of store bought dehydrated fruits? Easy answer. We always seemed to have a bit of extra fruit between store trips. Thought we would give this a try. Much better that store bought fruit chips. Fresh. Machine puts out about the same noise as a medium sized air purifier. Basically white noise. You don't really notice it once it's been on. Doesn't have any controls whatsoever. Plug it in, set a timer alert on your phone and that's it :) Delicious !

This has been great so far. It's a little bit larger and has more room than I expected, but it has been perfect for drying out some peppers I've been growing to eventually grind into powder!

Really a great product at a great price. I was buying jerky a couple of times a week because I am on a high protein diet. It was $7 for a small bag. I had a similar device years ago and just never replaced it after it died. This is an upgrade for sure. It stores in a very clever way to minimize the space it takes. I took it out of the box, put in some strips I had been marinading for a couple of days, and this morning had bags of great homemade jerky. It just paid for itself. My wife is on a special diet as well (she always is) and is going to make some fruit. I am looking forward to trying that as well.

I reviewed serveral food dehydrator's before I made my purchase and I am happy to say I made the right choice!! I chose this dehydrator over others due to its ability to store compactly and its aesthetics in regards to appearance (oh, and the cord winds up underneath). I will probably use this dehydrator less than ten times a year; primarily used to make jerky, with occasional fruit assortments. After researching this specific dehydrator with and without thermostat, I chose to save a few extra dollars (due to my usage stated above) and purchase the one without. From my findings, there was maybe 10-15 degrees difference between each model at its highest temp and for my use was not a concern (I urge you to make your own findings.). I made jerky in thin cut slices (by knife, so as thin as I could make them) and started the process a 9:30pm. By 6am the next morning, almost all the jerky was finished. I let a few pieces go a little longer due to their thickness, but was very impressed in the outcome. The noise from the fan is minimal, at least to me. Once you place the lid over the top, it probably cuts the noise in half. Our sleeping quarters are upstairs, and since I run the dehydrator at night, there is no issue.

Based on the description I have given above on how I use my dehydrator, I highly recommend to all that will have similar usage. It's a great little machine for the price. I purchased two extra trays just so I could receive free shipping, knowing I'd end up needing a couple more in order to cut the drying time down.

Hope you enjoy your new food dehydrator as much as I do! Good luck with your purchase!

Thanks,

Read previous reviews, and figured for $35, couldn't go wrong.This little machine makes *amazing* dried fruits and vegetables. I ordered the slick sheets and extra trays.The noise is not an issue...it's not hair dryer loud, but it's not ceiling fan quiet. It takes far less time to dry things than the manual shows.-Banana chips - about 4 hours.-Tomatoes - about 3 hours.-Pears/Apples - about 1 hour.We've used canned apricots, cherries and even pineapple. Everything came out great. We've used applesauce and canned fruits to make puree for roll-ups. We've used it to dry vegetables for easy instant soup stock.This product exceeded my expectations, and with all the accessories we purchased, was less expensive than some of the fancier dehydrators.Features:Base unit is easily cleaned, trays stack nested and clear sturdy lid fits on top.The trays are top rack safe and can be used immediately without to much cleaning for the same food.The cord stores in the unit.The noise is tolerable...place it away from your traffic area, we mostly run it at night, which is more than enough time to dehydrate anything.Some options I picked up:Roll Up Makers:National Presto Dehydro Electric Food Dehydrator Fruit Roll SheetsExtra Trays: Presto 06306 Dehydro Electric Food Dehydrator Dehydrating TraysAlso a great jerky gun and sausage grinder:Jerky Cannon/Sausage Stuffer: LEM Products Jerky CannonMeat Grinder: Norpro Meat Grinder, Mincer, and Pasta Maker

These work great for making homemade fruit roll ups! I use sugar free apple sauce and sugar free jello mix in the dehydrator for about 5 hours on these inserts and my children LOVE THEM! I honestly haven't used them for anything else yet but they wipe off super easily and I'm sure I could find more uses if I could stop making fruit roll ups long enough to try it out lol

Just used these for the first time. A light spray of cooking spray and the fruit leather peeled right off. They fit my 06300 Presto perfecty. The one recommendation I have for users though, is to make sure to add a little honey or something sweet to your puree, as my first batch of fruit leather came out pretty bland. Too much banana mixed in I think.

These are great! I get quite a lot of use out of them for not only fruit roll-ups but I also make Spirulina bars and flax crackers.

These work awesome! I'm glad I ordered the extras for my new machine because I've been cranking out fruit rollups. Such a great use for fruit thats about to go bad. I spritz the tray with some coconut oil spray before pouring the puree on and they come right off after dehydrating, no problem. Easy to clean, great purchase

This product works great for making fruit leather. The instructions direct you to apply non-stick cooking spray to the sheet before coating it with your fruit puree, but I've forgotten that step several times and still had no issues peeling my dried fruit leather off.

These were very easy to use. I have used the sheets more than the plain trays, actually. The only limitation is the shape of the dehydrator itself. Being round, you don't end up with product that can be cut into uniform strips. Other than that, it works well, and is easy to clean.

This jerky gun worked great. Using ground beef, this is a fantastic way to make lots of jerky that is affordable and easy to chew.It could be better - if there were a rubber seal around the 'plunger' it would help push the meat off the inside of the chamber. There's also a little bit of meat left in the tips that you aren't able to make into jerky unless you shape it by hand. But for the price, this thing still gets five stars.The seasoning that comes with it is also good. I used to strength however, because I don't like super salty jerky. So for three pounds of meat, I used two packs of cure and two packs of seasoning.I am excited to try other things with the jerky gun including a beef/venison mixture, and maybe some fruit/meat combinations.

Great product this is my second one the first disappeared somewhere over time. I use this to make deer jerky from deer burger which we seem to always have a large amount of. People at work loved it and where surprised the seasoning was from a kit the taste is great. Everyone raved how good it was. It is made of plastic but holds up well if used correctly. I have yet to break one although if the tip stops up release pressure and clear it.

I love this. It makes creating my own jerky a breeze. The only complaint I have is that the plastic seems very brittle. I am always very careful with it because it seems like one drop and it will crack. I have seen other reviews mentioning cracks and I understand what they are saying. This type of plastic is prone to breakage, but for the price and what it gets done... I'm happy with it!

Best beef jerky I have ever had. It is so much easier using ground meat than having to slice up meat. I am a long time maker of jerky. I could not believe how easy this was to do. I even tried making Turkey Jerky with ground meat and it turned out Great. It really shocked me how good it was. This gun is easy to use easy and super easy to clean. Buy this kit and enjoy.

I actually bought this as a gift. I bought one for myself more than a year ago and love it. I've made jerky from both ground beef and ground venison. Everyone who I share it with loves it, and it is very easy to do provided you have a good food dehydrator (like our Excalibur - the BEST!)A few tips:- When packing in your seasoned ground meat mixture use a wooden spoon or some similar tool to pack the meat down and reduce the number of air pockets which will cause your neat "slim Jims" to break apart as you extrude them.- Keep a knife or a pair of kitchen shears handy to cut off the end of the extruding meat when you get to the end of your dehydrator tray.- When you come to the end of one tube of meat there is always meat packed into the end piece. I leave it there and repack the tube and just keep going. That way you only have to pull the last bit of meat out and hand shape it when you are all done.- Use only 90% lean meat.- After about an hour in my dehydrator at 155 degrees I pull out the jerky and roll them in paper towels (or press them if making flat strips) to remove fat that beads up on the surface. I do this again when they are done. This helps extend your jerky's shelf life.- A cleaning/storage suggestion. When I am all done I clean everything by hand with very hot water and dish soap, DRY them completely, and then pack all the items in plastic zip lock bags. That way I know everything is clean and ready to go the next time I want to make Jerky.Everyone I give a same to loves the jerky made with the Nesco seasonings and are surprised to learn they are homemade.A final tip. The jerky keeps without refrigeration for a good while but will eventually spoil (grow mold) if the temperature is warm. I make really large batches and then bag them up in small batches and place them in the freezer. That way I can just pull out a few (or an entire bag) when I am going hiking or down to the garden.This product is a winner, and for the price you can't beat it.Happy in Syracuse

I originally bought this for my dog so we can make jerky the right and healthy way (no salt and added preservatives). I also bought Nesco/American Harvest FD-80 Square-Shaped Dehydrator which I love too.We experimented with a few types of meat:85% beef - Not good - it's too greasy.93% beef - It's okay but still too greasy.96% beef - Perfect and dries faster.99% turkey - Perfect and dries faster.Before we got the jerky maker, I would slice as thin as possible chicken breast which worked great but it would dry unevenly because I couldn't cut the slices precisely. If you bought a dehydrator or have one, you should buy this jerky maker. It makes amazing jerky!I can't say that making your own jerky is cheaper because I usually do about 3lbs of meat to fill my 4 tray nesco squre dehydrator. By the time it is dry, it isn't very much jerky. I would spend about $15 for 3lbs of lean meat - it doesn't produce a lot of jerky. But if you care about health and control what goes into it, it is worth it.Oh and another important thing to point out, we don't add the "jerk" seasoning - which I think it's just salt. We love the seasoning that it comes with though. Just don't add the salt side of the packet!

Made "sundried" tomatoes. It worked! I look forward to many years of vegetable dehydrating in the future. I do wish it was just a touch smaller around, but I do like that the inside trays stack nicely to make it compact for storage. There is no temperature gauge, so you can only dehydrate at whatever the preset temp is (I want to say the manual said 165). Overall I am pleased with my purchase.

I mainly got this dehydrator to make healthy snacks/treats for my dog. Nowadays, pet bakeries and pet stores sell natural/healthy treats, but they're not cheap. I figured I could do the same thing at home for a fraction of the cost. So far I've used this once (it does take about 7-9 hours at a time). I made sweet potato and apple chips. My Corgi really loved the sweet potato (apples, not so much as I prepped it with lemon juice beforehand so it ended up a bit tart. But that's okay, I made it for experimenting purposes anyway. I ate those myself). I would recommend this, especially for pet owners!

I really like this dehydrator. We have only used it once so far for jerky but it turned out great. Used our other dehydrator too and this one outperformed by a long shot. Only issue is that my roommate mistakenly pushed the indicator light on the front thinking it was a power button and it fell right in the unit. Contacted the company and they were willing to fix if I sent the unit back but I opted not to as it isn't that big of a deal. You can tell when the unit is on. I like the overall look of it as well. As compact as it can be and has a nice sleek look to it. If you are looking for something to use on occasion this is the dehydrator for you. I can see how it would be just as good for constant use but I can't say that as I do not use it a lot.

I really love this dehydrator. We've dried berries and veggies from garden. The hubby has made some amazing venison jerky! I DO wish that I'd spent a little more time researching and got the one here on Amazon that is $20 more and has a timer... this one just plugs in and goes... unplug to stop. It does work and does a great job...but I'd recommend this same brand with the timer.

We have only used our Presto Dehydro a short time, but find this simple, affordable dehydrator to be well designed, sturdy, and it performs well.

It does put off some heat into the room, but we have it in an enclosed porch, so that is not a big problem.

We are still learning about dehydrating, and looking for more things to try in our new machine.

So far we've dried apples and some frozen peas and carrots. The dried peas and carrots, make an excellent, healthy snack to throw in a baggy and pop into my purse!

We bought some optional screens for fruit and small items, which made this possible.

Very good value.

Only 4 stars because of the heat emitted, and there is no 4 1/2 star option.

I would highly recommend this dehydrator!

I would have reviewed much sooner, but could not do so from my Android phone. Instructions on Amazon posts directed me to tap on selections not offered in the phone app format.

I am only able to do so now because Amazon sent me an email with a link to the review function with my purchase already loaded.

These worked great to make strawberry leather.

Made fruit leather for the first time and have no idea how that would can be done without this product. I never used another product so have nothing to compare. They work as intended and we ate the fruit so now time to try other recipes!

works great love it

I've just begun to use my dehydrator, so my experience is minimal. However, both the mesh & solid (fruit rollup) sheets have worked fine so far. The only drawback for both is they don't fit tightly, & slightly higher sides would be useful

First, I have to say, my dehydrator is the best thing I have ever received. I love it and love all the possibilities. These "plates" work great. I just blend some fruit (similar to a smoothie), poor it in, and let the dehydrator do the work. I do wish that the edges were a little higher, because sometimes the liquid overflows, but that's user error. Love the Product.

These sheets work pretty well in my vintage Mr. Coffee dehydrator. They are a little bit taller in the middle, so I just can't use them in the top tray, or the lid doesn't sit on top correctly. That's ok, because they otherwise do a great job for making flax crackers and chia + fruit cracker/leather, which is what I got them for.

So I bought and used this on June 23. It's an amazing product, but today was the second time I used it and it cracked.. never put it inThe dishwasher I have always washed it by hand I have had smaller ones in the past for probably 10 years and never broke not sure if it's a defect or what trying to contact Amazon to see what we can do other than that it is amazing product

The device is made of plastic with a metal rod and trigger. It keeps all the meat in place while I portion the strips out. I use a spoon to get a clean edge after the meat comes out. 1 Star down because sometimes the meat/fat sometimes gets stuck in the nozzle.

I made ground turkey jerky with my Jerky Works and used the cure that came with it. The turkey jerky turned out way too dry-my fault, and it was also way too salty. I think it would be better to make your own jerky cure and to use a high quality ground beef. I used the ground turkey jerky for dogs treats-great save, lasted several months.The insert with two slits makes the strips to small when they are dried. I would prefer a larger round insert for bigger round sticks of dried jerky. I like the way the Jerky Works is made, and with proper care I believe it will last a long time. I will use it again, but will use a lean ground beef instead of ground turkey. If I can find a good recipe for a home made cure mix, then I might try the ground turkey again.

tastes like delicious.A co-worker recommended this thing to me and I'm glad he did. I've used it twice to make jerky out of 4 pounds of ground beef and it takes about 30-45 minutes to get all of the meat/seasonings mixed and get all of the trays loaded with the strips.I've only used this twice so far; the first pass I made my own mix of seasonings and mixed in some Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke with it and the second time I used the seasoning/cure that came with the gun...holy salt flats! If I were to use their mix again I would cut their recommendation in half and use 1 seasoning/1 cure per 2 pounds of meat.The best thing about this to me though is you can mix in any sauce (bbq, teriyaki, soy, hot, literally thousands of kinds of sauces!) in a matter of 10 minutes instead of having to cut a roast into strips and letting them marinate over night before loading the racks with it. The worst thing about this is smelling the food for 5-8 hours before you can eat it.

The gun works fine (used Walmart 93%) and did not have a problem pushing it through the tip.What I did have a problem with is the salt preservative (right side of double pack) as it isWAY, WAY to salty for me, and at going on 67, am trying to cut back on this deadly stuff.I would recommend using a little soy sauce or half the pack instead. For those having problemspushing the mix through the tip, the soy just may be the way to go to add some liquid to the mix.I am not using the jerky for camping or hiking, but as a snack, so always refrigerate it as withall meat, so do not need that much preservative in the mix.

I'm very VERY pleasantly surprised! Some of the negative reviews had me doubting, but the low price on this gun won me over. I just "jerked" my first batch. Smooth and easy operation. I didn't have to pull the trigger hard at all. Some have complained about difficulty with smooth extrusion or with the gun "popping" apart, but I had no such experience (and I didn't have to spray the interior of the tube with cooking spray either). I can only guess that any such failures are due to incorrect assembly or using meat that is too cold (i.e. too STIFF). This gun isn't as "heavy duty" as some I've seen, but it is MUCH more affordable! I expect it to last many years and when (if) it does break, at $13, I can easily get a new one!I WILL say that I think the flavor of the "original" seasoning mix that comes with the gun is a little boring for my taste, but there is an abundance of seasoning mix recipes on line to mix up yourself! Just make sure to use one for ground beef. Recipes for sliced beef are very different.

Bought this as a replacement for another unit that arrived broken. For my taste it is way too large, and it takes forever to dry chicken strips, my main purpose for buying it.

Had fewer trays than depicted. Would also have gone with variable temp control if available.

2 improvements needed, 1, the lid slides off which is annoying if you dry a lot like I do, 2 no on/off only plug in and it goes. Good enough for a cheap dryer but the lid thing needs to be improved

It works well, but it's very loud. As in, you don't want to be in the same room with it. After dehydrating sweet potato slices for our dogs, and listening to the constant fan and motor noise for about 8 hours, the slices were done and so were we. I am using my old Deni (which seems to have fallen off the face of the earth as far as being available again) for now until it dies, and then will use this one in the basement where we can't hear it. It works really well, but it's just annoyingly loud.

The construction and quality of the parts on this dehydrator are excellent. I think it is probably sturdy enough to last for several years and hundreds of uses. However, it does have two very big flaws... no timer and no ability to set the dehydrating temperature. After researching several websites on proper dehydrating techniques, I have discovered that temperature is very important. If set too high, the dehydrator could ruin some of your foods. This dehydrator has only one temperature. And since it does not have a timer to turn the apparatus off, you will have to monitor the dehydrator yourself.

I returned the one I purchased to Amazon after discovering this flaw and am upgrading to Presto model 06301... it has both a timer and a thermostat ranging from 90F to 160F. The cost of 06301 is $23.00 more but well worth the extra dollars spent.

If money is a factor, your personal time (to monitor the dehydrator) does not matter, and making jerky is your only interest, then this might work for you. However, if you want to dry beer hops cones and other herbs as I do, you need something with a temperature setting around 95F.

It works okay. I am just not sure making home made fruit strips is worth it. Some parts will dry out quickly and get hard whereas another area remains wet.

Works just fine, although it scratches easily and it isn't non-stick at all. I suggest some parchment paper or a cooking spray.

more sticky than I had hoped, but okay

Oil them down when making fruit rolls. I had to soak and trash six trays worth because they stuck to it. After I oiled them and put my fruit mixture down it worked fine.

The trays are fine, however, the first wash in the dishwasher they warped. We turn off the high heat to save electricity when washing dishes. They were on the bottom rack because they'll never fit in the top. They are still usable as long as they are perfectly balanced in the dehydrator. Otherwise the puree runs off the warped side.

They are smaller and weaker than the original ones that came with the dehydrator. They still fit okay, just wish they were bigger.

Seems very flimsy and made of the cheapest available plastic. I am using it to make dog treats from cooked brown rice and salmon. The mix that I am putting in is very soft and gooey and comes out onto the dehydrator very well. I am not sure how this would work on anything stiffer. I do not expect this to last very long and will try something more substantial as soon as it breaks. There is no way anyone here is eating anything made with the spice packets!

Beware that this is a messy process! the device works great to squeeze the meat mixed with spices and cure into either cylinder tube shapes, thin or fat flat strips, however the mixing and filling of the device is a lot of work.Please also note, there are packets of spices and cure that come with the device that can also be used mixed with a little water as a cure for sliced meat strips, which also works well, however I find the flavor a little salty.

Until this product broke, it did exactly as advertised. I used it with ground venison to make excellent jerky. Even the mixes that came with the jerky gun were pretty good. However, even after following the advice of other users, the "barrel" broke on this gun. That did not bother me as much as my interaction with customer support.The burden for replacement or repair is put entirely on the customer, even though this is a well known issue with this product. I can't imagine any other jerky gun would perform any worse than this one, so I can't really recommend this item.

So the gun works ok, but not if you use wet ingredients in the ground meat. I used a mix with soy sauce in it and the gun kept popping apart. A mix with only dry ingredients in it worked fine. A note on the cure and seasoning packets: use care and cheep meat on your first batch if you use these. I used the packets as per instructions and the resulting jerky was so salty I couldn't eat it. Also, a lot of msg and other ingredients like soy you really don't need. What's the point of making homemade jerky if you put all the same junk in it that the store bought jerky has? There are lots of great recipies online for ground meat jerkey that use more natural things and allow you to control the sodium level a bit. Plus, the refill packets are a bit pricey, so there is that too

When the product is working correctly it is awesome (but what product wouldn't be), but sometimes it will pop out between the plastic container and back of the gun. I don't know if the threads aren't thick enough or what, but I know for certain you can't use cold meat use need to use room temperature meat in order for it to work properly 75% of the time. I have only tried this with ground bison and ground beef with the two jerky dispenser, but I wish the back end wouldn't pop off. Also, I know it probably goes with out saying but stay clear of the teeth of the gun they are extremely sharp and even if it drops on your arm or your finger touches it; it will cut you and deep. KEEP AWAY FROM KIDS!!! I was really hoping great things from this product but will possibly need to find on made completely out of metal and glass to be more durable, but what do you expect when you are trying to save money.On a side not the packet ingredients are great make sure to mix the cure really well or you will have some salty meat. I've actually cut down and only used about 75% of the packet, but everyone loves the meat and it is AWESOME with bison. I used the above method and then dehydrated for 5-6 hours and it's soft with great flavor, my grandmother loved it.Summary if the back end wouldn't pop off this would get 5 stars and I'd probably buy another one, but maybe the next generation will fix this problem.

This is a great product designed to make your ground beef jerky making process easier.What I like:The gun itself is very helpful in forming strips and sticks of jerky. The different nozzles allow me to make my jerky into whatever shape I like. The gun is easy to use and quite precise. All you have to do is load it with seasoned ground beef and squeeze it out. You can control the length of the jerky. It even makes a pleasant clicking sound as you watch your neat strips/sticks of jerky come out from the other end. I would not know how to form ground beef otherwise. Your hand WILL get tired after a while, but that is why we have two hands =)I LOVE the seasoning & cure packets that came with it. They were delicious, and make your jerky taste exactly like store bought stuff. They give you a good amount, too. Enough to make 5-10 pounds of jerky depending on your taste. After finishing them I decided to mix my own cure & seasoning by buying salt cure and liquid smoke, etc. but so far I haven't been able to come up with a consistently tasty seasoning for my jerky. If you want consistent great tasting jerky, I highly recommend ordering more of these packets individually.However, this jerky gun, as convenient as it is, does have a major, major, MARJOR problem...Major problem:The VITAL piece that pushes out the jerky is made of PLASTIC!!!! Oh lord, what are they thinking?! I am talking about the piece that connects to the end of the core metal stick. It is made of a thin piece of plastic! I understand that it needs to come off so it can be cleaned, but can't they make it metal too? My jerky gun is lying in the bottom storage drawer of my oven right now, because that one little piece of plastic cracked after making jerky 9-10 times. Yes, I made a lot of jerky with it, yes, it was great while it lasted --- but if you want a long term relationship with your jerky gun, and not have to toss the whole thing just because one little piece malfunctioned, you need to look else where for a sturdy gun.One (not so good) way to fix it:This vital piece began cracking after my 6th batch of jerky. It did not fall apart, just a little crack, so I found a temporary solution: I found a metal jar cap that is the same size, cleaned it well, and placed it in front of the plastic piece. It worked for a while, but eventually the meat escaped from the space around it and made a mess (what was I thinking). Also, you can try super glue. I haven't tried it yet, but super glue works wonders with plastic.Over all:With all its imperfections, this one does seem to be the most economic jerky gun--- precisely because it is imperfect. So I would say if you are a first time jerky maker, and you're not sure if you would want to make jerky forever, then give this a try. If you are like me, and eat jerky as a part of your stable diet, please skip this item and buy an all metal jerky gun. They do have those, though they are much more expensive.Thanks for reading!

The dehydrator arrived with a cracked tray. I'll be sending it back.

Haven't even owned this for a year and its done. Overheats - extremely hot right away you can't even touch the lid without a hot pad! I am so disappointed...Even with the heat issue, its not dehydrating anymore.

I would probably have given this dehydrator 4 stars except for two peripheral, but for me very significant issues.First, enclosed with the product came a warning legislated by the state of CA: "This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm." Might not have purchased this if I had known that. Might also be some insignificant part internal to the motor. Don't know. Hopefully the food trays and circulating air are safe. I'm not obsessive about this stuff. I grew up drinking out of garden hoses. But why take unnecessary chances?Second: I knew 4 trays would not be enough, but since it is expandable to 8 trays, I assumed that I could buy more if I liked the product. As of today, 8-27-16, the original dehydrator costs $40. An additional two trays is $25!!!! or $50 to achieve the max of 8 trays. Another $6 for the screen (2 count) to dehydrate small items like corn or peas, and $6 more if you want the mesh (also only 2) to make fruit rolls. This thing runs for hours and hours, for some dense foods more than a day, rated at 600 Watts. 4 trays of zucchini chips (touching. If I followed the directions so that they were not touching, I would have had even less) produced ONE pint size mason jar of chips. 8 trays would have given an almost acceptable yield, but I'm not sure I am willing to invest an additional $62 to get the parts I need. I wish I had spent a little more and gotten what I needed. Maybe even an adjustable thermostat.Also, while the trays do nest nicely, this is anything but "compact" to store. Nested, it is 15" in diameter and 7.5" high. Too big to store in my pretty good sized microwave.

I had had no experience with drying food before buying this dehydrator. It delivers what it promises - warm air fanned upwards through trays of drying things. But if you are considering buying one for yourself, borrow someone else's to try it out first. Carrots turn into little rocks. bananas into grotesque leathery blobs; peaches into inedible rubbery shapes. One practical problem is that it is huge and takes up more counter space than you might think.

I want to love this dehydrator, however I just received a second cracked lid. Upon unpacking I noticed the lid was cracked. The manufacturer was very pleasant to deal with and quickly shipped another lid. I just opened the package for the replacement and there's a huge crack. So disappointed. Clearly this is a packing/shipping issue.The product seems great, I used it once on strawberries. (Even with a cracked lid they dried) Hopefully I can get another functioning lid.

With no temperature control, items are not consistent from one batch to another. Also, air circulation leads to different layers drying at different levels resulting in non-uniformity. All in all, dried fruits have either the consistency of rubber or wood chips. Having to check every half hour and rotating trays just isn't worth the time and effort -- store bought may be more expensive, but at least you are relatively sure of the product consistency.

They did not work in my dehydrator.

It takes way to long to dry food and makes a lot of noise. i thought i would love it and use it all the time. I'm trying to sell it....

Did not fit the dehydrator trays

I bought this as it was suggested for my dehydrator, however the size was too small for my trays. Will not buy again.

The seasoning okay I suppose, every one has different tastes so hard to judge. The jerky gun itself though is complete garbage. No metal support areas or even a structurally addicuit plastic where needed. Started to use with double strip cone, first pump pops end at tip off, reseat, 2nd pump pops handle end off, reseat, 3rd pump blows back of handle section apart gun is broken and unusable, garbage. Just spend a bit more and buy a metal jekyjerky gun.

not happy with this item. I used this item only 5 times. The last few usages, I had a very difficult time disassembling the unit for cleaning. When it works, it woks well, but I cannot give this item 5 stars because it is very difficult to unscrew the parts after using it. I am sorry to say this because I love the way that you can prepare larger amounts of jerky at one time without refilling it more often . I am now sad and disappointed.

How effective this thing is for you will depend on what you are making. I bought this for my wife so that she could make Thai style sausage, which contains rice and glass noodles etc., making the filler thicker than normal sausage. The available nozzles are too small for that apparently. That means more pressure builds up, which, in turn, means you are overworking your hands to get the filler in to the casing and, most importantly, it means the trigger constantly pops off of the cylinder. If given the choice to buy again I would opt for something made out of metal instead of plastic.Caveat emptor!

I had one of these in the past and it worked fine until the plastic cracked. So I bought a replacement. I was able to struggle through using this for one 5 lb batch of jerky. And after that, I cleaned it, put it in the donation bin, and bought a different METAL jerky gun. I am not sure if the design changed, or if I had a defective unit, but the thing would pop apart while you were using it, then the metal railing started to bind up. I actually hurt my hand from trying to struggle through using this. I was only loading 1 lb of meat at a time, or less than 1 lb, and using the large double jerky nozzle-- do there shouldn't have been too much pressure. It works but not efficiently. Spend a little more for a metal gun for a less frustrating experience.I do have a Nesco dehydrator and it works great-- quality issues may be limited to this model.

I read previous reviews and decided to go with the nesco any way. The pros: easy to load, easy clean up, produces nice, consistent size jerky sticks,The cons: when the plastic case gets ground beef around the end where the top screws on, and it will. The top pops off when trying to squeeze the trigger. I didn't squeeze hard, just consistent to advance to plunger. They should have added a few more threads on the end of the gun. I make 3 pounds of jerky and the top popped off 5 different times. screwed it on tight each time. It has the cheap plastic feel and you have to be super carful you don't break it. The jerky seasoning was awesome. just not a fan of the gun.

I've used this jerky gun twice and then it broke. I bought it because it was the first time I was making jerky and I wanted to know if I would like it. I did! The spices and cure are absolutely fantastic... but I'm not impressed with this gun device. I've processed my meet in the robot with the spice and cure before loading the gun... Well I can only say it's a cheap piece of plastic. I really don't like when I buy an object and when I'm using it as it is supposed to be used... and it breaks (not even fixable!!!) after two uses. Buy their jerky spices... not their jerky gun. For the Jerky Gun, may I suggest that you use the LEM brand... a bit more expensive but you'll sure receive a quality product that works like a corking gun.!

I just received it today. To my surprise, it didn't even come with an outer box. It was just shipped in its original box. Normally I wouldn't care, but I bought this for a bridal shower! The box is all mangled and it looked like it was opened on the sides! The tape on the side was ripped open.I do not have time to order another one so I hope the insides aren't damaged.

Used once- did not start the second time I used it. Dead! I followed all instructions and did not put in water-Don't buy

does not have power button. does not have timer nor temp controls. Be careful when ordering this product since they charge return shipping

Just stopped working after 3 times if using it. Not sure what happened because it was still brand new and never abused. Anyway unhappy with my purchase.

Made jerky once and where you the thread is that connects to the red gun part keeps popping off. Really sad I should have bought a metal one.

Seemed to vaporize food rather than dehydrate it. Slow loud and too hot. Disappointed

This was part of the add on with the dehydrator, I only receive one tray instead of two.

Followed the directions and it makes nothing even close to fruit leathers or roll ups. Really bad the kids wouldnt even eat them! Gave them to the dog.

Don't fit the my dehydrator

Why bother? I just use wax paper and it's a lot easier to peel. These came as an add on item, I had decided not to buy them and somehow they got plugged onto my order the next time I logged in without really asking me.

arrived cracked

It cracked in less than one day. Don't buy. I got the jerky spot instead which is way more expensive but all metal and much better. Thank you Amazon for refunding me. It didn't allow for normal return.

The third time I used this item, the side of the main tube split out. It didn't last 2 weeks. I tried to return it through Amazon but was notified that the item was not eligible for return. Very Disappointed. I've got the smaller Nesco gun and it has lasted for 15+ years. Nesco BJX-5 Jumbo Jerky Works Kit

Garbage!! Don't even waste your time! 1) the plastic threads are to fine, as you squeeze trigger pressure builds up and the pieces pop and your stuck with half the product in one hand and the other part in the other hand. 2) well it's trash. Lol no seriously I guess if you were pressing out Jello or something it would work perfect!

Jerky gun is a very poor design. The nozzles except for the round one put to much back pressure to allow the cheap ratchet and lever to push the meat through the gun. Hold the the other two nozzles sideways. You'll see that the flat short width of the nozzles acts like a flat brick wall which makes the cheap ratchet trigger too weak to advance the meat through the flat nozzles. That's why chaulk tubes have a tapered nozzle. Order a jerky gun with a longer tapered nozzle.

I have purchased many nesco products and have been very pleased. This product I can't even believe they would put their name on. The gun does not work. I made ground turkey and mixed with hot and spicy mix. Tried to push it thru the gun and as soon as there is pressure the back pops off. I tried grinding it up smaller in a food processor and just made more dishes to wash. Even tried to put a little oil on the top to help the meat slip thu. What a waste of money and time. Not to mention all the meat that was purchased. Was so looking forward to making jerky tonight and so extremely dissapointed! It will be going in the trash. You get what you pay for! Deserves 0 stars.

Junk don't waste your money. They end blows off it each time you try and press any king of ground meat through it. I quit using it and bought a metal jerky gun on here that is amazing. It was about double the price but worth every penny. Save yourself from pitching 20 bucks in the trash and spend the money on a quality jerky gun. One thing I will say though is the jerky mix that comes with it is good. I still use the Nesco dry mix on my ground meat like burger and deer.