I have one and love it. I haven't had a problem with the trays warping in the dishwasher, I just have to make sure they slant enough so they don't hit the spinning part. I haven't put the jerky trays or mesh screens in the dw though since they don't seem to be as tough as the trays. There are a couple of threads over on Harvest discussing dehydrators.

Jen

Thanks. I often forget about Harvest... I like to check there because they also discuss vacuum sealers from time to time.

I've used my Nesco AH dehydrator for years and years and have dried seemingly "tons" of food in it. Although I've never washed the trays in the dishwasher, the Care/Use/Recipe Guide says the trays can be washed on the top rack of your dishwasher IF you remove them before the drying cycle. Notice the IF and the TOP rack.

* FYI - I'd suggest NOT vacuum-sealing dehydrated foods in bags. I use a FoodSaver with the jar attachment or the Universal Lid for storage of dehydrated food. I seal jars where the food will remain free-flowing. If you vacuum-seal them in bags, there is still moisture remaining in dehydrated foods and they will become a cohesive mess if sealed in a bag.

* Fruits dried at home normally have had 80% of their moisture removed; vegetables, 90%. Even foods that are seemingly "crispy" will rehydrate from moisture in the air if you leave the lid off the container, so there is always a small amount of moisture remaining. I package apple slices used for snacking in the small snack-size zip-lock bags and then pack them into a 1/2-gallon jar with a Universal Lid which makes it easy to open and reclose. This way they don't rehydrate every time the jar is open.

* For most dehydrated foods, it's better to place them in user-friendly amounts, rather than a large container full-to-the-brim. Every time a package/container is re-opened, the food is exposed to air and moisture that lower the quality of the food.

* Store dried foods in a cool, dry, dark place. Home dried foods storage time is from a few months to a year. Most dried fruits can easily be stored for a year if stored at 60F, 6-months at 80°F, so storage temperature is critical. Vegetables have about half the storage shelf-life of fruits.

* You can also use a method called DEHYDROFREEZING where only about 70% of the moisture has been removed during dehydrating. BUT, it MUST be stored in the freezer to inhibit microbial growth. Some benefits using this method are a tastier product, better flavor and color. It also takes up less space in the freezer than fresh-frozen food. Dehydrofrozen foods also reconstitute in about half the time it takes for traditionally dried foods.

* Allow dehydrated foods to come to room temperature before storing, but don't let them cool so long they reabsorb moisture from the air. If you package warm foods, there will be enough moisture emmited that it can cause mold. Never use moldy food. This is another reason to package home-dehydrated foods in smaller bags or containers.

* Potatoes are nortorious for developing mold, so check them often and package them in small amounts. One reason this happens is when a knife is used to cut the slices, they will be differing thickness. Use a (cutting) mandoline so you have thickness that are the same. Then place like-sized foods on one tray, rather than a variety of sizes on one tray. If the sizes and thickness are the same, they have a better chance of dehydrating in the same amount of time. So put those smaller end pieces of a potato on one tray, the medium pieces on another tray, and the largest slices on another tray.

* Don't forget to use the new home drying recommendations for pre-treatment to help prevent microorganisms, such as Salmonella and E. Coli 0157:H7 from developing in your food.

* I love the book "Making & Using Dried Foods" by Phyllis Hobson. Not only does she cover nearly everything you can dehydrate, but recipes for using it. Not all foods dry at the same temperature, and she includes drying temperatures in the book.

* Don't "cook" your foods by turning up the temperature more than the recommended drying temperature. If you use a high temperature that is too high you'll "cook" the outside of the food, which is called hardcasing. When the outside is cooked, the moisture can't evaporate through that hard outside skin and the food will quickly spoil or mold in storage. So dehydrating isn't a hurry-up preservation method.

Check out the link below for more information.

-Grainlady

I'm so glad you asked this question. I got a Nesco dehydrator for Christmas. I won't use mine til this summer when my fruit trees produce, but I'm saving your info!
Thanks

wah. I asked for one for Christmas, but did not get one. I'll be watching though! My b'day is in April...:-)

Stacy

I have one, and you got a GREAT bargain there for 10 bucks.

You may wish to get more trays; I have eight and will be buying more. (You can stack them up to about 20, if I remember correctly, so you can process more at one time).

I have Mary Bell's cookbook on dehydration and find it useful.

As far as cleaning the trays: I find them to be a royal pain to clean because they're so bulky. I generally have all eight trays to be cleaned, so here's my lazy man's way of cleaning them: Shake off any dried stuff that's on them. Put them flat in the bathtub. Fill the tub with enough very hot water to cover them. Add about a cup of bleach. Come back the next day and rinse them off. Put them back on the unit to dry them before storing them.

I used it this past weekend to make up a bunch of jerky. I find that the amount on one tray fills a quart ziplock bag nicely; so eight trays, eight bags. FWIW, here's a recipe for beef jerky that I worked up and find to be tasty:

Guinness Beef Jerky Marinade

(This amount of marinade is sufficient for about 5 to 6 pounds of beef, which I find fill my eight trays fairly full)

6 lbs lean beef, sliced thinly--see Note 1
2 bottles (12-14 oz each) Guinness Stout
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2-4 tablespoons hot stuff (see Note 2)
optional: liquid smoke, 1 to 2 tbsp

In a large bowl pour stout and add salt, whisking to dissolve salt and decarbonate the stout. Add the garlic powder and hot stuff and mix well. Put the beef strips in the marinade by handfuls, swirling around to make sure all surfaces have come in contact with the marinade. Place the beef in a nonreactive container (a stainless stockpot works fine, pour the remaining marinade over the beef and refrigerate for at least an hour (more is better, mixing the beef strips every so often in the pot)

Place the strips flat on the trays and dry until done.

Note 1: I like to use round roast because it's very lean; eye of round is very easy to slice across the grain, and that yields a less stringy product. Don't use a fatty cut because it won't dry as thoroughly and won't have the storage properties of a leaner cut.

Note 2: I have used chipotle powder with good results; 4 tablespoons in this recipe makes a quite hot product, and 2 tbsp makes a pleasantly zingy one. If you want something quite mild, use sweet paprika which would make a product not at all hot but with pleasant flavor. Next batch I make, I'll use sriracha and see how it comes out.

Thank you, Arley, I'm going to try that beef jerky recipe. Elery would love it.

Bobby, I have a very old Harvest Maid dehydrator, it's square with nylon mesh that goes into plastic inserts and I wash the trays in the dishwasher all the time. I take all the trays out and make quarts of yogurt in it too, it's a big square box with a door that opens like a microwave.

I dehydrate a lot of things, from apples to beans to jerky, but one of my favorite experiments that I'm working on right now came from Eric Villegas, the chef who did the cookbook "Fork in the Road". he dehydrated morel mushrooms and mixed them with salt. I don't really care for morels but everyone else who tried it loved it.

Now I'm working on dehydrating cranberries, I'm going to dry them and them "powder" them and use them as a base for a rub for venison, to be served with a cranberry salsa.

Have fun, you got a nice dehydrator for a good price.

Annie

I've got an American Harvest and need to get back into using it again. Have never used the dishwasher as the trays are pretty big.

Thanks for the link, Grainlady. I had some trouble drying figs in past years... any tips? It seemed that if I got them dry enough to avoid mold down the road, they were SO dry that they were practically inedible. I did try freezing small bags of them in vac bags after drying last year, but haven't opened a bag yet to see if it helped.

Annie, I'm about to dry some cranberries also. Are you going to do anything to them before drying?

Grace

Bobby, during August I dehydrate bushels of tomatoes. Some I package as dried slices but others I run through the FP & grind into a powder. All winter, I use the tomato powder in soups & sauces as a substitute for canned. So much easier to store than cans & cans of tomato products.

Have fun!

/tricia

How about that... Way To Go Bobby!!!! Great price!

I just bought a Nesco/American Harvest Dehydrator the week before last, for $30... Mine also has 4 trays and the fruit leather thingy... I've washed everything in the dishwasher ( except the top ) but my dishwasher can be run without the drying cycle... Actually I just run it through two rinse cycles ( my tap water is 150 degrees ), three if I've used too much soap then I reassemble and run the empty dehydrator for 10 - 15 minutes, on high...

Just so you know, strawberries don't come out like the ones in Special K, no where near as dry... Mine were kinda on the chewy side... Oh, and don't dry strawberries with green peppers, well, unless you'd like strawberry flavored green peppers... LOL

And forget about making banana chips like you buy in the store... The ones in the store have been fried in coconut oil, soaked in honey with artificial flavors then dried... I made some passable ones by soaking the very thin banana slices in simple syrup ( 1 cup water, one cup sugar & 1 teaspoon Fruit Fresh ) for 5 minutes before drying but they were much closer to a 'leather' then chips... Oh and the seeds do get really dry and hard... lol

Great reply GrainLady!!

Tricia, I'd be very interested in finding out how you make tomato 'powder'.

Rita

Rita,

After the tomato slices are dry & cool just put some in the FP & let'er rip. The result is tomato powder. It's intensely flavored & sweet from vine-ripened tomatoes. Then, when making soup/sauce I just scoop in some of the powder instead of using tomato paste and/or tomato sauce. If a recipe calls for one can of tomato sauce...I use about 2 heaping teaspoons of my powder. If I want tomato chunks in, say, a soup...I coarsely chop the dried tomato slices & toss them in the pot along with some powder. I'm storage challenged & dried foods allow me to maintain a small food storage program I couldn't using canned goods. Also, since I make them...there's no salt or other additives in my tomato products. I have 2 Excalibur dehydrators that must be nearing 23 years old now & still going strong.

/tricia

gbsim -

Cranberries need to be processed by dropping them in a boiling water bath for 30-45 seconds to split the skins open - otherwise they won't dry properly. You can also cut them in half instead of blanching. It's more trouble to cut them, but you'll assure all the cranberries are ready to dehydrate by cutting instead of blanching. Unless you check the berries as you take them out of the boiling water, you'll find there are a number that don't "pop" and won't dehydrate properly.

You can also sweeten them in a honey dip - but oh, what a mess!

I purchased bags of cranberries at Aldi for 50-cents a bag, so I have enough dried cranberries now to last a year. ;-)

I've never done figs, but here's information from "Making and Using Dried Foods" by Phyllis Hobson.

-Figs should be soft and greenish yellow or purple in color when ripe. They soften and bruise easily, so they should be dried soon after picking. Wash in cold water and drain until dry. For whole figs, blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds to "check" (crack) the skins, then drain and blot dry. Or the skin may be pierced a few times with a fork. For faster drying, cut figs in half or finely chop. Figs may be steam blanched, dipped in honey dip, candied, or dried without pretreating.

Thinly spread whole fruit or pieces -- untreated, pretreated, or candied -- over dehydrator trays. Preheat dehydrator to 120°F (50°C). Dry, stirringfruit occasionally and rotating trays, until figs are chewy and dried through. Pieces take 10-12 hours. Whole figs take 36-48 hours.

-Grainlady

Hot dog Bobby, I got the SAME dehydrator for Christmas! Can't wait to try it for jerky or dried marinated tomatoes.

I do know that Gander Mountain in Lake Mary carries accessories for the Nesco dehydrators (extra trays, fruit leather trays, etc.).

gbsim, I cut the berries in half because I want them extremely dry. I "over dry" them, because I want to powder them. The last batch I didn't get quite dry enough, they were more chewy than powdery, LOL.

Cranberries are on sale at the local grocery right now for 99 cents a pound, so I'm trying it again.

Annie

GRainlady, you always give the best advice.

I'm going to seriously consider a dehydrator.

Ann

I know that I'm hijacking the original thread, but what will you use powdered cranberries for Annie?

Grace

I tried to dehydrate some canned pineapples, but it didn't work well at all. They shriveled up really small... didn't look anything like the ones I see at the flea market or health food store. Should I use a real pineapple instead of canned, or should I just lower the temperature? I used 135 degrees, because the guide on the lid said that is the setting for fruit. They were in there for about 15 hours. Any tips on getting a better result? Thanks!

Pineapple (source: Making & Using Dried Foods - by Phyllis Hobson)

Cut whole, ripe pineapples into 1/4-inch (Grainlady note: I've made it with slices as thick as 1/2-inch). Peel and core each slice. Dry slices whole or cut each slice into wedges or small bits. No pretreatment is necessary.

Spread slices, wedges, or bits on trays in a thin layer. Dry at 115°F (45°C) until chewy and dried through, about 24-36 hours. Well-dried pineapple pieces will not stick together when squeezed. Turn slices occasionally or stir pieces once or twice a day. Rotate trays once or twice during drying.

Grainlady note: I'd also suggest you use a "Clean-A-Screen" designed to be used with the Nesco AH dehydrator. It's a plastic mesh designed to be used for sticky fruits. They "flex" so it's easier to remove sticky, dried-on fruits (or vegetables). A good addition to your "tools" for the dehydrator.

-Grainlady

gbsim, as I mentioned, I've seen Chef Eric Villegas of PBS series "Fork in the Road" in person a couple of times. He's very big on local foods and ingredients and after talking with him I've been working on dehydrating cranberries, I'm going to dry them and them "powder" them and use them as a base for a rub for venison, to be served with a cranberry salsa.

As for dried fruits, I found dried strawberries to be awful, no one would eat them and I still have a jar if anyone can find a use for them I'd like to know.

My grandkids and Ashley love dried apples, though, I just dunk them in some water with lemon juice and dry the slices, the kids eat them right out of the bag, no sweetener at all. Of course, I did dry my own homegrown Red Delicious, so they were plenty sweet, I'll bet they wouldn't do it with Granny Smiths!

Annie

Annie - I tested every variety of apple I could find for dehydrated apples and Jonathan's (or hybrids that are part Jonathan) always won the taste test with our family. They are really sweet. Granny Smith's aren't good for snacking - too bland/sour - but work fine for cobblers and applesauce, as do other apple varieties where you add a sweetener and spices.

You can also make "powders" (fruit or vegetable) by dehydrating the liquified food (blender or food processor) on fruit roll-up sheets until they are crispy dry. Then blend to a powder in the blender/food processor.

I make powdered sweet potatoes by using mashed sweet potatoes (no milk or butter, just cooked mashed sweet potatoes) and spread them in a VERY thin layer on the fruit roll-up sheets and dehydrate until crispy dry. I put 1/2-cup of mashed sweet potatoes on 1/2 of the sheet - leave a bit of space - then another 1/2-cup. This makes it easy to divide it into individual bags for single servings (1/2-cup mashed sweet potatoes = 1 serving).

Dried Strawberry Topping

1 c. boiling water
1 c. dried strawberries
1 small package strawberry gelatin
1/2 c. whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping

Pour boiling water over dried strawberries and soak for 3-4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain, reserving both berries and any remaining soaking liquid. Add water to liquid to make 2-cups. Add gelatin and heat until gelatin is dissolved. Add refreshed strawberries and chill until almost set. Fold in whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping and serve on squares of cake.

-Grainlady

thanks, Grainlady, those strawberries have been in the basement in a pint jar for two years and no one will eat them, but I haven't brought myself to throwing them out, they were good, sweet, homegrown berries!

Annie

I got motivated to get out the dehydrator!

Have a pineapple, a cantaloupe, and some cranberries drying!

I did do a bunch of apples before Christmas but before that, I think it had been a year since I used it. For apples, I use Red Delicious (mainly because they're usually pretty cheap). I don't do any pretreatment, just slice and dry.

Dried fruit is always handy to take in the saddlebags when horseback riding and we're hoping to start riding again! I've been buying cranberries for scones and muffins, so it will be great to have a good stash for way cheaper.

Grace

Here is a hint for drying onions and peppers or other spicy stuff. See if you can do it on a covered porch or garage. Let me tell you the smell will last forever and a day:)

I have the Nesco and love it. My neighbor also has one and if I want to do a huge batch, I run Next door and borrow her Nesco too.

Stacie
girlsingardens

This is GREAT! Keep it coming! I may try that beef jerky recipe this weekend.

I made some beef jerky last night... it turned out great. I just soaked some steak strips in teriyaki sauce (with a spash of liquid smoke, and worstchershire, and tad bit of salt and pepper) in a vacuum sealed food saver bag. Then I ran the dehydrator on 165 for about 6 hours. They were red and tender and flavorful, and "jerky" all at the same time. Can't wait to do more. Bought a real pineapple (not canned) and some granny smith apples to do as well.

Fun, fun!

Bobby you made beef jerky? I love that stuff! Never had home made I bet it's really tasty!

Food Safety tips for jerky...

- Be sure to choose lean meat, especially if making ground meat-based jerky.

-The primary concern in making jerky is destroying microorganisms that cause foodborne illness.

-Partially-frozen meat is easier to slice.

-Handle the meat with clean hands, utensils and equipment.

-Keep the meat refrigerated before use AND during marination.

-[This is the step many people are unfamiliar with.] Meat and poultry jerky must be heated to 160°F to destroy microorganisms and this can be done two ways. 1) If the meat is marinated, heat the meat in the marinade prior to drying. 2) Heat the DRIED jerky in the oven at 275°F for 10-minutes after the dehydration process.

-Store jerky in an airtight container. For best results, store in the refrigerator or freezer. Even though the meat was lean, any remaining fat will quickly go rancid if left at room temperature.

For more information, check the link below.

-Grainlady