I have the round Nesco American Harvest Snackmaster Pro Dehydrator - fan on the top. My first one lasted 20+ years (used at least once a week, and non-stop during garden and apple season), so when I needed to replace it not long ago, I got another one just like it so all the extras (trays, Clean-A-Screen Sheets, Fruit Roll Sheets) I purchased over the years could still be used with the new one. The link below has some good general guidelines for choosing a dehydrator. When I teach classes on the subject, the majority of the people attending also have a Nesco. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: National Center For Home Food Preservation - Dehydrator

Even (if) the porcelain was completely bad, it is impossible for it to be cleanly dissolved/vaporized. The missing portion looks pretty clean to me. I don't know where it went or if it went or if is this is somehow a reaction which makes the metal appear to be bare. The only thing I'm sure of is that it doesn't look normal and I am not going to cook in it. As a matter of fact, non-stick surface can take temperature higher than 450 F and even at much higher temperature you still cannot cleanly remove the coating. I don't think that it did reach a very high temperature. I just reconfirmed with hubby that the pizza wasn't hot yet. I am concerned that whatever the material inside the cookwell was, you did make one meal in it and there might be health issue to consider. I believe that the matter needs to be escalated higher with Nesco until you get a satisfactory answer, not just with the Service Department. Do not throw away the defective cookwell. I believe Nesco may have a serious product liability issue here. The thought crossed my mind on the "health" issue. The cookwell looked normal after the first use and washing. It was during the second use, when he lifted the lid that it was found like this. Hubby is an engineer, and he could not have been more surprised. You may want to check the heatwell operation. Typically a device like this uses bi-metal thermostat or some mechanical / capillary device to control temperature. None of them are highly accurate or reliable. Looking at your picture, it is possible that the thermostat had failed and the interior temperature had risen to much higher range. If that's the case, it can damage your replacement cookwell just the same. Because the pizza wasn't hot yet, I don't think it overheated. I'll be watching the new cookwell closely for the first several uses. I find it strange that Nesco didn't want it returned if they were truly puzzled. I'm sure puzzled! If the porcelain broke off the underlying metal, you'd find pieces of it. It certainly didn't vaporize. Either Nesco already knows what's going on, or they just have a low-level person instructed to replace without argument anything people are unhappy with. Maybe you should write a letter to someone higher up. 
Manufacturers often use different plants in China from one year to the next, and quality can change drastically. I don't know if Nesco was puzzled, they did want photos emailed, which is why I had one available to post here. The person I talked to had discussed it with a manager. They actually suggested that we try to clean the "stains" with Soft Scrub. We explained that what they were seeing is not "stains" but rather missing finish. We did try it though, with no change in the appearance at all. I suspect our cookwell isn't the only one, something happened somewhere in the manufacturing process. I did ask them whether the cookwells are produced in China, which they denied. The quality coming out of China is all over the place, even on the same product. That is one reason we cook for our dogs to begin with, which makes this whole issue somewhat ironic. athomesewing, what is the dark material in the pic above the bare metal? Is it the coating which covered the metal before the lower part disappeared? The dark area is the original finish. The best way to descibe it is that the cookwell "looks" to be the same color and material that the heatwell is made of. Do you have other porcelain coated cookware for comparison, or are you familiar with the appearance of it, from having seen it on enameled steel canners or spaghetti pots? In other words, how certain are you that the cookwell was actually porcelain on steel? Porcelain is a ceramic material and is very durable except for a propensity to chip. This "porcelain" is like the bottom half of a oven broiler pan, the type that is generally included with a range. I don't know if it's porcelain, however that is what Nesco calls it. Looks like the heatwell. Is it possible that someone switched with you? A joke maybe? LOL...No, however if someone had switched, I would still wonder what would have caused theirs to look like this?

Elba, I think you could try sauteing the veggies in the Nesco at 325-350F until you get the feel of doing it. Any higher and I think the veggies might burn. Be sure to monitor the Nesco while you are cooking and stir the veggies a lot. I would think the sauce should simmer, not boil? Or I could be wrong. I've worked hard to get my chicken noodle soup recipe temp to just a low simmer which for my 6 qt Nesco is 300F. If you think the temp should be higher, then start it at 325F and check back often to see if the sauce is boiling too fast. You might find that 300F is good for your sauce too. I just put my chicken noodle soup in the Nesco - third time I have made this recipe. It is so much more convenient in the Nesco. First I grease/spray the cooking well then add chopped onions, carrots, and celery plus 1 clove of garlic chopped. Then I sprinkle with salt, pepper and about 1/2 t dried thyme. I put the rack on top of the vegetables, then a 3 lb. whole chicken on the rack. Sprinkle with dried or fresh parsley over all and put in 8 cups chicken broth - or half broth and half water. Cook for one hour till meat is falling off the bone, take out the chicken on the rack and set to let cool. Put 3 cups of noodles (I love the kluski noodles for this soup) in the Nesco and cook until done. Add in the bite-sized chicken meat off the bone and a good spoonful of Better Than Bouillon chicken base and stir well. Taste for additional salt and pepper. Serve hot! Let me know how your tomato sauce turns out! I might have to give that a try myself. Teresa

I have both the large Nesco and the smaller 6 quart and use the smaller one regularly to bake potatoes, it does a wonderful job. I don't like my baked potatoes wrapped in foil, as they do get "steamed" and the skins aren't nice and crunchy like they are just baked in the oven, so I just rub the potatoes with olive oil or butter, add some salt and put them right on the rack. Remember, the Nesco is really just a small oven, and anything you can do in the oven you can do in the Nesco, from baked potatoes to pot roast. I've made brownies in mine in a pinch, and used it as a bain marie for cheesecake. Here is a link to the Nesco site with lots of recipes, that'll give you a feel for what you can successfully do in it, I think. I will admit that I don't much care for biscuits done in the Nesco, they don't seem to brown well enough to suit me. http://www.nesco.com/recipes/?category%5B%5D=700&submit=Search Annie