What Dehydrator should I buy?

[sean mccutcheon]

My wife and kids want to buy me a dehydrator for Father's Day. I don't have any idea what to buy. I plan on using this mainly for backpacking meals. The number of meals could range from 2(my son and I) to 15(a scout troop outing)

[Bob Gross]

This has been covered previously here. How big should it be?

There are small diameter units, and many of these will be about 500 watts of power demand (maybe $50-$75). Then there are larger diameter units, and those might be 700 watts or 1000 watts (maybe $100-$200). Depending on the rate you pay for electricity, that might be a big factor.

–B.G.–

[Gary Dunckel]

I have a Nesco American Harvest Snackmaster FD-61 500 watt unit with an adjustable thermostat and fan. I think I paid $70 for it. I've run it through the mill for 2 years, and it keeps on going. You'll need at least 500 watts and a fan to circulate the heat. The thermostat allows you to regulate the temperature for different food types. I've never worked with a 700-1000 watt unit, so I can't compare. But this machine does all that I need it to do. I use just 4 trays at a time, but this model will work with up to 12. Hopefully, Sarah and Laurie will chime in with their ideas as well.

[Michael Reagan]

FWIW, I also have the American Harvest drier and have used it to dry veggies, fruits, meats, and sauces. Mine's about 3 years old and still going strong. I think it's a very good product.

[Dont Wantto]

I bought a 700 W Nesco from Amazon for $50 or so a couple of weeks ago.. the price seems to fluctuate a little bit (and the wattage might be 750 and not 700).

Anyway, it's worked great the 3 – 4 times I've run it and has lots of good reviews. It's plasticy.. entirely plastic.. essentially a large fan mounted on top of plastic trays. But I guess dehydrators are not so complicated..

[Kent C.]

This was rated as 5/5 here on BPL.

I thought I had the URL for the review, but I don't, sorry.

http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-American-FD-75PR-700-Watt-Dehydrator/dp/B000FFVJ3C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1235137761&sr=8-1

Currently $47.50; has been as high as $66.

[sean mccutcheon]

Is it worth it to buy the FD-75PR Snackmaster instead of the FD-61 Snackmaster® Encore?

[sean mccutcheon]

Thanks everyone for all the help. We just found and purchased the fd-75 on amazon for $47.00 w/ free shipping.

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