Review on 🍎 Nesco Snackmaster Express Dehydrator 13.5" X 9.75" White - Top-rated Food Dehydrator for Healthy Snacks and More! by Sophia Wells

Over the last 4 years I have dried a lot of fruit from late summer to fall. I have 4 dehydrators and keep detailed records of each. I've gotten so much good information from Revain reviews on buying dehydrators that I thought I could help someone like me. However, I remember going back and forth between two dehydrators and deciding to buy one of each as I needed two anyway. Here's what I've learned through BIG experience. Nsco FD-60 SAFELY is the best of the four dehydrators. It dries the fastest, about 25-30% faster than my second best, the Nesco FD-75PR. (I use model numbers because one of the most confusing things about making a purchase decision was the names of each model. They overlap from one model to the next, so I recommend just focusing on the model numbers when comparing.) The FD-60 is simpler to handle as the handle on the top lid cannot be folded down like on the FD-75PR, making lifting the lid a bit awkward. You do need to balance the lid a bit, while the FD-60 has a solid, well-designed inverted handle that makes lifting the lid very easy. I lift a lot, put the lid upside down on the counter and check, so that's actually a very important feature. Aside from the fact that FD-60 dries faster and the lid is easier to work with, I like both options. very much. Although one dries faster than the other, it doesn't dry out the fruit any more than the other. Both work equally well and dry fruit very well when the temperature is set correctly. I'm a little hotter than the recommended fruit temp they suggest is 135 degrees. I heat it to 140 degrees and watch the fruit like a hawk to make sure it doesn't dry out. One thing to add about the slower FD-75PR - I chose it over the FD-60 when I had to arrange drying time to be at home or out of bed when I needed to tend to the fruit. It takes at least 8 hours to dry even the smallest fruit so time is of the essence so this slower option is actually better so I don't have to get up at 5am or I can load the trays at 10pm instead of usual . Midnight. It usually takes me 8-11 hours with my faster dehydrator and 9-13 hours with my slower dehydrator to get all the fruit. I use up to 8 bowls but I don't want to go over 7. I dried up to 9 bowls in a dehydrator, but it wasn't optimal. It required a LOT, LOT of checks and follow-ups. I've found that with only 7 trays in one of the dehydrators, these are the dehydrator's sweet spots. None of my trays have warped, but I've only dried fruit so I've never gone over 140 degrees. They are also well cleaned of dried sticky fruit juices and mucus if left standing in a sink of water. I only use my dehydrators about a month a year, but this month they're under heavy use, running essentially 24 hours a day for about 4 weeks straight, with the only breaks when I wash and then reload the fruit bowls, which takes time about an hour. Of the four dehydrators I have, they all make the same amount of noise, so noise level doesn't matter when choosing between the two. My other two dehydrators are bottom heated and I wouldn't recommend them. The trays warped when too close to the bottom heat source, so I now always use an empty bottom tray. They dry the slowest and tend to dry out the edges of the fruit on the bottom skins but leave the inside of the fruit moist so they are not done, but the edges may brown. Cooking the fruit properly requires a lot of work and care. Perhaps more expensive dehydrators with a heat source on the bottom work better. The ones I have are older and definitely not that expensive, so that might be an issue. However, it is logical that a heat source from below could make things too hot below and not hot enough above. I know the heat rises upstairs, but for some reason it's too hot downstairs and not upside down enough, so I'm constantly moving trays from one tier to another to accommodate these bottom heated dehydrators. I would enthusiastically recommend both the FD-60 and FD-75PR, but if I could only buy one I would without a doubt buy the FD-60 because it's faster and the grip is more tailored to my use - frequent review , so much manipulation and having to flip the lid onto the counter when checking fruit - very easy without lifting the flip lid back up.