Review on 🍎 COSORI Food Dehydrator: 50 Jerky, Meat, Herbs, Fruit Recipes, Digital Temperature, 5-Tray Dryer Machine with Overheat Protection - ETL Listed by Stephanie Ingram

. Throughout this time I have been dehydrating: - fruits (bananas, persimmons, pineapples, mangoes, etc.) - herbs (including leaves and flowers for tea) - jerky (mostly beef). Other meats require too much preparation to make them safe for dehydration. ) Square dehydrators have a slightly larger capacity than round dehydrators, but they also don't dry as evenly. This Cosori device from a brand I've never heard of has a much smaller capacity. BENEFITS - Round trays dry food slightly more evenly than square trays - Temperatures can reach 165F making it safe for beef jerky. Dishwasher safe (a blessing, especially after cooking jerky) and BPA-free. 5 trays included (don't overload the stack or food may dehydrate unevenly making eating or storing unsafe) - Multiple temperature settings - Built-in timer that lasts up to 48 hours - Reasonably priced giving this unit good value - Overheat protection - Recipe booklet included CONS - Clear plastic top cover so fragile it could break. This is the BIGGEST problem with the product. Why a stronger lid wasn't included is confusing and knocks a full star off my rating - Round trays offer less space (than square) for drying food - Since heat is bottom-up, sauces can get into the center heating system drip . For this reason I will be using this dehydrator for all non-spicy/non-meaty products. For spicy/meaty dishes, I prefer top-down dehydrators. Bottom-up heating knocks off half the star - the TOP tray never dries as well as the bottom trays, probably because there is a vent at the top that allows most of the heat to escape without going through the items first. (Nesco gives off heat through the sides). About halfway through the drying process, I turn the top side down. I've never had this problem with a top down dryer. As I said, this product is good value for money. It dehydrated my fruit and herbs very well and the beef jerky came out great (except for the TOP bowls as mentioned). I still prefer my Nesco because the square pans offer more drying capacity and also because it's heated from top to bottom for easy cleaning. RECIPES AND TIPS The trays can be placed on the dryer either way - note that one side is MUCH flatter than the other. I didn't realize it until the second time I used this machine. Watch Alton Brown's Good Eats episode explaining how to make beef jerky. You will learn a lot. After that, just experiment with different recipes that you can find online. You can also use a meat grinder to reduce cooking time and keep the meat at an even depth. When cooking beef jerky, remember that fats spoil faster than meat. To keep your jerky as long as possible, trim off as much fat as possible and/or use as lean meat as you can find. I like jerky with a bit of fat so I keep it in the fridge as an extra precaution, although I have previously consumed it on a 4 day wilderness hike with no problems. Items (like fruits, herbs and vegetables) work very well with this dehydrator. For spicy or meaty dishes, due to the bottom-up heating concept, sauces can be quite difficult to wash out of this dehydrator, and if they fall down the middle and on the heating element, it can accelerate the destruction of the dehydrator. More quickly. It's a pity that the lid is made of such a thin material that eventually breaks when washed or whatever. Why discount this device with such a bad cap, Cosori? Also keep in mind that the top shells, especially the top ones, don't dry very well. If you found this review helpful, please click the Yes/Useful button below to encourage me to write more. Thank you!