Review on NESCO FD-37 Food Dehydrator: Preserve & Savor Culinary Delights Effortlessly! by Crystal Palmer

I bought this to make chicken jerky for my dog. With the recent panic surrounding the recall of Chinese cured foods, I figured it would be best to make my own. I sliced the chicken breast very thinly and put it in the dehydrator. I was amazed to see that the chicken dried in just 3 hours. Next time I'll think about slicing the chicken thicker, but either way the machine is excellent. Dried out the chicken in a short time. However, drying fruit and beef didn't impress me. In the dehydrator I put thinly sliced bananas, pineapple and an apple. After 13 hours of drying, the fruit was still not 100% dehydrated. The fruit never came out the way I wanted, like the dried fruit you buy in a bag at the grocery store, even after drying for 16 hours. I've also tried thin cuts of beef with the same result. After drying for at least 12 hours I didn't get the cured Slim Jim type. I used the dried pouch that came with the package and followed the instructions in the email. The meat was unappetizing and very salty. I will keep trying and experimenting. For now I'm giving it 3 stars because it serves the purpose I bought it for which was chicken jerky for my dog but I was hoping to make store bought beef jerky and I don't think it will ever happen . As for the noise, I used it in my garage so I didn't have to hear it for 12 hours, but the fan noise isn't too bad for me. Like a normal fan. I highly recommend this pet dehydrator. the owners want to make dog treats. I would not recommend it for any other purpose. I'll update after a few weeks of experimenting.