Food-Dehydrator for Jerky 12 Stainless Steel Trays, 800W Food-Dehydrator Machine for Home Use, Food-Dryers Machine for Fruit, Meat, Treats, Herbs, Vegetables

Works great! Reaches temps over 165 degrees needed for making safe Jerky. I had oven thermometers to track temps. The stainless grills clean up great in the dish washer.

Finally, a dehydrator that serves my needs and works amazing. My family loves jerky, not to mention I garden, so lots of herbs, and yes, I even like banana chips. This dehydrator can tackle all of those items. I quite making banana chips years ago because I couldn't get them to crisp up. Not an issue any longer. My jerky is done quicker and the fact that the trays are metal/mesh, makes clean up SO easy, pop them in the dishwasher and good to go. I love having the digital temp and timer on the top for easy setting.

I have been making beef jerky since August 2011 when I purchased my first dehydrator, the Nesco FD-80 (it still works). During that entire time, I have dehydrated:- Fruit (bananas, persimmons, pineapples, etc)- Herbs (including leaves and flowers for tea)- Jerky (beef mostly. Other meats require too much preparation to make them safe for dehydration)With the Nesco's plastic trays starting to fall apart, I eyed the premium Excalibur dehydrator, but its high price made me balk every time I was about to purchase. Alternatives were less than desirable because their maximum heating temperature is usually up to only about 158F -- that generally is not a problem for beef although an internal meat temperature of 165F is considered safe (especially for poultry). Furthermore, unlike the Nesco's round trays, the Excalibur has square ones that pack a bit more capacity but also do not dry as evenly.This Colzer appliance caught my eye with its maximum temperature of 194F, but like the Excalibur, its square trays are not immune to the uneven drying effect. What I did find, however, is that the drying is better than with the dehydrator I used to have that was mostly plastic. I am not sure if an all-metal housing is making a positive difference, but it appears to be.PROS- Square trays provide more room for items to be dehydrated- Clear glass allows you to check on the items' status without opening the door- Multiple temperature settings going as high as a whopping 194F! (Warning: going that high may not be a good idea. More on that later)- Built-in timer that goes up to about 24 hours (minimum 30 mins)- Dishwasher-safe, BPA-free trays- Generous 8-tray capacity (each is 8.7" x 8.7")- 4 silicone sheets for drying fruit and small herbs that would fall through the metal tray's holes otherwise- All-metal housing- Greater value than the 8-tray Excalibur- Slim, tall design takes up less space than the NescoCONS- Temperature unit is locked to Celsius. There is no way to change to Fahrenheit-- Control panel has a built-in guide that shows Fahrenheith-Celsius conversions (if it did not have this, I would have returned the product)- Square trays dehydrate items more unevenly than rounded ones, partially because the rounded one generally throw heat downward in a more distributed way- All-metal housing makes the entire unit very hot to touch- Bottom of appliance has no tray to catch dripping juices, making cleanup a bit more painful than the Nesco (whose base could be removed for washing). I used a heavy-duty aluminum foil as a liner as a workaround, but will be on the lookout for an 8.4" x 8.4" tray insteadAs I had stated, the price-to-value ratio for this product is very good. It dehydrated my fruit and herb very well, and beef jerky came out pretty well (the pieces facing the glass door were not as dry as the ones at the back. You can alleviate that by rotating the trays half way through the drying.) Oddly, the manual states to pre-cook or boil the meat to 165F internal temperature and THEN dehydrate it (to ensure any germs are fully neutralized), but thankfully, we haven't experienced food poisoning yet. I do keep my jerky in the fridge for up to a month.Keep in mind that although the dehydrator can go up to 194F, a higher temperature may not necessarily be good for food. The high heat will first crisp up the exterior but leave the inside not as dry and potentially invite germs to grow. I stick to 165F for my jerky (Nesco's recommendation) despite the Colzer temperature guide stating up to 155F.RECIPES and TIPSWatch Alton Brown's Good Eats episode of how to make beef jerky. You'll learn quite a lot. After that, simply experiment with various recipes you may find on the internet. You may also consider a meat slicer to help cut some cooking time and to keep the meat at a consistent depth. Some butchers will gladly cut to size for you.For beef jerky, remember that fats spoil faster than meats. As such, for jerky to last as long as possible, trim out as much fat as you can and/or get as lean of a meat you can find. I like having some fat in my jerky, and so I keep it in the refrigerator as an extra precaution, although I have consumed it during a 4-day wilderness backpacking trip before without any issues.FINAL THOUGHTSI am glad to have finally found a square-tray dehydrator that works well without having to spend as much money as for an Excalibur. Should it continue to operate reliably, I will be more than happy to retire my 9-year-old Nesco FD-80 by gifting it to a friend (partially also so she won't ask me to make her jerky as often.) I just wish this Colzer could be changed to Fahrenheit, but no big deal.

I got this mainly to make jerky after a friend recommended it. I have done two batches of jerky in this and figured out that I can fit about 3lbs of meat from the jerky shooter I have. The digital temperature control is easy to use and it dries evenly without the need to move trays like the old one I had.While I had it out I made some apple chips and then decided to make some sun dried tomatoes. It easy easy to adjust temperatures and easy to set the timer with an automatic shut off.Trays fit easily in my dishwasher.

We originally had a plastic one, but my mom kept nagging at me about how the plastic one isn't safe, so she actually gave me money this year to buy one for my birthday (she said I get to pick anyone as long as they're metal).So, comparing this one and the other one we have, obviously the capacity is much larger. This one has 8 trays whereas the other we had only had 5. I also like the the temperature control setting, this one lets you choose setting from 68F to 194F (whereas our old one has a dial and you don't really know exactly where the temperature is set to ... just the approximately range that it's somewhere between 0 to 122/131 and somewhere between that and 158. This one also has a timer so I don't feel the constant urge to check on it every few hours to make sure it's not over-done. Obviously I think this is an upgrade to the one we already have, or else we wouldn't be getting it.I do notice that with this one, I don't have issue "smelling the food that I previously dehydrate", whereas the plastic one sometimes I can still smell it in the dehydrator after the trays are washed. The food also stick on the metal a lot less than the plastic, for whatever reasons. My chicken jerky treats also turn out more "store bought" like with this one. So far we have made dried figs, dried dog treats (chicken jerky) and dried apple slices with it and have been very happy with the result.The sign on the dehydrator says the exterior is hot when dehydrating, so I kept it away from my kid on the kitchen counter, however, when I touched it, I didn't think it was burning hot, but probably a good reminder to keep it away from children. I don't remember our plastic one ever had the sign or issue of being hot to touch while on but I also notice the max temperature on the new one is much higher (194 vs 158).Definitely find out what you want and don't care for in a dehydrator, and if you want all the bells and whistles I listed, this one is definitely a keeper. I am sure there are pricier ones with things I don't even know can be done, but I am not willing to pay more than this to find out. :)

I learned not to trust the recipe book that was included with this,but just googled what temperature and time to dehydrate my food.Easy to use, easy to clean and I learned I didn't need to turn the light on via back switch to run it. I turn it on only as a reminder for me to turn the food or when close to being finished.