Dehydrator recommendation?

(charlie3) #1

I’ve never used or owned a dehydrator. There are lot of them and prices vary. I feed only myself, have room in the kitchen for what ever will fit in a cubard. May be I don’t need a family size but may be I’m wrong about that. I don’t know what features I should care about. This is the kind of siutation where the first one you buy teaches you why you should have bought some other one. Can I avoid that extra step?

Beef jerly is my main interest right now. Store bought jerky is silly expensive. What’s the smart dyhdrator for a bachelor to buy and may be accessory items I should be considering?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

#2

I just made a batch of beef jerky in the oven! It was a complete success, no dehydrator required. I followed the recipe on Ketoconnect. I HIGHLY recommend you give it a try!

(Jean Taylor) #3

I don’t have a specific recommendation but I would go with a square one for jerky. I had one several years ago and it was round and seemed to me it just would have fit so much easier with a square one.

(charlie3) #4

I’ll keep the square shape in mind. I’m pretty sure jerky is going to be in the program. Recently I discovered I can buy zero carb jerky at Cosco made by a long time local meat processor called Oscer Meyer for 38 cents an ounce. That may keep me going while I’m still putting a paycheck in the bank but I’d like to be able to produce the stuff for the long run. An interesting than about the Oscer Meyer product, it doesn’t say anywhere that the product should be refrigerated after opening. Does that mean some jerky can have an indefinite shelf life?

(Jay AM) #5

Oven jerky is good. I had a cheap round one that cost me $30. It was loud, warm, and hard to store. I made jerky with ground beef, chicken breast, and one time tried ham. If I were buying one now, I’d probably look for a quieter one at the very least. One that is very easy to clean as those net looking racks collect dehydrated bits. One that has accesories easily available like extra trays. Really, just for jerky, a cheap one will do just fine. A cheap one will do just about everything fine and you can decide if you’ll actually use it enough to justify considering an upgrade. More expensive ones tend to be quieter, work evenly, are sometimes faster, and more efficient.

(Ron) #6

I have owned one of these for over 10 years and had nothing but great success with it. I highly recommend it.

(Janelle) #7

I make jerky in this. I bought two extra trays. I did some research. This dehydrator gets to 160F, which is important.

https://www.amazon.com/Nesco-FD-75A-Snackmaster-Dehydrator-White/dp/B0090WOCN0/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref=yo_pop_d_pd_title