5 Best Rated Nesco Food Dehydrators to Have in The Kitchen | 2023 Buyer’s Guide

Best Nesco Food Dehydrator

Are you new to in the food dehydration space? We are dedicated to educate everyone on how to properly use but also maintain a food dehydrator. And then, you will with confidence purchase the Best Nesco Food Dehydrator to fit your use case scenario.

There are many types of Nesco food dehydrators on the market, but it can be challenging to choose the best one for you. There a few variables to consider, like size, power and probably the most important price.

Here below we have a list of our top picks. These are some among of the best rated food dehydrators with which you can make tasty dehydrated foods without much effort.

IMAGE PRODUCT DETAILS
A small product image of Nesco FD-75A
  • Air Flow: Vertical
  • Temp Range (°F): 95 – 165
  • Trays: 5
  • Wattage: 600
  • Warranty: 1 year
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A small product image of Nesco Gardenmaster FD-1010
  • Air Flow: Vertical
  • Temp Range (°F): 95 – 160
  • Trays: 8
  • Wattage: 1000
  • Warranty: 1 year
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A small product image of Nesco FD-37
  • Air Flow: Vertical
  • Temp Range (°F): 160
  • Trays: 4
  • Wattage: 400
  • Warranty: 1 year
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A small product image of Nesco Snackmaster Express FD-60
  • Air Flow: Converga-Flow
  • Temp Range (°F): 95 – 155
  • Trays: 4
  • Wattage: 500
  • Warranty: 1 year
View Latest Price
Small product image of NESCO FD-28JX JERKY XPRESS
  • Air Flow: Vertical
  • Temp Range (°F): 160
  • Trays: 4
  • Wattage: 350
  • Warranty: 1 year
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Before you buy

Before buying a Nesco food dehydrator, you need to check what kind of food dehydrator can suit of your choice. And also, you have to consider what kind of foods you want to dehydrate. You need to know if you will use it regularly.

Consider the frequency of use and the types of foods you plan to dehydrate the most and those should be your main deciding factors. You don’t want to pick the most budget option if you plan to dehydrate something like jerky on regular basis

Recommended reading: Our reviews of best commercial dehydrators for jerky on the market today.

Types of Food Dehydrators

They can differ in fan placement and the direction of the airflow. Therefore, the dehydrators can have types such as:

Product image of Nesco FD-10401. Stacked Trays with Vertical Flow

At this moment, Nesco only offers this type of food dehydrators. Vertical flow food dehydrators are also called stackable food dehydrators, which have a heat source located at the top or the bottom of the food processor. They are usually the more affordable option, but this is partly because they don’t dissipate heat uniformly.

Product image of Excalibur 3948CDB2. Slide-In Trays with Horizontal Flow

These food dehydrators are known as shelf tray food dehydrators which act somewhat like a conventional oven. It dehydrates food at a much higher rate and the heat distribution is much more even than a vertical flow dehydrator. The main downside to this type of dehydrators is their higher price tag.

 

What to Look for When Buying the Best Nesco Food Dehydrator?

Nowadays there are more additives added to everyday foods for various reasons. This doesn’t sit well with people who prefer organic and healthy alternatives. Because of this, a food dehydrator is a great choice for preserving food for long periods. Nesco offers a variety of models for you to choose, based on your needs. In that light, before buying a Nesco food dehydrator, here are some important things that you need to look for:

 

Uniform Drying

Uniform food drying is one of most important features of a food dehydrator. You want all your food to be equally dehydrated when the process is over. You don’t wat to come to the realization that one of your trays isn’t fully dehydrated while others are. That’s why it’s important when using a vertical flow dehydrator that you don’t pack your trays too tightly with food so that it prevents the air from circulating freely.

 

Size and Capacity

This one is on you: are you someone who prefers to dehydrate a lot of food at once, or do you dehydrate only often smaller amounts of food at certain times?

Depending on this, you have to choose: a bigger dehydrator will take a lot of counter space, and if you have a small kitchen it can overcrowd it. However, it can be stored away when it’s not in use. A dehydrator that has a great capacity, can dry larger amounts of food in a particular time. The ones with a vertical airflow system are known to take less space, but with that comes less capacity.

 

Accessories

Checking out accessories is also a smart thing to look for when buying dehydrators. Usually higher-end models come with accessories included. Those accessories can make you food preparation easier when prepping it for dehydration.

Dehydrated tomatoes in a jar, next to a dehydrator tray

 

Cleaning up

Cleaning up after dehydrating should be a fairly quick and easy thing to do. Because of this, look for ones that aren’t difficult to wash by hand. Check if the space inside is wide enough for easy access. One more thing to note: before cleaning it, check what can you use. In most cases, what is used is a damp cloth and warm water, but be careful not to damage anything.

 

Auto-Shut Off

Checking if the dehydrator has its auto shut off mode or not is a good idea. Having this option will make the whole process much easier and you won’t have to check it every so often if you’re busy cooking, cleaning, or working. Auto shut off mode automatically stops the process once your food is ready.

 

Noise

Dehydrators can be noisy, sometimes even a little loud if you are a person that is sensitive to white noise. Choosing a model that is a bit quieter would be a logical choice. Also, what would be helpful is reading the reviews from other people.

 

Temperature Settings

Many models are known to have a fixed temperature. For this reason, Nesco food dehydrator has a thermostat which helps you to set the temperature depending on the food you’re dehydrating and/or recipes.

How to Dehydrate Food Successfully Using a Nesco Food Dehydrator?

If you are just starting out with food dehydration the entire process can seem daunting. We promise that the food dehydration process can be quite fun and enjoyable.  There are however, some steps you need to follow to do it properly:

 

  • First, slice the food in thin layers and keep in mind to keep the slices in similar shape and thickness. Hold the slices under running water for couple of seconds, and wash with lukewarm water thoroughly to remove germs and bacteria.
  • You should organize the sliced food in the tray one by one. Set the right temperature and don’t raise the temperature to highest. This can burn your food right away and you would have to start over again. The type of fruit comes to matter as well, so be sure to do your research beforehand. Balance the heat as we’ve mentioned, and raise the temperature slightly.
  • After doing this, set the timer to allow the fruits to dehydrate properly. What you can also do, is dehydrate fruits in auto-shut-off mode. Doing this will automatically shut down process when the time is up so you won’t have to do it manually.
  • Once everything is complete, you can safely take out your dried fruits from the dehydrator, and after cooling them at the room temperature, you can enjoy your healthy snacks.

Our Top Picks

Out of many on the market right now, we have carefully picked through the list, and chose some of the best Nesco food dehydrators that come with the best features. They are all diverse in their features and pros and cons, so that you can choose wisely what your home needs. That being said, let’s check them out:

According to many users and their reviews, this is a very simple and easy to use dehydrator that is stackable. It is good for drying all types of herbs, nuts and vegetables sometimes even at the same time, since you will have much more space.

It has a function of convert-flows that creates both horizontal and vertical airflows to the foods and make them super tasty, fresh and ready for eating. When the food is in the process of dehydrating, many droplets can form, and this one is special because it mounts its heater and removes the excess of liquid droplets in the heating chamber. This dehydrator offers good results for people who are beginners.

 

Features

  • Free recipes with the manual
  • 5 trays
  • This versatile food dehydrator has two sheets – solid and mesh.
Product image of NESCO FD-75A

Specifications:

  • Wattage: 600
  • Trays: 5
  • Air Flow: Vertical
  • Temp. Range (°F): 95 – 165
  • Warranty: 1 year

PROS

  • Great capacity 
  • Best quality
  • Easy Maintenance

CONS

  • It doesn’t have a power button
  • No timer

For more info about this model, read our in-depth Nesco FD-75A review!


 

This dehydrator is the right choice if you are looking for a medium-range food dehydrator for your kitchen. Sometimes buying a medium-range will give you what you need, without having to spend more money on the expensive one. As said, it comes with great features that are usually found in the more expensive models, so you get the best of both worlds. You can also buy it at a fairly reasonable price.

It has the largest capacity for food, and because of this, it is a great investment for you as a buyer. You will find it easy to use even if you’ve never owned it before.

Features

  • It has the power of 1000 wats, which shortens the time to dry foods
  • This is an expandable dehydrator, and you can add more trays inside if you need to
  • It has additional accessories such as clean-screen, mesh screen, roll sheets
Product image of Nesco Gardenmaster FD-1010

Specifications:

  • Wattage: 1000
  • Trays: 8
  • Air Flow: Vertical
  • Temp. Range (°F): 95 – 160
  • Warranty: 1 year

PROS

  • Good airflow
  • Adjustable thermostat
  • Standard Accessories Include (1) Fruit Roll Sheet, (1) Clean-A-Screen, a sample of Jerky Seasoning & Cure, and a 52-page recipe & instruction book

CONS

  • It can be a bit noisy
  • It has no digital timer

This unit can be considered as a great option for anyone that is buying their first dehydrator and doesn’t what to spend a large amount of money. Being a budget option doesn’t affect its overall build. It’s lightweight which makes it really easy to move out of your way when you’re not using it.

Features

  • Expandable
  • Comes with fan-flow technology

Specifications:

  • Wattage: 400
  • Trays: 4
  • Air Flow: Vertical
  • Temp. Range (°F): 160
  • Warranty: 1 year

PROS

  • Very easy to clean
  • Transparent lid

CONS

  • It can be a bit noisy
  • No thermostat

For more in-depth info about this model, this is our Nesco FD-37 review!


 

This dehydrator offers 500 Watts of power and combined with Converga-Flow® it’s designed to dry your food is the shortest time possible. It has adjustable temperature control and can be expanded with up to 12 trays.

 

Features

  • It has a thermostat
  • Expandable
  • Accessories include: Fruit Roll Sheet, a Jerky Seasoning & Cure sample, and a 52-page recipe & instruction book

Specifications:

  • Wattage: 500
  • Trays: 4
  • Air Flow: Vertical
  • Temp. Range (°F): 95 – 155
  • Warranty: 1 year

PROS

  • Affordable
  • Shorter dry times
  • Powerful fan

CONS

  • No timer

This one is best known for its great fan-flow technology that helps dry food more efficiently. It’s great for drying foods where temperature changes aren’t required. It comes standard with accessories and jerky seasonings. Probably the most important thing is its affordable price followed by a plethora of positive reviews online.

Features

  • Wide drying trays
  • Good accessories
  • Easy maintenance

Specifications:

  • Wattage: 350
  • Trays: 4
  • Air Flow: Vertical
  • Temp. Range (°F): 160
  • Warranty: 1 year

PROS

  • Easy to assemble and clean
  • Can be washed in the dishwasher
  • It has a fixed thermostat

CONS

  • No Timer
  • Fixed Temperature

Check our our complete review of NESCO FD-28JX JERKY XPRESS by clicking this link!


 

Why Should You Own a Food Dehydrator Made by Nesco?

There are many reasons why you should own a dehydrator, but the main one is to make your life easier. We live in a fast-paced world and often we don’t have time to do everything ourselves, so we should invest in these little gadgets that do our food preparing for us.

a food dehydrator provides delicious foods for you and your family. Owning this appliance will shorten the number of times you go to the store to buy snacks. And most importantly the snacks made in it will be healthier than the ones from the store. So, to sum it up:

  • Nesco Food Dehydrator saves you a lot of time
  • It helps you consume healthy and tasty food or snacks for you or your family
  • You won’t have to make more trips to the local store to buy unhealthy snacks

 

How to Use a Nesco Food Dehydrator?

It is wise to be prepared ahead if using the dehydrator for the first time. Here is our step by step guide:

  1. You need to set a proper temperature depending on the food that you want to dehydrate-Don’t increase the temperature too early and quickly, it will make the food hard and inedible.
  2. After adjusting the temperature, arrange the food one by one on the trays. Arrange them so that they don’t have too much or too little space between them.
  3. After that, you have to set the timer for drying it. Wait until the drying process is complete.
  4.  4. When all is done, place it on the counter to cool at the room temperature and enjoy eating.

FAQs About Your New Nesco Food Dehydrator

When you use something for the first time, it can get a little confusing, or how to choose the right product for you, etc. We are here to answer all of those questions for you, and to help you make the right decision. After all, you don’t want to spend your money on a dehydrator that doesn’t fit your needs. Below we will present to you frequently asked questions that you probably have at this moment. Reading all of these will help you make an educated decision further on. 

What Should You Use the Best Nesco Food Dehydrators For?

You can use them for drying many different types of foods. Foods like fruit, vegetables, meat, nuts, herbs…

Are Nesco Food Dehydrators Really Good?

They are actually considered one of the best value options on the market. They provide great performance and quality at a good price.

Why Are Some Nesco Food Dehydrators So Expensive?

Some models are more expensive than others but that higher price tag usually comes with a greater set of features.

Do Nesco Food Dehydrators Come with a Warranty?

Yes, absolutely. They come with a one-year warranty.

Are Nesco Food Dehydrators Dishwasher Safe?

Yes, they are dishwasher safe. 

Can Nesco Food Dehydrators Be Used for Residential and Commercial Use?

Yes, anyone can use Nesco food dehydrators for both residential and commercial use. They can be used in many places such as hotels, restaurants, colleges, and offices.