Nesco FD-80 American Harvest
This is the newest and only dehydrator offered by Nesco that has a square build versus circular. Many owners of this unit bought it specifically due to the square trays, which are easier to use when dehydrating jerky or other longer items. This is one of Nesco's mid-market dehydrators since they offer both smaller and larger units. The airflow/heat is located on top of the unit which provides for a much easier cleaning experience since any juices or moisture fall to the bottom plastic shelf. However, since hot air rises, there have been comments that the top shelves result in somewhat dryer food than the bottom shelves.
This unit is very comparable to the FD-75PR with the primary difference being the square shape, which provides more utilization of the drying trays and fits on counters a little better than the circular versions.
Accessories
This model includes 4 Drying Trays and a 52-page recipe and instruction book.
The Nesco Product Line
Nesco has been making food dehydrators for over 30 years and their tagline is "The Best Food Dehydrators in the World". The majority of the Nesco dehydrators have the following features:
- Circular, stackable tray design versus square/rectangular design. This allows for many of the units to have additional trays added. However, since each tray has a hole in the middle to accommodate for airflow it can make it difficult to dry large items such as bread or tall items since the trays range from 0.5 to 2.5 inches in height.
- Vertical airflow versus horizontal airflow - Patented Converga-Flow® fan forces heated air up or down (depending on whether the fan is located on the top or bottom of the unit) the exterior pressurized chamber, then horizontally across each individual tray, converging in the center, for fast, even and nutritious drying. No flavor mixing! No need for tray rotation.
- Vita-Save® Exterior - The opaque exterior blocks light to retain more of the food's nutrients and vitamins during the drying process.
- Dishwasher safe trays (if you wash them on the top rack and remove them prior to the drying cycle)