On 8/14/2015 11:37 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
I bought a dehydrator to preserve veggies and meats . I'm wondering if
there's a way to keep the trays from getting nasty . I ask because I
borrowed one from my neighbor and the trays had a build up of "stuff" that
had been processed in the unit - mostly residue from making jerky . Cooking
spray ? Line the trays with screen or hardware cloth ? Cheesecloth ? Or did
he just not clean his properly after use ?
This unit has a fan plus the heater , Nesco model FD-37 400 watt .
Supposed to process a LOT faster than the straight convection units . I'm
going to try some tomatoes early next week , and probably some deer jerky
this weekend .

As Derald and Susan said, keep everything clean. I have a twenty-year
old Snackmaster, Jr., bought at a Walmart at a hefty discount that still
works well. I also bought several extra trays that I found at a thrift
store for about five bucks for the lot. I'm not cheap, just thrifty. G

I bought some nylon netting at Hobby Lobby and cut the circles to match
the circular trays and they work great for small items. Mostly the
dehydrator is used to dehydrate herbs and, occasionally, fruit from out
trees.

If you're just starting out keep a watchful eye on the machine as some
of them can really dehydrate something fast. Dear wife uses it
occasionally and always forgets to keep an eye on the process, thence
producing really dry something or the other that is no longer edible. I
tried drying some diced onion once and we cried for an hour so quit
doing that.

Most dehydrators have plastic trays and they can easily be hand washed
when necessary and should be cleaned after each use with fruit and
vegetables. Good luck with your new toy.