Drying apple slices in just five hours and beef jerky in seven, this 425-watt dehydrator is exceptionally fast for its price range. Its patented hot-air circulation system ensures not only speed but uniformity, so foods dry evenly. Each of the five trays is 13-1/2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch deep (the plastic dehydrator stands 10 inches high), providing more than 12 square feet of tray space for drying lots of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers at one time. Available separately is a two-tray accessory pack that expands the dehydrator to seven trays. Also available separately are accessories for drying fruit rolls, soups, and sauces and for making jerky from ground meat. Accompanying the dehydrator is a detailed instruction booklet with a drying-time chart for various foods and recipes for cooking with dried foods. --Fred BrackFor years my family and I have been making jerky, what started out as a fun family pastime is now more of a competition. Before dehydrators were common we had to do it the old fashion way in the oven with long drying times, these days with the new and improved dehydrators the drying time has been cut way down what took two days now can be done in a few hours.
When shopping for your first or a new dehydrator there are a few things to keep in mind. First is weather to go with a top down unit or a bottom based unit, I prefer the newer top down versions, mainly because I like my jerky a bit on the moister side which requires you leave more marinade on the meat which tends to drip down through the trays and gets on the drying coil on the bottom, while this will not effect the drying time or the unit that much it is allot harder to clean up.
The second consideration is the wattage of the dehydrator, the higher the wattage the faster the meat will dry but the catch comes in at the price of the unit, the higher the wattage the more you are going to shell out.
Supplies are pretty ease to get, I'm finding seasonings in local stores as well as buying online, after you get a few batches under your belt you can start to get creative with the seasonings and drying times, I'm not a real fan of super hard jerky so I cut the recommended drying time back about an hour. I recommend the Nesco line of dehydrators that is the brand I'm using now with a top down drying method.
If you are new to jerky making or just thinking about it I highly recommend it and don't forget get the whole family involved, that's where the real fun come in.
For more information and recipes
Jerky is a way of life! start the fun
dehydrator