NESCO FD-28JX JerkyXpress Food Dehydrator for Homemade Beef Jerky, Fruit & Veggie Snacks | Compact White Kitchen Appliance for Healthy Drying | Perfect for Camping, Hiking & On-the-Go Nutrition

I bought one of these in early October 2013 to make treats for my dogs - no more "made in China" for me. I went with the lower priced dehydrator thinking I wouldn't really be making a lot of jerky etc. but boy, was I wrong. I've made several batches of sweet potatoes, one batch of chicken jerky, lots and lots of beef jerky, several batches of banana chips (sliced bananas) and some apples. AND, for myself, pineapple slices.I don't do a thing to the meat, bananas, or pineapple but I did learn I much prefer to bake the potatoes first. The meat is put in a 250º oven for 1 hour as given in the instructions to be sure you don't have any problems with anything "bad".For the meat I buy thin slices at the store (generally sold for Italian or German dishes) and then cut them crossways into strips about 1 inch wide. (A friend said they bought fajita sliced meat - both beef and chicken rather than slicing it themselves and it worked very well.) I can fit about 2 # beef on the 5 trays that came with the dehydrator. Because I've dealt with beef from two different stores and one is sliced thinner the drying time takes 10 - 13 hours plus the hour in the oven. Be SURE to buy the leanest beef. I think I eat about as much of this as I give to the dogs. I store it in a container in the refrigerator. Because it's easier to break off pieces of the jerky if it's slightly "crispy" I dry mine a little more than most people might. Also easier for our Chihuahua to chew up if it isn't too chewy.The bananas are simply sliced about 1/4 inch thick, placed on the drying racks and dried. Again, I want them on the crisp side so they're easy to carry in my pocket for a training treat. Our Australian Terrier LOVES them. Apples were cored then sliced (I left the peel on) about 1/4 inch thick - no treatment. I do want to try doing the apples "french fry" style using my mandolin next time. I didn't get the apples "crisp" (over dry) because I wanted them a little chewy. Yes, the bananas and apples brown a little bit, but certainly not much and I definitely prefer that to anything treated. Slightly under ripe bananas work best. I store them in a Rubbermaid container on the counter.Sweet potatoes are very easy - I tried them unbaked but they were really hard and unappealing so I baked the next batch, cooled them in the fridge overnight and then peeled them (the peel slips right off), sliced them about 1/4 inch thick and dried them about 10 - 12 hours until they were dry but still "pliable" and not too crispy. Our terrier LOVES them and enjoys having something a little chewy. The red or bright "orange" look best dried. I did some of the yellow variety and while the dog didn't seem to care, I thought they looked blah and uninviting so I will stick to the brighter colored varieties. I store them in a Rubbermaid container on the counter.The pineapple I did for ME - I love dried pineapple but all I've found for years that has been for sale has been sweetened. I took out the core and sliced it about 1/4 inch thick. It took about 13 hours to dry and still be pliable. It did get a little sticky (maybe I needed to dry it just a tad more) but I keep it in the refrigerator and there is no problem. It's slightly chewy, tart / sweet and absolutely delicious. Next time I'm going to slice it a little bit thicker even if it takes a little longer to dry as it did shrink up quite a bit.I got a jerky gun but haven't used it because I wanted to use the sliced beef so I loaned the gun to a friend who has used it with hamburger and ground chicken. I've seen pieces of her jerky and they are very evenly made. They didn't use any seasoning at all with their meat.All in all I'm extremely pleased with this product. I think I've given it a good workout over the past few months and haven't had any problems. It's easy to clean - a big plus with me. It's also not overly bulky so it can sit nicely on the counter top when in use. I don't think it's loud when operating but you can hear the motor humming away.