NESCO FD-80 Instruction Manual
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Welcome to the fun and exciting world
of food dehydration, and thank you for
choosing Nesco®American Harvest®– “The
world’s fastest, most even drying dehydrators”
®
Our long history of developing and manufacturing food
dehydrators and accessories enables us to bring to you
the best in patented drying technology.
If you have any questions regarding your food
dehydrator and/or food dehydration, please contact
our Customer Service Department at 800-288-4545.
We will be happy to assist you.
Customer Satisfaction is our Goal
1-800-288-4545
www.nesco.com
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Dehydrator
& Jerky Maker
Important Safeguards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Dehydrator Use and Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-7
General Drying Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-10
Drying Fruits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12
Drying Fruit Rolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Fruit Drying Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-15
Drying Vegetables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16-17
Vegetable Drying Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18-19
Drying Jerky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20-23
Drying Herbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24-25
Herb Drying Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26-27
Rehydrating Dried Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Cooking with Dried Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29-35
Drying Crafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36-40
Other Nesco Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Warranty and Service Satisfaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
One Year Limited Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44-46
Table of Contents
The Metal Ware Corporation
1700 Monroe Street
P.O. Box 237
Two Rivers, WI 54241-0237
Part Number 300-01451
This product is covered by one or more of the following patents: U.S. 4,190,965; 5,420,393;
5,423,249; Australia D102489; other patents pending. © 1998 The Metal Ware Corp. All Rights
Reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or part. Printed in the U.S.A.
www.nesco.com
1-800-288-4545
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Important Safeguards
This product is designed for household use only
When using electrical appliances, basic safety precautions should always
be followed, including the following:
1. Read all instructions.
2. Do not touch hot surfaces.
3. To protect against electrical shock, do not immerse power unit or
any part of the dehydrator cord and plug, in water or other liquid.
4. Close supervision is necessary when any appliance is used by or
near children.
5. Unplug from outlet when not in use and before cleaning. Allow the
unit to cool before putting on or taking off parts.
6. Do not operate any appliance with a damaged cord or plug, or after
the appliance malfunctions, or has been damaged in any manner.
Return the appliance to the nearest authorized service facility for
examination, repair or adjustment.
7. The use of accessory attachments not recommended by the
appliance manufacturer may cause injuries.
8. Sharp utensils should not be used inside the dehydrator.
9. Do not let cord hang over edge of table or counter, or touch
hot surfaces.
10. Do not use outdoors. Always dehydrate indoors on a flat surface to
allow sufficient airflow. Never place base on carpet, towel, newspaper,
etc., which can block airflow to the bottom of base and cause failure.
Never cover entire unit with anything, as that will cause failure. The
dehydrator needs an open, breathable space to function properly.
11. Do not place on or near a hot gas or electric burner or in a
heated oven.
12. Do not use this appliance for other than its intended use.
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
. . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
. . . . . . . . . . . .14-15
. . . . . . . . . . . .16-17
. . . . . . . . . . . .18-19
. . . . . . . . . . . .20-23
. . . . . . . . . . . .24-25
. . . . . . . . . . . .26-27
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
. . . . . . . . . . . .29-35
. . . . . . . . . . . .36-40
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
. . . . . . . . . . . .44-46
nesco.com
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SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS
NOTE: This appliance has a polarized plug (one blade wider than the other).
To reduce the risk of electrical shock, this plug will fit on a polarized outlet
only one way. If the plug does not fit fully into the outlet, reverse the plug. If it
still does not fit, contact a qualified electrician. Do not attempt to defeat this
safety feature.
Short Cord Instructions – a short power supply cord is provided to reduce
the risk resulting from becoming entangled in or tripping over a longer
cord. Extensions cords may be used if care is exercised in their use. If an
extension cord is used, the marked electrical rating of the cord should be
at least as great as the electrical rating of the appliance. The longer cord
should be arranged so that it will not drape over the tabletop where it can
be pulled on by children or tripped over unintentionally.
Dehydrator Use and Care
Trays
Your dehydrator trays are easy to clean. Simply soak the trays in warm water with
a mild detergent for several minutes. A soft-bristle brush will loosen food particles
that resist softening by soaking. Don’t clean any parts with scouring pads, abrasive
cleaners, or sharp utensils, as they tend to damage the surface of the trays. Trays
can be washed on the top rack of your dishwasher if you remove them before the
drying cycle.
CAUTION: Remove trays before the beginning of drying cycle of your dishwasher.
Power Head Unit
Use a damp soft cloth or towel to remove any dried food residue from the power
head unit. Avoid dripping any water or other liquid into electrical parts. CAUTION:
DO NOT IMMERSE POWER UNIT IN WATER OR OTHER LIQUID! Do NOT remove
any parts from the power head unit!
CAUTION: Be sure power unit is unplugged before cleaning.
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Precautions
Follow these safety rules when dehydrating food:
• When drying liquids, sauces or purees, use a Fruit Roll sheet, available from
NESCO
®
/American Harvest®.
• When drying jerky in a Base Power Unit, place a Fruit Roll sheet on the bottom
tray. The Fruit Roll sheet will catch drips and make cleaning easier.
• Wash hands thoroughly prior to handling food.
• Clean all utensils and containers with a mild solution of detergent, bleach
and water before using.
• Make sure all countertops and cutting boards are thoroughly cleaned in the
manner above before using. Wooden or plastic cutting boards should be
thoroughly disinfected.
• Keep foods in the refrigerator before preparing for drying. Store dried foods in
refrigerator or freezer.
• After opening sealed containers of dried food, use food as soon as possible.
• Store opened containers of dried food tightly sealed in the refrigerator to
maintain freshness and quality.
• Do not spray vegetable oil directly onto surface of trays.
• Do not dehydrate foods that have been prepared with or marinated in alcohol.
• Trays are only intended to be used with your NESCO
®
/American Harvest
®
Food Dehydrator. Do not use trays either in a conventional oven or with any
other appliance.
Service
Should you experience any problems with your dehydrator, please call Customer
Satisfaction at NESCO
®
/American Harvest®at 1-800-288-4545.
their use. If an
warm water with
from the power
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General Drying Guidelines
Certain varieties of produce, the humidity in the air, and even methods of food
handling make quite a difference in the drying time and quality of the dried product.
• Experiment with different drying temperatures, thickness of produce,
pre-treatment versus no pre-treatment and different re-hydration methods.
You will determine what works best for your particular needs and preferences.
• To save nutrients and produce a quality product, it is necessary to work fast
preparing foods to dry. When placed in your dehydrator, they need to dry
continuously at the recommended temperatures and times. Do not turn off your
dehydrator or leave partially dried food on the trays as it may spoil or develop
“off” flavors.
• Spread all foods evenly to dry in single layers. If slices overlap, the areas that are
overlapped will take twice as long to dry.
• Do not add fresh produce to a partially dried batch. It will slow the rate of drying
for both products. It is possible, however, to combine partially dried foods on to
fewer trays.
• Many people have more than one NESCO
®
/American Harvest®dehydrator. If you
have two, it’s easy to combine a load from both dehydrators after a few hours and
start a new batch in your second dehydrator using the remaining trays.
Selecting Foods T o Dry
Select the best quality produce at the peak of ripeness and flavor. Wash carefully
to remove debris, dust and insects. Cut away bruised or damaged sections.
Loading Trays
Lay food pieces evenly on trays. Don’t overlap food pieces, as this will inhibit
drying time. As each tray is loaded, place it on the dehydrator to begin drying.
Drying Time
Because of the unique design of the patented Converga-Flow®system of your
NESCO
®
/American Harvest®dehydrator, you’ll be surprised at how quickly most
foods dry.
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Drying Time (continued)
Drying times may vary, depending on the type and amount of food, thickness and
evenness of the slices, percentage of water in the food, humidity, temperature of
air, altitude and the model of NESCO
®
/American Harvest®dehydrator you are
using. Drying times may also vary greatly from one area to another and from day
to day, depending on the climatic conditions. Keep records to help you predict
drying times for specific foods.
Drying Temperature
Fruits, fruit rolls and vegetables should be dried at 130oF to 140oF (55oto 60oC).
By drying foods in this temperature range you will minimize the loss of
heat-sensitive vitamins A and C. All foods sweat when they begin to dry, the
temperature may be set higher than 140
o
F (60oC) during the first couple of
hours of drying. The actual temperature of the food will remain 15
o
F to 20oF
(6
o
to 8oC) lower than the air temperature for the first couple of hours.
Meats and fish should be dried on the highest temperature setting of your
dehydrator. These temperatures also keep bacteria and other spoilage
micro-organisms, common to meat and fish, to a minimum during the
first stages of drying.
Nuts and seeds are high in oil, and if higher temperatures are used, they will tend to
become rancid, developing off flavors. The best temperature is from 90
o
F to 100oF
(30
o
to 40oC).
Herbs and spices are most flavorful when they first open and should be harvested
while very fresh, before they begin to blossom. Because the aromatic oils are very
sensitive, temperatures should be 90
o
F to 100oF (30oto 40oC) for drying. Take care
not to load trays too heavily as this will prolong the drying time.
Dried flowers, herbs and spices used for potpourri should be dried at temperatures
ranging from 90
o
F to 100oF (30oto 40oC) to maintain aroma and color.
Packaging
Some pieces may dry in a shorter time than others. The dried food should be
removed and placed in an airtight container while allowing the rest of the pieces to
remain in the dehydrator until sufficiently dry.
Package all dried foods promptly to prevent contamination and to prevent
stickiness and re-hydration caused by humidity. Store dried foods in airtight,
moisture proof containers.
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Home vacuum packaging devices are ideal for packaging dried foods. They extend
the shelf life of dried foods 3 to 4 times.
Since most packaging materials are transparent, store packaged dried foods in a
plastic or metal container that will not allow the light to penetrate. Do not store
fruits and vegetables together in the same storage container because flavor and
moisture may transfer.
Fruit rolls are best if removed while still warm. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in
airtight moisture-proof containers for storage.
Onions and tomatoes are especially prone to absorb moisture from the air and
should be packaged immediately after removing from the dehydrator.
Testing for Dryness
Food must be monitored during the final stages of dehydrating to prevent
over-drying. Over-dried foods lose quality in texture, nutrition and taste. To test for
dryness, remove a piece of food, let it cool and feel with your fingers for dryness.
• Fruits are pliable and leathery with no spots of moisture. Tear in half, pinch and
watch for moisture drops along tear. If no moisture then it is sufficiently dry for long
term storage.
• Fruit rolls should be leathery with no sticky spots.
• Jerky should be tough, but not brittle.
• Dried fish should be tough, but not brittle. If the fish is high in fat it may appear
moist due to the high oil content.
• Vegetables should be tough or crisp.
If foods are insufficiently dried, or are exposed to moisture from faulty packaging,
they can lose quality and nutrition, and can even mold during storage.
Storage
The storage area should be cool, dry and as dark as possible. The darker and
cooler the storage area, the longer the dried foods will last with good quality and
nutritive value.
The ideal storage temperature for dehydrated food is 60
o
F (15oC) to below freezing.
The ideal storage place is your freezer or refrigerator, particularly for storing low
acid foods such as meats, fish and vegetables.
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Drying Fruits
Fruits are ideal to dry because they have a
natural high sugar content. They are high in
acid (and consequently less prone to spoilage
and micro-organisms), and taste delicious!
Seasonally, fruit can be obtained in bulk from
orchards or farms for considerably lower
prices than you may find in the supermarket.
Selection
Fruits picked at their prime have the highest natural sugar content and the
best nutritional value. For the best quality product, choose only fresh, ripe
unblemished fruits.
Preparation
Wash fruit thoroughly and remove any imperfections. Remove skins (if desired),
stems and seeds. Halve or slice in 1/4” to 1/2” circles or slices (a food processor or
slicer will speed the slicing and ensure uniform slices, which will allow fruits to dry
at the same rate.) Some fruits have a natural protective wax coating such as figs,
prunes, grapes, blueberries, cranberries, etc. If you want to dry these fruits whole,
dip into boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes (the amount of time needed depends on
the thickness and toughness of the skin) to speed dehydration. This makes the skin
more porous by removing the natural wax coating and thereby speeds up the
drying time. This process is called ‘checking.’ Small lines appear
on the fruit skin allowing moisture to escape but may be too fine to be visible.
Many fruits can be dried in halves with the pits removed. If they are dried with the
skins on, be sure to place them skin-side down to prevent fruit and pulp from
dripping down through the trays. Check frequently near the end of the drying
process and remove pieces as they become dry. To peel or not to peel is a decision
only you can make (if the fruit has been artificially waxed, it should definitely be
peeled to remove the wax). The skin has nutritional value, but skins tend to be very
tough when dried and fruits take longer to dry with the skins on. Try fruits both
ways – peeled and unpeeled – then decide for yourself.
Pre-treat if desired and place the fruit into the dehydrator to dry at 135
o
F (57oC).
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Pre-Treatment
Pre-treatment minimizes oxidation, and gives you a superior quality, better tasting
product with less vitamin loss. Apples, pears, peaches and apricots are better
when pre-treated. They are more appetizing, have a longer shelf life and higher
nutritional value. Place cut fruits that tend to brown in a holding solution of ascorbic
acid to reduce browning during preparation. Do not keep cut fruit in a holding
solution for more than one hour.
Pre-treatment can vary from soaking in fruit juice, ascorbic acid mixtures, syrup
blanching, steaming, to sulfating. The results of these methods also vary.
Experiment and decide for yourself which one you like best.
Use one of the following methods of pre-treatment:
Natural Pre-Treatment
Fruit juices containing ascorbic acid may be used as a natural pre-treatment to
reduce browning. Although there will be some loss of color, pineapple, orange,
lemon, or lime juice can be used. Ascorbic acid mixtures, available from your
supermarket, can also be used. Follow the directions on the package. Slice fruit
directly into juice or ascorbic acid mixture. Soak 5 minutes and place on trays.
Fruits can also be dipped in honey or a honey/juice mixture.
Hints and Suggestions
• Place a cup of dried apple slices in the blender with a cup of water
for instant apple sauce.
• Strawberries are perfect for malts, shakes and sundaes.
• Cantaloupe and watermelon slices become candy-like when dried.
• Dehydrate lemon and orange slices and powder for use in recipes
for grated rind.
• Dehydrate grapes to make raisins that taste better and plump up in recipes
better than store-bought raisins.
• Dry bananas 1/4” thick and dip into
a glaze of 1/2 cup honey mixed
with 1/4 cup water. Drain. Place on
trays and dry. For variety add 1/8
teaspoon cinnamon to the glaze
before dipping bananas.
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Drying Fruit Rolls
Fruit rolls are a favorite snack for young and old alike. It is a chewy fruit product
made from puréed fresh fruit, which has been dried and rolled into snack sized
pieces. Fruit rolls are easy to make and cost less than those bought at the store.
Selection
Almost any fruit will make an excellent fruit roll. Most fruits can also be combined
with others.
Some fruits, such as apples, are high in pectin and fiber, and have an excellent
texture when dried. The combinations are limitless. Use your imagination and
have fun!
Use fresh fruit in season. You can also use slightly overripe fruits, irregularly shaped
fruits, or slightly bruised fruits that would be unsuitable for canning or drying.
Some fruits, such as citrus, should be used in combination with other fruits
because they have so much liquid and very little pulp. If you find that a fruit is
too runny, combine it with apple, applesauce or a similar fruit that will give it
more substance.
When fresh fruits are not available, canned fruits (either sweetened or
un-sweetened) can be used. Simply drain the liquid, and pour the fruit into the
blender. Applesauce can be taken directly from the container for wonderful fruit
rolls. Frozen fruits can also be used, although they tend to be a bit more runny.
Simply thaw and follow directions for using fresh fruits.
Preparation
Wash fruits and cut away any bruised or spoiled portions. Purée fruit in a blender
until it is very smooth. In some blenders with some fruits, you may want to add a
little juice or water to start the blending process.
Fruits generally need no added sweetening, but if fruits are under ripe or
particularly tart, you may add light corn syrup or honey. Add 1 or more
tablespoons sweetening for each quart of purée, depending on your preference
(sugar added to fruit rolls tends to become brittle during storage).
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Drying
Place a Fruit Roll sheet on the dehydrator tray and wipe lightly with a vegetable oil
to prevent sticking. Purée should be about 1/4” to 3/8” thick and evenly spread.
Dry at 130
o
F – 140oF (55oC – 60oC) until fruit feels leather-like and is pliable, about 4
to 8 hours.
Storage
Remove the fruit roll while it is still warm, roll, cut into smaller size pieces (if desired)
and wrap in plastic wrap. Individually wrapped pieces of fruit leather should be
stored in larger airtight and moisture proof containers.
Fruit Drying Chart
Expect a variance in the time needed to dry different fruits. Drying times are
affected by the size of the load, fruit thickness and the moisture content of the food
itself. The guidelines are general. For more accurate drying times, keep records of
your own drying experiences.
Average
Food Preparation Drying Time Uses
Apples Pare, core, cut in 3/8" 4-10 hrs. Applesauce, pies,
Pre- treat cobblers, rings, snacks,
breads and cookies
Apricots Cut in half, remove 8-16 hrs. Desserts, muesli, meat
pit and cut in dishes, pies and sauces
quarters. Pre-treat
Bananas Peel, cut in 3/8" slices 6-12 hrs. Snacks, baby food,
or divide lengthwise granola, cookies, and
banana bread
Blueberries Wash and remove 10-18 hrs. Breads, baked goods,
stems. Dip in boiling snacks, ice cream, yogurt
water until skins crack.
Canned Drain well. If small, 6-12 hrs. Snacks, breads, granola
Fruit place on mesh screen.
Cherries Wash, remove stems 18-26 hrs. Breads, baked goods
and pit and snacks
Citrus Peel, if desired. 6-12 hrs. Flavorings when
Fruits Slice 3/8" thick powdered
Cranberries Wash and remove 10-18 hrs. Breads, baked goods,
stems. Dip in boiling snacks ice cream, yogurt
water until skins crack.
Coconut Remove dark outer 3-8 hrs. Cakes, cookies,
skin, slice 3/8" thick. desserts and granola
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