Ronco 5-Tray Beef Jerky Machine with Kit, Classic Black

This is my first time dehydrating beef and it seems to have worked very well. The jerky I made came out tastey. I really liked the look of this product and price so I went for it. One thing I didn't notice when purchasing is there is not temperature gage. The temperature is set and cannot be adjusted. For me this is not an issue. I'm not quite sure the best temperatures necessary to dehydrate other foods but if you are looking to dial in different heating settings, you may want to look elsewhere. As for me, this works great. It does come with a detailed instruction booklet to help you understand the best dehydration times as well. The tinted look to it also makes it a little more unique than the others. I'm happy with my purchase.

This is actually the fourth Ronco dehydrator I bought. The other 3 are still in use, but I've been using them for over 10 years and the trays start breaking after years of use, so I decided to shop around for replacement trays. Unfortunately, a set of 3 replacement trays costs more than a new dehydrator, so I now have a fourth complete unit. Works just like the other ones; I am glad they didn't change the design because the trays are all interchangeable. I use them to dry flowers and other botanicals to make potpourri, and also to dry some veggies and herbs which I use to make dip mixes or to flavor soups and chili, and to preserve fruit. The holes in the trays are too big for drying small flowers or chopped veggies like jalopeno peppers, so I cut out circles out of a roll of window screening (with a hole in the center to fit the tray) and they work great. Too bad this is advertised as a "beef machine" because these dehydrators are great for drying lots of other things! Just remember everything gets much smaller as it dries so you might need to use screening especially for herbs and chopped veggies. Both the trays and screening are easy to clean in hot soapy water, too.

Heat and fan are at bottom so racks need to be swapped around. It's all plastic so be gentle. No drip tray. No temp setting. No on/off switch just plug in. There is an adjustable vent flow at the top for moisture release. It definitely does the job made bunch of jerky up to 6lbs of hand slices meat into jerky, jerky gun works but have to be slow and gentle 2 lbs ground beef filled 2.5-3 racks. For the price I think it's great for testing if you want to get into dehydrating. I'm slowly upgrading little at a time but happy this got me started and still using it until I get something with more racks and side fan and heat

this is a simple, inexpensive machine that works great and gets the job done. yes, the trays need to be rotated.. but that is no big deal. (when looking at reviews this was a complaint)I have a dehydrator just like this one (diff brand) .. and have used it for years and years --As long as this one holds up like that-- we will be happy campers (dehydrators) ☺️

And I don’t mean cost - I mean the manufacture of it and the materials it’s made out of.I bought this almost a year ago. Then I moved, couldn’t find it, and didn’t get around to using it until now.When I took the machine out of the box, it looked fine. But then I started trying to put it together.The trays are so flimsy, they are practically made out of saran wrap.There is no fan. There is a questionable set of venting in the lid that is very loose and like nothing I’ve ever seen.The jerky gun bucked and fussed the whole time I was trying to put out the strips of raw hamburger.I have had many jerky guns and never had one act like this. I got through the batch, expecting it to break with each squeeze of the handle, but I don’t think I’ll try to use it again.As I put the trays full of meat on the base, I realize that the heating elements are open, unshielded, and unprotected.So if there’s any drips, does that mean it’s gonna create a burnt smell or even catch on fire?Jerky is currently drying. If it turns out OK, I might come back and increase my stars on this review.But I don’t have much hope of that at this point, after especially after studying the poor reviews that were posted after I bought this piece of crap.I wish I had used it sooner, because it would definitely be getting returned. The only place it’s probably going now is in the garbage, unless it surprises me as it dries this batch of jerky.I cannot recommend this product at all. I intend to go and buy a Nesco dehydrator kit, which is what I should’ve done the first place.

First things first. Assembly. The thin panel fits in the oval top. During operation, it should be left fully open. Rotate trays and spin them 1/2 turn as you dry, because there's hotter spots certain areas as you make the circle. Nothing should touch the heating element except the support wires. Some people don't like that it doesn't have a fan, but I love simple quiet things. I bought one of these years ago off tv and this new one is almost identical and it makes the best jerky. Soy sauce, onion and garlic marinade overnight, then dehydrate. I also add cayenne pepper so people don't eat the whole bag at once. Trust me, they will.