Dehydration is a process of extracting the moist from the food in order to preserve its nutrients and quality for a longer period of time. The only reason why our food eventually decays is, because, of the bacteria that live inside the water (moist) of the food.

This is where the food dehydrators come in. They dry the food to such an extent where it no longer contains any moisture, therefore delaying the process of decay. Once dehydrated, the food retains around 90% of its original nutrients, and can later on be re-hydrated.

Nesco American Harvest Square Dehydrator FD-80 is a great food dehydrator made by a company that boasts to produce ‘the best food dehydrators in the world’.

As the name suggests, the FD-80 has a square shape. This characteristic distinguishes it from other, circular dehydrators. Square-shaped dehydrators are known to perform somewhat better in terms of drying the food.

Top-mounted fan is responsible for generating and dispersing the heated air through the trays of the dehydrator. The patented Converge-a-Flow heating system of FD-80 forces a hot stream of air horizontally across each tray, instead of vertically through the trays (as in case of circular dehydrators). This ensures that the food is dried evenly and uniformly.

Nesco/American Harvest FD-80 Square-Shaped Dehydrator comes with 4 food trays that can be expanded up to 8 trays. This covers enough space, no matter how big your appetite is!

There’s absolutely no need for rotating the trays and worrying whether the flavors will mix. They are also very easy to clean and can be safely put in your dishwasher.

The FD-80 has a built-in thermostat which enables you to adjust the heat settings and determine the pace and intensity of food drying yourself. You have to realize, however, the slower you dry your food, the more nutrients it will retain. Having said this, it is advisable that you let the food dry a little longer and ensure more healthy nutrients are being preserved. The heating temperature can be set between 95 and 155 degrees Fahrenheit.

Another excellent feature of the FD-80 is the Vita-Save® Exterior which is responsible for blocking out all the outside lights that destroy the nutrients inside the food.

Upon purchasing, you will receive an instruction manual which will guide you step-by-step through everything you need to know to successfully operate your dehydrator.

As mentioned before, the 4-8 large food trays are really more than enough to satisfy anyone’s appetite. However, the very best aspect of this dehydrator is also its biggest handicap. It can be rather hard to find a suitable place for such a large-sized accessory unless you’ve already got plenty of space in your kitchen…

Also, it will take some time before you get used to the ‘noisy sound’ that the dehydrator produces while active. This is only typical for every food dehydrator (not just the FD-80) and you shouldn’t pay too much attention to it.

With all this taken into consideration, it is still reasonable to conclude that the Nesco American Harvest Square Dehydrator FD-80 is surely a bargain for all it offers!