Review: NESCO FD-28JX Dehydrator

Sliced, ground, spicy beef, or gamey venison, everybody has their own favorite type of jerky. In fact this savory snack is so popular that you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t like this chewy delicacy. However, store-bought jerky is often laden with additives and preservatives, and not to mention expensive. That’s why a lot of people decide on making their own jerky at home using a food dehydrator, and there’s no better choice for that than the NESCO FD-28JX.

Affordable, yet offering reliable performance, this food dehydrator is perfectly suited for making homemade jerky. However, don’t let the jerky equipment fool you. The NESCO FD-28JX can also be used to make healthy snacks from fruits and veggies or to dry herbs for seasonings. The possibilities are endless! Here’s what you can expect from this food dehydrator, both the good and the bad.

NESCO FD-28JX Key Features

• Silent 350 watts motor
• Fan-Flow Technology for fast and even drying
• 4 mesh trays
• Comes with a jerky kit included (for free)

Sometimes, it’s the simplest designs that yield the best results. There’s no bells and whistles when it comes to features of the NESCO FD-28JX. This food dehydrator is meant to be primarily used for drying meats, and that’s what it excels at. The 350 watts motor is relatively quiet during the drying process and powers the innovative fan-flow technology. The top-mounted fan is securely located in the dehydrator lid, from where it evenly spreads warm air throughout the trays. This ensures that you get consistent results without having to rotate the trays during the process. It also ensures that no drippings enter the fan, making cleaning a breeze.

The 4 trays that are included with the unit will hold up to 4 lbs of jerky in one batch, which is quite spacious for such a compact food dehydrator. All of the trays have a mesh surface, so you can’t use them to make fruit leathers. However, Nesco offers fruit roll sheet trays that can be bought separately and fit this particular model. So, if you don’t mind spending you a few more dollars, you can increase the versatility of this machine significantly.

The biggest selling point of the NESCO FD-28JX, however, is that it’s perfectly tailored for making jerky. This unit comes with a jerky kit which contains a jerky gun with 3 attachments and spice and cure packets. The gun is ideal for making jerky out of ground meat and cleans easily. As for the spices, they’ll be enough for 4 lbs of meat and they come in 4 different flavors: Hot and Spicy, Teriyaki, Original, and Pepperoni.

NESCO FD-28JX Pros

• Easy to use
• Consistent results
• Trays are top-rack dishwasher safe
• The unit can be upgraded with additional trays and accessories
• Made in the USA

While some might find the NESCO FD-28JX too plain for their liking, no one can complain that this food dehydrator is complicated to use. With this unit, the dehydration process is a foolproof one. All you need to do is flip the switch to turn it on and wait while the magic happens inside. There isn’t anything else to set up or fiddle with, which is why even absolute beginners can use this food dehydrator and get fantastic results. However, if you wish to expand its functions and make other dried goods, such as fruit leathers, you can do that as well. Just order additional trays (pack of two is usually under $10 on Amazon) and you’re all set. You can also expand the trays up to 7 to accommodate your experiments or dehydrate large batches of food at once.

Another great thing about the NESCO FD-28JX is that it’s easy to clean and store away when needed. The trays are dishwasher safe so there’s no need to manually scrub to get any “leftovers” out of the mesh—just soak them a bit in warm water and then toss them on the top rack of the dishwasher. And, as the whole unit measures only 14 by 14 by 9 inches, you won’t have any issue keeping it on the countertop or squeezing inside a cupboard when you’re not using it.

NESCO FD-28JX Cons

• Temperature is fixed (160° F)
• There’s no timer

What some users find perfect about the NESCO FD-28JX, others find to be its downside. This affordable food dehydrator keeps things easy and simple, but that also means that it won’t have any of the fancy features other pricier models boast. For instance, this unit doesn’t have an adjustable temperature controller, but instead relies on its powerful top-mounted ventilator to dry foods at one fixed temperature. This can be a hassle as you’ll have to go through a trial and error process until you figure out how long to dehydrate different types of food to get great results. 

Additionally, the NESCO FD-28JX has no built-in timer, so you can’t just set it and forget it. If you don’t remember to turn it off on time, your produce can end up being too dry for your liking.

Final Verdict

Keeping in mind its low price, the NESCO FD-28JX offers more than great value for money. Powerful performance and accessories that ensure the jerky-making process is easy and flawless are reason enough to get one of these dehydrators for your family. However, if you expect your food dehydrator to offer a variety of features, modern design, and digital functions, you’d be better off with a unit that has a higher price tag.