Review: NESCO FD-80A

Compact, convenient, and powerful, the NESCO FD-80A is an all-around great food dehydrator. If you want a reliable appliance that’s made in the USA and offers great value for money, you can’t go wrong with this unit. Whether you’re thinking about using the dehydrator to make your own jerky or to create healthy fruit and veggie snacks for your family, this affordable food dehydrator will fulfill your expectations, and then some.

With innovative air-flow technology patented by Nesco, powerful motor, and convenient square trays, the NESCO FD-80A can dehydrate big batches of food faster than its competitors. This makes it ideal for people with large families or those who simply want to have quick and great results without having to splurge on a professional food dehydrator. Let’s take a look at what makes NESCO FD-80A great and what are some potential downsides of this food dehydrator.

NESCO FD-80A Key Features

• Powerful 700 watts motor
• Patented Converga-Flow air circulation system
• Adjustable thermostat
• Comes with 4 stackable trays

Unlike most affordable food dehydrators, the NESCO FD-80A boasts a powerful motor of 700 watts. The relatively quiet motor powers the top-mounted fan that’s located in the unit’s lid. While there are certainly food dehydrators out there that have more “horsepower”, it’s the patented Converga-Flow® drying system that elevates the performance of this food dehydrator to another level. Instead of blowing air through the trays, the fan forces air down the exterior pressurized chamber. Then, the hot air is dispersed horizontally across each individual tray, ensuring that the food is dried evenly, and without any cross-contamination of scents between the trays. Thanks to this unique air circulation system, the NESCO FD-80A can consistently deliver fantastic results and in less time than you’d ever expect.

The NESCO FD-80A also has a handy adjustable thermostat to help you set the temperature to an optimal level for each type of food you’re drying. The thermostat ranges from 95 degrees Fahrenheit to 155 degrees Fahrenheit, and it’s controlled via a simple knob. No bells and whistles like digital controls, but the job definitely gets done with this unit!

For most families, 4 trays that come with this unit will be more than enough. To boot, Nesco also includes 1 clean-a-screen with the trays, to allow you to dry finer and smaller items, such as herbs, without having to improvise. However, if you need more capacity, you can add up to 4 more trays to the original setup, doubling the capacity. Additionally, Nesco offers fruit roll sheets that you can buy separately for this unit and use to make fruit leather snacks.

NESCO FD-80A Pros

• Easy to use
• Quiet during work
• No need to rotate the trays
• Convenient square shape for easy storing
• Expandable up to 8 trays

The NESCO FD-80A is definitely one of ’em timeless food dehydrators. You’d think that, with the constant advance of technology, some of the more simple units would fall out of favor with the consumers, but that’s definitely not the case for this food dehydrator. This appliance is made in the USA with high-quality materials and offers a reliable, powerful performance—even if its functions may be considered plain by today’s standards. For most people, though, what NESCO FD-80A offers is more than enough, especially considering its budget-friendly price tag.

Owing to the unit’s innovative airflow system, the trays don’t have to be rotated, as the food is dried evenly throughout. To boot, you won’t have to worry about scents mixing in this food dehydrator, so you can use it to dry various types of food at the same time.

Most food dehydrators in this price range have a round shape, which makes it hard to find a spot in the kitchen for them. Thankfully, the NESCO FD-80A is square and compact, so you can always find a place for it on the countertop or store it away in the cupboard (not one of those store it and forget it ones though). The unit measures 14.5 inches in height and width, and it’s 10 inches deep.

NESCO FD-80A Cons

• No timer
• Opaque trays make it hard to monitor the process

Some users prefer food dehydrators with clear sides or transparent trays, as it allows them to take a peek at the drying process without having to take out the trays. However, while the opaque trays of the NESCO FD-80A don’t give you that ability, they do block the light, which helps retain even more nutrients in your food.

In addition, like most other basic food dehydrators, the NESCO FD-80A doesn’t have a built-in timer. While this can be remedied by simply turning on a kitchen timer or setting up an alarm on your phone, it can be easy to forget all about it and overdry your produce. For some, it may even cause more stress, with worries about spoiling the food. 

The Verdict

In case you want a reliable food dehydrator that consistently delivers great results, but won’t cost you an arm and leg, check out Nesco’s range of food dehydrators. The NESCO FD-80A has a convenient and compact square design and spacious trays, making it a great choice for large families or anyone who may want to dehydrate food in one batch instead of multiples.

Although it offers only basic functions, such as an adjustable thermostat, this food dehydrator is based on an innovative technology that ensures fast and great results. Unless you’re keen on having a professional food dehydrator or a fancy new gadget with modern features, you’ll love the NESCO FD-80A.