Aroma AFD-615 5-Tier Food Dehydrator Review - Beef Jerky and Banana Chips

I've had the Aroma AFD-615 Food Dehydrator for around 6 months now and I've really worked it to death and its stood up to whatever I throw at it. The main reason I got it was

- To make beef Jerky

- Fruits Straps, healthy snacks

and dried liver treats for the dog :)

I will go through my general impressions on this product and the pro's and con's.

Quality of Dehydrator and Parts

First thing you will probably notice is that the Aroma dehydrator is quite heavy and feels very sturdy and definitely not like a cheap imitation even though the low price of dehydrator may put you off.

The dehydrator comes with around 6 trays including the rotating tray that will be placed on the very bottom of your stacked trays. The tray can be set at different heights so you can even dry quite large pieces of fruit (great for pawpaw :) ).

As with most dehydrators the trays are quite weak so be careful not to step on them or drop them as they will shatter easily, I dropped mine a few times but they survived luckily.

Noise

A big concern for dehydrator buyers is the noise level as I hear some of the older Nesco models sound like your dehydrator is about to take off.

The sound coming from the Aroma AFD-615 is a light fan noise , like drying your hair on low and is not at all annoying and with the normal daytime noises you will barely hear it.

People worry about leaving there dehydrators on while they leave the house incase of fire and many even attach little timers to there power outlets, but most manuals recommend you avoid doing this and have nothing between the dehydrators power outlet.

When leaving the dehydrator on while away make sure

- Put the aroma dehydrator on a flat surface, i like a thick cutting board

- make sure cord is not stretched too far

- Place in an area with good air flow , not in a cupboard

- Avoid your kitchen curtains, some people like to put it in there basement to feel extra safe:)

Drying Quality and Eveness

The great thing about the AFD-615 is the rotating trays as it really helps to keep the food dried evenly while not overly cooking it. The only thing i do from time to time is switch the lower trays with the upper trays if something is drying too quickly.

Cleaning and Washing Trays

The trays are very easily washed by hand with some soap and warm water, they also don't retain the smell of things you've dehydrated on them. I have dehydrated liver and also fish and it never leaves a smell on your trays which is great.

Main thing is to be very careful when drying not to damage the trays, especially the bottom rotating tray.

Simple Jerky Recipe

Very simple jerky recipe I use to make jerky with this dehydrator

- 1-2 kg of lean meat. You can use steaks or anything pretty much

- 1 cup soy sauce , 1 cup Worcestershire sauce

- 3 tablespoons of garlic and onion powder

- plenty of salt, pepper and chilli flakes optional

In conclusion the Aroma AFD-615 is really a great little dehydrator , with main reasons being

- Affordable and makes decent amount of dehydrated foods

- Not Power hungry, No point paying for extra power which would make buying dehydrated foods a cheaper option.

- Safe temperature level and even drying :)