A good dehydrator changes the game.
Homesteaders with the ability to dry and preserve food can save time, money, and tons of perishables that would otherwise go to waste. But many simply can’t afford the price tag on a top-end unit.
The Nesco Snackmaster Encore is an affordable solution, making high-quality dehydrated food accessible to everyone.
This hearty little machine can dehydrate everything from wild game to frozen fruit. It’s easy to use, incredibly versatile, and sits at a price point we can all get on board with.
Quick Specs
Nesco Snackmaster Encore Food Dehydrator
Dimensions: 14” L x 10” W x 10” H | Weight: 6.8 pounds | Power: 500 W | Temperature: 95°–160° F
Those interested in dehydrating more food at once can snag an easy-to-use expansion pack of two additional trays.
- Dries thoroughly
- Affordable
- Temperature controls
- Runs at 95°–160° F
- Easy to clean
- Liquids tray
- Suitable for meat
Special Features
The Snackmaster was designed to provide quality dehydrating at an affordable cost. Many enthusiasts consider it a great “starter” dehydrator, but it boasts various features that can compete with units at a much higher price point.
Top-Mounted Fan
In the world of electric dehydrators, the top-mounted fan reigns supreme—at least in my book.
Top-mounted fans sit above the food and direct warm air downward for circulation. While this makes the unit more top-heavy, it’s a trade-off I prefer.
Bottom-mounted fans get really dirty. Even if a fan guard is in place, food particles and drops of liquid inevitably get all over it.
Quietly Powerful
The Nesco Snackmaster Encore has an impressive 500-watt engine. You can definitely hear the motor working, but it’s a pleasant background noise rather than a distracting whir of activity.
I work from home, and the unit never disturbs me. Unlike other noisier appliances, I can plug it in and leave it to purr away.
Adjustable Thermostat
Some units come with factory temperature settings, but a thermostat you can manually adjust is always better. You’ll need a different temperature when dehydrating meat items than you would to dehydrate things like herbs.
You also need a wide variety of temperatures to get the most out of your dehydrator, and the Snackmaster delivers. The dial is easy to turn, and there’s even a temperature guide printed next to it.
Patented Drying System
The way this unit dries is unique and remarkable. It utilizes Nesco’s patented Converga-Flow drying system, which circulates warm air around the unit’s exterior and forces it horizontally across the trays. This ensures that distinct food flavors don’t mix so that you can dry different types of food simultaneously.
It also makes everything dry evenly at the same rate, so you won’t have to flip individual food items over or rotate the trays around. This saves a massive amount of time and energy in the kitchen, making dehydration a real hands-off process.
Guaranteed Nutrition
Nesco employs its patented Vita-Save Exterior to help food retain nutritional quality. The opaque exterior blocks UV light, which can damage vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients, giving you more dietary benefits when drying fruits and vegetables.
Rated for Everything
You can use the Snackmaster to dehydrate pretty much anything. Many affordable units aren’t suitable for meat, but the Snackmaster reaches a meat-safe temperature of 160° F. Because of its high temperature capacity, the Snackmaster is essential for people who hunt.
What if you’re only hunting down a discount deal on bulk produce?
Never fear. You can dry at lower temperatures, down to 95° F. The unit also comes with a solid dehydrator tray for making your own powdered milk or fruit leathers.
This makes it possible to dehydrate liquids as well as solid food, opening up a whole new world of creative possibilities.
What I Love
I find the Snackmaster works great for both cooking and preservation. It allows me to dry all kinds of food for storage, but it’s also an excellent option for when I want to get creative in the kitchen with ready-made snacks.
While there are some features I do miss, the Snackmaster really delivers on functionality and ease of use.
Intuitive Design
The unit comes preassembled, so there’s no guesswork on setup. Since the fan and engine are located on the top, you must remove them to load the trays. Each tray detaches from the one below it for loading. Once you put the food items in, you just stack them all back up again, put the lid on, and plug it in.
The setup means you essentially take apart the machine to load and unload it. I thought this would be a pain, but it actually adds convenience. Since the trays stack up in any order, it’s quick and easy to disassemble, and loading is a breeze.
Sufficient Space
You get four separate round trays with the standard package. All measure 13.5” in diameter, and they provide over three feet of drying room when combined. If you want more capacity, Nesco sells an expansion pack with two additional trays.
You’ll also get a fruit leather tray included with your unit, which is a removable insert you can put on top of the regular tray. I love that the manufacturer included a liquid tray but didn’t sacrifice any of the space dedicated to solids.
Versatile Use
I like to get weird in the kitchen, and the Snackmaster caters to all my outlandish experiments. I have this thing running for hours on end, sometimes days. It’s an absolute workhorse that always keeps up with me, whether I’m making some quick dehydrated veggie chips or drying deer jerky overnight.
Delicate herbs and edible flowers are a staple in my kitchen during the spring harvest. With the Snackmaster, I can just pop them in for a few hours at a low temperature, and they come out ready to be crushed, stored and turned into greens powder.
I can also crank up the temperature dial to dehydrate the glut of game and fish crowding my freezer. The Snackmaster enables me to reduce several pounds of meat into just a few ounces in a matter of hours. The result lasts indefinitely and takes up way less space in the freezer!
Quick Drying
The Nesco Snackmaster Encore dries quickly and efficiently. Jerky gets done in as little as four hours, while herbs are dried entirely after just two. I never have to worry about food cooking or burning on the higher settings or taking too long on the lower ones.
The top-mounted fan and patented recirculation system do their jobs well. Each tray dehydrates at the same pace without any switching around on my part. As long as your food is cut evenly, it will all finish simultaneously.
The temperature dial is accurate and consistent, so the machine remains reliable no matter what you’re drying. It’s also clearly labeled with both Fahrenheit and Celsius, which is quite helpful when making dehydrated recipes from overseas.
Easy to Clean
Fortunately, cleaning the Snackmaster is child’s play. The plastic trays are thin and flexible, and you can peel off sticky food items quickly and easily by bending the tray a little bit. You can rinse the trays off or stick them in the dishwasher.
I usually only wash my dehydrator with water once a week or so. Even grease, which is typically tough to remove, comes off with a quick wipe.
The top-mounted fan saves the day since any drippings that accumulate on the unit fall to the plastic bottom piece. When you’re ready to clean the bottom, just remove it to wash it in the sink or dishwasher.
What I Don’t Love
I definitely dig my dehydrator, but it isn’t perfect. A few features are missing that I think would add convenience, and there are a few add-ons I wish Nesco had skipped.
Lack of Features
My main gripe with the Snackmaster Encore is that it doesn’t have a food timer. Dehydration usually takes a long time, and it’s more convenient to leave and do other activities while the items dry. As it is, you need to stick around and remember when to shut off the machine.
I’ve overdried some food because I forgot about it. If the dehydrator had a timer with an automatic shutoff, this would never be an issue, and users could simply program in a time and carry on with their day.
Another aspect I dislike is that the unit doesn’t have an on/off switch. The temperature gauge doesn’t even dial down to zero. As soon as you plug it in, the engine starts working. To stop it, you must unplug it, and that’s pretty inconvenient.
Lastly, the Vita-Save exterior is great, but it also prevents you from seeing inside the unit. Many newer dehydrators are clear or have a viewing window you can see through to gauge how dry your food is. With the Snackmaster, you must unplug the whole thing and remove the trays to check.
Instruction Booklet
The Snackmaster comes with a manual that gives instructions on preparing food for dehydration and lists drying times. It’s helpful for general tips, but it’s impossible to state accurate times for how long individual items will take to dehydrate. There’s just too much variability.
Nesco knows that, so they give reference ranges rather than specific times. Unfortunately, these are just as useless. They sometimes provide ranges of over 10 hours, and despite their generosity, many of my drying times still fell outside these ranges. So, do your own research and experiment with this unit instead of relying on the manual.
Overall, the Nesco Snackmaster Encore FD-61 is a solid and dependable dehydrator. Easy to use and incredibly functional, this machine makes dehydration affordable for every homestead. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities in preservation, and I’d encourage those on the fence to take the plunge and buy one today.
Quick Specs
Nesco Snackmaster Encore Food Dehydrator
Dimensions: 14” L x 10” W x 10” H | Weight: 6.8 pounds | Power: 500 W | Temperature: 95°–160° F
Those interested in dehydrating more food at once can snag an easy-to-use expansion pack of two additional trays.
- Dries thoroughly
- Affordable
- Temperature controls
- Runs at 95°–160° F
- Easy to clean
- Liquids tray
- Suitable for meat
