Consumer beware! Ronco Food Dehydrator is a piece of JUNK!

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I bought a Popiele Ronco Food dehydrator from a TV Infomercial. It has no fan. IT IS A PIECE OF JUNK!!! It is a nightmare to use, because you have to continually move trays around to keep the drying even. Even with moving trays around, it does not dry even! I dried onions and half of them burned and the other half was only half way dry! I just tossed it in the garbage today and bought a American Harvest Dehydrator. It has a fan and temperatute control. Only $55 at Fred Meyer. Extra trays $17 for two. My son has one and it dries very even!

-- freddie (freddie@thefreeloader.com), October 05, 1999

Answers

Thanks, Freddie. I saw this infomercial for the first time early Monday morning and thought about getting one (even at this late date). Looks like I should be headed for the store instead of the telephone...

-- Don (whytocay@hotmail.com), October 05, 1999.

Here is the answer I posted on the Timebomb 2000 board regarding the American Harvester.

I have the American Harvester with fan and temp control. Love it. I used the fruit tray as a template and made trays from quality window screen to fit the trays. Great for chopped onions and peppers, shredded carrots and such. Food dries a lot faster if it is cut thin and small. I make hamburger jerky that dries in about 6 hours. I can't keep it in storage, it is eaten so fast.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), October 05, 1999.


I have had a Ronco for several years, and I get more upset every time I use it. The other poster is right about the constant rotating of trays and no fan. Plus all the smaller pieces of food fall through the trays. I think things take too long to completly dry out, and in the process some things get burned. I think I'm going back to just drying things in my oven! Good luck! Donna

-- Donna Dietrick (dietrick@penn.com), October 05, 1999.

When the fan died on my fridge the food started to get warm, even though the compresser was running full time. I pulled the fridge out from the wall and stuck a floor fan in back of it, aimed at the coils. The fridge started to cool the food again and kept it cool until the repair person showed up and repleaced the dead fan motor.

Does this work arround help salvage your investment?

-- Dennis Law (PaulLaw@aol.com), October 05, 1999.


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