1997 Magic Chef "The Food Dehydrator" Model LD-1010

Originally recorded February 24, 2018.
This is another appliance that we ended up "inheriting" with the house. A Magic Chef "The Food Dehydrator" from 1997. This was a pretty nice unit, as it has a fan to circulate the hot air around, so it dries food faster. Most cheaper ones don't have that "feature", and rely on convection to do the job, which it doesn't do anywhere near as well.
Being that this unit is 21 years old (at the time of recording), the plastic trays and cover have lost their plasticizers, and they are no longer resilient and very prone to cracking, especially with the heat that's generated. There will be a follow-up video that shows what I do to try and quell the problem for the time being, but it's a losing battle so eventually the unit will have to be discarded.
We don't use it much, only a couple times a year when we fancy drying some things. We've done apples, tomatoes, pears, strawberries, and several other things that I cannot recall. I've never made beef jerky with it although I understand it can do it.
I found the instruction manual here, though I cannot guarantee how long the link will be active: www.discusscoo...
When I got it, the fan inside was bound up completely; after awhile it would spin but was lethargic and noisy. 11 years ago, when this came into my possession, I used my trusty 25-year-old can of 3-in-1 RED CAN oil, and oiled it that one time. Fixed it right up, and it continues to work 11 years later.
Incidentally, among some other appliances we inherited were an under-cabinet can opener, but we discarded that because we had received a smooth-edge can opener as a wedding/bridal shower present. That has been in service for 11 years now and still works like day 1. Another item was a coffee maker, under-cabinet style. I believe the carafe was missing but we also were given a coffee maker, so we put that in service 11 years ago as well. The one that was here I took apart and saved the control panel, it is electronic but can handle at least a 700 watt load. It has a green LED clock, and can be programmed to turn on at a particular time and will keep that on for 2 hours.
Here is the video showing the "repair process" for the plastic: • Food Dehydrator Cracke...

[@deedeehaugen4373]

I have this same model that I have had stored for 20 years. I never used it and it has been in it's original packaging this whole time. I took it out yesterday, washed the trays and let them dry for 24 hours to be sure they wouldn't be wet before using. I plugged it in, turned it on and there was nothing but little plumes of smoke coming up. Fan didn't turn on at all. Thank you for making this video, now I have a point of reference to try to fix it.

[@jaykay18]

I sincerely hope it didn't burn out the heating element. I'd imagine it didn't, considering it's a ceramic type element, those generally self-regulate. Or it could have been something burning off of it. I'd love to know if you get it running.

[@deedeehaugen4373]

@@jaykay18 The date on mine is 0698 and the inside is just a little different, but my son-in-law watched your video and took it apart and figured it out. He had a little bit of a hard time getting it oiled. But it is running right now with mini marshmallows for it's maiden journey.

[@deedeehaugen4373]

@@jaykay18 Another question, How long to you dehydrate to make beef jerky with this model?

[@jaykay18]

Mini marshmallows, huh? Never heard of dehydrating them. I really don't know how long beef jerky takes. That's something I do know you want to slice REALLY thin, and marinate in something like soy sauce. Once you put it on, you'll want to check it, I think it'll take about a good solid day or so. Ronco made a food dehydrator and had an infomercial on that in the 1980s, perhaps you should watch that for fun: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3fYmI2ja7mKsM0 I also found this one, again using that Ronco one. If I recall, the Ronco one didn't even have a fan, so that means it relied strictly on convection inside. As such, things would take even longer in that unit than in this magic chef; I'd imagine checking mine in half the time the Ronco one recommended. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3fYmI2ja7mKsM0 I've done plenty of fruit in mine, strawberries, bananas, apples, pears, even tomatoes. It's not something that's going to produce a lot in a little time. Dehydrating takes many many hours, sometimes overnight, and once you get your bounty, it's gobbled up faster than you can make more. Something to experiment with. You may find the trays start to crack, and I have a video on repairing those as well, once you need to do that you can search for that video.

[@Wyldfyre.84]

This was so helpful! I suspected that the white tray came off, but didn't know how to get it off. Imagine the horrors I found underneath that tray.......

[@jaykay18]

Glad to hear! I know all about the horrors. I had cleaned them out when I first "inherited" the unit. This time, the stuff in there was all from me, so at least it was my own dirt, and you know, that's a lot better than someone else's dirtier dirt!

[@richardhz-oi8px]

Jay, did you purposefully make the Red Can the thumbnail in order to trigger the Faen[TM] elitists with their blue cans?

[@jaykay18]

Nope, just worked out that way!

[@lindsayo7725]

ah! thank you for this, I just got my dad's out of storage, has been sitting for 10-15 years, hope I can get it to run. needed to know how to take the bottom apart because as of now it smells a little like dust burning when i turn it on!

[@jaykay18]

OK, glad this helped you, good luck! Probably just needs some compressed air and a good cleaning, might want to oil the fan motor while it's open.

[@jjdogg0]

I have 2 of these still in box with instructions that dad had in his attic.ive had em years. Unused. Till tomorrow

[@lexieharvey8186]

Yes i also just got a vintage Magic Chef dehydrator, it is a 0700 (July 2000), your model has nice tall feet, my model has feet that are barely 1/4 inch tall. I think i will extend the height for better air flow out the bottom. Mine has been used one time, has no cracks in the plastic trays. I could not find Jay's solution to the cracked trays but i am assuming instant glue is the cure to prevent a crack from spreading once it starts? My unit is 250 watts with a metal coil heater in the center and a tiny fan unit. I did oil it. My top lid has 4 slots on the edge tops, non adjustable vents. Going to try dried fruits this weekend...i bought chilie lime seasoning!

[@malindawilcher6468]

Where did you put the oil at on/in the fan? Do you have another video of what you do with cracks in the lid. If you do, I couldn't find it. Thanks

[@jaykay18]

The fan is removed and the oil placed on the shaft near the bearings at each end of the motor. That's the easy way. The hard way is taking the motor apart and oiling it properly, but usually the easy way will get you by for quite some time to come. Yes, I do have a video on repairing the cracks, here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6GycnWFibR5oMk

[@roscoeprater9623]

where can i order a heater for that and what is the number on it

[@jaykay18]

A device like this would have an expected service life of only a few years, maybe 3-5. After that, there wouldn't be any spare parts. This is now 25, almost 26 years old. About the best shot you'd have is to find one in a thrift store, or maybe on ebay, and take it for parts.

[@niks_crazy_world]

I own one quite like this one that is dead useful in the summer & fall when we dehydrate almost **EVERY** food item that comes out of the gardens.

[@jaykay18]

You don't own it, but I bet I know who does!

[@niks_crazy_world]

Actually, this one was a purchase at a garage sale with my money I received for my birthday. Therefore, I own it.

[@jaykay18]

And then you let the whole family use it? That's impressive.

[@niks_crazy_world]

jaykay18 my one act of kindness for the year. Lol just kidding

[@jaykay18]

Don't worry, I'm not laughing.

[@RollingTardis]

Ah yes, back in the day dehydrators, I remember the craze for (Meats) Jerky and Fruit Roll Ups, along with fruit chips. Someday I'd like to play with one. Had a coworker that would make Venison Jerky (Spicy), only problem with it, after a sample, one wanted more, till it was all gone! Yum!

[@jaykay18]

Yes, I know all about it. Whatever goes in comes out candied and you just can't stop eating it. The tomats especially intensify their flavor. Periodically, Aldi carries their Ambiano brand one, you know, once a year for about a week. That one (as far as I'm aware) does not have a faen in it, but you'd be hard pressed to find one for any kind of reasonable amount of China pesos that does include one.

[@RollingTardis]

I would not go for a home grade model, I go for a commercial model. Pay a bit more for goodness from a commercial kitchen shop. I'm glad I am not the only one that uses Laundry Bluing! I see that bottle!

[@jaykay18]

Oh nice, you use it too!

[@RollingTardis]

Bleach is ok for occasional use , but it also takes out the trace of blue dye in white fabric after so many washes. That trace of blue is what makes the white stand out in our eyes. I prefer to use a speciality whitener called, OUT White Bright, it does a better job of taking out the dingies, yellowing and dye transfer. Then follow up with Laundry Bluing.

[@jaykay18]

I believe I have OUT White Bright!

[@jaykay18]

7 people thought this video was dried out. Har har!

[@homegrowntomatoes1]

Not bad. I have one. Mine was made in 1991. Still kickin', alongside my Excaliber. I must, though, chuckle at your pronunciation of the little whirly air mover!

[@jaykay18]

@@homegrowntomatoes1 That's a jab at KZbinr Jordan U. He says "faen" like I did. I do that to make fun of him, not to imitate him. Because he can show you a fan, and say "this isn't a bad faen". So "bad" is pronounced properly, but "fan" isn't. Derp!

[@karenlongmire2923]

Is the vent supposed to open or closed during the dehydrating process?

[@jaykay18]

Depends on what you're dehydrating. Try to check the manual for the one you have. If you don't have the manual, look online for any food dehydrator and it will tell you the function of the vent, when to open it and when to close it.

[@Elle4201]

Can anyone provide the link to the manual for this online. Just picked one up from a yard sale in great condition but not sure how to use it.

[@jaykay18]

I have the manual in PDF form, but I'd need an email to send it to.

[@MycelialSuperFan]

@@jaykay18 can you send a copy to pebblebeachpad at gmail dot com? Thank you so much!

[@luluserrano8736]

@@jaykay18 Hi ! Do you can send me the Manual? [e-mail]. thanks so much😊

[@jaykay18]

@@MycelialSuperFan Sent.

[@jaykay18]

@@luluserrano8736 Sent.

[@valeriesison2012]

Jay I took mine apart and now not sure how to get the heater cover to back over the ceramic heater

[@jaykay18]

Take a look at about the 3:00 mark, there are just 2 screws and 2 clips, that's it. Couldn't be simpler. If you keep watching you'll see how mine came apart, reassembly is the reverse.

[@valeriesison2012]

jaykay18 I got it back I believe correctly and thanks to your video I got it fixed it was given to me and thought it was junk cause it didn't work and it was just the fan

[@jaykay18]

Glad to hear! I have a couple of other videos on it you might also be interested in.

[@valeriesison2012]

jaykay18 just tried but had to shut off cause it was smoking

[@valeriesison2012]

smell like burning plastic

[@user-dm9qo5dx8k]

Just found one today in Dads closet made by K-tel Model LD1010 but there is a fire recall from 1997. Be careful it looks like this model and has same #s.

[@jaykay18]

Nice! Add that to the list of products I have that have had recalls. Only one has ever failed, and it was an outdoor pressure washer. It failed exactly the way they said it would, and I knew it was coming. This dehydrator is very seldom used, and when it is, it's used atop my washing machine with no other combustible material around.

[@marthabolanos2205]

Muy interesantes sus comentarios acerca de cómo funciona este deshidratador. Mi pregunta es: podría yo conseguir un instructivo para poder deshidratar algunos alimentos ? Afortunadamente el mío esta entero sin rajaduras. Pero me interesa usar bien los tiempos adecuados para deshidratar diferentes frutas y verduras. Vivo en Mexicali B,C, MEXICO MI nombre es Martha Bolaños

[@jaykay18]

Gracias. Por suerte, tengo una copia del manual en formato PDF. Necesitaría tu dirección de correo electrónico para enviártelo. También tenga en cuenta que el manual está en inglés.

[@marthabolanos2205]

Le agradezco mucho que haya atendido mi petición. Y envié mi correo-e le estoy enviando otro, espero que en este sí me llegue marboret@hotmail. Gracias!

[@juliaflores7076]

Jay, can I use WD-40 on this unit?

[@jaykay18]

If you do, you'll be fixing it again in a week. WD-40 is NOT a lubricant. it's a Water Displacer, that's what the WD stands for. 40 means 40th attempt. That means that it failed 39 times before, and in my opinion, it fails the 40th attempt as well. It's a great cleaner, and rust remover. Works great on rusty tools, garden shears, gate hinges, but not much else.

[@juliaflores7076]

@@jaykay18 THANK YOU SO MUCH.

[@jaykay18]

@@juliaflores7076 No problem.

[@juliaflores7076]

It’s hard to fine that 3 and 1oil.

[@jaykay18]

Any hardware store, Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, WalMart, all of them have it. Automotive parts stores probably have it too.

[@Pieeye]

A FEEE' ANNN

[@jaykay18]

That's a poke at another KZbinr who speaks like that normally. I made it famous.

[@charliesheehan4577]

My dad had one exactly like this, but got thrown out because while it was in storage, the mice decided to make a home out of it. Disgusting!

[@jaykay18]

They probably smelled the food bits in the bottom...

[@donaldlake675]

Mmm mouse jerky