Quote Originally Posted by marni View Post
I make sweet potato chips for myself and dog treats by drying them in an oven set at 125 F. It usually takes 15 hours to do two baking sheets worth. I slice them very thin on a mandoline and spread them out 1 layer thick. I might invest in a dehydrator if I did more than this but in the meantime the oven works well and my oven has a 20 hour safety cut off so even if I forget about the potato chips, it isn't a problem.
I just don't feel safe leaving my oven on for that long (living in an apartment and all). Even if it's while I'm sleeping. And I certainly don't stay home watching tv 15 hours a day.

This is also why I'm leaning towards a less expensive unit - I don't plan on dehydrating a lot, mostly just things for chips and jerky and the occasional fruit - but I don't want a unit that's hard to use or cumbersome.