Mellerware Biltong Maker & Fruit Dehydrator

The Mellerware Food Dehydrator is amazing value for money and very easy to use - I am just loving the one that I purchased and would recommend it to anyone to purchase.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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1 out of 5 stars

Really useless gadget

Item reviewed:

Review by Gus K. on 11 November 2015, over 1 year after purchase

Verified Owner

It is very flimsy, easy to fall apart plastic gadget. I used it once, and threw R400 of rubbish away. Will not even recommend to my enemy. sorry

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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This is one of the best kitchen tools I've ever bought, it makes the tastiest dried fruit at a fraction of the cost in the shops. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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5 out of 5 stars

Excellent purchase and value for money

Item reviewed:

Review by Alistair D. on 11 September 2013, 10 days after purchase

Verified Owner

Great purchase. Will be using for a long time. Made the first batch of biltong and can't wait to try out using it for the dried fruit.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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This is so cool, I can now make my own biltong at a fraction of the price, plus have the added option of drying fruit! I have already made a batch of biltong and I must say I am very impressed.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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We have made biltong in this several times now. The dehydrator assembles easily and takes up little space. It works well and produces good quality biltong within 2 days.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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I can't wait to get one of these Mellerware Biltong and Dried Fruit makers - I'm saving up! To the person that wanted more shelves for drying fruit - leave the shelves out, and thread your fruit pieces onto some thread or fine string, leaving space between each piece, then tie a loop at the top and suspend from the empty biltong 'S' hooks - as well as from homemade "paperclip 'S' hooks" - using the bars at the top that usually carry hanging biltong - you can dry a great deal of fruit at one time using this method, I should imagine! Read more

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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We are delighted with the biltong maker/ food dehydrator, easy to use. A nice feature is that it is in an enclosed unit and compact. I dried a couple of layers of chillies and my husband loves making his own biltong in the dehydrator. Would most definitely recommend.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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I've had this item for a very short time and already cannot stop raving about it. I'm considering purchasing a few more so I can indulge in more of its capabilities.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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As a hunter I was always making my own biltong through a friend butcher. Not anymore!!!!

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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4 out of 5 stars

Love it!

Item reviewed:

Review by Natasha O. on 16 October 2014, 12 days after purchase

Verified Owner

Absolutely adore it! Look at the fridge with a whole new set of eyes now - wondering what I can dehydrate next. Have made biltong, dried strawberries and even mushroom biltong! Next up is dehydrated crackers and buckwheat pizza bases.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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5 out of 5 stars

Loving it

Item reviewed:

Review by Lancelot W. on 7 November 2014, 10 days after purchase

Verified Owner

Great biltong maker.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Surprisingly it works well.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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3 out of 5 stars

Mellerware Biltong King

Item reviewed:

Review by Lynsey S. on 19 March 2015, 1 month after purchase

Verified Owner

A bit flimsy - one of the sides cracked when I put it together.

Crack doesn't effect the working of the product. Does what it should - just be careful building it!

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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The Biltong maker is so easy to use. It drys wors in 2 days and is light and compact. In fact mine is going to my daughter in Germany as she is missing the taste of biltong.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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5 out of 5 stars

Awesome

Item reviewed:

Review by Maretha E. on 10 July 2015

Love it! Works great.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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4 out of 5 stars

Optimistic so far

Item reviewed:

Review by Elmi L. on 9 September 2015, 10 days after purchase

Verified Owner

Still only 3 days old - but I am optimistic that biltong will materialise.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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The biltong maker seems to be doing its job but we have only had the meat in overnight. However, as there was no light in the pack we used a 40w round globe and unfortunately it has melted the plastic rack closest to it. So now we have taken the globe out and will try it without a globe.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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I must say that I am extremely happy with the product, I have made 2 batches of biltong already and I am not going to stop. Thanks to all and greetings from Dubai.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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I only just started using the food dehydrator yesterday. It is easy to use and seems to work well. My concern is that getting globes will be a problem going forward as they are not readily available.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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We love our biltong maker so much and enjoy creating and testing new ways to spice the meat.
To make chilli bites & chunks we used the drying trays and lay them down in strips.
We find that it takes about 2-3 days to dry to our satisfaction.

Just watch out if you have any pets. My cat loves knocking it down and stealing a nibble.

This is a great gift for any meat lover. Read more

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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4 out of 5 stars

Brilliant for biltong lovers

Item reviewed:

Review by Meagan G. on 6 January 2016

Great product, have used it numerous times and will continue to use it. Takes a day to prep biltong before it goes into the machine and then 3-5 days to dry it and then that's it! Best biltong! Love this product.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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I bought the Biltong Maker a few weeks ago and we are on our second batch of homemade biltong.
It is a great product and we are loving it.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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This was a gift to my brother He is LOVING IT.
From the start of ordering to receiving - total professionalism as a first time user of Yuppiechef.

My brother is loving the fact that he can do dried fruit, as well.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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I gave this to my husband for his birthday and it has kept him occupied ever since. He has done fruit, is experimenting with various meats for biltong and intends to try tomatoes etc in due course. First class toy for boys!

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

Item reviewed:

Review by Heide G. on 3 November 2016, 9 days after purchase

Verified Owner

Mine works so well, this one I bought is travelling all the way to Morocco for a friend who misses the taste of biltong.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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I make my very allergic dog biltong with only a little salt on it. I freeze the biltong and only keep out enough for a few treats. Making my own biltong, I use very little salt and a mix of spices to my taste is just perfect! Only 1 problem though, the "bars" on which the biltong hangs, is just a little bit too short. Otherwise, this biltong maker is amazing.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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This is a great gift for your hubby or your biltong lover. But what surprised me was the fact that you can even dry fruit and nuts in the biltong maker. Now my Hubby and I can both use it!

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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I got one for my birthday, and loved using it, so we decided to give one to my 70+ old father in law and what a great gift. He is using it daily, easy to use with amazing recipes. It's an awesome gift for young and old.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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We received the parcel and was very easy to set up. Our first batch of biltong came out very well, and was eaten quickly.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Easy to use. Stores flat so doesn't take up too much space. End product was as expected.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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The product itself does exactly what it suppose to. Easy to assemble, and even easier to use, highly recommended to everyone who loves biltong.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Thoroughly enjoying using the biltong maker. Easy to use and a great way to experiment with dehydrating all kinds of foods. Great buy!

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Yes, this is the second one I have bought. Sending it to my son in the U.K. so he can make his own biltong and droewors!!

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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It makes biltong in 3 days! Easy to use and easy to clean. The 40W light bulbs are hard to find. So if you do find them - stock up.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Fantastic buy. Success every time.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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This biltong maker doesn't deserve any stars at all.... It is just bad quality and overpriced... When we received it the light was not working, so this was exchanged. After a while the fan stopped working, so this was exchanged again. The fan lasted 3 days and stopped and this was exchanged again... And finally, the fan gave in... so that has now gone into the bin alongside the meat that we had just put in.
I have just read all the reviews and can see that many people had the same problem... Wish I had read these before... Do not buy! Read more

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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I assembled this product immediately and put it to use straight away by drying some thin wors sausage. It works very well and the next time I will be drying some fruit. Many thanks for your excellent service.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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I bought this as a Christmas gift. It's difficult to assemble as it's badly made with thin plastic sides that keep falling apart as you try build it. When applying the slightest pressure to the one side while attempting to attach the 3rd and 4th sides, the one side snapped in half! It was out its box for all of 10 minutes and now has to go in the dustbin. What rubbish! Very disappointed and embarrassed that I gave this as a gift. Read more

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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Am on my 3rd biltong making and am enjoying the experiments.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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3 out of 5 stars

Mellerware Biltong Maker

Item reviewed: Biltong Maker & Spices (no longer available)

Review by Melanie D. on 2 March 2018

This is my favourite toy at the moment. However we have detected a design flaw. The fan is an extractor fan and sucks the air out of the unit. The bulb is placed at the top of the dryer next to the fan - which is useless as the heated air is then just sucked out again and probably has minimal effect on the meat. The unit should have a bulb on the base - such that the hot air can rise as it would and dry the meat and then be extracted out by the fan at the top. I could improvise and add my own bulb at the bottom - and may do that - but thought you might appreciate the insight for future units. Read more

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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The product works, but it is so flimsy that it tends to fall apart when ever you want to move it.

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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It's really easy to use and does exactly what it says on the box. Now I can have dried fruit without chemicals.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Didn't meet expectations.. took too long to dry.

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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Extremely flimsy. Takes days and days to dry small things, can't imagine how long biltong would take.

I don't understand the logic of putting the source of heat (the light) right next to the fan at the top of the unit. Not nearly enough heat is generated by the bulb to warrant the extra electricity being used.

Can't believe how many positive reviews this thing got; really wish I'd paid more heed to the negative reviews. Read more

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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4 out of 5 stars

What a Handy Gadget!

Item reviewed:

Review by Lisa K. on 9 July 2019, 1 month after purchase

Verified Owner

I absolutely love my Biltong Maker! The "hinges" and side panels are a bit fragile and the plastic rods tend to fall, but otherwise the product is of amazing quality. I just love having biltong ready within 2-3 days and have even made droewors. Today I am going to try making dried apples. Currently this is my favourite gadget at home!

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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The Mellerware Biltong maker works like a charm. My biltong came out very nice every time.

I do think that the construction is a bit flimsy, needs focus when putting it together.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Although the product 'seems' flimsy, it was easy to set up and I had my first batch of "nasties free" biltong in 3 days!! So.... it works!

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Good product!

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Well made & just does the job. Recommended.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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I tried it with fruits for my colleagues to try them and they came out perfect, they also like them, I am now ready to get started with my dry fruits business,

The bulb was hard to find, at least i got a pack of 5 in Checkers Hyper,now I don't have to worry much

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Works very well.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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The Biltong King works very well and is easy to assemble and maintain. The fan runs very softly and the unit really takes up little space.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Great for drying out meat - both game and beef. Herbs also dry out well in this device.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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1 out of 5 stars

Utterly Dissapointing

Item reviewed:

Review by Natasha ten Krooden T. on 13 January 2021

This was a Christmas gift long-awaited as biltong making was something I wanted to try for quite a number of years.

The concept is a good one, and the ideal is something that could excite me, but, and this is a VERY BIG BUT

It is poor quality and flimsy to the point of the terrible cheap plastic cracking on assembly... For what you ask this product is so far below standards, a knock-off company would reject it.
I am severely disappointed as YC supposedly prides itself on quality and then you sell this. I am even ashamed that I told my mother of YC and products. Read more

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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Awesome, awesome, awesome. I love it, I'm very happy. It's perhaps only the lightbulbs that are difficult to find by the bulb/light manufacturer as you need a very particular screw-in bulb for the Mellerware biltong maker and if you do find the bulbs, you have to buy a lot because the store does not know when they will receive more of those particular bulb lights. But other than that, I love it.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Tried my first biltong and within 4 days it was ready! Tasted better than the butcher's biltong. I will try drying fruit for my wife. This product definitely does what it says and it works great!

The light bulb the unit uses was a bit of a struggle to get but got it from another retailer at the end of the day.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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The dryer does what it is supposed to do, but the design is very flimsy and the plastic tabs break very easily. For the price, I would expect something better.

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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We bought this a year ago and finally used it for the first time last week to make biltong. We did not use the light bulb and with just the fan going it made super biltong in a few days. The fan was quite noticeable so next time we will put in a room other than the kitchen but otherwise worked perfectly fine. You definitely have to be careful with the plastic sides, they feel like they could crack very easily and the whole setup is a bit flimsy when assembled so we didn't dare move it once the meat was in. There are probably way better units available but for the price it is totally fine and does what it is supposed to do. Read more

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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This is going to be a Christmas gift.

But I have the same one and we use it frequently. It works perfectly but you need to be careful when handling it as it is a little delicate!

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Could not fit it together doesn't line up, it is poor quality and chipped straight away when assembled.

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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We're still trying it out but have some concerns. The plastic is very iffy, and it's hard to hold it all together. I've had to add tape to keep it somewhat stable.

The three rods that hold the meat just fall down because they're not quite long enough and I'm having to figure out how to extend them a bit, even though I've put tape around the box to hold it together better.
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After trying it with fruit on the two shelves, which also kept falling in until I taped the box on the outside, I decided the amount of electricity used to get the fruit to the right dryness was not worth it because you can only put a very small amount of fruit on the two shelves. There should be many more shelves. One apple and one banana to all the space.

With regards to meat, this is slightly better once I get the rods to work, the outer two rods are better at staying put, but I'm having to figure out how to gauge when the meat is ready. That's my learning curve.

So I think it's better for meat than fruit or vegetables, but the composition is flimsy and the rods are too short. Read more

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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I have read all the other reviews and am wondering if we have the same product. I own this and have used it for both biltong and dehydration and have found a major flaw. The slots at the bottom to allow air out once it has been sucked in via the fan are too big they allow fruit flies and even small household flies in. I have had to go and purchase some mosquito netting and tape it on the bottom. I can't believe people are giving this 5 stars with such a massive flaw. I certainly don't want flies walking on or laying eggs in my biltong or fruit flies all over my dehydrated fruit. Read more

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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I have assembled the biltong king, but have not used it as yet. I am sure it will give us loads of tasty biltong. I am pleased that the appliance came with recipe's and food preparation suggestions.

I would recommend this product to a friend.

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Sadly, this product did not work for me! I needed to dry Organic parsley and it took THREE days and the parsley was partially dried but still 'leathery'! I was hoping it would be quicker and more economical to use this dehydrator but the oven at 70 deg C for 45 mins works better and parsley lovely, dry and crisp!
Not at all sure how it will dry meat or fruit :(

I would not recommend this product to a friend.

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