| | |  | Food Dehydrators | Home » » Nesco American Harvest FD-1020 Gardenmaster 1000-Watt Digital Food Dehydrator | | | | | | | Description: | | The Gardenmaster digital food dehydrator comes with 4 trays and accessories. Easily dries fruit, vegetables and jerky quickly and evenly. Dries food in hours not days. Unit disassembles easily and all parts are dishwasher safe except the power head. The Opaque Vita-Save exterior helps block harmful lights which destroys nutritional content of food being dehydrated. The Patented fan flow radial air action forces air down the center of the unit and horizontally across each tray for fast, even-drying. No need to rotate. 1000 watts of power. | | | Features: | |
• 1000-watt 4-tray digital food dehydrator dries in hours instead of days
• Flavors don't mix; no need to rotate trays; opaque exterior blocks harmful lights
• Adjustable thermostat; 48-hour digital timer; dishwasher-safe parts
• Includes recipe book, solid sheet, mesh sheet, and jerky spice packet
• Measures approximately 15 by 15 by 9 inches
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 15.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 15.0 inches | | Product Height:
| 9.0 inches | | Product Weight:
| 10.6 pounds | | Package Length:
| 16.2 inches | | Package Width:
| 15.2 inches | | Package Height:
| 11.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 10.75 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 54 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 54 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
106 of 106 found the following review helpful:
 Works like a charm, better than Excalibur modelsFeb 19, 2008
By Carolyn Rampone
"Carolyn D'Amico Rampone"
I feel confident in saying this Nesco Gardenmaster is a better quality product than the Excalibur 9 tray, both of which I have used. I first tried the Excalibur and quickly realized it took too long and was too cumbersome to be effective and needed a new thermostat after just three weeks. I found myself babysitting the unit, switching trays and drying only during the day when I could turn it off manually. The 9 tray I had did not have an automatic timer and was just a pain in the neck. I sold it on Ebay after two months. I ventured out into the world of dehydrating again after two long years of resentment. I tried the Nesco and was so happy I did. The digital controls offer exact results every time, the automatic shut-off allow you to dry at night without waking to adjust trays or check results.
The capacity is huge with the add on trays offered and the powerful fan dries the bottom tray equally as fast as the top. The top mounted motor keeps drips from causing a clean-up nightmare and the quality of food is excellent. I've dried fruits, vegetables, made pounds and pounds of jerkey and have experimented with some raw food "baking" which all turned out perfect.
I love the Nesco Gardenmaster and suggest you seriously consider it whether a novice or pro. If you are considering an Excalibur, I highly recommend the Nesco as I found it performed substantially better than the Ex,has design features to make your drying easy and fun, and costs about $50.00 less.
55 of 55 found the following review helpful:
Nesco Gardenmaster DehydratorOct 13, 2008
By Ginger
"wife, mother, & grandma"
I bought 2 Nesco American Harvest Food Dehydrators in 1974. One for me and one for my grandmother. They were used extensively for drying fruits and vegetables as well as making jerky. After 24 years, the plastic became brittle so I thought it was time to replace them. Because the original dryers worked so well for so long, I immediately looked for the same brand. I bought the Gardenmaster plus 6 extra trays because it is the largest model and I dry large quantities. Within the past 2 weeks - how long I've had my new dryer - I have dried about 8 bushels of apples. Since the tree is still full, I will probably dry that many more before moving into jerky season.
The only complaints I have seen on this dryer have related to concerns regarding "recipies" not listing exact drying times. As an experienced food dryer, I can tell you this is the same no matter which dryer you use. I would be concerned about any dehydrator that stated otherwise - drying time depends on the moisture in the item your drying, humidity in the room where you have your dryer, and the amount of food placed on trays to dry. The apples I'm drying right now are VERY juicy so it is taking about 18 hours to dry 10 trays of them to perfection. After you have dried food for a while, you will be able to guess about how long it will take to dry a pariculy batch of food.
39 of 39 found the following review helpful:
This is the one to getApr 02, 2009
By Sonia R.
This is a high quality food dehydrator that is simple to use because of the digital control and the top heater and fan. I wouldn't even consider a food dehydrator that does not have the top heater/fan. This one does not need to have the trays rotated during use and also heats to the recommended 160*.
I have had my Nesco American Harvest FD-1020 for a year and have used it so far only to make ground beef jerky, but I've given it extensive use for that. I cook the meat at the 160* setting for approximately 6 1/2 hours, but the amount of time varies by the ambient humidity. I set it outdoors to use and when in southern Arizona, if the meat slices are thin, 6 hours was sufficient. In Texas, I have needed to leave the meat cooking for 7 hours. I don't care for the smell of the cooking meat, necessitating the outdoor use.
For ease of cleaning, I recommend purchasing the clean-a-screen mesh sheets for each tray, Nesco American Harvest MS-2-6 Clean-A-Screen Plastic-Mesh Dehydrator Screens, Set of 2. Also, buy at least one additional set of trays, Nesco American Harvest Add-A-Tray for FD-1000, Set of 2. Buy a set of the mesh screens for each set of trays. Only a single mesh screen comes with the dehydrator. Do be careful to order the correct trays and screens for the specific model of Nesco deyhdrator.
I'm the type who wants detailed instructions, and the included instructions are poor. I finally had to dive in and give it a try when I didn't know exactly what to do. After experimentation, for the ground beef jerky, I use one packet of the Nesco Jerky Spice Works, hot and spicy flavor, plus a teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper to 1 1/2 pounds of 96% lean ground beef. It is easy to make the jerky strips using the Nesco BJX-5 American Harvest Jumbo Jerky Works Kit. For 6 lbs of meat, I needed 8 trays, and they were totally filled. Perhaps it would be better not to crowd the slices, but mine has worked OK and I want to make lots of jerky when I'm going through the trouble of making it. I store the jerky is an airtight container in the fridge or in sealed bags in the freezer.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
FD-1020 DehydratorJun 02, 2008
By Seymour M. Pelton
This is truly a set it and forget it machine. Since receiving the 1020 I have put it through many hours of dehydrating. It is quiet, Which makes placing it your choice and not determined by the noise level. I am very pleased that I chose a top heater and blower. I never have to worry about particles or drippings getting into the fan or heater. It has fulfilled my expectations and for me worthy of 5 stars.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Gardenmaster 1000-wattSep 30, 2008
By crobo
I added this dehydrator to my approximately 12-year-old Nesco. The new one is digital and has a timer, visibly counting down the number of hours I've set. That's a very handy feature for me - taking the place of leaving myself a note for start and estimated finish times and then checking the time repeatedly so I'm sure to shut off the machine. I will continue to use the older model for low temperature herb drying.
The only problem I have with this, as with the older model, is where to store it. But as my jars of dried vegetables and fruit build up on the shelves - food I will use this winter and beyond and won't have to purchase later at higher prices - I figure that's a small inconvenience.
See all 54 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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