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85 of 85 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Works like a charm, better than Excalibur models, February 19, 2008
This review is from: Nesco American Harvest FD-1020 Gardenmaster 1000-Watt Digital Food Dehydrator (Kitchen)
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.
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44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nesco Gardenmaster Dehydrator, October 13, 2008
This review is from: Nesco American Harvest FD-1020 Gardenmaster 1000-Watt Digital Food Dehydrator (Kitchen)
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.
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the one to get, April 2, 2009
This review is from: Nesco American Harvest FD-1020 Gardenmaster 1000-Watt Digital Food Dehydrator (Kitchen)
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.
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