Nesco American Harvest FD-1020 Gardenmaster Digital 1000 Watt Food Dehydrator

Customer Reviews

Average Rating of 4.50 out of 4 reviews

Rating :
Works like a charm, better than Excalibur models - Carolyn Rampone, Feb 19, 2008

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.


Rating :
great idea...at the time... - lysmyk, Sep 14, 2007

I was a bit dissappointed with the whole 'drying' experience- I tried to dry peaches as directed, watermelon as directed, banana's as directed- I tried and I tried but no matter how I sliced and diced they never seemed to work out for me! The fruits never dried througouhly- and I tried many different time settings- could be user error- or just mis-guidance in the directions. For me, it didn't work out- for others it may be the perfect product.


Rating :
Excellent dehydrator. - Charles E. Klekot, Sep 08, 2007

Works great. Easy clean up with fan on the top. Use trays to easily expand or reduce your capacity. Easily cleans up in the dishwasher. Definitely a great value for what you get.


Rating :
LOVE THIS! - icefreeze, Jul 03, 2007

I love this dehydrator! I have made all sorts of fruit, fruit roll-ups and granola bars. My kids love them too. The machine works very well, seams to dry evenly. It holds a lot, but I plan to buy some expansion shelves becuase I like to dry a ton of things.

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