Nesco American Harvest FD-1040 Gardenmaster 1000-Watt Digital Food Dehydrator review and price compare 2025

you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you

Product overview

Brand	NESCO
Material	Plastic
Color	White
Wattage	1000 watts
Item Dimensions LxWxH	15 x 15 x 9 inches

product features

This fits your .

by entering your model number.
1000 watts of drying power provides even heat distribution
Adjustable digital time & temperature control (90°F - 160°F)
(4) BPA Free trays with 1 sq. ft. of drying area per tray - Expandable to 20 trays
Proudly made in the USA of global and domestic components
Includes (1) Fruit Roll Sheet, (1) Clean-A-Screen, a sample of Jerky Seasoning & Cure, and a 52-page recipe & instruction book

product description

Product Description

The NESCO FD-1040 Gardenmaster Digital Pro Dehydrator is ideal for drying and preserving large amounts of fruits, vegetables, herbs and jerky. 1000 watts of drying power means you can dry more, faster. This dehydrator comes with four (15 1/2″ diameter) trays and expands up to 20 trays so you can dry large quantities at once, with no tray rotation needed. Additional Add-A-Trays sold separately. The adjustable digital temperature control (90°F -160°F) gives you the flexibility to achieve the best results when drying different foods that need varying temperature settings. The digital timer is programmable for up to 48 hours of drying time. The quiet, powerful Converga-Flow® fan forces heated air down the exterior pressurized chamber, then horizontally across each individual tray. The air flow then converges in the center for quick, consistent drying that is four times faster than other dehydrators. The top mounted fan eliminates liquids dripping into the heater chamber. The NESCO FD-1040 Gardenmaster Digital Pro Dehydrator provides the drying power that generates maximum speed and quality for dehydrating your favorite foods.

Manufacturer's Notice

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11104.html

Manufacturer Remedy Information

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11104.html

product details

important information

you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you

Questions about Nesco American Harvest FD-1040 Gardenmaster 1000-Watt Digital Food Dehydrator

What is the product made out of? Plastic, Aluminum, stainless steel, or something else?

Answer: It is made of light weight plastic.

Answer: Plastic

Answer: Don't know, but I would think so.

What increments is the thermostat increased by what is the lowest setting and what is the highest?

Answer: The thermostat ranges from 90-degrees F to 160-degrees F with 5-degree increments.

Answer: The thermostat increases by 5* at a time. It goes from 90*F - 160*F.

Is this product BPA free?

Answer: yes

I have the excalibur one with 440 watt. which is quiet the motor. Since this one is 1000 Watt, would it very noisy during the operation ?

Answer: They are quiet I run two of them and you were hardly notice them

Answer: I don't notice much noise during operation. A slight humming at best.

Answer: This is the only dehydrator I've had, so I don't know how it compares to others noise-wise. It does make noise, but I didn't find it to be annoying. It's like a constant white noise in the background. I usually turn mine on shortly before going to bed and let it run through the night, so it really doesn't matter anyway.

Answer: No it is not.

Can somone please compare the 1018 and the 1020 models?

What is the difference between the fd1020 and the fd-1040?

What comes with the dehydrator? Does it come with fruit roll up trays and mesh trays?

Answer: Mine came with one of each trays

What is the difference between this and the FD-1010?

Answer: FD-1020 has a digital timer that will stop the dehydrator and digital temp settings. FD-1010 does not so you will have to monitor and turn off the dehydrator manually and the temp settings are a dial. They both work perfectly fine. Just have to decide if you can always be around when your food is done to shut it off. I upgraded to the 1020 so I could set it and leave the house.

Is this made in USA?

Answer: i bought this well over ten years ago, the box says assembled in USA with parts from who knows where.

Answer: Made in the U.S. with American & Global components. As stated on the box. Not quite 100% U.S. made.

Are the trays in Nesco food dehydrators dishwasher safe?

Answer: The trays are sturdy plastic but I preferred to hand wash as I didn't want to expose them to the heat level inside a dishwasher.

Answer: They are too large in diameter to fit in a home dishwasher. We use the mesh tray liners to minimize residue on the trays and hand wash all of them in our farm sink. If you took out the top rack in your dishwasher they would probably wash up just fine. hard plastic

Answer: I wash mine in the dishwasher. I've had them for years and haven't had a problem yet.

Answer: I’m not sure, but they are too big for my dishwasher and I have a lot of them.

Answer: We do recommend hand washing.

Answer: Yes! The one I have is.

Answer: Yes

How tall is it?

Answer: About 10 1/2 inches tall. Haven't used it recently but we've dried all kinds of fruit and made fruit rollups. Love it so far.

Answer: 10 inches

Can you go higher than 4 trays? If so how many?

Answer: According to Nesco's website, you can expand up to 20 trays. I believe you can buy the trays individually or in packs or 3-4. Hope that helps!

Answer: Instructions say you can stack the trays 20 high.

can the power plug be adapted to be used in Hong Kong?

Answer: Only if you are pushing 110v and 60 hertz, if you are pushing 50 hertz it will work, but the fan will burn out sooner than normal!

Where is it manufactured?

Product reviews of Nesco American Harvest FD-1040 Gardenmaster 1000-Watt Digital Food Dehydrator

Ava Renee : Was great (again) while it lasted...

Okay, so this is the second dehydrator (same brand) we've purchased in 6 months! Both ( yes, both) died on us! We used it two to three time per week, for anywhere from 18 to 24 hours. This one lasted only 2 months!
Sorry, Nesco, I'll not buy your products any longer as they are unreliable.
Please work on your machines so people don't have to throw away their hard earned money on food AND an unreliable machine.
So sad, I really liked it.
Good luck to all...

Marty H : Great dehydrator

We've been drying fruits and everything's worked perfectly. Love the timer and glad that it runs relatively quiet. Hums a bit but not overly distracting.

SC Granny : Awesome product!

Having never owned a food dehydrator, I did a lot of researching before choosing the FD-1020. Within a couple of days of receiving it, I decided to try my hand at making home made beef jerky. Using the dehydrator was simple and it worked well. The beef jerky came out awesome!

Kenneth J. Nies : Excellent Product!

The Nesco American Harvest FD-1020 is the first dehydrator I have ever bought. After doing a lot of research, this product with the digital timer is well worth the investment. Thus far, I have dried apples,pineapples,Hamburger Meat (The less fat the better) and London Broil. It's fun & easy, even a Caveman can do it.

Nora : very nice

it's a bit loud but you get used to it. it does a great job on herbs as well as tomatoes. if you like preserving foods you'll like this

Sam's Dad : As Advertised

First-rate product and performance at a fair price. Our dogs are loving the chicken jerky !!!!

Caitlin : Best Dehydrator

This product was easy to use, woks wonderful, and made it in less than a week when we waited on it for more than a month with Walmart!!

Cheryl Jones : Nesco Dehydrator

I am learning to use my new dehydrator, but so far I love it. It is quiet and the timer is a lifesaver. I have found that I needed more than the fruit roll sheets and clean-a-screen tray. I like to do apples and put a cinnamon sugar on some of them. All in all I would say I am so pleased with this dehydrator.

Cynthia D. Dotson : Being prepared

In this time of uncertainty, it has become more and more important to me to be gathering items of food storage for myself and my family. I feel like a real multi tasker when I am dehydrating something, studying for my classes and then throw a load of laundry in!!

I find that this machine is much quicker than my other 2 dehydrators! I like being able to set the time and the temp and then walk away from it!! SO far so good!! I am very happy with my purchase and with the purchase price! I feel that I got a great deal!! Thank you Amazon!!

WStilson : Dehydrator

I love our Nesco Gardenmaster. The digital temperature goes to 160 which you need for meat. The low 95 degrees is good for drying seeds from your garden. The timer is nice for shut off but don't use it. You always want to take the warm product out and put it in a sealed container to cool. Things obsorb moisture as they cool. The trays will fit in the dishwasher with the top rack out, turn off heated dry.

Stan : Good Product

Works well for making my own treats for my Westie!! I would buy this product again. Does exactly what a dehydrator is built to do.

R. Flint : Great Product

Bought several of these products over the years and they are the best dehydrator that I've found in the marketplace for the price. The product was as advertised, and arrived undamaged. The delivery was also swift, and price fair.

W. Graves : Love The Machine!

My main use is to dry mushrooms, and this machine performed flawlessly. The thermostat settings are critical when drying mushrooms, because you don't want to cook them. The lowest setting is 90 degrees F., which is perfect for mushrooms. The next best feature is being able to set a timer and go off and leave it. If later it needs more drying,just add more time. Everything is right in front of you on the top of the machine including the on/off switch. Cleanup is easy and extra trays can be purchased for bigger jobs. Would buy it again in a heartbeat.

dangelo : Mr.

It is good but not to my expettation take to longo to dry the vegetable.

S. Robillard : Great dehydrator

I love this dehydrator. I had a nesco dehydrator before, but is was smaller and less powerful, so I was happy to be able to upgrade to this model. I love the motor housing and fan at the top. My old one was at the bottom and was pretty hard to clean as you couldn't submerge it in water. With the power stuff at the top there is nothing dripping into it. That is a real advantage. I love that you can set the amount of time if you want to. No more getting up in the middle of the night because your fruit leather wasn't quite done when you went to bed. I ordered more trays and the fruit roll and screen accessories. I use this mostly for drying fruit, but am looking forward to trying some other things now that I have this nifty machine.

Sonia R. : This is the one to get

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.

Heretic : good purchase!

This product is great for dehydrating fruit, tomatoes, etc. It is easier than canning although I do that too.
Heretic

R. Flint : Great Product

Brenda Beauchesne : Nesco American Harvest FD-1020 Gardenmaster 1000-Watt Digital Food

I am a little disappointed because it does not dry the fruits or vegtables as quickly as I thought it would seeing it has 1000=watts of power, but over all it works great.

Bailey Jo : Banging noise at start up

For about the first min. of operation upon each start up the unit makes a loud noise as if a fan in there somewhere is hitting something. After about the first min., the noise goes away & the unit functions however since it arrived in this condition I am wondering what else will go wrong with it & how fast.

I love this dehydrator ... when I can get a hold of one that works right.

sapsguy : Nesco American Hrvest FD-1020 Gardenmaster Digital Dehydrator

Easy to use, easy to clean, and good directions included. Food cooks very evenly, but I might try rotating the trays for the ultimate perfection. Love the timer, woudn't want one without a built in timer. Overall an excellent product!

RenRN : Makes great Jerky!

The time to make the Jerky took a lot less than other dehydrators I've had. I want to try fruits and Veggies.

Pam : Nesco FD-1020 Dehydrator

I bought the unit and it was working very well. It stopped working after just three months with limited use.
It will let me select the temperature and time but will not turn on.

lisa ana : GREAT PRODUCT

CANT WAIT TO DRY MY OWN STUFF THIS WILL BE FUN THANK YOU FOR MY NEW KITCHEN TOY COOL !

Chinacat : Very good.

Does a great job of evenly dehydrating foods. My husband uses it to dry vegetables and fruits for long bicycling camping trips. I've dried meat in it for dog treats. A good product with high ratings.

Trixie : BEST gift ever!

I had purchased this for my husband for a gift. This is the best gift ever, especially if your man loves jerky! It is very very easy to use and very very easy to clean. The jerky comes out perfect. We have not tried fruit or herbs yet, but looking forward to it. The machine is very quick also. Anyone would be able to figure this thing out. I also suggest getting more trays added to it, when I added them I got them as an add on feature.... It is much cheaper. We also got a pump to pump out the meat for the jerky. Very well made! LOVE IT!

Chinacat : Very good.

Does a great job of evenly dehydrating foods. My husband uses it to dry vegetables and fruits for long bicycling camping trips. I've dried meat in it for dog treats. A good product with high ratings.

Lillian : Food Dehydrator

This was a gift for our son-in-law's birthday. He requested a food dehydrator but no specific model. After researching types and prices we chose this one. Our son-in-law has been very pleased with it & continues to experiment with different types of food.

Paul Cliver : A gift-well received

As above a gift well received and used. We my wife and i have benefited from it also and can rate ourselves as follow the instructions and you will be pleased.

Tony T. : worth the money

a good unit. extend your dry times if you run your house cool or live in the south where there is more humidity. the lid is a little sketchy to put on. I always think it's not sitting right. Other than that. Good unit

SewWat : Five Stars

I use this so much, get the extra trays.

carrie lupini : Great product

I really like this dehydrator! I also really like the silicone inserts on the trays that keep food from sticking. It does make noise, but it’s a white noise that doesn’t bother me. It does a great job of dehydrating food. I will be ordering more trays soon.

T. Russ : Overheated, nearly caught on fire!

I purchased the dehydrator 12 months ago. Used it about 10 times, mostly for drying peppers and herbs. Then I tried to dry some thyme at 90 degrees. I checked it after 30 minutes: the unit was hot to the touch & the top trays had melted! We moved the dehydrator outside and tried again. Worked fine for about an hour, than melted and warped the remaining trays. Took it to the dump last week. Meanwhile, we still use our Mr. Coffee dehydrator purchased almost 20 years ago. No fancy temperature controls, but it consistently works great.
After our experience & seeing a couple of other reviews, I would advise anyone with this product to use it with care! It was hot enough to cause a fire. Very disappointing!

Marva : Great product, great buy!

I read many reviews before buying this dehydrator for my new beef jerky business, but it was an excellent choice. It dehydrates quickly and evenly, even with extra trays (so far, I got four extra trays and generally use all of them). I use the net screens for easier removal, but not absolutely necessary. This model with the automatic turn off and timer was definitely worth the upgrade. I can go to sleep and it turns off in the middle of the night - nothing over dried. Very happy with this purchase.

D. Skau : Great dryer. Has timer/temp settings.

Great dryer. Has temp settings, timer, all the bells and whistles.

Angie J. Nicholas : Five Stars

great purchase

SavvyB : Great

Works great! So happy with this purchase. It is efficient, but it isn't silent. I just turn the tv up. We have an open floor plan.

Vickie : Good product

Works real good! Very pleased with it!

sapsguy : Nesco American Hrvest FD-1020 Gardenmaster Digital Dehydrator

Vickie : Good product

Works real good! Very pleased with it!

Debbie : Great. Replaced my previous garden master which was 13 ...

Great. Replaced my previous garden master which was 13 years old and used 4 times a week usually running for 24 hours each use.

perla : Great Quality. Love the Features.

Love the timer and the temperature settings. Very good. I love my dehydrator.

SavvyB : Great

Works great! So happy with this purchase. It is efficient, but it isn't silent. I just turn the tv up. We have an open floor plan.

Kenneth J. Nies : Excellent Product!

Jaxe : Excellent dehydrator

This is an excellent food dehydrator! It drys meat and fruit considerably faster than a similar unit with the heater/fan on the bottom. The digital temperature and timer are an amazing feature too... it will automatically turn off after the set amount of time.

Con: the trays are sometimes difficult to clean because my sink isn't big enough to soak them.

N. Tschirhart : Great Product

I had used a different model that was owned by my brother and thought "This is a great machine". I decided to get my own and I could not be happier. It works as advertised.

Yeelin Liu : just some comments

This dehydrator is very easy to use and do. With the timer, you can sleep worry-free. It shuts the power off, but the digital light is still on for you to check or turne off. It dries food evenly. I like it as it really is a good machine. But when the fan is on, it's still very noisy. You need to leave it at a corner away from you.

Oh, and in the package itself contains enough parts for you to work with. The addtional layers and filters, whatsoever is not worthy buying.

Tony T. : worth the money

Rowan Greene : Great for making jerky or dehydrating vegetables

Versatile: I wanted a versatile dehydrator for making jerky and also for dehydrating vegetables, primarily sweet potato chips. The Nesco American Harvest works perfectly and makes jerky in a matter of hours. The user manual is easy to follow and I haven't had any problems to date.

Expandable: I love that you can expand it by adding more trays. Not many dehydrators have this option.

Ease of operation/maintenance: It's also very easy to clean and is relatively quiet. It doesn't take up all that much counter space but could easily be stored in a cabinet.

Price: I chose this dehydrator over another more expensive one that was touted as the best for making jerky. This one is expandable and makes perfect jerky every time. (I wanted to make my own jerky for my dogs and also for myself--jerky with no nitrates/nitrites from grass-fed beef/buffalo and pasture raised turkey, etc. By making your own jerky, YOU control what goes in it.)

Features: The Nesco AH FD-1020 adjustable thermostat goes up to 165 degrees making it ideal for jerky. Many dehydrators only go up to 155 degrees. The problem with that is most meat / jerky preparation guides recommend you finish the jerky in the oven at 165 degrees for 20 minutes. You don't have to do that with the Nesco AH FD-1020.

My only wish? That it came in black. :-)

JOSE M. GONZALEZ : Good Value

Overall, a good product. Takes longer than I would have expected to dehydrate food, but does a good job nonetheless.

you can compare the product price from Costco, wayfair, bestbuy, lowes, target, homedepot, Walmart, ebay, amazon to find the best price for you