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

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

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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

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

Q:

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.

Q:

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.

Q:

Is this product BPA free?

Answer: yes

Q:

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.

Q:

Can somone please compare the 1018 and the 1020 models?

Q:

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

Q:

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

Answer: Mine came with one of each trays

Q:

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.

Q:

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.

Q:

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

Q:

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

Q:

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.

Q:

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!

Q:

Where is it manufactured?

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...

Harry Clark : Awesome

Great product! Lost it in a divorce it worked so good. Wish I could buy a wife that worked so well!

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.

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.

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.

CompareB4Ubuy : Great purchase

After many days of reading reviews, I chose this model over the one with 8 trays. The timer allows me to begin the dehydrating process at any time and not worry about being there to shut it off - in 14 hours. I would definitely recommend the timer! (This model also has a greater range of temperatures.) The timer and temperature settings make it easy to use. The clean-a-screen is wonderful! Gently lift the edges and the dried fruit pops right off into a container. One definitely needs more than 4 trays though. When there is a good sale on accessories, I will purchase at least 10 more trays and screens. Also, I found cleaning to be easy. The motor is in the lid, so there is no mess and it is easily cleaned. The rest of the machine goes into a sink of warm soapy water. This seems to be a great product. One thing worth mentioning, the motor makes significant noise when it is turned on, but within seconds quiets down. I hope this product lasts for many years.

Charles E. Klekot : Excellent dehydrator.

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.

Aalea1 : Works like a charm, better than Excalibur models

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.

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.

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

John Skupien : Unit not working on third batch

Happy with first two batches, the unit worked better than expected. On the third it stopped heating and after just 60 days I have to send in for warranty at my expense! This after having to toss 25$ worth of beef. I will check back in to advise on the experience.

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.

Chihuahua Mom : Fantastic Deal!

I ordered this product with supersaver shipping and received it within 3 days! That night I dehydrated apples and onions for items I was baking. We've since done jerky too! This is a quality product and it works like a charm. Awesome!

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.

CrimsonCrow : not so hot

I was SO looking forward to using this. But alas, right out of the box, the heater doesn't work.

I'll review again after return and reshipment.

SewWat : Five Stars

I use this so much, get the extra trays.

George Barbour : Is easy to use

Got for my niece. Is easy to use. Getting a lot of use.

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.

dangelo : Mr.

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

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!

Aalea1 : Works like a charm, better than Excalibur models

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.

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...

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.

Amazon Customer : Good buy

Works well with different fruit, vegetables and jerky.

Aalea1 : Works like a charm, better than Excalibur models

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.

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.

Jessica McKnight : Great Purchase!

I purchased this dehydrator as a birthday gift for my husband and he absolutely LOVES it! I did a lot of research on dehydrators before choosing this one and we are very pleased with it. The main reason I chose it was for the high watts for drying power and speed and it has the fan in the top so you don't need to worry about anything leaking into the fan and ruining it. It also has a timer which is a VERY convenient plus since we're not always home while it is on. It does make quite a bit of noise just so you are aware but no more than any other dehydrator. We were also very pleased at how quickly it was shipped to us.

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.

stickkens : Neat product

It was somewhat hard for me to decide if I wanted the smaller model or the Harvest FD 1020. I decided to go with the Harvest FD 1020. I am glad that I did. On my first experence I used white peaches, I set it according to the manual twelve hours. They were delicious. I can remember when I was a kid my mom use to dry apples fresh off the tree. The process consisted of us peeling, coering and slicing the apples, then she would place them on a white sheet in the sun it would take a few days depending on the amount of sun light. It only took the peaches over night to dry.

lysmyk : great idea...at the time...

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.

SewWat : Five Stars

I use this so much, get the extra trays.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

Heretic : good purchase!

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

John McCreary : Awesome

This is my second purchase as I use my dehydrators consistently. The FD-1020 is easy to use, easy to clean and performs to my expectation. I would recommend this to anyone interested.

S. Ward : Too much trouble.

Returned it without using because a friend said it takes lots of work to cut up fruit and veggies that it wasn't worth it to me to try.

ME : Works Great!

I make Beef Jerky by the pounds, Works Great!

Tim : Great Jerky Maker

This is a great dehydrator, perfect for beef jerky. Having the heat and fan unit on the top makes for much easier clean up. This unit replaced my old Gardenmaster, which had the fan on the bottom. They both worked perfectly, but the old one was difficult to clean. The new unit also has added features such as a digital temp gauge, and a digital timer. Both are great features, and help add to an already great product.

I highly recommend.

Polecatt : Great unit...

I really love this unit. It was a huge upgrade from my Ronco that i got for Christmas a couple of years ago. The unit and trays are much more durable. I also love that the heating element is a the top. This makes clean up much easier for me.
I'm so glad that i spent the extra and got this unit with the timer. I've overdried several batches of jerky by not shutting it off in time. I do think it's too pricey to get the extra features that should be standard in all but the entry level models. But if you are a beef jerk fan like me, this is the unit for you.

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.

Seymour M. Pelton : FD-1020 Dehydrator

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.

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.

Barbara : Nesco American Harvest

My Husband loves his new toy. He uses it all the time. Makes dried fruit, beef jerky and it's actually very good.

Barbara : Nesco American Harvest

My Husband loves his new toy. He uses it all the time. Makes dried fruit, beef jerky and it's actually very good.

John McCreary : Awesome

This is my second purchase as I use my dehydrators consistently. The FD-1020 is easy to use, easy to clean and performs to my expectation. I would recommend this to anyone interested.

Sarah K Matthews : poor quality

After 2 years of light use, the motor burned out drying herbs at 90 degrees. It might be a good price, but replacing it every two years makes for very expensive fruit leather.

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...

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

Product overview

product features

product description

Product Description

Manufacturer's Notice

Manufacturer Remedy Information

product details

important information

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?

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

Is this product BPA free?

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 ?

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?

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

Is this made in USA?

Are the trays in Nesco food dehydrators dishwasher safe?

How tall is it?

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

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

Where is it manufactured?

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