Nesco FD-1040 1000-watt Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator (6 Tray Value Package)

We purchased this product and related accessories prior to a backpacking trip we had been planning. After reading about the many different kinds of dehydrated foods available for backpackers, my husband stumbled on the Backpacking Chef's cookbook "Recipes for Adventure"  Recipes for Adventure: Healthy, Hearty and Homemade Backpacking Recipes  website and we immediately started searching for dehydrators. The Nesco arrived and my husband made beef and moose jerky right away. It was amazing. Never having done anything like this before, I started dehydrating vegetables, meat, and scrambled eggs for our upcoming trip. The Nesco is very easy to use and works great! We have had this for about two weeks now and I have been using it almost every day since. I love the timer feature. We are very satisfied with this product so far!!

Really pleased with this, and I think after the novelty wears off I'll still be using it regularly. Right now just playing and experimenting with it. Dries fruit and veg well. I've also dehydrated hummus, black bean soup, seitan jerky and will try dying red lentil curry this week, as well as cooked rice and possibly other leftovers.Potential issues with inconsistent dying time due to 'user error,' if you will:When I dried kiwis, some pieces were chewier, others crisper because I wasn't making slices of uniform thickness. When slicing, I'd suggest using a mandolin or food processor when practicable,; otherwise, pay attention to uniformity.There are different dying times for similar, but not *exactly* the same things. I dehydrated standard hummus and roasted red pepper hummus at the same time, using the same weight for each. The latter took longer to dry. I'd recommend, if dehydrating prepared food, maybe do one thing at a time, or just be cognizant that slight differences in ingredients can cause dying time to differ.Again, really pleased and I think it's a great value for the price.

Took me months to choose which Nesco model to purchase but I am happy with my choice. Have borrowed and used other dehydrators and 2 of my favorite features of this model are heating from the top and temperature/timer controls. I can fit 5+ lbs of beef on the six trays and dried in as little as 4 hours. If I could change any thing it would be the tray grid, a slighty tighter weave pattern might give it a sturdier feel (like the discontinued Vita Mix Harvest Savor). I have dred apple chips, herbs and almond meal and am completely new to this (easier than I thought). Can't wait to do fruit roll ups for grandchildren and am looking forward to next year's garden experience!

Nesco FD-1040 1000-watt Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator (6 Tray Value Package) I researched several different dehydrators before deciding on the Nesco FD-1040 Gardenmaster. I chose the Nesco because it has a programmable digital timer and temperature control, making it easier to set the temperature length of drying time. The 6 Tray Value Package comes with 2 extra trays (priced separately about $18 - $22) 3 clean screens for drying fruit, (I purchased two more at the time I bought the dehydrator) and a Jerky kit, which if sold separately would cost +$20 plus shipping, and also included enough seasoning and jerky cure for 5 pounds of hamburger jerky.I'm still learning the ins and outs of dehydrating. So far in one week I've made sweet potato chips (a failure) banana chips (a sweet success) and 2 pounds of hamburger jerky (very very good). Clean up is easy; simply wash the trays with warm soapy water immediately after use. The trays are labeled as top rack dishwasher safe, however, they are very large and would be very hard to load in the top rack of a dishwasher. I sprayed the trays with a very light coat of Pam spray before loading with food.The Nesco runs quiet; 6 loaded trays of banana chips took about 24 - 26 hours to dry to crispy, which was my preference. I simply put the machine on my counter and let it run, checking every so often. 2 pounds of hamburger jerky took only 4.5 hours, on 4 trays. I expect that as we go along we'll get better at placement of the food on the trays and will be able to conserve space better.The included booklet wasn't a lot of help, but simply go online and you can find hundreds of recipes for anything you could possibly want to dry. Pinterest was especially helpful in finding ideas.All in all, this is a great beginner dehydrator. It will expand to 20 trays - but be aware that drying 20 trays of food will greatly increase the drying time. I personally won't be going much more than 8 - 10 trays. If I find myself really getting into dehydrating and needing more than 10 trays, a larger, more efficient dehydrator would be the way to go.

I make a lot of jerky and my old Nesco worked flawlessly for more than ten years. It still works, I just gave to a friend. When I saw this one with the automatic timer feature I knew I had to have it. This solves the problem of falling asleep and waking up to overdone jerky. It works great even though the max temp is only 165 F. My old one went to 175 F. This one came with attachments and ingredients to make jerky out of ground meat. I never thought of that, but I look forward to trying it out. I recommend this product, please be sure to read the instructions and always use at least four trays even if some of them are empty.

Does exactly as advertised! Easy to use, cleans up easily, temperature controlled with a timer, set it and forget it.... well try to at least! The aromas of whatever you are drying will fill whatever space the dehydrator is in, the scent of drying food prompts everyone who passes by to check on the progress. The dehydrator was purchased to prepare backpacking meals for myself and friends, and now my friends are thinking of buying their own!

The absolute best kitchen appliance that I have ever bought! I received it on 7/22 and I have already made my own jerky, dehydrated onions, celery, tomatoes and green peppers. I was able to make my own powders and my onion and vegetable soup mix.