( 37 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 12 2009
I initially purchased the Nesco American Harvest FD-1010 Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator for the purpose of drying home grown papyas. My papayas are renowned in my part of the Yukon due largely to the fact that they are neither native to this region nor appealing to the local palette. Having invested a considerable amount of money into a large hydroponics system with which to grow these rather large trees indoors, I was understandably disappointed when sales did not increase at my initially projected rates. Left with approximately 1.3 metric tonnes of rapidly decaying Hawaiian papaya, I searched for a means to prolong the shelf like of my perishables until I could develop a market for them. My search began and ended with the fantastic Nesco American Harvest FD-1010 Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator. No longer would moisture threaten to destroy my empire. Then the winter months came. Driven to the brink of madness by consuming 3 solid meals of dried papaya per day, I began to wander aimlessly around my cabin in search of something other than the sweet fruit to put into my dehydrator. My bowels loose from dangerous quantities of vitamin C, I began collecting mice, squirrels, birds, and the occasional stray cat to lovingly dehydrate. The Nesco American Harvest FD-1010 Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator's generous tray space provided ample room for my creations. I began to decorate my loneley cabin with petrified mammals, giving them names and sewing clothes for them. From casual wear, to Ballroom attire, my hardened pets had it all. Fortnightly we would stage a party, with themes changing seasonally. Oh how the dried finches loved the yule ball! While the tray space is ample, it is not (as I can attest to) large enough to accommodate a full Yukon badger carcass. While I realize that amateur taxidermy is not the intended use of this device, it would be nice if the designers would offer larger trays for customers who may be using certain 'off label' applications. I more than once had to perform some amount of crude surgery (i.e. bisecting) on larger animals just to fit them in, and only after much experimentation did I learn that the factory specified drying times were far longer when raccoons with full stomachs are involved. I do wish that the manual would at least hint at this fact. Nesco American Harvest FD-1010 Gardenmaster Food Dehydrator, you have saved me from a life of loneliness, poverty, and orange feces. Business is booming, and I hope to have an etsy store open withing the year, making my leathery creations available to the world!
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( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Aug 3 2009
I ordered this product because I am getting buried in zuchinni squash and tomatoes from my first attempt at growing vegetables. In all honesty, I haven't dried anything yet so I can't rate the actual machine at this time. I did however, order two additional Add-A-Trays with plans to purchase more in the future. But the trays will not fit flush with the trays that came with the machine. I tried rearranging the trays in every way possible. The box that they came in states that they are for the model number of the unit I purchased. And they look identical, but for some reason they "float" on top of the other trays. I am thinking of returning the entire unit because 4 trays are just not enough drying space. I am wondering if the unit price is reduced because additional trays are really not available for that model. Amazon's return policy is great. However, I still have to print the label, cut it to fit the box, wrap the box for mailing, and make a special trip to the post office. Too much trouble to go through again if I ordered more trays to try and they too won't work. I am furious!
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Posted: Jul 31 2009
O.K., I never do reviews. For years I have wanted to purchase one of these dehydrators. I checked around and Amazon.com seemed to have many good reviews. I figured I couldn't go wrong. Well, I am disappointed right now. I have tried batches of bananas, blueberries, kiwi, apricots, etc. The fruit gets dried out at various times (some is hard/crispy, others are very moist/wet yet). So I need to keep checking it every hour or so and pick out the done fruit. And it is not at all tasty. Yuck. The booklet says to dip blueberries in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. I tried that and I had a real mess after I strained the berries putting them on the sheet for drying. The fruit roll-ups turned out O.K. I would like to try the jerky as it appears many people have tried that and like it. Do you jerky lovers have any suggestions on what spices work best...or any other ideas for me?? My machine seems to have some bent edges, and it is VERY loud, which I keep in the basement while it is running. I'm not giving up on this, but so far I'm not thrilled at all with this investment.
