A dehydrator is a smart, economical way to make healthful family snacks, delicious beef jerky and portable backpack fare, and it's a space - and money-saving alternative to canning fresh fruits and vegetables. Here's a look at the pros and cons of Nesco's FD-1020 Gardenmaster Digital Pro Food Dehydrator.
Design and Construction:
A notable feature of Nesco's 1020 dehydrator is a design that puts the fan and motor on top of the unit instead of at the bottom. Particularly moist foods - think tomatoes, watermelon and peaches - can drip down into a heater that's at the bottom of the unit, causing a hard-to-clean, sticky, baked-on mess. The top mount in this model keeps the mechanicals clean and dry.
With a 15-inch diameter, the dehydrator takes up no more room on your counter than a dinner plate. With its four trays and power head, it stands just short of 10 inches tall, so it stores easily in a standard kitchen cabinet. If space is at a premium, this style is likely preferable to the box styles also on the market, which have a footprint of about 18 inches in length and width. Height of those units is fixed, too, so trays cannot be added or removed for more compact storage.
Power:
Most dehydrators sold to consumers have motors in the 400- to 700-watt range, but the Nesco 1020's motor draws 1,000 watts, and that means faster drying times. The fan - which Nesco calls the Converga-Flow - moves the heated air down through the unit as well as sideways across every tray, then into the center for total coverage. If you've used a dehydrator before, you likely had to rotate its trays to get your food dried evenly, but because of the airflow design and wattage in this unit, there's no need to move trays during the drying process.
The extra power gives the 1020 faster drying times than other consumer models. According to the Clemson University extension's food safety specialists, apple slices cut 1/8-inch thick will take an average of six to 12 hours to dry in a dehydrator; in the 1020, the same apple slices are dried in four to six hours. The adjustable digital thermostat, with a range of 90 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, lets you select the exact temperature for the food to prevent overdrying.
Capacity:
Trays can be added and removed easily, so you heat and dry only the space you need. The unit comes with four trays, each of which has 1 square foot of drying space. Add up to 16 more trays - they're sold separately in sets of two - and you'll have a maximum of 20 square feet of dehydration space. Nesco recommends that you use no fewer than four trays at all times, even if only one has food on it. But no matter how many trays you're using, the drying pressure adjusts automatically.
Details:
This dehydrator is compact, lightweight and easy to store. The unit is also whisper-quiet, which can't be said of some dehydrators on the market, and it's among the most powerful consumer units available. On the flip side, however, because it is so powerful, it uses more electricity and costs more initially than most, which may be factors if you're considering a dehydrator for budgetary reasons. Also, the trays are plastic and not as durable as the metal trays found in box-style dehydrators, but they're lightweight, easy to handle and, best of all, dishwasher safe.
Another notable feature is the shut-off timer, which handles drying times up to 48 hours. You can load up some sliced apples at 10 p.m., set the timer for five hours and go to bed without worrying about overdrying the food. Perfectly dried apple slices will be waiting for you in the morning.
Included with the dehydrator are a no-spill fruit roll sheet, a flexible screen for drying small goods such as spices and flowers, and a jerky spice packet and cure. They're all available separately if you want more. Nesco also makes jerky kits, but you can buy any kit from any maker that will include a gun to press the meat into sticks or strips along with spices and a cure packet. A 52-page book of recipes is included, but they're also accessible online at www.nesco.com/recipes.
Nesco offers a one-year limited warranty on its products.
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