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(More customer reviews)Somewhere in my life - I think in Boy Scouts - I developed a taste for beef jerky. Years later, in grad school, I realized I could make it at home, as well as dry fruits and vegetables for snacks, with a magical machine called a dehydrator. At the time I picked up a cheap machine - $24, I think - from Wal-Mart. I was able to make some ground beef jerky, dry some fruits and make my own ground red pepper from peppers I grew in pots in the porch. Soon, the dehydrator lid was cracked, the trays warped, other things got my attention, and forming jerky strips from ground beef was tedious without a jerky gun, so the machine got put up for a number of years.
Six or seven years later, I'm in my career and new house. The interest in making jerky and drying foods is renewed, bolstered by an interest in drying foods for camping. I tried to use the old machine. It's only temperature control was a variable vent on the lid - but you still didn't know what temperature you were drying at. (which can be the difference between safe jerky, and jerky that will make you quite sick) I'm probably lucky I never got sick. The airflow was also quite inconsistent. One end of an item would be overdried, while the other end wasn't dried at all. These things would just ruin entire batches of food. Additionally, there were no drying sheets available for it to make leathers ("fruit roll-ups," but you can also dry things like spaghetti sauce.) I decided to get a better dehydrator.
I researched dehydrators, and found several books and online reviews pointing to the American Harvest (NESCO) Gardenmaster. The FD-1018 and FD-1010 are the same machine, but the FD-1018 includes more trays, more leather sheets, more mesh sheets (a finer mesh than the tray which allows drying of smaller objects, like chopped veggies, without falling through the trays), and a book on drying.
The most important features of this dehydrator are the temperature control (dry veggies at 135-145F, meats at 145-155F), and the fact that it is carefully designed for uniform airflow on every sheet. This last advantage cannot be emphasized enough. With the Gardenmaster, I don't have to worry about moving items around and shuffling trays for consistent results. It's actually pretty amazing how well it works!
The Gardenmaster has been getting a workout making jerkies, fruit leathers, and dehydrating vegetables for taking to camp.
As for choosing the FD-1010 or FD-1018, if you're investing this kind of money, I'd highly recommend going to the FD-1018. The price difference more than made up for the cost of purchasing the additional trays, additional accessories and book separately (at least when I purchased it). You will find that you can EASILY fill a half dozen trays. (I used 5 trays the other night to dry just 2 lbs of ground beef jerky.) You don't want to overcrowd foods. You also get enough leather sheets for all of the trays and enough screens for all of the trays. It's frustrating to find that you have enough trays for your drying task, but only have 2 or 3 screens or sheets. The book HOW TO FRY FOODS by Delong is also included. I intend to cover that in an individual review, but it is a worthwhile book and much more substantial than the directions you'd otherwise receive with a dehydrator.
If you don't want to spend this kind of money until you see how much you'll use it, you may want to try the smaller NESCO FD-50 Snackmaster, which also has temperature control, although it only goes to 145F, which is the minimum for meat. As I said, NESCO seems to know the secret of uniform airflow, and I expect this knowledge to be extended to the FD-50.
Don't try to skimp too much on a dehydrator, or you will pay for ruined food, wasted time and frustration. If it is in your price range, you will no be disappoined with the FD-1018 Gardenmaster.
UPDATE: If you're upgrading to this from a less powerful model, beware that it may dry MUCH faster! I've ruined a couple of batches of jerky - turned REALLY leathery - before I realized I was OVERdrying! Can't leave it drying jerky overnight.
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Nesco American Harvest FD-1018P 1000 Watt Food Dehydrator KitDry slices of fruit and vegetables, herbs and flowers, and strips of jerky with this easy-to-use dehydrator. The countertop appliance features a patented Converga-Flow drying system that forces heated air up the unit's exterior pressurized chamber (not through the trays), then forces the air horizontally across each individual tray, converging at the center. This process ensures fast and even drying--no flavor mixing and no need to rotate the trays around during operation. Its powerful 1000-watt motor also helps ensure fast drying times for results in hours versus days. Furthermore, its opaque Vita-Save exterior blocks light to retain more of the food's nutrients and vitamins during the drying process. A simple control knob adjusts the heat from 95 degrees to 150 degrees F to accommodate proper drying temperatures, and the base and drying trays can be completely immersed in water for easy cleaning. Accessories include eight trays, eight fruit roll sheets, eight clean-A-screens, original jerky spice and cure, and a 160-page soft-cover How to Dry Foods book by home-economist Deanna DeLong. The book contains lots of recipes, hints, and tips; covers the history, methods, and equipment for drying; and includes sections on fruit, fruit leathers, vegetables, herbs and spices, nuts and seeds, meat, and fish. The dehydrator and jerky maker measures 15 by 15 by 15-5/8 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.
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