With simple-to-use dial controls and straightforward cycles, It truly is an excellent decision for those who dislike fidgeting with buttons and configurations.
It's awesome! I don't have a freeze dryer yet but am planning to place an order tomorrow. I am super curious how Kerry's scroll pump is holding up... eliminating the oil from the equation would make this whole thing SO much easier.
I love adding powdered vegetables to soups to thicken them. It’s a great way to add nutrients without anyone noticing! You can also use powdered zucchini as a substitute for flour in baked goods; substitute 1/3 of the flour with zucchini powder.
I would prefer those fittings to have internal O rings and knurled thread on ports (similar to R134a vacuum gauge sets) that do not require high torque compression fittings. Finger tight and you are good to go. You spot a leak, change the Este ring and you're back in business.
Obviously things like ice cream and marshmallows you would want to let the freeze cycle run longer. When I'm ready to start the drying cycle, I open the door, remove the insulator, and check the temperature of the food on the trays with an infrared thermometer. As long as it's below -10F I start the dry cycle. A side note for TonyC, have you ever thought about attaching a mirror to each side of the tray rack to reflect the radiant heat back in to the trays? I've looked at some mirror finish stainless on ebay, and it looks like you could do it for about $quarenta. Not sure if it's worth a try or not. I would think it would let you get more water out in a cycle because the radiant heat wouldn't be warming the ice on the chamber walls. Just a thought.... Edited December 16, 2015 by Pipsqueak duplicate post (log)
For the price of a large home freeze dryer one can have 48 servings of premium freeze dried beef delivered to their home every month for a year with promo code “jdr“.
You can count on me sticking around to talk about the food side of things! My wife looked at me a little oddly when I got the freeze dryer, but now she's a fan too. I'm discovering things that it can do that I hadn't expected, such as making low carb snacks.
So they have been sitting in my freezer awaiting a time when I was prepared to deal with them - I've told him several times that he isn't going to get usable raspberries out of this - just raspberry powder. I don't think he believes me!
A couple of other points: There are obvious and easy improvements that could be made, such as using a container with a dispensing faucet (think of a lemonade jar, for example). Also, for the technically savvy, auto-mechanic-type person who may be wondering about it, there is an anti-backflow seal that has to be removed from the oil filter, but that can be removed by cutting through it and pulling it out with needle nose pliers, which is easily done.
We have two freezers in the garage as well. All of these machines generate heat and humidity. Our FDer front regularly sweats up an storm and water drips off the door and from around the entire chamber perimeter down the front of the unit. It got website so bad that I taped a plastic shield above the display to route the water around it. You can see the water on the door and on the stainless steel front past the 4 screws on the unit.
The right drier for the job, regardless if it is for mass industrial use or small batch pharmaceutical ones, can dramatically increase productivity, minimize waste, and save money in the long run. In this article, the process and techniques of freeze drying, the necessary features when picking a freeze dryer, the use of it in pharmaceuticals and food, and the future of the industry are discussed.
Another best practice is to set up a station. This will take space. Having a freeze dryer, freezer, prep table, and processing area all together has been a good decision. It can all be done in a large kitchen, but the machines are noisy and a freeze-drying project can take up a lot of space.
The length of time on Shop Now a freeze dry cycle really depends on a few factors including what food you are drying, how much weight there is, and whether or not the food was pre-frozen.
If you have gluten sensitivity and not Celiac or a gluten allergy, you might be ok with gluten and gluten-free in the same machine.